Patagonia's wildest road trip
The Carretera Austral runs over 1,000 km south from Puerto Montt through Chile's Aysén region, partly paved and partly gravel, with ferries where fjords interrupt it. Highlights include the hanging glacier of Queulat National Park, Pumalín's temperate rainforest, and the Capillas de Mármol, marble caves on Lago General Carrera explored by boat or kayak. Coyhaique, the regional capital, is the main hub, and the road ends at the tiny village of Villa O'Higgins. Allow time: the distances are long and the weather changes fast.