Swirled marble caverns on the shore of General Carrera Lake, where the water glows turquoise inside the rock.
About Marble Caves
On the shore of General Carrera Lake in Chilean Patagonia, waves have spent about 6,200 years carving caves, columns and tunnels into blocks of marble: the Marble Caves, Marble Chapel and Marble Cathedral. The lake is of glacial origin, surrounded by the Andes and up to 586 m deep. It is the largest lake in Chile, and its Aonikenk name, Chelenko, means “stormy waters”. Even so, the lake has a sunny microclimate in an otherwise cold, wet region. Boats leave from the small village of Puerto Río Tranquilo.
Getting there
- Best months
- Not stated
- Nearest airport / gateway
- Balmaceda (about 55 km from Coyhaique), with daily flights from Santiago. Then a 4.5 h bus from Coyhaique to Puerto Río Tranquilo.
- Permits & fees
- No permit mentioned. Boat tours from the Puerto Río Tranquilo lakefront cost 17,000–30,000 CLP per person.
- Sources
- en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Puerto_Rio_Tranquilo
en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Coyhaique
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Carrera_Lake
Photos of Marble Caves
