Puerto Aysén

Puerto Aysén - Photos: Eduardo Epifanio

hilean Patagonia features a particular physiognomy. The glacier period printed its mark on the area through the erosion in the valleys. In the surroundings of Puerto Aysén, fjords and channels are intertwined with snow-capped mountains and forests on the mountain ranges that surround the city and generate incredible warmth.

The most outstanding attraction at Puerto Aysén is Laguna San Rafael National Park, which has become one of the must visit for tourists.

In the city, an architectural treasure joins both banks of the Aysén River: Presidente Ibáñez suspension bridge. This masterpiece is one of the longest suspension bridges in Chile and it has been declared National Historical Monument. Its two 25-meter-high metallic arches and its strong steel cables offer a sample of the power and rigidity that makes contrast with the natural green hues around.

In the outskirts of town, the path that crosses the Aysen Region (from Chaitén to Villa O'Higgins) presents countless spots where nature becomes the protagonist.

With plenty of water bodies, the Region of Aysén is part of a system including six basins: Palena, Cisnes, Aysén, Baker, Bravo and Pascua, whose rivers start and end at numerous lakes and ponds, and transform this entire zone in to a mandatory angling destination.