Villa O'Higgins

Villa O'Higgins is where route 7 stops. Founded in 1966 and reached by road only in 2000, it sits below the Southern Patagonian Ice Field with a few hundred residents. South of it there is no Chilean road at all - the ice field and the fjords block everything - so travellers continuing to Torres del Paine either fly, take the long ferry to Puerto Natales, or use the crossing that has become a rite of passage: a boat down Lago O'Higgins to Candelario Mansilla, then a walk or cycle of about twenty kilometres over the border through unroaded country to Lago del Desierto in Argentina.

What's there

• The end of the Carretera Austral - route 7 stops here.
• Reached by road only in 2000 - the village dates from 1966.
• No road south at all - the ice field and fjords close it.
• The border crossing on foot - boat, then twenty kilometres to Argentina.

When to go

December to March; the boats and the crossing do not run outside that. Several days.

Practical notes

The boat across Lago O'Higgins runs a few times a week in summer and is cancelled by wind - being stuck for days is normal. The border crossing is walked or cycled with luggage. Supplies and fuel are limited and cash is needed.

Nearby

O'Higgins glacier is reached by boat from here; Caleta Tortel is north.

Key facts