Mountaineering

Cerro Castillo National Forest

The Reserva Nacional Cerro Castillo is 90 Km south-west of Coyhaique in the Chile's Region XI. The reserve comprises an area of 1340 sq Km and the highest point and one of the most important highlights in the Central Patagonia Area is the Cerro Castillo summit with 2675m of imposing altitude from the tiny town of Villa Cerro Castillo right at the bottom of his massif.
The reserve extends south from the large elongated glacial lake of lago Elizalde as far as the Río Ibañez. The reserve isn area of heavily glaciated basalt ranges rising to over 2000m that are intersected by deep valleys. The higher peaks are covered by large neves and hanging glaciers, several of which creep right down into the valleys. The source of the Río Ibáñez, a major river on the reserve's southern side, is the extensive glaciers on Volcano Hudson, one of the Patagonian Andes' most unpredictably active volcanoes. Volcano Hudson erupted massively in Aug. 1991, spewing vast amounts of ash across central Patagonia but leaving Reserva Nacional Cerro Castillo virtually unaffected.
Reserva Nacional Cerro Castillo is one of five sanctuaries in Chile's XI Region established to protect the southern Andean deer, or huemul. Only a few of these graceful and shy animals remain in the Cerro Castillo area. Other mammals spotted in the reserve include the chingue, a Patagonian skunk, and the zorro gris, a small fox. Open forest of lenga mostly cover alpine areas up to 1200m, generally with little underbrush apart of the occasional thickets of calafate, what it make of this terrain a perfect land for the trekkers. The pitío is an endemic Patagonian woodpecker typically seen in somewhat drier lenga forest found in the eastern sector of the reserve.
Located well inland and largely sheltered from the far wetter coastal climate by high ranges ( including Volcano Hudson) to the west, Reserva Nacional Cerro Castillo has a continental type climate. Annual precipitations are relatively moderate by the standards of western Patagonia. Summers in the reserve are generally mild with some days above 30ºC.
Here we will find one of the best scenarios for the trekking and mountaineering in the whole Central Patagonia because the easy access, open forest and good climate.

Climbing___Cerro Castillo 5 days

Day1: land transportation to the tiny town f Villa Cerro Castillo. Hiking following the Río Ibañez Valley to link up the Estero Parada Valley. From here we will follow the native lenga forest to the Neocelandes Campsite. 8h . Campsite
Day2: Early start. Climbing to the Cerro Castillo summit. Back to the Camp. All day.
Day3: Hiking to the Laguna Castillo. Great views of the imposing Cerro Castillo South Face and Glacier. Hiking down to the town. Land transportation to Coyhaique. 8h.
Day4: Extra day if we need it because the bad weather.

Season: Set to June

Hiking and Climbing___Cerro Castillo 7 days

Day 1, From Coyhaique land transportation (2h) to Las Horquetas. 4 to 5 h hiking to the Camp 1. We follow most of the trek a roaring white water torrent leaving us in a wild upper valley below the Cordillera Castillo, setting up the Camp in the upper Rio Turbio.
Day 2, 4 to 6h. We will hike under a several spectacular icefalls that grip the raw eastern flank of Cerro Peñón. We camp in Laguna Cerro Castillo with a stunning sight directly under the imposing Cerro Castillo.
Day 3, 3 to 5 h. We hike westwards long a shelf opposite the basalt turrets of Cerro Castillo, before climbing easily over boulder rubble to reach the Estero Pasada valley, which is enclosed by interesting jagged peaks. We will camp in the "Campamento Neozelandes". The wild upper Valle Parada is enclosed on three sides by jagged summits of the Cordillera Castillo, an half a day or so to explore the Area.
Day 4 & 5, We will climb the Cerro Castillo summit . Campamento Neozelandes.
Day 6, 5 to 6h. The route descends gently through pockets of lenga forest, before joining the wide and open Ibañez Valley. We finally arrive to the Villa Cerro Castillo, a tiny town surrounded by beautiful scenic ranges. We come back o Coyhaique to taste the great local Asados. Hotel.
Day7, Extra day because the bad weather.

Season: Set to June

Hiking___Cerro Castillo 3days
Towering over the Río Ibañez and the Carretera Austral, the Cerro Castillo is the most prominent peak of the compact Cordillera Castillo. The mountain's Spanish name comes from its many striking basalt turrets and craggy ridges , giving it a strong resemblance to a fortified medieval castle. As a landmark of the Aysen region this striking peak regularly attracts international climbers.
The scenery along this trek Its spectacular and varied, introducing some of the finest country in the central Patagonian Andes. The route follows charming gently forested upper valleys that lead up into the raw alpine landscape. Hanging glaciers cling precariously to the craggy mountain sides, disgorging waterfalls or thundering blocks of ice that plummet over sheer cliffs into stark highland lakes clouded by moraine sediment.

Day 1, From Coyhaique land transportation (2h) the tiny town Villa Cerro Castillo, 14 Km. 4 to 6h. We will hike under a several spectacular icefalls that grip the raw eastern flank of Cerro Peñón. We pass thru the Laguna Cerro Castillo with a stunning sight directly under the imposing Cerro Castillo. Finally we will set up the Camp in the middle of the native Lenga Forest in Estero Parada Valley.
Day 2, 11Km. 3 to 5 h. We hike westwards long a shelf opposite the basalt turrets of Cerro Castillo. We will hike up to the "Campamento Neozelandes", an old Camp established in 1976 to climb several peaks in this Area. The wild upper Valle Parada is enclosed on three sides by jagged summits of the Cordillera Castillo, an half a day or so to explore the Area. We will keep walking surrounded by those awesome rock spires to come back at the end of the day to our Camp.
Day 3, 19Km. 4 to 5h. The route descends gently through pockets of lenga forest, before joining the wide and open Ibañez Valley. We finally arrive to the Villa Cerro Castillo, a tiny town surrounded by beautiful scenic ranges. We come back o Coyhaique to taste the great local Asados. Hotel.

Season: Set to June

Towering over the Río Ibañez and the Carretera Austral, the Cerro Castillo is the most prominent peak of the compact Cordillera Castillo. The mountain's Spanish name comes from its many striking basalt turrets and craggy ridges , giving it a strong resemblance to a fortified medieval castle. As a landmark of the Aysen region this striking peak regularly attracts international climbers.
The scenery along this trek Its spectacular and varied, introducing some of the finest country in the central Patagonian Andes. The route follows charming gently forested upper valleys that lead up into the raw alpine landscape. Hanging glaciers cling precariously to the craggy mountain sides, disgorging waterfalls or thundering blocks of ice that plummet over sheer cliffs into stark highland lakes clouded by moraine sediment.

Difficult: easy
Duration: 1 day

Itinerary:
Day1: land transportation to the tiny town f Villa Cerro Castillo. Hiking following the Río Ibañez Valley to link up the Estero Parada Valley. From here we will follow the native lenga forest to the future refuge, probably finished the next summer. Way back to the town and transfer back to Coyhaique. Long day

Difficult: intermediate
Duration: 4 days

Itinerary:
Day1: land transportation to the tiny town Las Horquetas Grandes. Hiking following the Río Turbio This roaring white-water torrent flows through a wild upper valley below the Cordillera CastilloValley . Camping 4-5h.
Day2: From the camp in the upper Rio Turbio we head up to the Peñón Pass, a long narrow gap filed by frost shattered rock and accumulated winter snow. Descend to the Estero del Bosque junction. We continues up valley until we reach the Laguna Cerro Castillo. At 1275. A stunning sight of the imposing Cerro Castillo. From here we keep walking to the future Refuge spot in the Estero Parada Valley. 8-9 h.
Day3: Hiking up to Neocelandes Campsite and we will keep going into the Cerro Castillo Valley. We will walk right down below of the wonderful basalt turrets. Back to the Camp. 6-7h.
Day4: Hiking don the Estero Parada valley. We follow the Río Ibañez valley in the way back to Villa Cerro Castillo. Land transportation to Coyhaique. 8h.