Chile Guide
The Carretera Austral
Chaitén
In the little town of CHAITÉN, the ferry terminal is the starting point for journeys south along the Carretera Austral outside January and February, when the Hornopirén– Caleta Gonzalo ferry doesn't function. Built on a flat stretch of land at the mouth of the Blanco and Yelcho rivers, and surrounded by densely forested mountains, Chaitén is beautifully located but rather charmless, made up of squat, modern houses and wide, grid-laid streets indented with potholes that are invariably filled with water. As the provincial capital and only commercial centre between Puerto Montt and Coyhaique, 420km south, it does, however, offer a number of extremely useful services, including supermarkets, a petrol station, car mechanics, a public telephone, tour companies, a pharmacy and plenty of places to stay and eat, prompting most people travelling down the Carretera to spend a night or two here.
The cheapest accommodation options include Hospedaje Rita ( 
65/731502; Price: CH$5000-10000) on the corner of Almirante Riveros and Prat, where the jovial and eccentric Rita offers basic shared rooms and a large garden in which to pitch tents. You can also try the very friendly and welcoming, though quite cramped, Hospedaje Don Carlos at Almirante Riveros 53 ( 65/731287 & 09/8095078; Price: CH$5000-10000). The homely Hosteria Corcovado ( 65/731221, 
corcovado@chile.com; Price: CH$5000–15000), on the corner of Corcovado and Pedro Aguirre Cerda, has four cabañas that accommodate up to four people and has an excellent restaurant attached. Best in the mid-range is well-run Hostería Llanos, down on the esplanade at Corcovado 378 ( 65/731332; Price: CH$15000-25000), where you can get decent meals, including breakfast. Perched on top of the hill north of town, commanding fine views over the bay, Hotel Mi Casa, Av Norte 206 ( & 
65/731285, hmicasa@123.cl, 
www.hotelmicasa.cl ; Price: CH$25000-35000), offers decent but overpriced rooms in a bungalow-style building that also boasts a gym and sauna. Better value in this price range is the Hotel Schilling on the seafront at Corcovado 230 ( 65/731295; Price: CH$25000-35000), with comfortable en-suite rooms often booked ahead by groups. The Pumalín Project runs a beautifully furnished hostería, the Puma Verde, offering delicious food, at O'Higgins 54 ( 65/731184 & 65/232300, reservaspumaverde@surnet.cl, www.parquepumalin.cl ; Price: CH$25000-35000); it's next door to the Project's Chaitén offices and shop.
Places to eat include Brisas del Mar at Av Corcovado 278, with a sea view and basic fish and meat dishes, and the smarter Canasto de Agua at Prat 65, which does hearty parrilladas. Best of all is the Flamengo at Corcovado 218, with unbeatable seafood dishes served with more style than anywhere else in town.