Crossing the border from El Chaltèn to Villa o’Higgins
I’m sitting on a big boulder. There was a sign that says “mirador Fitzroy”. I have already exited Argentina and this time even received a stamp, but although I’m on Chilean territory, the border authorities do not know I have arrived yet. I am in such a remote place and I’m staring out at the valley I just came from, watching clouds drift through. It’s this moment where I realise how special this trip is. How spectacular the scenery and how few people get to sit on this rock.
My trip to Chile started in El Chaltén, Argentina. I took a van to Lago del Desierto. It went over a dirt road and crossed some massive puddles, or rivers, not sure. Next to us was a wild river, so close to the road that I wondered if it wouldn’t flood. On top of that it was raining. I had booked a spot at the campground so that I could hike to Huemul glacier. But even the trail towards the camping was a mud bath. When I entered the cooking shelter a nice Argentine couple offered me mate, a kind of tea that gets passed around in a special cup, which is also called mate. There were a bunch of Russian fishermen too, out to catch some salmon. When the rain calmed down I headed up the trail. It was short, but uphill and had some great views of the wild river. Some of the trail resembled a river too and I tried not to get my boots too wet. The glacier itself was small, but very scenic, with a beautifully colored lake in front. After my walk, the cooking shelter was empty and I put up my tent inside. I was joined by a family, who put their tent on the other side.
The next morning my adventure started for real. A boat brought me across Lago Desierto to the border of Argentina. There were two other people on board with the same plan, an American girl and a Spanish guy. After the incredibly pretty boat ride we had our passports checked in a small office. The young custom officials were chatty and we discussed Holland versus the Netherlands. Shortly after we were on our last 6km in Argentina. On this side of my walk across the border, the trail was small and adventurous. There were some streams to cross on tree trunks. It was the more challenging part. Some people came practically running from the other direction, hoping to catch the boat we just came off. Others were taking it easy or pushing their bikes over the difficult trail.
It was tough to walk with all my belongings, but I managed better than expected. I hung some stuff on my big backpack and looked ridiculous, but at least had my hands free. My rain cover didn’t even cover it all, but luckily the sun was out, revealing a huge valley as we came out of the forest and onto the border markings. Besides a few signs there was nothing. The walk to the Chilean customs office was another 15km or so, but this time on a wide and surprisingly well maintained dirt road, ruta X-915. There were a lot of Chilean flags, reminding you where you were. We passed a landing strip and after that slowly started to walk individually, until we met again just before the border office. On that stretch I found my boulder with a view. A bit later the road revealed the o’Higgins lake, a whole other beast. It’s gigantic and unbelievably blue!
You’re not allowed to take fresh products into Chile and we’d seen a bunch of signs warning not to take fruit and vegetables. The last sign, 300m before customs, was in French. The 3 of us were together again and the others left some fruit in a bag hanging from the sign. Inside the office were 2 Americans who were biking. They left shortly after, but we waited 1,5 hours until we got the passports back! The guy went on his coffee break and we thought they were playing a game with us. But later someone said that our details were sent to the mainland for approval and the officers had to wait for a response. Around 7pm we were finally at the campground. We found the owner who opened with: “welcome, you are staying here for 2 nights. Tomorrow’s boat is canceled, but I know a guy who can take you on Sunday”. She wanted to proceed fast, but we asked for wifi. Yes, even here you could use wifi! A What’s App message appeared confirming the cancellation of the boat.
I was disappointed, but the time at Candelario Mansilla would turn out to be fantastic. That night we could buy dinner at the farm. The boat captain had brought a big lamb, which was being roasted on the open fire, Patagonia style. The warm shower was fuelled by wood. It was a totally new experience. The next day the sun was out, a few clouds overhead and only a few rain drops. Someone actually walked back to pick up the apples. Although we were trying to estimate the wind speed and wondering why the boat wasn’t going, we were enjoying hanging around in each other’s company. There were about 9 of us. Some others arrived during the day and we were gathered in the shed for the evening. We could make a fire in the stove if we cut our own wood, which was somewhat challenging. I could use someone’s stove to heat up my lentils and we boiled water on the big stove for soup and tea. Then the lamb leftovers were brought in. Was this a peace offering because the boat might not go? A few hours earlier we were told that the harbour may be closed and we’d get more news after 8pm. 8pm passed and we all thought it wasn’t going to happen. But then the happy news came! We’d leave at 6am.
The rain was pouring down on my tent. I couldn’t sleep, was too nervous. I did not want to miss this boat. At 4.45am the rain had calmed down and I started packing my gear. I stuffed the wet tent in its bag. Nothing mattered, only getting to the boat. In my head I took into account that it may still be canceled and we’d have to set up camp again. I walked through the darkness to the docks. The sun was rising in the distance, creating a red glow between the lake and the clouds. We fogged up the boat windows, but it was hard to see anything anyway. There were a lot of waves for a lake and looking out the window often looked like a washing machine, water splashing around. I just listened to the ticking of the windshield wipers; it was like a metronome. After almost 2 hours we docked near Villa o’Higgins. A van came to drive us the rest of the way. I was happy to check in, hang my tent to dry and take it easy. I wouldn’t have want to miss this adventure, but I was also excited to start a new one.
Practicalities (february 2025)
Boat & transfers Lago del Desierto: by Exploradores. You can book online. Bus 25.000 pesos, boat 40.000 pesos.
Camping: at Candelario Mancilla 10.000 pesos per night. They have a card machine, but preferred cash. Reservations are not necessary. They have some connections to a boat company as well. I was able to have dinner one night for 12.000 pesos, but depends on circumstances so be sure to bring enough food. Hot water was available if you ask. Showers are only hot once a day. Bring your own toilet paper. Cooking shed available.
Boat on lake o’Higgins: very sensitive to the weather. Could book in advance with Ruedas Patagonia (60.000), but if the boat is canceled they might put you on the next scheduled one (2 or 3 days later). There is also Amigo Patagon (55.000), which you can find on Insta, but doesn’t have set schedules.
