We spent a couple of days at the extreme southern edges of Patagonia before expedition cruising to Antarctica back in 2023. At the time, we resolved to return “some day” for a more extensive experience. Early 2026 we flew to the Chilean side of Patagonia, where we started our three-week, lodge-based more in-depth exploration.

After a half-day exploring Chile’s capital city, Santiago, we headed back to Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport to board a 2 hr 23 min (1,748 km / 1,086 mi) flight south to Balmaceda. With a permanent population of around 500, Balmaceda is the largest airport in Chile’s Aysén Region.

Waiting on the jet way in Santiago, we met a family of 5 from California. They told us they were telling everyone they’re Canadian! We chuckled a bit, enjoyed some conversation and learned they were on a trip celebrating the father’s 65th birthday and recent retirement. Those are milestones worth celebrating in Patagonia, for sure.

Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo

After collecting our luggage in Balmaceda, we met our driver/guide for the next two days, Poncho (short for Alfonso). We loaded our bags in the back of the Toyota Landcruiser Prado(?) and then Poncho headed for Alto Castillo Lodge. Most of the drive was along a paved, 2-lane highway. After a stomach-lurching, eyebrow raising lurching final 5 minutes, we reached the parking area for the Lodge, situated on a small private reserve just outside Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo. Our lenga wood cabin sat a short walk from the main building and framed beautiful views down the Río Ibáñez valley.

Over a traditional lunch, Poncho outlined our options for the afternoon: the Laguna Cerro Castillo hike, a challenging 13.4 km/8.3 mi route with 1125 m/1230 yds elevation gain; or an afternoon of mostly vehicle-based sightseeing. Although I wasn’t keen to travel the 4×4-required approach to/from the Lodge again, we realized that jet lag was weighing on us and went for the less physical option.

About Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo

Designated a national reserve in 1970, Cerro Castillo was recategorized as a National Park thanks to the 2018 agreement between the government of Chile and Tompkins Conservation. It’s named for Cerro Castillo, a beautiful mountain with multiple hanging glaciers that have formed intensely turquoise lagoons.

One of the main attractions here is Cerro Castillo Horquetas Circuit, a premier 4-day, 50+ km (31+ mi) trekking rout often described as a quieter alternative to the “W” or the “O” in Torres del Paine. It’s located about an hour’s drive from Balmaceda airport and situated about 1000 km (621 mi) north of the southern tip of Chile and roughly 1500 km (932 mi) south of Santiago.

Cerro Castillo’s lenga and ñirre forests are ideal habitat for the endangered huemul deer. Pumas, Magellanic woodpeckers, Andean condors and black-chested buzzard-eagles also inhabit the area.

The Parque encompasses 1800 square km (695 sq mi or 143,502 hectares). Park infrastructure is minimal, with the most-used access points on private property.

Paredón de Las Manos (Wall of Hands)

We began our sightseeing excursion by driving through Villa Cerra Castillo (the village) and taking an access road to Paredón de Las Manos, a well-known archaeological site that’s on the list of potential UNESCO sites. For roughly 10,000 years, continuing to the 1700s, Tehuelche people made hand prints using a mixture of dyes blown through hollowed-out guanaco bones. The oldest visible paintings at The Wall of Hands date back roughly 3,000 years.

We walked the short trail to the rock face (approx. 35 meters long) and did our best to photograph the 100+ remaining hand prints. The site has deteriorated over the past 50+ years; archeologists from the 1970s reported closet to 250 hand prints, with 125 visible in 1994 and 107 remaining in 2005.

Museo Escuela Cerro Castillo

Paredón de Las Manos shares a parking lot / admission center with the Cerro Castillo School Museum, our next stop. While the Ibáñez valley was inhabited by indigenous Tehuelche people for some 10,000 years, in the early 1900s the Chilean government started looking for ways to more actively incorporate Patagonia into the social and political life of the country. A primary tool was land concessions. While many land concessions were made to livestock companies, many failed to prosper. Instead, it was independent pioneers who banded together to construct School No. 9 in 1955.

Students from 24 families attended classes from March through December. The building transformed into a museum in 1997 and various exhibits cover the early human history of the valley, 20th century colonization and what it was like to attend school here. Declared a national historical monument in 2008, we enjoyed the opportunity to learn a little more about the Wall of Hands, the surrounding valley, and the nearby Marble Caves. I surprised myself by being able to read much of the signage in the museum. Put it down to a combination of 10 years of school French and several months of Duolingo Spanish!

NOTE: There’s not much searchable information about the Museo. The information in this section comes from memory and details extracted from photos we took. If I’ve got something wrong, please let me know by leaving a comment. 🙂

Short Hike Overlooking a Lake (With No Name on Google Maps)

After spending some time getting familiar with the historical context of the valley, our driver agreed it was time to stretch our legs for a bit. He drove for about 20 minutes along Camino Lago Las Ardillas and then parked across from a gate. Whether by prearrangement or simply locals’ knowledge of access points, he led us along a disused ranching road to an overlook that gave us a good view of a lake with a couple of islands. Neither Google Maps nor Open Street Map has a name attached to the lake.

Highlights of this 3.7 km (2.3 mi) walk included birdsong, the view of the lake and (surprise) grazing “wild” horses. Oh, and we learned the hard way to recognize the plants that grow the the little prickly seeds that cling to your socks and pants if you so much as walk near them! I can’t tell you how many times over our almost 3 weeks in Patagonia we had to pick them off our pants, socks and shoes!

Salto del Río Ibáñez

Back at the vehicle, Pancho headed towards the far point of our “loop” route, with a quick stop to photograph Lago Central and then a longer stop at Salto de Río Ibáñez. We spent considerable time trying to figure out how best to photograph the size and strength of the waterfall as well as the surrounding landscape and geology.

One point of geological interest include a white band about 30 meters up the valley walls – a layer of volcanic ash from about 150 million years ago. Another is that the waterfall is a recent development, forming as a result of the 1991 eruption of Cerro Hudson, the most active volcano in the Southern Volcanic Zone of the Andes Mountains.

The several meter tall block of sedimentary layers at the parking area is a one time lake bottom. The once-horizontal layers were disrupted by a major earthquake about 10,000 years ago.

Overnight at Alto Castillo

With the sun approaching the horizon, Poncho advised it was time to head back to our lodgings for the night. We drove generally northwest to complete our sightseeing loop and ended up on the bone jarring 4×4 only “driveway” approaching the lodge. Once we dropped our photography kit in our cabin, we headed to the main lodge where we joined a family of 4 from Santiago for a communal supper. One of the high-school aged young men had a bad headache from their long hike while the other would have gladly talked all night about the development of rugby as a popular sport in Chile. The father is a serial entrepreneur, with research partnerships in Waterloo, Ontario. Thanks to their very good English, we enjoyed excellent conversation with our flavorful meal.

Total driving distance for the day ~ 170 km (105 mi).

Kayaking to the Marble Caves, Lago General Carerra

Our second day in Patagonia started with an early breakfast. Staff at the lodge commented on the beautiful sunrise, quite pink vs the more typical orange.

By 07:30, Pancho had us loaded up and on the (mostly) gravel road to Puerto Rio Tranquillo for a two hour kayaking excursion to the Marble Caves on Lago General Carerra.

Kayaking to the Marble Caves was one of the first things on our “must experience” list after we started researching Patagonia. Sculpted by water erosion over millennia, the arches and caverns offer the potential for sparkling reflections and unique blue tones that echo the turquoise waters of Chile’s largest lake.

We met our local guide, Claudia, and our safety guide, Pedro, at El Puesto Expediciones in town. Claudia drove us out of town to the launch site used by several kayaking tour companies. We donned PDFs, grabbed paddles and headed down to the beach, then out onto the lake.

Marble Caves

The “Cathedral” and the “Chapel” have been carved from two HUGE chunks of marble that seemingly tumbled off a clifftop into the lake long ago. Contrary to the photo of someone standing in the cathedral that we’d seen at Museo Escuela Cerro Castillo the previous day, there are strict requirements to stay several meters distant from these two formation. There is one marble cave a bit further along the shoreline that is okay to kayak through.

We were SO lucky with the weather. We paddled under blue sky and sunshine and the water was fairly flat. The result = beautiful sparkling reflections on the Marble Caves.

Motorized boats also ferry tourists to/around/from the Marble Caves, some departing from Puerto Rio Tranquillo and others from Puerto Sánchez, across the lake.

Pedro was a strong paddler. Come to find out, he’s the first person to solo circumnavigate Lago General Carerra in a kayak! His successful 23-day expedition took place in April 2022. His journey required paddling 535 km (332 miles).

Lago General Carerra is also where Douglas Tompkins died in a kayaking accident in 2015. Tonkins and his second wife, Kris, founded Tompkins Conservation, buying up large tracts of land in Chilean and Argentine Patagonia. This initiative created numerous national parks throughout Chile and Argentina via the largest private land donation in history. Learn more by streaming the documentary film Wild Life.

We stayed in Puerto Rio Tranquilo for lunch. It was excellent!

Parque Nacional Patagonia

Explora Lodge

After another 2.5 hours on gravel roads, we reached our home for the next 4 nights. Along the way, Poncho introduced us to Chilean music, including Los Jaivos, a group we’d hear about again and again over the rest of our trip. In return, Mr GeoK queued up Canadian musicians from his iPhone playlist. Time and again, Poncho would say, “I didn’t know he/she was Canadian!”

Explora’s Lodge in Parque Nacional Patagonia is a small property, with just 12 rooms, a main lodge, a small shop, the visitors’ center for the Parque and several outbuildings.

After a bit of time to settle into our room, we joined other new arrivals in the lounge for a guides’ briefing. Surprise, surprise, the family that we spoke to at the boarding gate in Santiago two days earlier (the ones telling everyone they’re from Canada) had just checking in! After the briefing, and a consultation with Poncho, we decided on a kayaking / hiking excursion along the Cochrane River for the following day.

We learned at supper that there would be limited options, with a relatively set menu each evening. I enjoyed excellent grilled lamb with many vegetable side dishes. Mr GeoK found it a little more challenging to find something that appealed. After some back and forth with our server, he ended up with a dish that we would call shepherd’s pie and he really enjoyed it. The home made ice cream and sorbet on offer for dessert hit the spot after a long, hot day on the road.

Total driving distance for the day ~ 250 km (155 mi).

Cochrane River Kayak and Hike

Breakfast was excellent – a cold buffet with the option to order eggs from the kitchen. Appropriately fueled, we collected our packed lunches (ordered the night before) and departed the lodge at 08:00 with 7 other guests and two guides.

Local entrepreneurs Consuela and Jorge, associated with Club Nautico Cochrane Xi Región Escuelo, guided us up the Cochrane River. We found it as straightforward as lake kayaking – until the last few hundred meters when we had to paddle like crazy against the current to shelter behind a large boulder than created a deep pool. Our first ever river kayaking experience was a success!

After everyone made it to the disembarkation spot and our guides secured the kayaks, it was time to plunge into the cold pool. Brrrrr! We cooled down in a fraction of a second. But it didn’t take long in the sunshine to dry out. Once we’d changed into hiking clothes, we headed off with our Explora Lodge guides. Meanwhile Consuela, Jorge and a couple of other folks from the Club herded the kayaks back downstream to our starting point.

Sendero Los Carpinteros

We hiked to a viewpoint overlooking Lago Pueyrredon. Then our group headed back down to river level to find a shady spot in the woods for lunch.

After eating, we started the 5 km (3 mi) trek back to the town of Cochrane. It was HOT! I struggled a bit with the heat, despite drinking LOTS of water. It was so hot that our guides opted for a second (unplanned) dip in the river.

The highlight of the walk was seeing a pair of Andean deer (endangered). The current population of 1500-2000 represents about 1% of the original population. The sharp decline is due to several factors: habitat fragmentation, poaching, habitat loss to forestry and agriculture, competition from introduced species such as red deer; and wild domesticated dogs. We were so lucky to see this pair in the wild. They are the only Andean deer we spotted over our three weeks in Patagonia.

We were so grubby by the time we got back to the lodge! It took a few washes and rinses to get our clothes clean in the sink! At the guides’ briefing we decided on a hike for the following day. Supper was excellent: grilled chicken, broccoli and carrots prepared in the grill oven. We hung out in the lounge for a while after supper, checking emails and doing our daily word puzzles. Wifi in our room was too slow for those activities.

Today’s distances: kayaking ~ 5.5 km (3.4 mi), hiking ~ 6.1 km (3.8 mi), driving ~ 65 km (41 mi).

Lago Chico Hike

Getting There

Today we trekked the Lago Chico trail in Parque Nacional Patagonia. As I prepared to write this post, I struggled to locate Lago Chico on Google Maps. When I eventually found it, I discovered it’s named Laguna Stephanie Mary!? I wonder how that happens?

Our group of 5 hikers, plus guide Tómas, departed the loge about 08:45. Our 44 km drive took more than 90 minutes, plus one short stop to use facilities. That’s a LONG drive to a trailhead just 10 km due east of the lodge as the Andean condor flies! 😉

The last part of the drive was on a narrow track, just barely wide enough for our van. Tree and shrub branches kept scraping against the sides of the vehicle, which is permanently scratched!

Hike

We started hiking about 11:30. The trail is well established and traverses lenga, ñire and coigüe forests, open meadows with lots of mother-in-law’s pillows. The route broadly skirts Lago Chico. A viewpoint overlooking Lago Pueyrredon (Argentinian side) and Lake Cochrane (Chilean side). Our final stop was at the Douglas Tompkins Lookout. This trail was one of his favourites.

Highlights for us included:

• the beautiful scenery;
• eating a couple of late season Calafate berries (legend has it that if you eat a Calafate berry, you will return to Patagonia);
• some ducks; and
• getting to know some of our fellow guests (a newlywed couple in the process of moving from NYC to Seattle and a retired designer/entrepreneur) and our guide.

Back at the lodge, we joined a couple from Ventura, CA for supper. They were very interesting to talk with, having traveled much of South America by van in the 1970s. And they knew Douglas and Kristy Tompkins from “back home!”

Today’s distances: hiking ~ 12.4 km (7.7 mi), driving ~ 88 km (55 mi).

Chacabuco Valley Biking

A sign in the Visitors’ Centre describes the Chacabuco River as the “lifeblood of Patagonia National Park…With it’s braided channel and substrate made of rocky till produced by glacial action and erosion over the ages, the Chacabuco River is a classic example of a gravel bed river system: the channel moves over time, and subsurface water and nutrients may nurture vegetation far away from the visible flow of the water.” The National Park occupies most of the Chacabuco River basin – the river itself and the surrounding landscape of lagoons and steppe, with an abundance of flora and fauna, extending even to the Patagonian Andes and associated ice fields. Mounts San Valentín and San Lorenzo are two of Patagonia’s most emblematic peaks.

We had e-biking guide Guiardo to ourselves. After fitting us to a couple of Specialized e-bikes, we headed out along the Park’s main road. At the turnoff to the valley, a mechanical issue with Mr GeoKs’ bike prompted a bike swap with Guiardo. Then we were truly off, pedaling through grassy fields where small herds of guanaco grazed. We paused several times to photograph birds, including an eagle, American kestrels and long-tailed meadowlarks.

Chacabuco River Bridge

Our turnaround point = a new suspension bridge over the Chacabuco River. This bridge is featured in the Doug and Kris Tompkins documentary, “Wild Life.” It doesn’t seem to go anywhere (yet), but it was fun to walk over and back a couple of times. I enjoyed a piece of carrot cake on the far side of the bridge. Thanks, Guiardo, for packing that treat in your bag. 🙂

Pedaling back to the lodge, we saw a black-chested buzzard-eagle in flight and then watched it land on some rocks. We also spotted three American kestrels in flight above the valley wall.

Back at the Lodge, Guiardo accompanied us on a short side trip to the cemetery, where we paid our respects at the grave of Douglas Tompkins.

Total cycling distance = 19.8 km (12.3 mi).

Parque Nacional Patagonia Visitors’ Centre

After lunch, we joined the large weekend crowd of locals in the Visitors’ Centre. We came away impressed with the wide range of exhibits highlighting the Park’s geology, history, flora and fauna. I’m glad we allocated time for this activity.

Sightseeing and Birding

We had originally planned a half-day hike for our last afternoon at Parque Nacional Patagonia. But the weather forecast was deteriorating, so we asked if we could switch to opportunistic birding instead. Tómas drove us to three different lagoons where we crept to the water’s edge. We spotted lots of grebes in the far distance, as well as some songbirds. At one point, Merlin Bird ID picked up an austral pygmy owl, but we had no luck spotting it. I’d say it was an underwhelming birding outing, so it’s a good thing we enjoyed Tómas’ company!

For our final evening at the Lodge, we dined with another couple. We’d hiked Lago Chico with her a couple of days earlier. Mr GeoK and her husband enjoyed a long conversation about sculpture parks. The four of us found a lot to talk about – so much so that we had to scramble to re-pack our suitcases before climbing into bed later than usual.

Town of Cochrane

We ended up exploring the town of Cochrane for a couple of hours our last morning in this part of Patagonia. This was not planned. But our charter flight from Cochrane to Puerto Natales (access to Torres del Paine NP) ended up delayed on account of bad weather at its point of origin (Punta Arenes).

That gave us about 90 minutes to explore the town on foot. We took the long staircase up to a viewpoint. Then we wandered residential streets, walked past a pair of “Mate houses” and strolled through Plaza de Armas.

Farewell Parque Nacional Patagonia

Our Beechcraft King Air 100 carried 4 passengers plus 3 crew. We knew we were seeing something special when even the pilot got out his phone to photograph “The Towers” as we approached Puerto Natales. One of the crew told us it’s visible about once every three months and they make the flight twice/week!

Final Thoughts

Parque Nacional Patagonia is in a beautiful location. Investment in Park infrastructure is on-going, but there is already a network of trails. In addition to the Lodge, there are a few campsites: West Winds, Alto Valle (near the Lago Chico trail) and Casa de Piedra.

This Parque is very quiet compared to our experience living next door to Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks in the Canadian Rockies. Challenging access is one of the main reasons. It’s about 6 hours of mostly gravel road from the nearest commercial airport. I think we’d give Parque National Patagonia a “miss” on any return trip. But we’d definitely consider spending a few nights at Cerro Castillo for hiking.