Marble Caves
Cuevas de Mármol
Aysén Region, Chile · 46°37′18″S 72°37′00″W
Caverns of swirled blue-and-white marble carved by waves into the shore of General Carrera lake, reached by small boat from a village on the Carretera Austral.
Over 6,000 years the lake has eaten into a peninsula of calcium carbonate, leaving caves, columns and the Marble Cathedral and Chapel. The marble is grey-white, but the water beneath is glacial blue and reflects up into the vaults, so the colour changes with the season and the time of day.
The lake, shared with Argentina, is the second largest in South America.
Why it stays quiet
It is 200 km down a mostly gravel road in one of Chile's emptiest regions. The village tour boats are busy in January; by March, and at 9 am any month, the caves are near-empty.
Where it is
Before you go
Boats run only in calm weather; allow a spare day. Kayak tours get you inside the caves. Very little accommodation; book ahead in high season.
Updated 2026-09-06 · Suggest a correction
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