What this stretch is
The second day links two lakes that are not connected by any direct road. From Lago Ranco the route runs back west to Ruta 5 at Paillaco, north on the Pan-American to Los Lagos, then east on the Panguipulli road, through the town of Panguipulli on its own lake, and finally along Ruta 203 past Choshuenco to Neltume, the village at the heart of the Huilo-Huilo biological reserve. It is 188 km, and the landscape changes completely in the last hour: farmland gives way to the Valdivian rainforest, with the Mocho-Choshuenco volcano above the trees.
OpenStreetMap tags 140 km as paved and 38 km as gravel or dirt, mostly on the roads around Lago Ranco at the start and the side roads near Neltume; 9 km are untagged. There is a scenic alternative that avoids Ruta 5 altogether: the north shore of Lago Ranco through Futrono and Llifén, then north to Lago Riñihue and along its shore to Choshuenco. It is longer, partly gravel, and worth asking about on the day, because it depends on the state of the gravel after rain.
Fuel: clusters and a 56 km gap
Nine stations, in three clusters: Paillaco at kilometre 52, Los Lagos at 75 to 79 with a 24-hour Copec, and Panguipulli at 135. The longest gap is the 56 km from Los Lagos to Panguipulli, and then 53 km from Panguipulli to Neltume, where there is no station: fill in Panguipulli, because tomorrow starts with the ferry and 135 km without fuel on the Argentine side. The fuel range calculator shows the day as comfortable on any bike; the point of filling in Panguipulli is the next day, not this one.
The weather
Same climate as the first day: January highs of 23 °C, five rainy days in summer, 13 in April and 17 in July, and no wind worth counting. The difference is the forest. Around Neltume it rains more than anywhere else on the tour, and the road under the trees stays wet for hours after a shower: ride the shaded corners near Huilo-Huilo as if they were damp even on a dry day.
Stops and detours worth the time
Panguipulli. The town of roses on the lake of the same name, at kilometre 135: the lunch stop, the last supermarket and the last cash machine before Argentina.
Choshuenco and Lago Panguipulli. Ruta 203 follows the lake’s southern shore for the last 50 km; the beach at Choshuenco is the classic photo stop with the volcano behind it.
Huilo-Huilo. The reserve around Neltume has the Salto del Huilo-Huilo waterfall a short walk from the road, the Montaña Mágica lodge that looks like a volcano with a waterfall on top, and trails into the forest. Our itinerary spends the night here so that the evening is free for the waterfall.
Lago Riñihue. If you take the back road, the shore of Riñihue is the quietest lake in the district and the road along it is the best gravel of the day.
Where to sleep
Panguipulli has hotels and cabins in every budget. Neltume and the reserve have the Huilo-Huilo lodges, which are the reason to stop here, plus cabins in the village and in Puerto Fuy on the lake, next to tomorrow’s ferry. Book the ferry and the lodge together: both fill in January.
Riding it with us
This is day two of our Andes Crossing: the forest day, ending at the lodge in Huilo-Huilo with the Pirihueico ferry booked for the morning. Read the Argentina versus Chile climate guide for why this side of the mountains rains the way it does, and the documentation guide tonight, because the border is tomorrow.
