Introduction :
The Marble Cathedral is a network of marble caves located in the central of Lake General Carrera in the Patagonia region of Chile. It is widely regarding as the most beautiful cave networks with its naturally carved marble sculptures combined with the breathtaking azure blue color waters around which were the result of the glaciers of the Andes mountain range that feds the lake combining slits from marble cliffs falling into the lake to create the beautiful colors of the water.
Marble cave near to the main land
The beautiful azure waters around the caves
Image attribution to Dan Lunberg @ Flickr
Unique shape of the marble cliffs
Image attribution to Dan Lunberg @ Flickr
History :
The geological formation of the marble caves were formed by wave action in Lake General Carrera over 6200 years. The region was first inhabitated by European immigrants between 1900 – 1925 as well as other immigrants of other foreign ancestries. The eruptions of the Hudson Volcano had a severe impact on the local economy during 1971 and 1991. The region was largely isolated until the 1990s when the Carreta Austral highway connected it to the rest of Chile expanding the tourism in the area.
Hole in one of the marble cave walls
Image attribution to Gripe 1976 @ Flickr
View of the natural sculptures in the caves
Beautiful scenery from the marble cliffs across the lake
Getting there :
The nearest airport to the Marble Cathedral is the Balmaceda Airport (BBA) which is served by flights from the capital city of Santiago as well as major cities of Chile and is around 250 km away from the Lake General Carrera where buses can be taken from Coyhaique. This is followed by a ferry on a small boat at the Puerto Rio Tranquilo.
