The Wondeful Marble Cathedral Located in Patagonia, Chile

Marble Cathedral
Posted by Ra Moon
The next wonder in our collection, after visiting the awesome Cathedral Beach in Spain is a series of caves and overtures sculpted in the rock by water erosion, in a beautiful lake of azure colors.

If that doesn't sound too exciting to you, look at the pictures to discover what Mother Nature has been carving over the last millenniums, that deserve a name as lofty as The Marble Cathedral.

This monumental set is located in a wild and inaccessible area in Chile, in a region of large lakes, fjords and glaciers at the extreme Patagonian Andes. The closest airport is in the northern city of Coyhaique, more than a hundred and forty miles away. The caves are about two thousand miles south of the capital of the country, Santiago.

Marble Caves
The islet on the top is called the Marble Chapel. The level of the waters varies a lot depending on the season.
Image by Gripe1976 and Claudio Bustos


Marble Cathedral Tour
Hole in the wall. Some small companies in the town of Puerto Tranquilo del Río organize tours on boats to visit this dazzling natural landmark. Image by Gripe1976


Catedral de Mármol
Columns, pilars, flying buttress... Mother nature is the chief architect of this unique place.
Image by Nick Herber


Capilla Mármol
Image by Jorge Barahona


Puerto Río Tranquilo
Expressionist decorations.
Image by Nick Herber


Marble Cathedral Chile
Getting here, and specially getting out, could take more time than planned due that this section of the Carretera Austral is not paved, and the public transport very limited.
Image by Claudio Bustos


Natural sculpture
The colors also change a lot depending on the light (and if you are lucky with the weather!).


Turquoise lake
It is possible to sail through some of the passageways with a small boat.


Stone Dolphins in the Lake
Um... Dolphins?
Image by Feffef


Dark Shadows
The dark side of the caves.


Patagonian caves


General Carrera Lake
A view of the Lake General Carrera, where the Marble Cathedral is located.


Argentina and Chile border
The lake is one of the biggest in America and is shared by Argentina and Chile.
Image by Feffef


Lake Buenos Aires
The lake is called Buenos Aires on the Argentinian side.
Image by Tot


Carretera Austral
The way coming from Coyhaique can take some detours, but is worth it. The lake and surroundings are gorgeous. Patagonian Clouds are also very peculiar. Image by Claudius Prößer


3000 Leagues in Search of Mother
It is said that Marco came here in search of his mother.
Image by Teosaurio


3 comments
  1. very beautiful clear photos. I will consider to visit the sites. thank you all for the good work

    ReplyDelete
  2. Breathtaking....the only word that comes close, yet, it too, is vastly inadaquate.

    ReplyDelete

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