The caves are actually known as the ‘marble cathedral’ so beautiful are they. It is lovely to see that this remote and very little known spot in Chile’s northern Patagonia is getting a bit of attention, after all it is this area which is under threat from a huge hydro-electric dam project.
The caves lie on the shores of Lago General Carrera, the second largest lake in South America but surely its most remote sizeable body of water. There’s almost nothing around here except mountains, forests & glaciers. Stunning.
If you would like to visit northern Patagonia, why not call us on 01273 676 712 to discuss a Patagonia holiday? Alternatively, have a look at the wonderful Skorpios cruise which takes you down towards this area.
The pristine landscapes in northern Patagonia, Chile
***UPDATE BELOW***
I was saddened to read that a huge dam project got the go ahead from the Chilean Government recently. It involves a dam across the Baker River in northern Patagonia, an area of exquisite beauty and wilderness and one of the areas which first made me fall in love with Chile. The photo above is of the Lago General Carrera into which the Baker River flows.
What makes this a really very worrying development is not the dam in and of itself (I don’t know enough about the arguments to give an informed, objective opinion) but the following:
1) How do they get the electricity out of there? If they have to run power lines up from here then it not only impacts the immediate environment of the Rio Baker area but also threatens to destroy a great swathe of Patagonia. With the best will in the world and all the environmental impact reports you care to produce, if the power company pushes infrastructure through Patagonia then in time others with fewer scruples and less governance will follow and do the real damage.
2) The ownership structure of the Chilean electricity generators seems to make efficient generation unattractive which cannot be good in the long term.
3) The real power need appears to derive from the mining operations up in the north of the country, an area with enormous potential for solar and geo-thermal generation. Whilst there are obviously issues with the technology behind these methods of generation, they are being overcome all the time. By the time the dam is finished on the Baker River and the power comes on line, it is highly likely that a suitable, low impact, solar solution will exist which could sit next door to the mining operations.
4) The parties benefitting and the manner of their relationships make the decision making process worryingly obscure, if it isn’t actually corrupt then it’s open to that interpretation.
***UPDATE 23 June***
I was delighted to see on the BBC website that the project has been delayed. Also in Spain’s El Pais newspaper the story is carried.
At least part of the reason for the suspension seems to be some of the unresolved issues around the cabling to join the grid. Let’s hope that these things are resolved properly.
Read the full article here
Find out about our holidays in Patagonia.
Mallin Colorado ecolodge Chilean Patagonia
I remember seeing Lago General Carrera for the first time in 1995. I had found myself in Torres del Paine, southern Chile, at the end of a five week stay with enough money either to fly back to Santiago or to hitchhike and use the money for food. With nothing in my diary for a month, I chose the latter.
Travelling north from Torres del Paine is rather complicated by the fact that Chile doesn’t really have a landmass for the first few hundred kilometres. It’s all archipelago, Pacific ocean and ice. My journey therefore involved travelling out of Chile, looping out to the Atlantic coast of Argentina and back into Chile at the point at which the southerly highway, Carretera Austral, ends, or starts if you are going north.
The Carretera Austral runs the length of northern Patagonia, the very narrow and sparcely populated stretch of Chile which runs south from Puerto Montt until the land peters out. Despite the grand name, it is basically a very long dirt road opened in 1992 to connect the few villages and towns which exist down here.
The road appears to be a spectacular folly as it follows an impossibly complex and beautiful route past mountains, primary forest, glaciers, rivers, lakes and open plains. In fact, the road has a not so subtle geopolitical purpose. It formed part of the attempt by Chile to keep Argentine paws off what, for them, would be a piece of fabulously valuable foothold on the Pacific.
In this part of Chile, the distance from the Argentine border to the waters of the Pacific are so close as to be positivley tempting. The Carretera Austral therefore helped to at least link the sparse population together – a sort of Maginot Line, just much thinner, and thus far, more effective.
Back to the lake in the photos. Right down near the very end of the Carretera Austral, you come to Lago General Carrera. At least that’s what it’s called in Chile – the lake spans the border with Argentina, on their side it’s called Lago Argentino. It was here that I came back into Chile.
I remember it well because the border crossing involved a long detour over a bridge. Being on foot, I decided to take the direct route by wading over the river. It turned out to be quite a deep river. And fast flowing. And cold. Suffice to say, it’s the only time I have arrived in a country dressed only in my underpants.
General Carrera is the second largest lake in South America. It has to be one of the most beautiful. Quite apart from the turquoise waters backed by stunning snow-capped mountains, what makes the lake so striking is that there is just nobody there. It took me two days to walk and hitchike my way along the southern shore as far as Mallin Colorado (pictured).
Mallin Colorado is a family run ‘accommodation complex’ on the western tip of the lake. It’s not a complex, there are only four cabins. They grow their own vegetables and have horses stabled nearby. It’s like a very beautiful home scattered along the slopes of this most stunning lake.
I remember seeing it and thinking it looked exquisite. Since my budget at the time ran to roadside camping and meals of bread and butter (I had to forego the butter after a couple of weeks) it was some years before I was able to actually stay there to discover just how lovely it is.
During that long journey back to Santiago, I have many vivid memories of wonderful people. I also have countless images in my mind of the landscape. Mallin Colorado was the only accommodation which stayed with me.
If you would like to read more about our Chile holidays or find out about staying with the Christensen family at Mallin Colorado, call us on 01273 676712. You can also read more in our guide to Chile.