Cerro Castillo National Park

A National Park On The Carretera Austral Protecting Cerro Castillo, A Jagged Basalt Peak Like A Ruined Castle Above A Glacier Lagoon, And One Of Patagonia'S Finest Multi Day Treks · Villa Cerro Castillo, Aysen

Cerro Castillo is a spiky crown of dark basalt towers rising to about 2,675 metres above the Carretera Austral south of Coyhaique, looking for all the world like the ruins of a castle, with glaciers hanging from its flanks and a turquoise lagoon at its foot. The mountain and the forests and valleys around it form a national park, and it is the focus of one of the finest treks in Patagonia: a circuit of about four days through lenga forest, across high passes and past glaciers and lakes, far quieter than Torres del Paine. The shorter, harder classic is the day hike from the small village of Villa Cerro Castillo up to the Laguna Cerro Castillo, a steep climb that ends on a moraine above the lagoon with the towers and glaciers directly overhead. The village itself is a crossroads of cabins, campsites and cafes on the highway, with rock paintings nearby left by the Tehuelche. Huemul deer, the rare symbol of Chile, live in the park. The weather is Patagonian: fast-changing, windy and often wet, and the passes can hold snow into December.

Carretera Austral, Villa Cerro Castillo, Aysen, Villa Cerro Castillo, Aysen, Chile

The park is open in daylight all year; trekking is realistic from about November to April. Hikers register with the rangers before the long trails, and campsites on the multi-day circuit must be used as designated. Snow closes the high passes outside summer.

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