THE 10 BEST Things to Do in Villa Cerro Castillo, Chile
Places to Visit in Villa Cerro Castillo
Category types
Types of Attractions
Traveller rating
Good for
14 places sorted by traveller favourites
- Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, number of page views, and user location.
Historic Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks
Hiking Trails
Mountains
Hiking Trails
National Parks
Horseback Riding Tours
Open now
Cultural Tours • Hiking & Camping Tours
Open now
What travellers are saying
- tumbleweedchrisRichland, WA1,014 contributionsThe listing is kind of vague, but I will assume this is for the Laguna Cerro Castillo hike. This hike starts a short distance from the village. To get to the trailhead, they recommend you have four wheel drive. If you don't, it will probably add 2 km on to your hike. The hike is around 9 miles roundtrip and you pay (16,000 I think?) at the trailhead. The trailhead opens around 7 or 7:30am if I recall properly and you must begin your descent by 4:00pm. They provide a rather detailed overview of the hike before you set out. It was emphasized that the hike is extremely windy, but we must've got lucky because the winds were minimal on our hike. You start through some farms with cows that shriek and some that want to chase you. A bit strange. From there it's all uphill. You will hit a ranger station at the 5 km mark and must present your paid permit to continue. The ranger station has restrooms and a place to fill water bottles. After the ranger station, the path is extremely rocky and basically on the mountain face. Once at the top, the views are spectacular and very much worth the effort. It is a tough hike, but is doable. I recommend walking sticks, which you can easily find in the lower third of the hike. I read there could be flies but we encountered none in early February. I highly recommend this as a stop on the Carretera Austral. We took our time and the hike lasted about 8 hours. You could easily do it faster if you wanted.Written 12 February 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Matthew ADumfries, UK148 contributionsDusty road in and a walk up a dusty path to the rock face where the painted hands are. I was expecting something a bit more spectacular but pretty amazing none the less. Glad I made the effort. As a bonus there are some interesting interpretation boards on the path about the geology, wildlife etc.Written 16 February 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Patagonia CamperaVilla Cerro Castillo, Chile4 contributionsExcellent service. Pancho is a very nice and experienced rider and tour guide. Vistas are just incredible.Written 21 February 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Angela KEde, The Netherlands146 contributionsAs we had a flat tyre on our way to Cerro Castillo,we were happy to be helped by this friendly garage mechanic/owner.He has a 'taller de vulcanización y soldadura' and helped us straightaway when we came in.It was on a Sunday and by 18.30,but this was no problem for him.We were happy and thankful and truthfully would recommend him to you!Written 22 December 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- judythrWhidbey Island255 contributionsMary was extremely helpful to us from our initial email to her in early November. She was friendly, tried to help us problem solve our transportation issues, and we could tell that she was on top of everything. She even emailed us two days before we arrived to let us know that she would be gone and that her husband, Cristián, would take care of us. The bus transportation in Aysen is challenging. Though we live in Chile half the year, the bus companies do not sell tickets online nor could we purchase them by phone with a bank transfer. Fortunately some new friends in Coyhaique bought them for us. When we arrived in Cerro Castillo as planned, we walked to Senderos as instructed by Mary to meet up with Cristián to do the cabalgata (horseback trip). On the way we saw a group of horses and riders and were surprised to find that it was our scheduled trip. They had not waited for us, told us that we missed the trip for the day. At that point I raised my voice, since we did not want to miss the highlight of our two-day stay in Cerro Castillo. The three Chileans in the group began to yell at us that it was just too bad. To make a long story short, we did end up going on the trip and the Chileans would not say a word to us the whole time. Uncomfortable. We had booked three months ahead and the Chileans ten days ahead, so it didn't make sense to us.
It turned out that there was a misunderstanding about the arrival time of the bus. We took what we were told was the earliest bus from Coyhaique. In any case, after the 3-hour ride in, we hiked to the most breathtaking, spectacular lake at the foot of Cerro Castillo. Cristián patiently walked with the two of us while the three 20-somethings hiked ahead. He hiked down with us as well, then politely took us to his aunt's hotel, La Casona. Cristián was also very helpful the next morning, as was Mary, who had just returned. I just wish that our initial communication had gone smoothly. I can definitely say it was the most spectacular scenery of any horseback ride I have taken.
The next day we did another 7-hour hike with Morgan, who was subbing for Mary, up the back side of Cerro Castillo. Basically the Campamento NeoZelandia hike. The weather was overcast, but Morgan was a delight from start to finish!
I would recommend, given how challenging public transportation is in Aysen, making sure you clarify your times of arrival and departure. If it weren't for the initial glitch and how it was handled, I would definitely rather Senderos excellent.Written 9 February 2016This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
