Hiya! My name is Nora and I am at the beginning of my time studying in the GW Chile Program.
When I first got into the Chile Program I knew that I wanted to do a big trip before classes started, and I thought the best time would be in the two weeks before classes started which all GW students have to be in Santiago for. After talking to a student who was a part of the program last semester I learned that the first couple of days are packed with super useful (and mandatory) orientation to help you start understanding Chile, Chileanos, and how the Chilean school system works. However, the second week is much less packed and has no mandatory sessions.
I decided that during this second week, I would go hiking in Patagonia with two friends who were also a part of the program. The question was where? Los Torres del Paine is an obvious first choice but is hard to book or plan with less than a year in advance. It is also full of tourists and is relatively expensive, so I decided to look for alternatives. Enter: Cerro Castillo. This hike is a great affordable and easier to plan alternative to Torres del Paines. It takes about four days but you can choose to do three because there is a bailout root on the third day, allowing for any changing schedules!
My group decided to allocate six days for this trip, allowing for two days of plane travel. We flew from Santiago into a small airport called Balmaceda, and from there we took a transfer (all of them costed CLP$9,000) to the town of Coyhaquie which is full of backpackers who are doing parts of the Carretera Austral and has all the equipment you may need to buy or rent. The next day we took a bus (CLP$7,000) to the Las Horquetas trailhead. We decided to start here (you can start at the other end as well) because the first day is relatively flat. There were gorgeous views of the mountains and full of cows. We were walking by ourselves for the most part, which meant there was plenty of space at camps but there were enough people that we would at least run into one other group on the trail every day so if anything bad happened there were people to help. On the second day, we did our first pass, there was snow for us at the top but we managed fine without snow boots (trekking poles were very useful). We saw about four different glaciers and the views of the mountains were spectacular. There is supposedly a day hike to a laguna from the second camp but we could not find a marked trail to it, so if you do this and can find that trail please let me know and take pictures!
We lucked out with the rain until our third day when we had to take the bailout root because our group was not prepared or experienced enough to do the second pass with the weather conditions we were experiencing. We still got to see breathtaking views of the Laguna Cerro Castillo and the valley. When we exited the park we paid CLP$16,000 per person for our camping.
We ended up camping in Villa Cerro Castillo and then taking a bus to Puerto Rio Tranquilo to see the Capillas de Marmol which are these rocks that have been carved out by the glacial waters of Lake General Carrera, the second biggest lake in South America. We took a boat to go through the caves and tunnels but you can also kayak. Then we returned to our hostel in Coyhaquie and left the next day.
I absolutely recommend Cerro Castillo as a more affordable, shorter, and less touristy alternative to Torres del Paine because you still get to see some spectacular views of Patagonia without so many people and for much less. Cerro Castillo does not require reservations in the park which also makes it much easier to plan after you know the GW Chile dates!
Nora Ball
Spring 2024
GW Chile - English Track (GW Study Program)
Elliott School of International Affairs International Affairs Major
The Global Bachelor's Program