The southern part of the Carretera Austral begins after the Ibanez Pass, the highest point of Ruta 7, where the road is no longer paved. The track starts off harmless but becomes increasingly rough as it progresses. However, once the rainforests are behind, the incomparably beautiful landscape is presented.
The area is characterized by the second largest lake in Latin America, Lago General Carrera (Lago Bueno Aires on the Argentinian side), around which the Ruta 7 winds.
South of the lake is the Rio Baker, the river with the most water in Chile. Its turquoise colour is particularly impressive. At the confluence of the Rio Baker with the Rio Neff, the so-called Confluenca, the power of water is palpable.
In the interim , however, we had a strange rubbing noise on our rear axle. We had no idea what it could be, and in the middle of nowhere we had no way of finding a garage. So, we had no choice but to keep going. The noise didn’t really get any worse and the car drove normally.
Nevertheless, we wanted to have it checked in the next larger town and used iOverlander to find a mechanic with a good rating. Unfortunately, we arrived on a Saturday, so we had to wait until Monday. Then the wheels were removed, the brakes checked and a few stones removed from between the brakes and the cover.
The noise wasn’t completely gone, but the mechanic assured us that nothing important was broken.
For us, this meant turning off the Carretera Austral and heading back to Argentina, back onto Ruta 40. We wanted to drive to the glacier fields of Patagonia from the Argentinian side.
FRANK KLAUS
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Hugenottenallee 171 aNeu-Isenburg,
63263 Hessen
Germany