Hotels near Teniente Vidal Airfield - GXQ, Coihaique

Coihaique was the end of our journey traveling down the Carretera Austral from Puerto Montt. It's an absolutely beautiful city that I now want to return to and spend more time exploring. We only had about a day and half, but we stayed at a beautiful lodge, had some wonderful meals, and did a little bit of sightseeing around the city.

This hostel is good if the lowest price is your priority. My main complaint is that there was loud noise from the staff and guests well past midnight. Mind you, I'm 66 and they all looked to be under 30.

Coyhaique is a great jump off point to travel the Carretera Austral. We flew into Balmaceda airport, rented a car and then stayed the night in Coyhaique. Generally car rentals are round trip-no one way drop off, so having a central point to return to is key. Get comprehensive insurance! Many sections of the Carretara are gravel/ all weather roads with lots of bumps, pot holes, etc. We needed to make a claim for a dent on this leg of the trip. Although not essential 4 wheel drive for some sections was useful for stability on the road. Coyhaique has lots of grocery stores and specialty shops for getting provisions. We drove north for several days as far as Puerto Raul Marin Balmaceda. Then headed back to Coyhaique stayed the night and headed south for a number of days as far as Puerto Bertrand. Then back to Coyhaique stayed another night and to Balmaceda airport the following day. (The overnight stays were necessary because the drives took many hours.)

Coihaique is a town of about 60k, so not small, but quaint and not touristy at all. Plenty of good local eateries, grocery stores and whatever else you may need. Lovely rolling hills and the Andes mountains in the distance. Interesting geography and history of the area. We only stayed one night but wish we would've stayed a bit longer to see more.