Patagonia off the beaten track: Cerro Castillo Trek

This January, I demanded a few kilometers of hiking trails from my feet. After the intensive hiking days in Torres del Paine National Park and in El Chaltén, we had warmed up for the prime piece of our Patagonia trip – the Cerro Castillo Trek. I’m not a die-hard trekker and appreciate a “real” bed in a mountain hut at the end of every day of hiking. But from time to time I like to challenge my weaker self and push my comfort zone to the limit. After trekking in Iran, I at least have the certainty that I will survive four days of camping without dramatic side effects. And so I built four trekking days in the Chilean region of Aysén into our travel plan. Why exactly here? Because the four-day hike at the foot of the mighty Cerro Castillo is one of Patagonia’s insider tips.

Day 1 – Preparations in Villa Cerro Castillo

Although I included the trekking so naturally in my travel planning, this part hung over us like a sword of Damocles until our arrival in Villa Cerro Castillo. “Are we going to start hiking if it rains twine on the first day?” The hypothetical question of how flexible my comfort zone is effectively came up from time to time in the run-up. But the closer the date came, the more the daily look at the weather forecasts encouraged me to go through with the undertaking as planned.

We arrive at Villa Cerro Castillo in the late afternoon after a bumpy ride on an unpaved section of the Carretera Austral between Puerto Tranquilo and Villa Cerro Castillo. The starting point for our trekking venture is the hostel of Senderos Patagonia at the entrance to Villa Cerro Castillo. In addition to the hostel and campground, Mary and her husband Cristian offer guided trekking, day hikes and horseback riding. We want to explore the Cerro Castillo Trek on our own, but rent the necessary camping equipment (sleeping bag, sleeping mat, tent, gas stove and camping utensils) from Senderos Patagonie. We use the rest of the afternoon to get an overview of the material and to exchange details of the upcoming trekking with Mary. As a precaution, we had already bought a large part of the food in Chile Chico and Puerto Tranquilo (both larger towns than Villa Cerro Castillo). The only thing we are still missing are gas cartridges. The search for two of them leads me to almost every minishop in the village (which, by the way, is not as small as it seems at first glance). In the end, I find what I am looking for in the farthest corners of the village. Lucky! For a final refreshment before the three trekking days, we treat ourselves to a hearty chorrilla in Puesto Huemul.

Tag 2 – von Las Horquetas ins Campamento el Turbio

The loud snoring of our dormitories in the hostel gives a whole new perspective to the prospect of a night in a tent outside in nature the next morning. And unfortunately, you can’t rely on the “last” warm shower either. For me, only cold water drips out of the shower head. Well. After all, we are already calibrated for the coming days. We pack the backpacks and since I only have 34 liters available, the boyfriend has to hump all the more. I admit: it’s not entirely fair. Shortly before noon we start the hike in Las Horquetas, which is located about 20 kilometers north of Villa Cerro Castillo and we reach it by private transfer. From Las Horquetas follows the pastures in the Alps and indeed we come across cows on the way. Annoying are the numerous horseflies that buzz around our heads non-stop and that we can’t get rid of until we reach the Campamento el Turbio. Since we were mostly on well-signposted hiking trails in Torres del Paine and around El Chaltén, I found it difficult to estimate in advance how “wild” it will be on the Cerro Castillo Trek. While the path is always easy to see, the trek already has one or two tricky parts up its sleeve. On the first day, these are three river crossings, which I manage easypeasy (thanks to previous reading) with my Teva sandals and are a refreshing treat for my feet. Without sandals I would have complained quite a bit, because stalking barefoot through this icy water is not exactly the most pleasant. We are the first to arrive at the campground and puzzle over how many tents will be here at the end of the day. Finally, shortly before dark, we count seven more tents, some of them couples and some of them singles. There is enough space in between, so that we hear nothing more than the constant murmur of the Rio Turbio as we fall asleep.

Facts about the first day of hiking:

• Transfer to the starting point in Las Horquetas
• Hiking distance approx. 16 kilometres
• Altitude difference around 450 m ascent and 250 m descent
• Übernachtung im Turbid Camp

Tag 3 – über den Portezuelo el Peñon ins Campamento la Tetera

The next day brings the first hard meters of altitude. We set off shortly after nine o’clock. By Chilean standards, this is “extremely” early. Most of the tents around are still slumbering deeply at this time. Mary said in advance that the path over the Portezuelo el Penon was not to be missed. In fact, the pass between two steep mountain flanks is clearly visible. During the first hour, the path leads through the pleasantly shady forest. I’m happy for every meter of altitude I can climb on this surface. Behind it, a not-so-casual-looking scree field awaits. We quickly reach the tree line and thus also the small and large – sometimes loose – boulders lying around. Here the path is no longer clearly visible and I have to concentrate to find the respective stone markings. I promptly land on the orographic right side of the river in extremely unstable, steep terrain. Nothing is more annoying than putting your energy in the wrong place. So back to the river and start a second attempt on the opposite side. The left side is much more solid, even if there are two or three tricky places to overcome here – or the hands have to be used to help. At the top of the pass we briefly enjoy the view over to the Laguna Castillo and then start the descent. Although it is very steep, it is quite recognizable compared to the ascent. Both Mary and the park ranger recommended us to spend the second night at Campamento el Bosque. However, we arrive there shortly after 12:00 p.m. and, after a short breather, feel fit enough to complete a few meters of altitude for the next trekking day today. A good hour later, including another thrilling river crossing, we reach the beautiful Campamento la Tetera campsite about 10 minutes below the Laguna Castillo. This is the smallest campsite on the route and it does not have benches or an outhouse. But the location is fantastic. We are again the first on site and enjoy the rest of the afternoon in glorious sunshine the simple idleness.

Facts about the second day of hiking:

• Hiking distance approx. 12 kilometres
• Altitude difference around 900 m ascent and 500 m descent
• Übernachtung im Teapot Camp

Day 4 – via Laguna Castillo to Campameto Neozelandés

The third day of trekking takes us to the highlight of the tour – the Laguna Castillo with the mighty jagged massif of Cerro Castillo in the background. Theoretically, you could tackle the first meters of altitude in Campamento la Tetera directly with your sandals, as shortly afterwards a river crossing provides the necessary morning freshness. Immediately afterwards we notice that some of them do not adhere to the park regulations and camp directly at the lagoon. A tent was even set up in the middle of the path, which makes me wonder what such people are thinking… As this is a protected landscape in a national park, I think it is a minimum of decency to pitch the tent at the official campsites and respect the rules. Out of sheer incomprehension, I don’t pay attention to the route for a moment and promptly manoeuvre myself back into a steep scree slope. Since we don’t see any trail markings far and wide, we “shimmy” up the Laguna bit by bit and hope that every stone doesn’t slip away. After a good two hours of climbing, we have reached the stony high plateau with panoramic views over the Río Ibáñez and are incredibly close to the glacier of Cerro Castillo. A couple crosses our path and casually says “Hello Zäme” as we pass by. It’s hard to believe – the Swiss are really everywhere! After a short chat and exchange about our itineraries, we tackle the descent to Campamento los Porteadores. In a nutshell: Terrible! Scree fields and I will never become friends and steep scree fields without a clear path, which I have to hike several hundred meters down into the valley, are my personal disaster. I stalk around like a stork and tend to use foul language. A good two hours later I got through this part in one piece. Now we go back up the valley, following the course of the river Estero Parado on narrow paths to the farthest cirque, where the Campamento Neozélandes is located. The beautiful forest path and the fact that we share the idyllic campsite with only three other people reconcile me with the resinous descent. Shortly before sunset, we take another 250 meters of altitude to take a look at the Laguna Duff. Unfortunately, we don’t have the wide-angle lens here to properly capture the Laguna with its “icebergs”. For weight reasons, we limited ourselves to taking the two cameras with one lens each (35 mm and 90 mm) on the Cerro Castillo Trek.

Facts about the third day of hiking:

• Hiking distance approx. 11.5 kilometres
• Altitude difference around 950 m ascent and 900 m descent
• Overnight stay at Campamento Neozelandés

Day 5 – Return to Villa Cerro Castillo

In Campamento Neozélandes you could stay a good two nights and spend a full day exploring unnamed mountain peaks and wide lagoons. However, we are on our way back to civilization – it is already clear to us that it was a great decision to bet on the Cerro Castillo Trek and go through with it. Again, you will meet people on the road during the high season, but compared to southern Patagonia, this is a piece of cake.

The last stage, which leads us back to Villa Cerro Castillo, still has a surprise in store. We always assumed that the trail would also pass a ranger’s house at this end, where we could log off. Therefore, we follow the markings until the path leads us directly to a high fence that separates us from the road, after which we have to turn off for the last seven kilometres. In front of it, a sign reads “Propiedad Privada – no Entrar” in large letters. Great confusion – where did we take a wrong turn? Conscientious as we are, we hike back a bit and look for the supposedly right turn. However, there is nothing. So back to the fence to look for a place where we can crawl through the bottom. A little further towards Cerro Castillo we find a suitable loophole and squeeze under the fence. Back at the hostel, it turns out that despite all our doubts, this seems to be the official end of the trail and everyone is using this loophole under the fence. There is no ranger’s house on this side – or rather only one much further ahead, but it opens up the direct path to the Laguna and is not operated by the national park, but by the private landowner.

Facts about the fourth day of hiking:

• Hiking distance approx. 15 kilometres
• Altitude difference around 25 m ascent and 850 m descent
• Return to Villa Cerro Castillo & continue to Coyhaique

Practical tips for the Cerro Castillo Trek

• At the entrance to Villa Cerro Castillo is the hostel / campground of Senderos Patagonia. A night in a shared room costs 10,000 Chilean pesos per person including bed linen and 8,000 Chilean pesos with your own sleeping bag.
• Senderos Patagonia rents sleeping bags, sleeping mats, tents as well as gas stoves and camping dishes on request.
• You can reach the starting point of the trek in Las Horquetas in three different ways. Either you use the public bus connection, which, according to Mary from Senderos Patagonia, goes 1x a day at 07:30 a.m. in the direction of Coyhaique and lets you out there if you wish. Another budget-friendly option is hitchhiking, which a lot of people do – but you need a little patience until someone takes you. Or you can afford a private transfer (via Senderos Patagonia), which costs a flat rate of 30,000 Chilean pesos.
• If you start in Las Horquetas during the regular park opening hours, you have to register at the ranger’s house (which you can reach after a few minutes’ walk) and pay a park entrance fee of 5,000 Chilean pesos per person.
• According to the park regulations, camping is only permitted on the official campsites. These are signposted and some are equipped with wooden benches and tables as well as an outhouse.
• Since you’ll probably have to cross different streams, it’s worth packing flip-flops or teva sandals.
• Don’t forget to bring enough sun protection (the Patagonian sun burns mercilessly) as well as mosquito spray and light-colored clothing (against the annoying horseflies)
• There are plenty of water points and every campsite is close to clean running water. Only between the Laguna Castillo and the Campamento los Porteadores there is no water (so fill up all bottles beforehand).
• If you don’t have four days available for trekking, then the (strenuous) day hike from Villa Cerro Castillo to Laguna Castillo is alternatively worthwhile. The direct route is on private property and therefore the fee here is 10,000 Chilean pesos per person.

My thanks go to the Globotrek team as well as their local Chilean partner Andes Nativa, who made the trekking palatable to us in advance, as well as to Mary from Senderos Patagonia, who provided us with tips in Cerro Castillo and where we were allowed to stay for free for one night in the hostel’s shared room – as always, all impressions and opinions are ours.