3 Best Sights in Chaiten, The Southern Coast

Vermont native Nicolas La Penna is a pioneer in the tourist trade on the Carretera Austral, leading tours and providing transport on the mostly dirt roads of northern Patagonia for well more than two decades. His office doubles as the Chaitén bus station, making him an especially rich source for tips on the region. Among his destinations in the Chaitén area are Pumalin Park, Futaleufú River, the Yelcho and Michimahuida glaciers, and still-smoking Chaitén Volcano. Tour prices start from 30,000 pesos.

One of the best places in the region to fish, this lake is constantly packed with brown trout. It runs along the Carretera Austral south of Chaitén, and there are several lodges nearby catering to anglers.

Just 2 km (1 mile) past the village of Puerto Cárdenas is Puente Ventisquero Yelcho (Glacier Bridge), the beginning of a moderate three-hour round-trip hike to Ventisquero Cavi (Hanging Glacier). The trail is clearly marked, but Chaitur Excursions (www.chaitur.com) also organizes group treks to the glacier.