Hornopiren

Hornopiren national park covers around forty-eight thousand hectares of steep forested country inland from the town, including alerce stands and the Hornopiren and Yates volcanoes, and it is one of the least developed parks in the region - the trail network is minimal and much of the interior has no access at all. The town itself is a bottleneck on the Carretera Austral: the road stops here and continues only by two ferries through the fjords to Caleta Gonzalo, a crossing that must be booked well ahead in summer and that shapes everyone's travel plans on the route south.

What you'll find

• Forty-eight thousand hectares - steep forest, alerce and two volcanoes.
• Almost no trail network - most of the interior is inaccessible.
• A gap in the Carretera - the road continues only by ferry.
• A crossing that must be booked - and governs travel plans south.

When to go

December to March. A full day or more.

What to expect

Ferry places sell out weeks ahead in January and February and missing one costs a day. Rain is close to constant. Park facilities are minimal and trails are few. The town is small.

Nearby

Pumalin park is south past the ferries; Puerto Montt is north.