Days 20: The Way Out

February 12, 2026. Cochrane to Puerto Bertrand. 30 miles.

We took the bus from Caleta Tortel to Cochrane, and I was relieved. The thought of riding all that ripio back for two days was not a pleasant one. We stayed two nights in Cochrane to reorient ourselves and plan our exit from the Carretera Austral. This was not an easy task, as there aren’t many places where one can fly out or cross into Argentina. Of course, we could always take the bus all the way back to Puerto Montt, but that was something we were NOT interested in doing. Our preference was to reach Argentina and then make our way to Bariloche and the Seven Lakes Road in northern Patagonia for another late summer in one of our favorite places in the world.

Looking at the map, the answer became almost immediate. There is a route, the 265, that winds along the southern edge of the huge Lago Carrera to the town of Chile Chico. Once there, we could take a ferry across the lake and either make our way to Balmaceda, which has an airport, return to Coyhaique—a town we really enjoyed at the halfway point—or even continue eastward and cross into Argentina. We had also heard that the south side of Lago Carrera boasted stunning vistas and we were eager to see them, but we had also heard it was one tough cookie of a ride...hmmm.

Where we stayed in Cochrane (the back cabin on the homestead of a local.)

Thus, from Cochrane, we headed back north and west to Puerto Bertrand, passing by the western boundary of Patagonia National Park once more. This time, the ride was much easier and quicker. The hills were kinder going north with gentler pitches, and we even had a southwesterly wind to help us along, making for some exhilarating downhills! We did have to wait two hours, however, when we hit the road construction section. While it was a beautiful sunny day, the wind was brisk and cold out of the south, we found a little ditch that gave us some protection and lounged those hours away.

We stayed just outside of Puerto Bertrand at the recommended Bordebaker Lodge, which sits on the crystalline blue Baker River and enjoyed the feeling of having the place to ourselves.