The Carretera Austral is the only highway that runs through Chilean Patagonia. The one thousand kilometer highway begins just outside of the city of Puerto Montt in the region of Los Lagos and goes all the way through the region of Aysen to Villa O'Higgins and the southern ice fields. It is known as the most beautiful highway in South America. It is also the backbone of the Patagonian 'Route of Parks' which connects 17 national parks covering 11.5 million hectares, three times the size of Switzerland!
