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The adventure begins the moment the cars are selected for this 3,500 kilometer journey through the beautiful yet rugged landscape of South America. Before going from Puerto Montt (Chile) to Ushuaia (Argentina) on the Austral Highway, the 2009 and 2010 Cayenne covered more than 130,000 kilometers.
Each is equipped with classic Porsche accessories, including roof racks, roof tent, roof cage, off-road tires, stainless steel skid plate and rear trim, and running boards, all from Porsche Technics.
The journey began to the east
Although his final goal was to reach the southernmost city of the Americas, his journey began eastward to take Bariloche, an Argentine city closely linked to the history of Patagonia. After leaving Puerto Montt, the road borders Lanquihue, the first of several lakes that separate the two countries. A few minutes in, the amazing two-car convoy stops to hear the roar of the Petrohu Falls and enjoy the azure waters as you gaze silently at the 2,652-meter cane of Osorno Volcano.
The twists and turns of the road in the Andes mountains and the natural landscapes offered by the National Parks of Puyahu, Nahuel Huapi and Perito Moreno made the journey a special start not only for the crew of the trip, but also for both Cain, which, despite being more than 12 years old, appeared at home in the spectacular landscape. The 213 kW (290 PS) of power and 385 Nm of torque provided by the 3.6-liter V6 engines were more than enough to negotiate the less-than-perfect roads.
Twenty-four hours are not enough to get to know Argentina’s Switzerland in depth, but at least one can enjoy Lake Nahuel Huapi, view the cathedral mountain in the background, eat handmade chocolates and the famous alfajores with dulce de leche. A glass of local red wine is another must, as well as the Patagonian lamb asado (barbecue).
Snow-capped mountains and grizzly fjords
On their return to Puerto Montt, the expedition was greeted by a leaden sky, the result of the constant evaporation of the Pacific Ocean, which confronts the chill of the Andes. With this panorama, some rain and constant fishing in the harbor of the bay, the two Cayennes took the National Route 7, also called the Austral Route, one of the most beautiful in the world due to the amazing landscape it crosses.
In less than 50 kilometers, the cars arrived at La Arena, where they took a ferry across the Riloncave Estuary before continuing south. Snow-capped mountains and grizzly fjords are found everywhere. At Cholgo, the convoy boarded another boat, this time headed for Pilan, a three-hour journey accompanied by icy winds despite the fact that it was summer.
After another stretch, the SUVs pick up a third ferry at the mouth of the Renihue River before returning to Route 7. The shadow cast by the 2,450-meter Michinmahuida volcano accompanied them for the last few kilometers before the stop at Chaiton. night. At Chaiton, several sine and cold rivers meet where salmon and trout abound. They plunge into green valleys and flow into large sand banks, on the gray-colored Pacific coast. In the year City.
Leaving Chaiton, the Cayenne’s off-road tires smashed the gravel of the Carretera Austral. Corcovado, the white peak of the new volcano, silently watched the passing of Stuttgart’s sports cars from an altitude of 2,300 meters. At a distance of 45 kilometers, the emerald-green waters of Lake Yelcho came into view. Its 116 km² surface area forces the Austral Highway to open westward.
The Yelcho River is crossed by an old suspension bridge, where crumbling concrete columns support rusty cables no bigger than a truck. Crossing the dark waters is the culmination of civilization, at which point the journey turns into a true adventure.
Muddy sections that cause the wheels to slip, potholes in many parts of the track and endless gravel make this section feel like a rally. But the cars didn’t complain. On the contrary, the group recalled that between 2006 and 2008, we traveled more than 10,000 kilometers on the Trans-Siberian march from Berlin to Lake Baikal in Russia.
The pace of life in this Pacific region is slow. A few of its inhabitants say, “He who is in a hurry in Patagonia is wasting his time.” So a trip west to Piti-Palena Fjord is taken, while others go fishing in the lakes, rafting in the rivers, watching dolphins and whales, kayaking in the beaches, horseback riding in the valley or warming up in the hot springs. . Piti-Palena is a great place to try a thick, creamy clam chowder or a spaghetti-style grilled fish with French fries. In addition, the roof of one of the two SUVs is equipped with a Porsche technology roof tent, making it a perfect place to sleep under the stars in uninterrupted silence.
The next day, the two Cayennes rejoined Route 7 and continued south. The thick vegetation didn’t change and the rocks on the road continued to punish the bodies of the cars. Arriving at the valley of the river Cisnus brought a temporary relief to the reappearance of a paved road. Closer to Tierra del Fuego, the expedition stopped for one night in Coyhaique, a town of about 60,000 inhabitants.
Amazing lakes and rivers of ice origin
The road climbs through the Andes again and the gravel whips up the protective plates and the side of the Porsche tecnique fitted to the hero cars. Magnificent lakes and rivers of glacial origin with green or blue water reappeared as far as Cochrane.
After diverting to Tortel Fjord, the expedition headed south across the border between Chile and Argentina. The majestic Cerro Torre with its 3,133 meter tall white peaks is visible from here. The journey continued for hours and hours and the scenery was almost monotonous.
Suddenly Perito Moreno’s glacier appeared and changed all that. White and blue ice, five kilometers long and up to 60 meters high, rests in Los Glaciares National Park, in the southern part of Lake Argentina.
The convoy continued across the vast Argentine pampas and somewhat lunar landscape. Gravel and paved roads lead the two of us back to Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park. With the mountains rising more than 3,000 meters above the frozen lakes, it was easy to see why Tehulches called them the ‘tower of the blue sky’. Their granite tops are rich in shades of gray, ochre, orange-red, ivory, silver and brilliant white.
Leaving the ‘towers’ behind, the two Cayennes set off to explore Puerto Natales before continuing to Punta Arenas on National Route 9.
Suddenly the Cabeza de Mar Lagoon appears, the first salute to the Atlantic Ocean. A channel north of the larger body of water diverges to the east and leads to the smaller Lake Verdana, which is connected to the Sea of Magellan by a passage approximately three kilometers long. This is roughly 600 kilometers between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, discovered by the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan in 1520.
Haru Oni eFuels pilot plant
A few kilometers to the south, the blades of a wind turbine connected to several industrial plants were in motion. This is the Haru Oni eFuels pilot plant where Porsche and several partners will produce the synthetic fuel. Although the transition to electromobility is a priority, with Porsche aiming to deliver more than 80 percent of BEVs by 2030, the company is also focusing on eFuels. Renewable, synthetic fuels can bring combustion engines closer to carbon neutrality.
Leaving the Haru Oni plant on the ferry connecting Punta Arenas to Porvenir across the Magellan Sea, the smell of oil from the ship’s engines made it clear that they needed to find alternative means of awareness, not just cars. And while it is not currently possible to manufacture ships or airplanes with electric motors, synthetic fuels could be a good solution for those industries.
The two Cayennes disembarked from the boat and began the last leg of their adventure that would take them across the border into Argentina to what is now the southernmost city in the Americas. A sign at the entrance greeted the convoy reminding them exactly where they had arrived: ‘USHUAIA, the end of the world’.
Information
“Curves 20 – Patagonia” is now available in stores.
More information: https://www.curves-magazin.com/en/
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