Here you will find some information about a few (free) places to stay/camp along the route we cycled and some information on the road(condition).

• San Sebastian: border. It’s possible to spend the night in the waitingarea of the border on the Argentinian side. It’s a closed place, it’s warm and you can cook and take a shower (ask for the key), but it is very noisy. There’s also a hostal, but we don’t know the price. On the Chilean side of the border is nothing, but we know people have camped there. Between the 2 borders is 15 kms (9 miles) of ripio

• Between San Sebastian en Porvenir: ripio and no places to stay, except camping wild. No water! First part is flat, from ‘intersection ‘ after Armonia is gets hilly (alongside the coast for about 35 kms (about 20 miles before Porvenir). Ferry from Porvenir doesn’t run on Monday, but days, dates and times may change/vary so check anyway.

• Between Punta Arenas en Puerto Natales (250 km/ 150 miles): in Villa Tehuelches, 100 kms (60 miles) from Punta Arenas, is a small shop. You can camp next to it, just ask inside. In Moro Chico, 150 kms (90 miles) from Punta Arenas, is a policestation where you can also camp. Rio Rubens, again about 40 -50 kms (25-30 miles) further is a hotel. Here you can have lunch and dinner, but we don’t know if you can camp there. Good road.

• Cerro Castillo: a little shop, there probably will be a place where you can camp. Only on the Chilean side, the Argentinian side is nothing but a customs building. Between both borders there’s ripio.
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Carretera Austral

• Candelario Mancilla: possibility to camp and use shower and toilet; $ 2500 pp (possibly free if you don’t use the facilities).

• Villa O’Higgins: camping El Mosco, nice and relaxing place with hammocks and broken bicycle parts on the walls. Internet/ wifi. From O’Higgins 102 kms (60 miles) to ferry Rio Bravo. Ripio and many climbs.

• Rio Bravo/ Puerto Yungay: ferry to Puerto Yungay; possibility to sleep in the waitingarea. Can be closed by a door and there’s a toilet and water. On the other side, Puerto Yungay, also a waitingarea, but it’s open. Possible to sleep in the military camp. Also a little kiosk on this side with empanadas.

• Caleta Tortel: free camping municipal, but it takes carrying/ pushing the bikes and luggage through the whole town.

• About 55 kms (32 miles) from Puerto Yungay: abandoned campground, but we camped there anyway. Sheltered and not visible from the road. There’s a tap that (still) works, so there’s water.There’s also a shelter. The road till here is very hilly with steep climbs.

• Cochrane: (about 80kms (47 miles) from abandoned campground) campground in the center of town, close by the central square. There’s also a supermarket. Road till here steep again with bad ripio; a lot of climbing.

• Puerto Bertrand: very tiny village with 2 little shops. Campground before the village, but we didn’t see it. Also a campground after the town, but it’s far from the road. We camped alongside the river. Steep road with bad ripio.

• Puerto Rio Tranquilo: campgroun Bella Vista, at the back of the town. Wifi. From Cruze El Maiten the road become a little less steep, but bad ripio untill about 30 kms (18 miles) from Puerto Bertrand. Then the road flattenes for a while with a little better ripio. After that more hills.

• Puerto Murta: 5 kms (3 miles) from the road. Camping possible by the lake (we heard). A little store in the town.

• Villa Cerro Castillo: camping and shop. Restaurant in 2 old busses. From here the road is paved. Campground El Bosque; at the end of town, take the dirtroad on the lefthand side. About 1 km (0,5 miles) down the road, just before a bridge is the campground.

• Cerro Castillo – Coyhaique: 1120m (3400 ft) high pass (village at 1000 ft); 16 kms (10 miles) on tarmac, switchbacks but not too bad. After the pass you go down a little bit and then up again to 1100m (3300 ft). Here, there’s a Conaf campground.

• Coyhaique: campground Alborada on the northside of town, but then you have to go up a steep hill every time you want to go to town. But it is a nice campground, we heard. We camped in the yard of hospedaje Natti (street; Almirante Simpson). Very small piece of back yard and fills quickly, but in the town and across the street from 2 (large!) supermarkets.

• Villa Manihuales: casa de cyclistas Jorge; turn right at the gasstation. We didn’t find it, but didn’t look for it very actively. The weather was very nice and it was still early, so we went on. There’s also a Conaf campground in town, but it was terrible; broken toilets and showers and no hot water. In the town there are supermarkets for food and a bakery. About 10 kms (6 miles) outside the town we found a nice campingspot. After the first climb after the town, there’s a pullout for cars on the left. You can get to the river there. Right at the beginning of this pullout (at sign 526) there is a place to pitch the tent, behind the trees and next to the river. Close to the road, but behind the trees so out of site and sheltered. Enough water along the way.

• Villa Amengual: possibility of buying food and bread. Also plenty of hospedajes, but we didn’t see a campground. We went on until we found a nice camping spot, behind an abandoned house and right beside the river. Plenty of water along the way.

• Puyuhuapi: before Puyuhuapi is a 500m (1500 ft) on ripio. The ripio starts at the turn off to Puerto Cisnes and the road starts going up immediately. A 7 kms (4 miles) climb to the top, then down again. After about 4 kms (2 miles) there’s a hike to a hanging glacier (enchanted forest); we didn’t do the hike because it was raining. But we heard it’s very nice. About 20 kms (12 miles) before the town is a Conaf campground, nice but not very cheap (but a wonderful hot shower and shelters; very nice when it’s raining). In Puyuhuapi we stayed at campground La Sirena, close to the waterfront. Free internet at the tourist office and the town square. After the town it’s a fairly long way up and after that it gets flatter. Untill La Junta the road is very good, fairly flat with a few small hills. Plenty of water along the way.

• La Junta: campground about 3 kms (1,5 mile) outside the town (north). In the town itself we didn’t see a campground, but we did see hospedajes. There are supermarkets and you can buy bread, free internet on the town square. Between La Junta and Villa Santa Lucia there’s roadworks and the road is very bad (80 kms; 48 miles). Plenty of (wild)camping possibilities and water.

• Villa Santa Lucia: we saw camping in the backyard of an hospedaje at the beginning of the town. Also a supermarket and possibility to buy bread. Road from here to Futaleufu also very bad and many hills, 80 kms (48 miles).

• Futaleufu: multiple campgrounds, we stayed at camping Laguna Espejo; close to the lake. Nice campground. Wifi. Supermarkets and other stores. In contrary to all the information we had sofar: there IS a BANK in Futaleufu! In the center of the town, next to the town square.

• Border Chile – Argentina: from Futaleufu to the border 10 kms (6 miles) paved road, then ripio. After about 200 m (600 ft) is the Argentine border. Right after the border is a free campground next to the river. About 40 kms (25 miles) left to Trevelin on bad ripio. Not much water until Trevelin.
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• Junin de los Andes – Pucon (pass Mamuil Malal): ascent of about 300 meters (900 ft), but not noticeable. A few little climbs, but other than that very gentle ascending. A beautiful route, with view of the volcano Lanin almost all the way. Not really recommendable with (strong) headwind, because it’s a very open and unsheltered road. The route over the pass Carirrine is more sheltered, through forest. Campground at Lago Tromen, 2 kms (1,2 miles) before the Argentine border. First 58 kms (35 miles) nice pavement, then bad road of lava sand; many holes and bumps. The campground is after 10 kms (6 miles), then another 2 kms (1,2 miles) to the Argentine border and about 20 kms (12 miles) lava road to Puesco. Then beautiful tarmac and descent till Pucon, about 900 meters (2700 ft) lower. Distance Junin – border is about 70 kms (42 miles) and border – Pucon about 80 kms (48 miles).

• Parque National Huerquehue: from Pucon, we went to the National Park. The first part was very nice; take the turnoff to the airport and follow that road till the end. Then turn left on paved road and follow till signs of National Park. Then 13 kms (7,5 miles) ripio. All uphill, especially the last 7-8 kms (4-5 miles) are very steep uphill. Back to Pucon via shortcut to road with thermas; all downhill. Then paved road to Pucon; a few hills, but mainly downhill.

• Pucon – Cunco – Melipeuco (np Conguillio): from Pucon to Villarrica and continuing to the north, direction Pedregoso is hilly, but paved. There you have a choice; turn left (direction Los Laurelles) or right. Both are ripio. We chose the shortest way on ripio, but maybe that wasn’t the smartest choice. It was a very bad road; not many holes and bumps but a thick layer of big stones and rocks. It was only 20 kms (12 miles), but it took us forever. Later we found out that the other ripio road is longer, but more frequently used with traffic to the lakes. Maybe it’s in better shape, but we don’t know. About 5 kms (3,5 miles) before Los Laurelles we hit tarmac again. From there to Cunco and later to Melipeuco was mainly flat. A very slight descent, but not noticeable. About 6 kms (4 miles) before Cunco, there’s a campground; nice spots and a pool. It’s the only campground we saw there. There’s a campground in Melipeuco also, at the end of the town. Hot/warm shower costs extra.

• Parque National Conguillio: from Melipeuco we cycled through the national park. The first 7 kms (4 miles) are paved, then unpaved; lavasand and stones. Not a bad road. It climbs about 900 meters (2700 ft) in 35 kms (21 miles) with a couple of (very) steep climbs. The last 35 kms (21 miles) to Curaucatin are mostly downhill, with a few short climbs. The last 8 kms (5 miles) are paved again. In Curacautin we stayed in hostal Epu Pewen, a very nice hostal with nice rooms and plenty of space to put your bike. Across from the touristinfo (and townpark/square) on the road to/from Longuimay.

• Curacautin – Malalcahuello: 30 kms (18 miles), mainly uphill, but tarmac. Last part through a gorge and valley. We went to campground Suizandina, 3 kms (2 miles) and last one before the town.

• Reserva Nacional Malalcahuello – Nalcas: from other cyclists we heard you can cycle through it to the town of Ralco in the north. There’s just a section where there’s no official road, so you have to find your way there. You can also cycle a loop through the park, to Lonquimay which is a multiple-day trip. We just did a daytrip to the crater Navidad. You can hike there. The start of the hike is about 21 kms (12 miles) from the campground. The first 12 kms (7 miles) is tarmac, after that a good road of small rocks and lavasand. The last 5 kms (3 miles) you cycle through a sort of moonlike and open landscape. You need to push the bikes 2 times (shortly) because the sand is too thick there to cycle. It’s all uphill, from about 950 meters (3000 ft) to 1815 meters (5500 ft) in those 21 kms (12 miles). But that means that the way back is all downhill…

• Curacautin – Traiquen – Angol – Laja – Yumbel: All paved. Curacautin – Traiquen; first 30 kms (18 miles) many hills, then flat and down. Traiquen – Angol; almost flat. Angol – Laja; only the last 15 kms (10 miles) hilly, rest is flat. Laja – Yumbel; flat. No campgrounds in/ close to Traiquen and Angol. A few kms after Laja there are a few campgrounds and a few kms before Yumbel, there’s a camping municipal.

• Yumbel – Concepcion – Tome (Dichato): All paved. Yumbel – Concepcion; busy road, but good shoulder. Hilly. Concepcion – Tome; till Penco on semi highway, but good shoulder. Then very hilly till Tome. No campgrounds in Penco or Tome. Also not in Dichato (same way back to Tome), but there’s accomodations.

• Dichato – Trehuaco – Buchupureo: hilly, but not as steep as around Tome. From Trehuaco on it got steeper again. In Trehuaco is a hosteria, internet in the library (wifi in front). There’s a campground in Buchupureo.

• Buchupureo – Chanco – Constitucion: Still very hilly. Nice and flatter stretches along the coast. Stretch of ripio is hard, but very nice. We only found 1 hosteria in Chanco, there’s internet on the town square. A little bit after Chanco there’s another (nice looking) hostal. From Chanco the hills got steep again, Constitucion is 10 kms (6 miles) further than the signs tell you. The last part is steep uphill and then steep downhill into the city. There’s a campground right on the beach which is very nice, but expensive. There were no hot showers (2013), but the owner told us there should be showers next year/season).

• Constitucion – Licanten – Pichilemu: The roadd to Licanten is almost completely flat, so it’s good cycling. There are a few hosterias in the town. From Licanten to Vichuquén it’s about 10 kms (6 miles) very steep uphill (11 – 14%), then steep downhill to the village which is a very nice and cute little town. From there it’s back to ripio, but the road is good. It’s more sand than rocks. Follow the road to Llico. There’s a few climbs, but nothing too bad. About halfway the ripio, in Las Conchas/Llico, there’s a campground at the lake. Was closed, but they let us stay. Nice scenery. From there about 17 kms (10 miles) of dirtroad left. From where the tarmac starts again, it’s another 40 kms (24 miles) to Pichilemu, most of it pretty flat. There are a few campgrounds in Pichilemu, but only 1 was still open; camping La Caletilla, close tho the beach and with very nice owners.

• Pichilemu – Rapel – Isla Negra – Valparaiso: from Pichilemu it went uphill to about 600 meters (1800 ft). After that it get flat and downhill. There’s a campground in Rapel, on the riverbanks (no showers). After Rapel it goes uphill again, to about  400 meters (1200 ft) and then it gets flatter again. Isla Negra is a little above sealevel. There are 2 campgrounds there, but one (on the beach) was closed and the other one didn’t look too appealing to us, so we went looking for a room. The road to Valparaiso is flat till Mirasol. There we left the coast which made us having to go uphill again to about 400 meters (1200 ft). Then downhill again to Curauma where we had to take the busy ruta 60. At first, it went uphill gradually and then it turned flat. Only right before Valparaiso it goes (steep) down again. No campgrounds in Valparaiso, but many hostals.

• Valparaiso – La Calera – San Felipe/Santa Maria: via Vina del Mar and Concon, so the first part was a coastal route and therefore flat, but very busy. Road stayed flat. Found a hotel in La Calera which was hard; asked the Carabineros.  Also flat road from La Calera, except for 1 climb. Took the smaller road to Catemu. From there you have to go on the highway for a short while before it turns into a normal road (the 60). It’s a busy road, but there’s a shoulder and for a while there’s a bicycle lane apart from the road.