Day 21: Carretera CH-265

Today was another backtracking day for most of the morning, but it turned into a blissful and spectacularly beautiful summer ride. We’ve had the good fortune to backtrack some of the best sections of the Carretera, with its snow-capped glaciated mountains, the majestic waters of the Rio Baker, and lakeside views along Lago Negro and Lago Bertrand. After a few hours of slow riding and multiple photo stops, we reached the junction of Ruta 7 (Carretera Austral) and Ruta 265, which is considered one of the most scenic stretches of road in the world.

From the junction, it was a short 6-mile ride to Puerto Guadal, a beautiful lakeside town where we are spending the night in an awesome eco-dome that sits directly on the shore of Lago Carrera. For the next two days, we will follow this steep, curvy shoreline road for about 75 miles until we reach the Chile–Argentina border at Chile Chico.

Map showing southern Carretera Austral (blue) and Route 265 (red)