Villa O’Higgins Border Crossing Hike – Patagonia

18/02 ~ 21/02

Chile into Argentina

Introduction

The Villa O’Higgins Vorder Crossing hike is an amazing journey. Villa O’Higgins, a town of some 600 people, is at the end of the Carretera Austral – the main road connecting Chilean Patagonian towns.

To continue further, you must cross a huge lake and continue across the border by foot into El Chalten in Argentina. It is regarded as a more spectacular way to cross than the more northern road crossings.

 Sat (18/02) – Villa O’Higgins

The bus trip was long and draining, and raining outside. We passed a lot of hitchhikers who didn’t seem to be having a great time in the rain. We also passed Toby randomly who had a look of concern as we yelled out to him driving past. He was off his motorbike and near some road workers who were grading the road.

When we arrived in Villa O’Higgins, we found a campground, and it didn’t take long to find Toby’s tent and motorbike. We didn’t expect to see him here, but in El Chalten instead. It turns out he had complications on the road. His passport slipped out of his bag and went onto the road where grading was occurring. Unlucky, but he got it all sorted. He found us shortly after we started setting up camp.

There was a rodeo festival event on, and we all hurried to attend. First thing was first though – we needed some beverages. What better than a few boxes of wine – good old Clos! Sadly, the weather was still off and drizzling rain, no matter though.

We walked into the festival to what can only be described as an authentic country Chilean experience. There were gauchos dressed in traditional garb, wild horse bucking, pig chasing, asados (type of BBQ), stalls selling home cooked traditional foods and many locals and some tourists enjoying drinks.

The horse bucking was fun to watch and it was amusing listening to the commentator along with some guy next to him churning out the same notes on guitar on repeat as background music. We got hungry and decided to eat some food.

We arrived too late to witness the entire cow feast that you could eat for free. All that remained of it was a few bones and scraps on the table! We ate our giant beef rib from a vendor (but also sadly missed the pig chasing event).

We eventually left the festival, it was coming to a close and the rain was increasing. We heard that a dance party at the gymnasium was happening that night and agreed to all go to it later.

For now, we looked into getting ferry tickets to cross O’Higgins lake. We discovered that due to the festival, the ferrys were getting booked up fast. There was no availability until Tuesday, with a slight possibility for Monday if people didn’t show up.

None of us wanted to wait here this long. The town was very simple and had no ATMs (I ran out of money) or internet service.

We went to the dance party at around 11pm. Well… we thought it was a dance party – it turns out to be a traditional Chilean dance with some simple step movements with partners. The music was two guys on keyboards and one on the accordion. After every song, the couples return to their seats before returning to the floor on the new song. It was very awkward, and we only lasted about half an hour there before leaving.

We laughed as we left to ourselves, finding it funny how we expected something else. In the end, it was all part of the Chilean cultural experience! 😛

Sun (19/02)

We went for a short hike behind town today. We witnessed nice forest and a small view of a glacier in the distance, and decided to hike up the path for a better view. On the way down, Toby cooee’d from the lookout over town and got some kind if weird return call from below.

There wasn’t much else to do in town so naturally we ate. It was 5pm, and we decided to ask the other ferry company for tickets, but he was out on a trip today, and the neighbour said he wouldn’t be back until 6pm – so we waited. Others started showing up. We ended up getting beers and chilled on the guys front lawn.

Cam, Conrey and myself found a soccerball and played three person shootout – one attacker, a defender and the goal keeper, all rotating positions.

Time swept by, and the neighbour kept bumping the owners arrival time an hour ahead – 7pm, 8pm, etc. We got bored and watched the local stray dogs chase cars and coke over for pats. One of the black coloured ones had dreadlocks and we called him Dog Marley haha.

Toby (who went back to camp) came back and told us we had spots for 7am on Lorenzo’s ferry! Hooray! We left and celebrated by barbecuing chicken legs seasoned in merken – a smoky kind of paprika which was pretty tasty (we also had an empanada each).

After, we chilled in the common room and talked to some French bicyclists and a couple of girls from the US. That night I packed up most of my stuff early to be ready for the morning. It was going to be a wet tent pack up as it was still raining… *sigh*.

Mon (20/02) – The Ferry Ride

Rain… I didn’t even need my alarm, it intensified right when I needed to pack up. I did it swiftly and took my semi packed belongings to the common room at the campsite to have breakfast and coffee. We all eventually met up and got on the shuttle bus to the ferry.

All the bikers we met were waiting there too. My original plan was to get the ferry to see O’Higgins glacier, but after the effort just to get on this direct crossing ferry and the fact I’d be leaving my hiking buddies, I chose this option instead.

The ferry was full and a little cramped with all the bikes on board. Cam, Conrey, Toby and myself were the only hikers on board. The trip was three hours long, and slow. However, the lake itself was beautiful. The wind made it feel like we were on the ocean in a moderate swell.

Eventually we arrived at the other side. When I got out, it was raining. I had my pack on and was proceeding to put my camera bags’ little raincoat on, when one of my batteries fell into the lake – ‘fuck!’. It was the second battery I’d lost – the first being at the end of the rafting in Futuleufú. Luckily I’ve still got one more spare, typically my generic cheap ass battery, and not the good Sony ones!

No-mans Land

The first point on the hike was to get stamped out of Chile at the customs building. We had lunch and started to hike. The Chilean part was mostly a narrow gravel road and easy hiking. Not so much for the bikers though. They had to push their heavy luggage-laden bikes up the steep slopes.

It was funny when the four of us just hiked straight up the side trails, and laughed as the bikers had to push all the way around the switchbacks. Andy (one of the US bikers) called us cheaters as we gloated to them and took the shorter hiker routes haha.

I made it up to some of them by helping to push them up the hills. I think they appreciated it quite a bit, even if only very briefly. They eventually started to get ahead of us and we were back to hiking alone.

During the hike, Conrey and myself were discussing engineering designs for packs that used your body heat, the sun, and the wind to perform a function. We had the inbuilt solar umbrella – for power generation, blocking UV and heat, and of course – rain protection. The water warming heat sink – a network of thin copper wire running down the back of the pack to warm a bladder of water, so you can avoid taking a stove. I told Conrey I want one made before I start the PCT!

The weather persisted to be dreary all throughout hiking. I forgot the last completely sunny day I had. Maybe Puerto Rio Tranquillo? To be fair though, there hasn’t been huge rains, aside from a day in Cochrane, mainly short showers with continual cloud cover.

Hiking in even light rains long term means you get wet inevitably. Rain jackets are mostly rubbish and wearing them whilst hiking means you sweet internally. We decided that all four brands of rain jackets we owned sucked. I’m definitely changing mine out when I do the PCT – my rain skirt is far better! I should have made a raincoat out of the material too it seems!

Argentina

Eventually after about nineteen kilometers of this undulating road walking, we hit the Argentinian border. Greeting us there was a giant bull haha. ‘Why are you even here bull?‘ I say aloud. We all laugh as the scene was hilarious. The path turns from road into muddy slosh just behind the sign – ‘Bienvenido a Argentina‘ (welcome to Argentina). Also at the crossing was a biker we aptly named ‘The Italian Stallion‘, as he was a huge guy with the fattest bike tyres I’ve seen! He was the only biker we ended up passing on the trail. It’s funny because between the two customs buildings we were officially in no-mans country according to our passports.

We made a bet that the first person to slip and fall had to buy a bottle of Firnet to share – a type of strong herbal alcoholic beverage that you often mix with coke. The path was rough, muddy and had many stream crossings and marsh areas. I ended up being the first to slip when trying to straddle a puddle that filled the trail – the one time I didn’t have my poles for support! The bush on the side was my desintation when i fell. ‘One bottle of Firnet coming up!‘, i say to the others.

We made it to the first campsite in the early evening. We had to first get stamped into Argentina at the office there (the only building where two customs officials were staying). The campsite we chose was away from the others down at the shoreline of Lake Desierto – the lake on the border of the two countries that we needed to get past tomorrow. It was a beautiful spot with lush green grass and a little stream running down nearby. We could see Mount Fitz Roy for the first time in the far distance, poking periodically into the clouds in the last light of the day. It was a special moment for us all.

We ate our dinner on the shore by the roots of the tree nearby and relaxed as the warm colours of sunset began to show, and fade. A few of the US bikers whom we met along the way came over to chat. One of was washing his bike in the lake – most had failed brakes due to the sediment in the mud crossings. Sleep came easy that night.

Tues (21/02)

*ziiiip* Gasp. The view! Coffee in bed with the scenery was what I was here for… just gorgeous! However, we had a big day ahead of us and needed to set off. The bikers had to cross by the ferry, or at least sent their bikes across and hike. It costs a lot, so hiking is a more affordable option, and the lake is stunning anyway to see from higher.

On map, the day seems flat and doesn’t really cross and contour marks, but we soon learned that was an illusion! The path was a continual wave of short up and downs, and the trail was just as torn up as the first day, but now even smaller.

It was quite windy and see could see the effect on the lake – maybe not the most enjoyable ferry ride! Cam and Toby had lunch at a nice lookout point, Conrey and myself chose a more protected spot in the bushes. Avocado, cheese and salami wraps – a classic staple hiking food for me.

We watched the ferry pass two times before we made it to the end of the long lake. The next obstacle – crossing a giant river. The bridge was down further, and had some missing slats – typical Argentinian bridges! We easily found a shuttle bus ride for a reasonable price and headed off to El Chalten!

Trip Summary

The Good:

• Experiencing some more traditional Chilean country culture
• Doing the Villa O’Higgins Border Crossing by foot was cool
• The campsite next to the lake and its views
• Seeing Fitz Roy from afar for the first time
• Beautiful scenery

The Bad:

• The weather! Rain everyday!
• No services in Villa O’Higgins (internet or ATM)
• The ferry to O’Higgins glacier was too expensive and not convenient enough, I didn’t get to see it

~ Continue my Patagonian travels with ‘El Chalten and the Glorious Peaks of Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre – Patagonia‘ ~

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