The very last stop along the long and winding Carretera Austral is a small town that’s jammed pack with adventure. If you’re considering making your way to the very end of the Carretera Austral, let me tell you that you WILL NOT be disappointed. Located 563 km from the region’s capital city Coyhaique, Villa O’ Higgins is a remote town that you can easily spend 3 days exploring the surrounding areas before return back up or continuing through the border crossing to El Chaltén, Argentina; one of the most remote and wild border crossings in South America.
Let me give you 5 reasons why you should visit Villa O’ Higgins:
It’s the final destination of the Carretera Austral
If you already decided to travel through the Carretera austral, wouldn’t it just make sense for you to make it all the down to the very end? Especially if you started in Puerto Montt? Exploring through the entire 1240 km will be an amazing accomplishment that you’ll be able to check off your travel bucket list. Drive, hitchhike, bus or bike your way to Villa O’ Higgins.
Crossing to El Chaltén
The border crossing at Candelaria Mancilla is one of the least used border crossings because it’s one of the wildest and remote crossing in South America. The locals say that about 3,000 travelers pass by here on foot or by bike. There is no option to travel by car for this adventure. You must come prepared as the trip will take you at least two days to cross from Villa O’Higgins to El Chaltén.
Glaciers, Glaciers, and more Glaciers
Just around the corner from Villa O Higgins are the Southern Ice fields. With 49 glaciers just hanging around and moving along, this is the world’s second-largest contiguous extrapolar ice field. There are some incredible hikes where you can admire these melting beauties for days or you can take a boat to explore the area’s most popular glacier, O’Higgins. Fish for glacier ice and enjoy a nice glass of whiskey at the end of the day. There is nothing better.
Fish your lunch
Get in touch with your nature side and fish for your lunch. Set up camp and enjoy the outdoors the way that it was intended. Warm-up by the fire or explore the never-ending trails to spot woodpeckers or other wild animals in the areas. There are a number of lakes to fish in and catch wild fresh fish. Go solo or with a guide who knows the best spots in the area. Make a fire in a safe and controlled area and enjoy your dinner while watching the sunset behind a glacier. Amazing right?
Untouched by mass-tourism
Most people to go to the famous Torres del Paine National park for their Patagonia experience. Don’t get me wrong, the torres are a site that is definitely worth seeing. However, you’ll also find yourself with thousands of people who want to do the same thing as you. During the high season, it gets kind of overwhelming and requires patience. Imagine being in a place where there isn’t another human near you for miles. It’s just you, in the middle of nature, breathing in the fresh air, listening only to the breeze of the trees or the chirping of birds. Sounds beautiful, doesn’t it?
Are you convinced yet? I’m dying to go back. Want to know more? Read more about Villa O Higgins over on my other site that focuses only on traveling in Chile. There I have a lot of detailed posts about traveling through Patagonia and this region.
Leave a comment below and let me know your reason why…
Remember, when you give good you get good.
