The Cathedral
A marble mass.
Jpmorenosanchez — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jpmorenosanchez — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jpmorenosanchez — CC BY-SA 4.0 · LBM1948 — CC BY-SA 4.0
One of South America's most beautiful natural wonders: huge masses of marble in Lake General Carrera, Chile's largest lake, carved by the waves over thousands of years into caves, arches and columns, whose smooth white-and-grey streaked walls mirror the turquoise and blue of the water. Its three best-known formations are the Cathedral, a large rock mass in the water, the Chapel, a rocky islet pierced by caves, and the Caverns along the shore, where boats slip between columns and under wavy ceilings that look hand-carved. Small boats leave the village of Puerto Río Tranquilo on trips of about an hour and a half, while others paddle kayaks with a guide to get closer and enter narrow caves. A calm morning is best, when the water is still and the light soft. Trips stop when the wind on the lake picks up. The Carretera Austral is long and partly unpaved, with big distances between villages, so carry enough fuel and cash.
A marble mass.
Wavy ceilings.
Inside the caves.
Lake General Carrera, near Puerto Río Tranquilo, about 4 hours south of Coyhaique
By boat or guided kayak from Puerto Río Tranquilo on the Carretera Austral, ideally in the morning when the lake is calm.