Puerto Guadal – Pearl of the Carretera Austral

On the southern shore of Lago General Carrera, Chile’s largest lake, lies the small town of Puerto Guadal: a picturesque, charming starting-point for exploring Patagonia’s natural beauty. The village, with its 900 hospitable inhabitants, is nestled on a small bay and offers a fabulous view of lake, along with with a renovated pier and beautiful beaches – for those brave enough to swim in the chilly glacial water.

The first wave of Western immigrants arrived in Puerto Guadal between 1922 and 1926, with another surge of growth in the 1960s, led by agricultural development and the extraction of raw materials. In 1991, Puerto Guadal became accessible to the rest of Chile via the Carretera Austral roadway, and thus tourism found its way into the village, whose inhabitants have maintained their extraordinarily-friendly nature. Today, the town has good tourist infrastructure, with mobile phone networks and internet connection recently becoming available.

There’s plenty to do in the region around Puerto Guadal, with outdoor activities popular above all else; especially featured are fly-fishing, trekking (including routes through former mines), and horseback riding along the lake and through the surrounding mountains. Not far from Puerto Guadal, in the middle of a forest, are the waterfalls of Los Maquis; 15 km further away is the Baker River, whose turbulent, turquoise glacier-fed waters feed into the Río Neff just below the mighty “Salto del Baker” waterfall. At about 1.5 hours’ drive is the Valle de Leon, with its unique trekking route leading to the Leones Glacier in Laguna San Rafael National Park.

Puerto Guadal is an ideal destination for visitors wishing to explore the world-famous Patagonian wilderness. For more information on the town or the region, please contact your travelArt agent.