Chile - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 454

Information Visitor services, such as the tourist o ce at
O'Higgins 536 (summer only; daily 9am-8pm), the Banco
Estado ATM (which doesn't accept Visa) and post o ce are
all located around the Plaza de Armas.

places to eat and drink are to be found
within a few blocks of the plaza, and the
small Feria de Artesanos , between Dussen
and Horn, on the plaza's western side,
sells regional handicrafts. The small
Museo Regional inside the Centro
Cultural (on Baquedano, at Lillo) should
be open again in 2013 after a major
renovation.

ACCOMMODATION, EATING AND
DRINKING
Burger stand Next to the Telefónica Sur on Cerda. If you
happen to be passing through during the off-season, this
is one of the very few places open. Huge burgers CH$1800.
Daily 7-11pm.
Cara del Indio Carretera Austral, 4km from Puente
Futaleufú (35km from Futaleufú) T 2 1964239, W caradel
indio.wordpress.com. Riverside campsite managed by the
affable Toro-Meza family, offering tent pitches, basic refugios
and more comfortable caba ñas. The o n-site re staurant i s
pretty good. Campi ng/person CH$3000 , shelters CH$3000 ,
cabañas for up to 6 CH$25,000
Hospedaje Adolfo O'Higgins 302 T 65 721256,
E [e-mail]. Popular family home
offering five warm, clean rooms (shared bathroom) and
two cabins for up to six people. B reakfast includes home-
made bread. Doubles CH$20,000
Hospedaje Carahue O'Higgins 332 T 65 721221,
W carahue.guiapatagonia.net. The wooden floors may be
uneven and creaky, but Don Carlos and his family are very
welcoming and helpful. Shared bathro oms, but bre akfast
included (full board available). Doubles CH$16,000
Sur Andes Cerda 308 T 65 721405. Real coffee, freshly
squeezed juice and good vegetarian options contribute
to this café's popularity. Mains from CH$3500. Daily
9.30am-11pm.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By plane Aeropuerto de Balmaceda is 55km south of
town; all flights are met by several minibus companies
that do door-to-door drop-offs (all CH$4000/person;
CH$7000 to Puerto Aysén). Daily flights service Puerto
Montt and Santiago with LAN (o ce Moraleda 402; Mon-
Fri 8am-1pm & 3-6.45pm, Sat 9.30am-1.30pm) and Sky
Airline (Prat 203; Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 7.30am-1pm),
and there are weekly flights to Punta Arenas. Aeródromo
Teniente Vidal, 7km out of town, handles charter flights
to Villa O'Higgins (Mon & Thurs 9am, return 11am; 1hr
15min; around CH$50,000) and Cochrane (CH$35,000)
via Transportes Aéreos Don Carlos (Subteniente Cruz 63;
T 67 231981).
By bus Most buses arrive at the main Terminal de Buses
on Lautaro 109, at Magallanes, five blocks from the Plaza
de Armas. Opposite the bus terminal, Aguilas Patagónicas
( T 67 211288) runs buses to Cochrane (Tues & Sun 9am,
return Mon & Thurs 8am); it also sells tickets for Acuario 13
buses from Cochrane to Villa O'Higgins Thurs & Sun 8am
(return Mon & Fri 10am).
Destinations (Terminal de Buses) Buses Acuario 13 ( T 67
522143) runs to Cochrane Wed & Fri 9am, Sun 10am
(returning Tues, Thurs & Sat 8am; 10hr); Buses São Paolo
( T 67 255726) serves Cochrane, Puerto Cisnes and Puerto
Aysén (Mon-Fri every 1-2hr; 1hr); Buses Becker ( T 67
232167) serves Chaitén (Tues-Sat 9am, return Wed-Sun
10am; 12hr); Queilén Bus ( T 67 240760) serves Osorno,
Puerto Montt, Ancud and Castro via Bariloche in Argentina
(Thurs 2pm; more Dec-Feb; 20/24/28hr), with transfers to
Temuco and Santiago; and Transaustral ( T 67 232067)
goes to La Junta via Puyuhuapi (for Parque Queulat; daily
3pm; 5hr), Puerto Cisnes (Mon-Fri 5pm; Sat & Sun 4pm;
5hr) and Comodoro Rivadavia (Mon & Fri at 9am; 9hr),
in Argentina.
By ferry Navimag ferries from Puerto Montt (24hr) and
Naviera Austral boats from Quellón (24hr) arrive at Puerto
Chacabuco's Terminal de Transbordadores, 82km from
Coyhaique and served by frequent buses via Puerto Aysén.
The Navimag o ce in Coyhaique is at Paseo Horn 47-D
(Mon-Fri 9am-1pm & 3-6.30pm, Sat 10am-1pm;
T 67 223306); Naviera Austral is opposite. Navimag has
three weekly departures to Puerto Montt during high
season; C berths, high season/low season CH$57,000/

4

COYHAIQUE
The town of COYHAIQUE , 634km south
of Puerto Montt, boasts a spectacular
setting nestled in the shadow of the great
slab of Cerro Macay, at the confluence
of the Simpson and Coyhaique rivers in
the heart of the Patagonian Andes. It is
the capital of Aysén and a surprisingly
dynamic and affluent pocket of
civilization compared to the smaller
hamlets and villages along the Carretera
Austral. The transport hub for the entire
area, Coyhaique has departures to
destinations up and down the Carretera,
as well as neighbouring Argentina.
The heart of the city is the hexagonal
Plaza de Armas , which resembles a wheel
with ten spokes stretching out in various
directions, making navigation confusing
even for people who have maps. Most