Despite having already defined the best place I've been so far, after this trip to Chile I had to make a special place for another incredible spot. When I was doing the hike that took me there, I couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful it was all around. I love mountains and to have been in a place like the one I visited in Villa Cerro Castillo left me with a great sense of satisfaction. And although the photos as always never do justice to the reality, I still hope to be able to transmit a little of what it was like to be among these landscapes ❤️.
After spending the night camping in the ‘travellers refuge’, we started our day early the next morning to complete the remaining 45 km to Villa Cerro Castillo. We had read on the internet that there was a very good trek to do there, but that entry was only allowed until noon, so we had to hurry. This place was a national park, so there was an entrance control.
As foreigners, we had to pay an $18 ticket to get in. This price seemed a bit high for a trek in the mountains which should be free, but we didn't want to miss this place anyway so we paid it without any problems. It was a 6.5 kilometre trek that we had to finish in about three hours. From the entrance of the park we could already see the highest mountain of all, as far as we had to go.
Despite being in Patagonia where it was supposed to be cool, we had a beautiful sunny day with no wind, so after a few minutes of walking we started to warm up. The first two kilometres of the hike were quite flat, but after that point the steep climb started. The good thing about the steep slope is that you immediately get a good panoramic view of the landscape.
When we reached the 5 km mark, we came across the camp of a park ranger, who was asking for your entrance ticket again. As well as making sure everyone paid the entrance fee, the ranger took down your details on a form and you had to register once you got off. The remaining stretch was the most complicated and steepest, so I guess this was a question of safety rather than money. What do you think?
We had already been walking for two hours and the last hour was reserved only for the remaining one and a half kilometres. Despite the heat of the day, there were still traces of snow and we even had to walk over some of it. In terms of difficulty, I would say that it was quite steep and leg-burning, but slowly and surely you could get there. This was the most beautiful part of the trail, as we could see the whole extension of the Ybañez River, the Carreras Lake in the distance and a bit of the village of Villa Cerro Castillo. Incredible ❤️.
What I liked most about this trek is that in this last part we were walking along the edge of the mountain, and to get to the lagoon we wanted to see, we had to turn right almost at the end. This made the landscape quite a surprise for us. When we arrived and were facing it, finding that beautiful blue lagoon contrasting with the dryness of the mountains was mind-blowing.
I can't exactly describe in words what it felt like to be in this place. And I think that all the walkers who got there had the same feeling: we were silent, unable to believe what we were seeing. I think I felt exactly the same as when I saw the Laguna de los tres in El Chaltén, my favourite place so far, and that's why I want to rank it as the second most beautiful place I've been to. Cerro Castillo with its namesake blue lagoon is a special landscape that really enchanted me ❤️.
As always, at the end of a great trek, a big sandwich lunch awaits us. Sitting down to eat was what kept us motivated for the last part of the trek, and at last it was time. We also took advantage of the break to do a photo shoot with the Worldmappin hoodie, which matched the colour of the water perfectly. I've never felt so combined with a landscape 😜.
The trip to Chile was a surprise every day, in which we never tired of seeing amazing places. The Carretera Austral is beautiful and full of things worth visiting. As I stood in front of that landscape I was thinking that I had even hesitated to do this trip, but once I was there, I felt I made the right decision to go anyway. I now have this place in my Top 2 best places I saw and, although I saw many other great places, I still don't have my third place: I hope to know it soon, the competition is going to be tough ❣️.
With lots of love. / Con mucho amor.
Lau 💕.
