World’s Most Beautiful Route on Earth | Carretera Austral Chile | Ep.18

Come on, come on. My name is Mili.”
In a foreign country, no one knows you. A little kitten started following me from behind.

Namaskar, salaam, Sat Sri Akal, Ram Ram to everyone.
Once again, I am back with a new video. Right now, we are in Tortel, a very small town in Chile. It is a wooden town. The entire town – or you can say village – is made completely of wood. There is nothing else used in construction. There are no roads anywhere in the village. No streets at all. Only these wooden walkways.

Now I am going to explore this village with you. Stay till the end, and if you like the video, do press the like button. A little love gives a little motivation, and that increases the energy to move forward. Delhi is still far away, and Alaska is still 300 km away.

I have parked my bicycle outside the hostel. There was no one at the hostel because check-in is only after 2:00 pm. We had time, so the four of us will go around and explore. Behind me, you can see the municipality office and the radio office. There are wooden statues too. The entire town is made of wood, so even the statues are wooden.

One man was born in Italy in 1930, came here to live, and passed away here in 1997.

There are no roads anywhere in this town. Just these wooden walkways. No lanes, nothing. Everything is wooden.

This is the community electricity department. All the village departments are here. There is a rural department office and even a restaurant. These look like army officers’ offices. This is where our ferry dropped us. Everyone has come to work at 9:00 am.

There is proper information written about the decks and walkways. It is clearly a tourist place. It feels amazing to see it.

We came by ferry from Puerto Natales to here. Look, they have made a viewpoint here. A clock tower – or watchtower – also made of wood. They have used wood very well.

This little dog has joined us. He will roam the entire village with us.

Look at this boat – it is stranded because it is low tide. When the tide rises, the water will come up. This boat has been lying here for many years.

There is a small supermarket here, but it is closed right now. We are getting a few glimpses of the sun.

Now we have reached the end point. The houses ahead are connected the same way. There is another boat here. I will show you a video of it. Actually, there is some construction going on in the sitting area, so it is probably closed for now. But it is a very beautiful place. I really like this boat.

Even this old boat looks aged – like it has white hair now. But with the mountains in the background, the place looks beautifully developed. The wooden route spreads across about 3–4 km in this area.

A local person explained that we are in the Aysén Region of Chile, and in 2017 the population was 523 people. We are surrounded by glaciers.

She has visited India several times – almost five months in total – so she knows some Hindi. She explained things to us in Hindi.

Then we continued walking. What a view! It looks like Mount Kailash. Even its shape looks similar. You can see the reflection of the mountain in the water.

I will have to take three rounds of this village – one with this camera for video, one with my DSLR for photos, and one with the drone. So wait till the end for the drone shots – if the weather stays good.

I climbed up the stairs to show you the view from above. Now we can see a proper road here – meaning the village is down below. There are no roads inside the village. Vehicles come only up to here and leave from here. No vehicles are allowed inside.

You can see our hostel somewhere there near the boat. There is one bus that comes here daily. The rest are local people’s vehicles or tourists who come in camper vans just to explore. Cruise ships also come here.

We started our journey from Ushuaia. From there we came via Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales, and then took the ferry – the blue line on the map shows the ferry route. Either I could have come through Argentina, or by ferry, but since there is no road here, ferry was the only option.

Now we are in Tortel. From here, Puerto Montt is around 1,200 km away. The next 1,200 km will be a very beautiful journey because this is said to be one of the most beautiful routes in Chile.

There is a police station here, and even an ambulance. All basic facilities are available. Someone has a generator running. There is only one path that goes down towards the lake. No other route.

There are small supermarkets and tiny shops, just like in mountain villages. But the plantation and greenery are very beautiful, and everything has been properly named.

Now we will slowly head back towards the hostel.

So guys, I have taken my luggage out. This is the hostel where we stayed. Thank you so much. It is built in such a beautiful location.

And look at that bee! I am amazed. It is such a big bee.

Look at how it is sucking the nectar. Two minutes ago, it was raining, and suddenly the sun came out. Nature, your colours are truly amazing.

We are back down again, and Meenli has also arrived. Mili is here too. She has come from her hostel. There are two or three hostels here. So today, Mili will ride with us. Let’s see how far we can go. She is new to cycling. She has been travelling for one month, so she will need a few more days to get fully comfortable. I will try that we ride together at least for half a day. Later, it might not be possible. I am telling you in advance.

Now we have to go from here along this path for the next 2 km, because inside this town you will not find a proper road anywhere. This was the old town of Tortel. The new part that has been built is further ahead; I will show you that. You can say that this was the original village.

I need to put up my flag now. For that, I have to climb up because after unloading all the luggage, I need to go up these stairs – around 300 steps. After climbing and carrying everything up, on the other side of the hill there is a road from where we can start cycling. Before that, we cannot ride the bicycle. We can only carry it up.

Hope for the best. Let’s move.

So here we are. After roaming around there, we have reached this point. Now we have to climb these stairs and cross the hill to reach the road where our journey will properly begin. We will unload everything again and carry it up. Dhanu (my bicycle) will need three rounds – two rounds for the luggage and one for Dhanu. That makes four rounds in total.

Finally, we have reached the top. There were around 250–300 steps. It was very difficult. About 50 kg of luggage, 20 kg bicycle, and Mili’s bicycle too. We carried all this stuff up. She brought all her stuff – she is really strong.

Here, you find these friendly dogs everywhere. Unlike in our mountains, here they follow you everywhere. They walk behind you. It feels nice travelling with them.

After climbing all the stairs, we reached the top. First, coffee. Gracias. And here is my Dhanu standing. Mili’s bicycle is there. And here is Mili.

“Hello.”
“How are you, Mili?”
“YouTube channel!”
“Hello, YouTube channel.” (laughs)

“So how was the experience? How was your morning?”
“It was a tough morning but a beautiful one.”
“So it took one hour to reach?”
“Yes, I think less than one hour, maybe half an hour to one hour.”

It took around half an hour to one hour to reach the top. There were 300 steps, two bicycles, and 70 kg of luggage. As soon as we reached the top, light drizzle started again.

Morning work should always begin with coffee. Though we already had breakfast at the hostel, which was complimentary, and it took about an hour. I thought it would be less cold here, and compared to Puerto Natales, the weather is much better. There is light rain, but it will clear soon.

The best thing here is that there is no wind. From Ushuaia till here, it was very cold and extremely windy. Here, there is no wind at all. That is the best part. So hopefully, today will be good.

We have had our coffee. I parked Dhanu behind me. I am standing in the centre of the village from where the road begins. The old village is completely below. I have come slightly up by riding the cycle.

Let me tell you a little about this village. The board says “Welcome to Caleta Tortel.” “Caleta” means a pier built near the sea.

Some amazing facts: it rains here for around 300 days in a year. That means only about 50–60 days are without rain. This road has been built recently. The old village is entirely below. These houses here were built only a few years ago because tourism has increased a lot.

Until 1960, there was no road connection at all. After 1960, road connectivity slowly started. There is a river there which comes and meets the sea here. The entire village is made of wood. You will not find iron or other materials. All the wood used here is local, not brought from outside.

You can see a blue water tank up there. The entire village’s water is processed and supplied from there. Electricity is available here.

One more thing – the drinking water here has a yellowish colour. I do not know the reason. If anyone knows, please comment and tell me.

It is a very beautiful place. I feel it should be declared a UNESCO Heritage Site because it is historical, beautiful, and a wonderful example of nature’s beauty. One side is connected to the sea, and the other side to the river. There are no roads inside the old village. This upper road has only been built to bring tourists.

Look at that vehicle – a German family has come here with their truck. The truck is a Mercedes Atego, and they have built their home at the back of it. It looks amazing.

This is the wettest region of Patagonia. It rains the most here.

Now we have started moving out of the village. In the beginning, we will walk and push the bicycles. After climbing up once more, we will say goodbye to Tortel.

Look at this beautiful board. Now I have flown my drone. I took it 2 km away towards a waterfall. Let me show you.

Wow! Look at where the waterfall is coming from. It is unbelievable. Such beauty. And look at the mountains in front.

We have now left that place, and the road ahead will mostly be like this. This is still better; behind us it was worse. We have already covered about 7–8 km. There are many waterfalls around. For the next 400–500 km, the road will remain like this.

It is going to be fun. But our hands will hurt because of the constant vibration – gad gad gad gad – from the rough road.

There is a different joy in travelling alone. In a foreign country, no one knows you. No one recognises you. No one is there to help you. And you are riding alone on an empty road.

Isn’t that amazing? Where else would you go?

Ah! Are you seeing this view? It is incredible.

It was so beautiful behind us – I really enjoyed it. This area is called Carretera Austral. It is absolutely stunning. From here to Puerto Montt, it is going to be a 1,200 km journey. Puerto Montt is 1,200 km from here.

They say that if you want to see the maximum number of cyclists travelling anywhere in the world, you will find them on this route. Travellers come here in large numbers from Europe and the USA. Even many people from Chile and Argentina come here only to cycle on this route.

So we will enjoy this route for the next 10 days. Stay with me till the end.

That little dog, “Delhi ka bachcha”, kept following us. The poor thing is alone in the jungle. But I think now he has found his way back. Go on, brother, go. He wasted 10 minutes of my time.

These friends here are professional cyclists, and even they are struggling.

“German guys, Mili, how do you feel now?”
“We just covered 15 km till now.”
“But we did it without wind, otherwise 15 is just one-five.”
She says 15 km itself is a lot. Great! I was thinking only I was slow. (laughs)

Oh wow, look at the view. We have done 16 km in around three hours. We have been riding for the last three hours. I want to show you how beautiful this place is. This valley reminds me of Srinagar, or you could say the Beas River side in Manali.

Five minutes ago it was raining here, and within five minutes the sun came out.

Now we have reached the highway. Well, calling it a highway is funny – this is also gravel. But this is Route 7, which is world-famous as Carretera Austral. We will ride on this for the next 1,200 km. The road we were on before was a 22 km link road.

I can see a very beautiful waterfall ahead – actually, I can see two. So let’s send the drone again. We will make some tea or coffee, relax a bit, and then move on.

We were sitting when five cyclists passed by.

“Hello, where are you from?”
“I am from Belgium.”
“Belgium as well.”
“And you?”
“US.”

And Mili keeps saying, “Let’s move, let’s move!” (laughs)

One guy said he was living in Himachal Pradesh last year.
“I was living in Himachal Pradesh last year.”
“Where in Himachal?”
“Time after trekking…” (laughs)

“It’s all I say – if I want to go, I say ‘chalo’.”
“Thank you for the coffee. Nice. Enjoy the rest of your trip.”

Many times, we have to push the bicycle uphill.

And here it is – Carretera Austral.

What views! Look behind – water flowing – and ahead too. In the distance, you can see glaciers between the mountains. Huge glaciers between two mountain ranges.

The road is unpaved, but even then, I am enjoying it. They say the next 1,000 km will be like this, through these forests.

What a beautiful sight. I will place the camera here and show you the front view. Just enjoy it with the music.

The views are stunning. What I am seeing with my eyes, I cannot fully show you through the camera. It is so beautiful.

They are from Japan, from Australia, and he came all the way from Canada.
“I crossed Canada down the Rockies.”
“I have been travelling for the last 10 years.”
“Yes, I am travelling around the world.”

It is now 8:30 pm. There is a camping site 8 km ahead, so we will stop there tonight. For me, it is difficult to travel with someone for long.

Look, we have reached a valley. Just see how beautiful it is. There is a camping site 4 km ahead; we will check it out.

The mountains look incredible from this angle.

Yes, we found the camping site. It is off the road – well, there is hardly any road anyway.

So we got the camping site. I am setting up my tent here. Mili is setting up hers there. Before that, I asked them if they could give me some hot water for a bath. They arranged hot water for me. I will have to bathe in a desi (basic) style because this camping site is very simple.

This is my bathing arrangement – a bucket full of hot water. It is cold, so I will quickly set up my tent before it gets dark. It is almost 10 pm now. Sunset here is around 10:10 pm these days. December is almost ending. I have not even realised how quickly it passed.

So it is better to set up the tent first.

The tent is ready. Only dinner is left. These local people are very simple villagers. They keep cows and some animals. Inside, they have lit a furnace where you can cook your dinner. So I will prepare something to eat here.

The views in today’s video were amazing. You must have seen so many views – maybe you have never seen so many beautiful landscapes in one video.

But the biggest problem today was the road. There was no proper road at all. Only gravel. It becomes that “gad-gad” rough surface in the middle, with big stones. And this kind of road will continue for the next 450 km.

How did you like today’s video? Please let me know in the comments.

I will end today’s video here.
Till then, stay happy, stay busy, stay joyful, stay healthy.
Jai Hind. Jai Bharat.