Where to go in Coihaique?
Pentagonal Plaza in Coihaique
This five-sided “square” is of particular interest as ten central roads radiate out from it. Here you can admire the monuments to the Pioneer and to the founding figure of the country, General Bernardo O’Higgins. You will also find a handicrafts market, the cathedral and some institutional buildings.
Museo Regional de la Patagonia
This museum is on Avenida Baquedano N° 310, only three blocks from the Plaza de Armas. It contains a display of photographs depicting the history of the first settlers who arrived in the area. There are also a number of objects which relate to the archaeology, phyto-paleontology, history, mineralogy and zoology of the region.
Reserva Nacional Coihaique
This reserve covers 2,676 hectares and lies 5 km north of Coihaique. There is a 9 km circuit which you can drive round, and several footpaths which lead to a series of lakes, among which is the Laguna Verde, surrounded by native forest. Within the reserve there are picnic areas at Laguna Verde and a camp-site available at Casa Bruja.
The reserve is reached by the road from Coihaique to Puerto Aisén, about 5 km from Coihaique. The road is paved as far as the turning for the reserve. This turning and the roads inside the reserve are open during summer for normal vehicles, but four-wheel drive vehicles can use them all year round.
Piedra del Indio
This spot on the banks of the río Simpson, 1 km from Coihaique, is the most popular place in the area for visitors all through the year. Here you can admire how nature and the wind have together carved into the living rock the huge profile of an Indian face, which can be seen from the suspension bridge over the río Simpson.
Tejas Verdes
This is a riverside resort located only 3 km from Coihaique. During the summer, both adults and children love to come here and facilities are available for picnics and barbecues.
Estación de Picicultura
This fish farm lies on the banks of the Río Claro, only 1.5 km west of Coihaique, and looks across towards the Piedra del Indio. It is dedicated to the breeding of both salmon and sturgeon.
