“How much longer? Is there still a lot left? When will we arrive?” If you’ve traveled by car with children, you know the interrogation that, for the most part, begins before you have left the place of origin. A tip: on the Austral Road, it’s better to cut the problem at the root with a “yes, there’s still a long way to go.” Almost always.
The Chilean Route 7 begins in Puerto Montt and descends for more than 1,200 kilometers to Villa O’Higgins, in the Aysén Region. But here 200 kilometers do not necessarily mean two hours. There may be gravel, roadworks, livestock, curves, a landslide, or a ferry. Therefore, second tip: if you see a gas station, fill up the tank. Even if there’s only half a tank left.
The construction of the road began in 1976, during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, to connect by land a territory where fiords, rivers, mountains and ice fields had for decades made the boat and the plane more logical options than the automobile. Thousands of personnel from the Military Labor Corps participated in the works. For years it was called General Augusto Pinochet Highway.
The name disappeared, but the road continued growing. That said, there are still unpaved stretches and there are sections where the car must board a ferry to continue. Cell service comes and goes. If you go in summer, book some boats and accommodations, and do not drive at night, it is a bad idea: animals, the condition of some stretches and the lack of lighting can be a problem. It is the price to pay.
