Puerto Ingeniero Ibáñez

Prior to the Carretera Austral’s completion, Puerto Ingeniero Ibáñez was a major lake port, connecting Coyhaique with Chile Chico and other settlements on the south shore of General Carrera Lake. Its current livelihood is derived from agriculture, both livestock and tree fruit such as apples and pears.

Since completion of the highway bypass, it has lost economic clout, but the ferry from here to Chile Chico, for an easy border crossing to Argentina, is quicker and cheaper than the roundabout road system. It’s about 110Km south of Coyhaique via the Carretera Austral and a paved lateral road that runs south for about 110 kilometers to the east of Villa Cerro Castillo. There’s also a rustic road, which allows you see scenery crossing through the lake’s north shore (in Argentina, it is called Lake Buenos Aires).

How Much Do We Love This Place?

The Good

• It's an area of immense beauty with the remoteness that people expect from Patagonia
• There are some of the best fly-fishing lodges
• A lake with pristine and calypso waters
• You can find lands laden with lush vegetation or layered in fields of ice

The Bad

• Few accommodation options
• Towns along the way are few and far between
• Some parts of the highway are deserted

Somewhere Special To Stay

HOTEL	FROM	iCATEGORY
Puyuhuapi Lodge	219 USD
Loberias del Sur	180 USD
Yelcho Patagonia	3000 USD
Hacienda Tres Lagos	276 USD