March 10, 2017
The Carretera Austral highway snakes through Parque Queulat National Park with evergreen forests and winding rivers.
For an impressive day hike, I visited the hanging glacier, Ventisquero Colgante. There’s an out and back hike that takes about 4 hours through the dense forest. At the top there are views of the glacier suspended off large rock faces, as nearby waterfalls cascade towards the bottom of the glacier. After hiking back down, I took a side path to the glacier lake to kayak. The water is this milking gray color from all of the minerals and sediment. After kayaking across the lake, there are cool views of the glacier from below. If you need a bit of indulgence after hiking, head over to the hot springs for a relaxing soak.
Driving from Puyuhaupi to Coyhaique, I stopped for a hike in the Enchanted Forest in Parque Quelat. It’s a nice out and back that take 1.5 to 2 hours. At the top there are impressive views for the glacier lake that is this unreal turquoise color. Really nice spot to break up a day of driving and to picnic.
