Hornopirén, Los Lagos, Chilean Patagonia

41:50S 72:30W   4hrs south of Puerto Montt by bus and boat

Hornopirén is a fairly large town south east of Puerto Montt. It´s the end of the line for public transport. The ferry from here only runs in January and February if you wish to continue down the Carreterra Austral.

There´s a nice Plaza de Armas and a very interesting waterfront. Lots of trawlers and fishing boats, huge tides, stunning scenery. There are two passages out to sea through the mountains and islands.

There´s a nice 5 hour walk up to Lago Cabrera under Volcan Hornopirén that starts 1.5 hours walk up the valley from town, so don´t think you can do it in an aftternoon!. There are apparently also some nice walks in the national park, but they start 6km up the side road a few kilometres out of town. I didn´t make it.

The grilled semi-smoked salmon a Restaurant Carreta is absolutely delicious.