26
ediciones
Cambios
→Season 2025/26
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<!-- IF YOU COPY FROM THIS EDITING VIEW, YOU NEED TO USE THIS TEMPLATE (* TRANSFORMS INTO BULLET, ''' MAKE IT BOLD):* '''Start Date to Finish Date (use Format YYYY-MMM-DD) / Duration in Days / Hiking or <span style="background-color:aqua;">Packrafting</span> / Travel Direction (SOBO for Southbound or NOBO Northbound) / Chosen Route and/or Option Name (RR for Regular Route) / Names or Alias'''--><nowiki>* '''</nowiki>'''Start Date to Finish Date (use Format YYYY-MMM-DD) / Duration in Days / Hiking or <span style="background-color:aqua;">Packrafting </span> / Travel Direction (SOBO for Southbound or NOBO Northbound) / Chosen Route and/or Option Name (RR for Regular Route) / Names or Alias'''<nowiki>'''</nowiki>
=Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions=
==Season 2025/26==
* '''GPT03 | 2025-12-06 to 2025-12-11 | 5 days | hiking| SOBO | Route: RR - Variant D + E - RR | Michaela '''
Difficulty: 3/5 Attractiveness: 3/5
• Bush-bashing was intense before the marijuana plantation, but it was quite short. There were some guys there, but they didn’t see me.
• GPT03 took me a bit longer because I couldn’t cross the Río Claro, so I had to take Variants D and E. I also had one day of rain until 1 p.m., so I stayed in my tent until it stopped.
• There was plenty of water available.
• Many beautiful rivers perfect for a quick dip.
• In Agua Buena, I stayed at “Tinajas & Cabañas – El Descanso.” The prices on the website are high, but the lovely lady there told me she only charges 20,000 CLP per person for hikers. The cabañas are very luxurious, with a small kitchen, garden, pool, etc. She also does laundry for free. I can highly recommend her place. Her WhatsApp number is listed on Google Maps.
1st camp: -34.341754, -70.551228 nice place with great swimming spot
2nd camp: -34.432125, -70.593555
3rd camp: -34.50943, -70.653611 beautiful place next to the river
4rd camp: -34.537548, -70.662717 nice spot between big trees
5th camp: -34.623025, -70.766746 amazing spot next to the river
'''GPT3 2025-11-20 to 2025-11-24/SOBO/RR/Denis Rosa and Robert Hanulík
'''
We had some troubles on the way from Coya next to the canal at 6km, arriero didn’t want to let us go further so we had to go with him following minor road to his farm. It was 5 km longer than RR.
Bush bashing on 39,6 km is pretty intense especially next to the fence, but possible.
We managed to ford Rio Claro in team of 2 in the evening, it took us 3 attempts. First two were bit higher but it was too deep and strong so at the end we tried here S 34.509601° W 70.655020° and it worked, the worst part of ford is before half way, water was up to my waist (I am 187cm), flow was as well pretty strong but not the worst, after half it is easy going. River in the morning was not smaller I would say same size.
The water is available very often, we didn’t have a issue.
Difficulty 3/5
Attractiveness 1/5
'''2025 NOV 14 to 2025 NOV 18 // 5 days // Hiking SOBO // RR+Varient D&E // Athena Jones
'''
On my way out of Coya I was bitten by a dog. I was chatting to the owner, who seemed kind, the trail seems to go through his yard. When I went to hop over the fence the dog went for my hand. This is the location https://maps.app.goo.gl/xueVEPzFSt3naQYy9
The campsite 16km from coya was beautiful, had a fantastic swim spot.
The trail most of the way to Rio Carlo River was bush bashy- most of the time the trail was visible but you had to beat through the bushes. I collected 2 spikey catapillars on the way which left a welt on my arm. It went away the next day though.
Just before the Marijuana plantation was the worst of the bush bashing for me. I had to use my gps for every couple of meters.
There was noone at the plantation but a few young plants had been freshly planted. I was very happy to find the trail on the other side of their plantation was better maintained.
RIO Carlo river was not crossable solo, perhaps a team of 3 could do it. So I took varient D and E to get to the bridge. There were alot of places you could camp on your way to the bridge. On the other side of the bridge I managed to get a ride to the end of varient E.
That night I camped on the top of the pass. I really enjoyed the trail across the pass and down into the valley.
In Agua buena I waited outside the first store I came across and took the bus to San fernado. It was 1000pesos.
I enjoyed GPT03 for the spring flowers, interest insects and swimming in the streams and rivers- Attraction 3/5 Difficulty 3/5
*'''2025-08-09: Track file update 2025 and investigation suggestions of Jan Dudeck'''
- GPT03 Option 1 (RN Rio Los Cipreses): Tomas and Natalie investigated this route and found it attractive and feasible. Due to entry restrictions to Reserva Nacional Rio Los Cipreses a southbound traverse might not be authorized therefore this option is best attempted in northbound direction. Access to the trail head is uncomplicated when taking a minibus to Termas el Flaco and jumping off the bus at the trail head. There was quite some road building after Tomas and Natalie hiking this route; new bridges were build and at least one bridge was destroyed in a flood event (the bridge that Natalie and Tomas used). Therefore its not entirely clear where to best reach the more attractive western side of Rio Azufre. The pass Portezuelo de los Punzones is 3200 m high, therefore this route is best attempted in January or February. This route may be combined with GPT04 Option 1.
==Season 2024/25==
* '''2025-03-26 to 2025-03-28 / 4 days / NOBO / Part 1 of new high Route Natalie & Thomâs (Glaciar Universidad) / Tim & Tobias * '''
We failed to do the northern part of Natalie and Thomas new high route on GPT03. We had bad weather and my hip was hurting (Tobias). But I would like to share our experience for follower hikers.
The bus from San Fernando to termas de Flaco left at 5 p.m.. We left the bus by the bridge tringuiririca and camped at -34.82832 -70.56172. Next morning we hoped to get a lift up the hydro station, but it didn’t work. There was just one car going up who did not take us. So we walked 23 km up the hydro station and camped at 34.73539 -70.38186. Next morning we walked up the higher hydro station and continued to the yellow Refugio, which was hitten by the massive bolder. Since I had problems with my hip and it was snowing up the pass, we decided to not enter the route. We put our tent 30 meters beside the refuge (-34.72011 -70.34763). Then we went 4 hours up to discover glaciar universidad until 34.69715 -70.33097. We had no crampons which was not a problem. Very beautiful experience! Next day we went back to the main road. There was just one car the entire day, which not took us.
We had no right of way conflicts. I wrote 2 days before departing a mail to info@glaciaresdecolchagua.cl but did not get a response. When entering the valley there is a gate at -34.82800 -70.56178 with a sign which forbids walking up. While walking up we met Miguel, who seems to be the dueño of this place. We explained him what are going to do and he was fine with that. The workers of the electric company did not care about us.
* '''2024-03-13 to 2024-03-22 / 10 days / Hiking / SOBO / New High route Option "Glacier Universidad+Tinguirica/ Natalie & Tomáš'''
See Highlights and warnings and photos on the Facebook post:
Route details:
Section 01: Road from Coya to Lago Pejerrejes
We weren't even out of Coya yet before we got a hitch. We were extremely lucky, without even trying our driver changed his plans and drove us all the way to Rio Cortedral, just past the Carabinero's house. If you do have to walk this route, note that there is no water until the Carabineros. The Carabineros did not come out which is good because last time I was in this area they stopped me and did not allow me to make a traverse, I was forced to come back the same way- then again I didn't try too hard to convince them. But it's a warning that they can make you come back. Rio Cortedral is popular for fishing and has many car camping sites. So with that, and the Puma Lodge and the hydro site, I don't think the term "it will take a hitchhiking miracle" from wikiexplora is correct, it isn’t that hard to get a hitch. The walking up to Lago Pejerrejes was very fast, mainly on a MR closed to cars by hydro gates, -34.38279, -70.32093. The MR disappears off and on just before the lake because of the landslide in 2017 but there is still a trail. Look for cairns just before a ditch. We made camp in a small corner before the lake.
Section 02: Lago Pejerrejes to Lago Cortedral
When trip planning I was unsure if it was possible to walk around the lake but luckily in March water levels were low and we were able to make it. We went around the left side (North) of the lake to avoid two extra fords. It involved some boulder hopping and there was a cliff at the end that forced you to make a small ford. We think that even if water levels were roughly 1m higher this would still be okay (the cliff part is questionable), but 2m higher would be difficult. The right side of the lake looked like easier walking as long as the two fords were doable (In mid March they looked easy). At the end of the lake there is a long stretch of river flats where the river is very braided. In the beginning it is easy to walk through the divides but near the end the current is stronger so best to stick close to the left. We had lunch at the end of the river flats in the shade of a small boulder. From here we stayed on the left-hand side of the river until needing to ford here, -34.55496, -70.21173 just before the left side gets too steep. This was decided based on satellite imagery that showed an old MR and lots of cow trails on the left. However, having said that, I don't think the right side is impossible, if in earlier months a ford is not possible, there are still some cow trails.
Anyways, if you stay to the left as we did there was a very old MR for a bit which eventually turned into one dominant trail most of the way. It was easy to loose but luckily if you lost it there were usually many other cow trails leading in the direction you want. Also there was water every 3-5km. Near the beginning, you mustn't miss the apple tree! -34.50068, -70.23678. Never have I had such good wild apples in Chile. They were baseball size and ripe! Continuing on the left side of the river, the only main annoyance was a deep ravine, -34.53944, -70.21944. Before getting here we saw a good trail that went down to the river but didn't take it- we should have. Therefore, before reaching this ravine, get down to the river when you can, there were cow trails along the river side.
You eventually hit the second of the river flats where the planned ford is. Unfortunately the river is not as braided as expected. At the end of the day there is only one spot in which it is dividend into two. You could possibly ford at the beginning of this section because it is flatter than higher up but we went further to where the one divide is. To get there we had to go up and side-hill the river bank for a bit and then ford a two branch red stream. In the evening the river was too strong to cross so we waited for the morning.
In the morning the current was still very strong. I only managed to find one place to cross. It was the end of a two split divide, I was able to walk along the end of the split where the water was more shallow just before it hit the main current again -34.55496, -70.21173. It was strong but the ice cold water may have been the hardest part. After crossing and climbing up the obvious hill on the right there is another dominant trail which you can take all the way to the stone house -34.59599, -70.23499. Easy to loose but easy to find again. Along the way there is a nice creek crossing, -34.57832, -70.22596. The stone house is under a massive boulder you can see from far away, it is very interesting and a very good shelter, lots of neat rocks in the area. After the stone house the trail exist for a very short time and then it is CC on rocks through a moraine/flood valley underneath Paloma. I chose to go up to these lakes -34.61312, -70.24377 and then cut back down to the river, not sure if walking along the river is easier or not. The next objective was to cross the convergence of the Lago Cortedral stream and the larger stream from the glacier. The fords were easy (first one here -34.63766, -70.25730) and then we stuck to the right side of the Lago Cortedral stream keeping our sandals on for the many micro fords. Eventually the micro fords end and you can walk normally up the rest of the boulder made hill. At the top of the main hill the route to Lago Cortedral goes right but we chose to continue straight up towards the other nameless lakes bcs Google earth said there were hot springs. We did not find any in the labelled location so we retreated to the first lake to camp -34.65144, -70.25254. There was little wind here on a rather windy day.
Section 03; Lago Cortedral to Glacier Universidad
I needed a longer rest in the morning so from camp Tomáš went back up to look for the mystery hotsprings (don't exist) and I went back down to Lago Cortedral to avoid gaining unwanted elevation. The drainage on Lago Cortedral is easy to hop over if you want (low water levels) and there is a bivy camp on the west side -34.65680, -70.26256. The map made it look like you cannot walk along Lago Cortedral but with low water you can, it just involves moderately steep boulder hopping. Take the east side, not the west side. If you have high lake levels it would be best to walk up and along the hills on the east side. I met Tomáš on the other side of the lake and made a plan for the pass. Originally we had two options for the pass. Option A (we didn't do) is here; -34.66929, -70.28846. It would involve gaining the left hills to the east of the lake and making a big C curve to avoid super steep terrain. In real life it did not look good so we went with Option B; -34.66483, -70.29063. Option B is less steep but it leads you to a recently melted glacier on the other side (aka terrible rock). Going up this option was easy. It was a series of three moderate slopes, all just involved walking on stones/boulder's. The last water source is at the beginning of the first slope, -34.66176, -70.27682. There is also a glacier lake somewhere between the first and the second slope that could perhaps serve as a high camp (off route, seen on satellite). Remember to veer left after the second slope towards the third slope to gain the correct pass. The other side of the pass is far worse. It took us three hours to make a final decision to go down it, luckily we had no wind this day. Tomáš went down the steep scree/dirt here;___. And I went down the human Jenga pile of boulders further west, it felt like Russian roulette. Tomáš's way was more logical and he was able to create good foot steps (a small patch of ice made it a bit harder). My way was more risky but it "felt" better, it just took a few times to figure out where the solid rock was but the overhead hazard was horrendous. Some of the boulders were couch sized and only barely balancing on one other rock. Snow would make this impossible without an ice axe. ***I don't recommend doing this if you are uncomfortable/inexperienced with the risk of loose boulders and or steep scree/dirt. Once down the steepest 15-20m the feeling of Russian roulette was over but the terrain was still awful. The rock continued to be very loose, it took a long time to cover a short distance. However after that the going was easy towards the next lake. There is a moraine before the lake that is steep on the other side, we went to the far right (north) of this moraine and it was walkable. We slept by the nameless lake on flat sand and large boulders nearby.
The next day we headed to Glacier Universidad (UN). You can boulder hop on either side of the lake, both ways looked similarly slow. At the end of the lake you can climb up to your right if you wish for a nice view of the glacier, there is a beautiful tarn and some nice camping spots -34.68159, -70.31833. It also looks like you could continue going up from here to a summit, something for future adventures. From this vantage, it also looks like our alternative way down through the lakes of the sierra negra valley could be possible via this pass -34.69715, -70.31060, but it would be a lot steeper than what we previously did (this is the alternative that would avoid the glacier). Anyways, continuing down boulders from the lake to the skinny lake below is easy if you stay to the far left of the creek. The skinny lake below is a beautiful haven, but the moraine bordering it is hell. Trying to get down the other side of the moraine looked like a death trap, but luckily there was an opening on the far south side of the skinny lake, -34.69269, -70.32418. This opening is loose and dirty but it didn't feel dangerous, just slow, and it brought us down to the glacier ice. There is one more small moraine to cross before GU proper but it was easy. Hopping on to GU just involved finding the right place, which may change every year. Once on GU the walking was easy, no crampons needed as in mid day it was very crunchy. There are many deep waterholes and at least one fairly large crevasse, but the slope is minimal and everything was easy to see and avoid but this can easily change as this glacier is melting fast. Note***technically you are supposed to have permission from, info@glaciaresdecolchagua.cl,but we didn't see anybody. The end of the glacier was more of a puzzle than expected. We side hilled the brown slope on the right (rocks over ice, but still firm) until a left finger that led us down to the main glacial stream which we crossed to stay on the left-hand side. From then on it was a maze through glacial debris hills and ice walls for a few hundred meters. I am sure the route changes a bit every year so you will have to find your way. Finally we exited and knew for sure we did not have to go back - yay! The last 2-3km towards the road is flat and easy. There may have been a trail at one time, as sometimes it feels there is a reminisce of one, but it is mostly CC. There is an old yellow puesto/refugio near the entrance of the sierra negra valley that has been hit by a massive boulder, quite an interesting site but I hope nobody was in there!! From the road/dam/bridge we walked down ~5km to the bottom of the zig zags to camp near the main hydro building with a stream besides it.
Originally we had planned to try and go up the valley of San Hilario and cross over to the Rio del Azufre valley but the pass and valley itself looked uncomfortably steep. I saw animal trails to the pass on satellite but after seeing the hill in real life I assumed it must have been guanaco trails, not always suitable for humans with backpacks, but maybe it's possible?
Section 04; Los Maitenes (Hydroplant road) to Base of Tinguirica
Since our original plan of going up San Hilario valley was a no go we decided to go for Tinguirica and Termas del Flaco via the valley of Arroyo Fray Carlos. The ~12km of road down to the Arr. Fray Carlos from camp was fast but hot and unpleasant. We saw 7trucks and one machine going up between 9-11am but we only had one truck going down, which gave us a hitch for ~2-3km. Supposedly 20-40people work at that hydro station so if your timing is better than ours, a hitch shouldn't be hard. We took the spur road on the left just after the bridge over Rio de Azufre and rested by the Arroyo before starting the hot climb. There is a wooden gate that marks the start of our route ___. There were many animal trails but we just went straight up (bring water). We met the proper trail here -34.80209, -70.46644 , it takes you to this slope -34.80241, -70.46049 but then it becomes difficult to follow. It became obvious again where it goes along side the river -34.81444, -70.44820. I was feeling very ill so we stopped at a nice place to access the river and potentially camp -34.81570, -70.44709. We saw Arrieros crossing trails high up on the other side of the river, they must of been taking this exit point -34.80631, -70.46378. In the evening we walked a little further to the point in which you want to cross the river -34.82272, -70.43865 and camped.
It was easy to find the main trail on the other side of the river and walk it until meeting it again near a puesto -34.83423, -70.42198. This is what I call the "trifecta of valley's". It is where the Arroyo Fray Carlos meets Arroyo de las Humos and to some extent Estero los banos. We crossed Los Humos near the puesto and then Est. Los Banos and headed up the Banos valley in search of hot springs. There was a good trail up, it started on the right and quickly crossed to the left and stayed left almost all the way until crossing once more near the waterfall which the hotsprings are -34.84819, -70.40818. After a surprisingly nice dip, despite mid day heat, we chose to continue our route towards Tinguirica by going straight up from the hot springs. When we hit the large sheep pasture above the hotsprings, we chose to continue straight (East) and into the valley just left (North) of the Est. Los Banos and follow it until meeting Los Banos again. Another option from the sheep pasture would be to go high along the left side and meet Los Banos further up, I think that may have been faster but less scenic. For our way, from the meeting of the Est. Banos we then followed it until a high plateau under Volcano Los Carlos -34.85633, -70.38076. We camped there and enjoyed an early evening in preparation for Tinguirica. (Lots of water throughout this day).
Section 05; Tinguirica to Termas del Flaco
A technically easy mountain that can be done without glacier travel via the west slope. We started by going straight up from camp aiming for a slope left of the glacier above us -34.84223, -70.36944. It involved quite a bit of large, loose boulder hopping but it was the most direct way from our camp. There is a large dried water bed after that climb that could serve as a camp. From there we were on track of the Tinguirica regular route (RR) which led us north of the flats and then up right and over to the source of Arr.Fray Carlos (only viable water source but may be frozen). After the Arroyo it was a long traverse down to below Tinguirica's glacier bottom (just a little under 3800m). The route we had on the gps went further down to ~3700m because of a deep ravine but we found a good snow bridge to save the elevation -34.82685, -70.36107. After that and after crossing below a cliff that was above we started the accent. It was easier to veer up and right to the only flattish spot and then directly up to the false summit. The rock up is annoying but easy and it didn't feel dangerous despite getting more steep near the top. For me this was a grueling climb due to the altitude and once at the top I knew I had to go back down quickly. This was a shame bcs the views were fascinating, especially looking towards the site of the Uruguayan plane crash. Tomáš had no issues with the altitude so he chose to take a different way back via Volcán Azufreras. This may be the standard approach but it did involve walking on the glacier a bit._____
We met back at the Arr. Fray Carlos only to separate one more time as Tomáš went up his third 4000er' of the day, Volcán Fray Carlos. I was still ill of the thought of going up to 4000 again so I headed towards Volcán Natalia where I would meet Tomáš one more time (The name made this Volcán a must for us). We were determined to get there while staying around 3500m, which is more or less like the RR. The only issue we had was the snow/glacier around -34.84497, -70.37097. You must go down the side of it where it meets the moraine, it is somewhat of an ice stair case with lots of rock fall potent beside you. Besides that the traverse was easy CC and the summit of Natalia was very simple and quick with beautiful views. It would make a good acclimatization destination. We then CC'd back to camp just before dark on talus, boulders and sand.
The next day was a bit of an unknown. Our mission was to get back to Termas del Flaco on traíls but the easiest way would have been to go down the RR and then walk the road, but the road looked dreadful. Tomáš was sure there would be Arriero trails leading directly to Termas del Flaco and sure enough he was right. Our goal was to get to this valley -34.91315, -70.41992 somehow via the steep slope of Arr.del Guanaco. We had three different ideas of getting there; An unlikely ridge that would avoid the steep traverse, a random Wikiloc entry that went down a very steep pass, and or our original idea of traversing the whole slope starting at a low pass on the far west side. It took us most of the day just to get to the first ridge option (easy CC to the creek bed of Arr.de Los Humos, then up a moraine and a short steep boulder climb to -34.88646, -70.39137, and then CC up and down boulders and moraines to the ridge,-34.90205, -70.40530, (lots of small ponds along the way for water). The ridge was definitely a no go. We then looked at the Wikiloc idea, -34.91023, -70.42133, it "may" have gone but neither of us liked it. Therefore we went to our third (original) idea which was surprisingly easy to get too if you stayed low. The way there passed an incredibly beautiful lake -34.88423, -70.41428. At this last pass there was a horse trail- yay. We will devise a better route that goes directly to here from Basecamp and even more direct, the Puesto inbthr lower valkey. At this pass the horsetail only lasted a few switchbacks until it became confusing to follow due to the MANY sheep trails. While going down we could see there were two options of getting out of the valley; the steep traverse here -34.91023, -70.42133, (which from afar looked only like a sheep trail) and or a more dominant one roughly here -34.90538, -70.42522, (dominant but we were unsure exactly where it led). We made camp in what looked like a perfect green plateau but it was totally wet, and Tomáš went up to explore the first option. He found out that it was a horse trail at the top with a cairn so we opted to take that one the next morning.
Post altitude sickness and stomach issues were still plaguing me so the way up was torture, but it was technically easy. We had to CC straight up the slope for ~300 meters until meeting the main horse trail (soft sand). We think there is no main horse trail the whole way because after a certain point most of the horses/arrieros just go straight down. We guess this because we met an Arriero on the way up doing that exact thing. The arriero we met was coming to begin the process of moving the sheep down for the winter, there was another down below. The arriero came up the valley we were heading too but bringing the sheep down the valley we saw the dominant horse trail in (so there must be a good trail down there as well). After chatting we continued to the top which from there one can see the main trail down "most" of the way. There is a nice spring not far from the top. The route down is easy to loose in the grassy sections (like always) but it is easy to find again. It stays on the left (east) side but crosses the creek to the right at a grassy horse pasture to avoid the steep landslide on the left. It then traverses for a short period on the right along dirt before crossing the creek one more time towards an annoying section of hard dirt and rock on the left. There are a few ditches that are annoying and edgy to cross and the going is slow. The last ditch we crossed is slightly higher up than expected ~ -34.94271, -70.42011 and from then on it is easy dust/dirt walking towards the intersection of the Dinosaur trail and Termas del Flaco. The dinos are a must see and only takes a ~20-30min detour, -34.95566, -70.42474. After that it was FINALLY down to the Termas- yay!. The shops in del Flaco are very simple and meant for snacks, so not a good place to resupply for more than a few days. If you are lucky there is a man who sells fruit here -34.95830, -70.43705 some mornings but not every morning. We went to the camping near the free hotspring "wastewater" location Tomáš stumbled upon two years ago (read his post on GPT04, 2022/23. The camping was very busy as it was a Saturday and so were the free hotsprings. Very different than what Tomáš experienced two years ago. We wonder how the payed Hotsprings stay in business, there were at least 30people there. The camping is 10mil pp and has a restaurant with improved WiFi (no cell signal in town). However, due to late night Chilean noise we decided to leave the camping and camp outside town because we hadn't actually payed or set up our tent yet...
In the end Termas del Flaco makes for a great place to end such an adventure but do note that it is COMPLETELY closed by the end of April***. Also note that there is not much fresh food to buy and the best bang for your buck would be sleeping at a hospedaje (~45mil including 3-4meals). But camping near the free Hotsprings is nice too if it is not too busy:).
Note*** the road to Termas del Flaco is technically one way and therefore you can only:
"Leave"; Mon-Sat between 5am-7am and Sundays between 2pm-9pm.
"Arrive"; Mon-Sat 6pm-9pm and Sundays 6am-12p.
It seems the closer to the ends of those times the more relaxed the control is, we got a hitch out at 1:30ish. Buses "to" San Fernando go every day; Mon-Sat @ 7am, and Sundays @2:30pm.
* '''2024-JAN-8 to 2024-JAN-11 / 4 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR + Hiking Option 3, 6, & 6A / Elijah & Michael'''
Trail south from Camp Huinganes [9.2 / 865] is well maintained. An Arrerio the next day asked if we had payed at the entrance of the camp, which we hadn't for lack of seeing anyone around.
Option 3 is mostly smooth, contouring trail. The ascent onto option 6 is steep but a trail exists. The views are dramatic as one climbs into the high country and water flows often until gaining the ridge to the final ascent.
On option 3A, the summit of Cerro Las Pizarras, looks tough from below; however walking right up the summit block is rather straightforward. Views are highly rewarding.
The descent down the mountain is tedious but non-technical. At the bottom of Option 3, crossing the Río Claro is significantly less challenging than the RR. Walk upstream 200 meters to a segment of braids.
La Huigera in Agua Buena is an excellent respite, with accommodation, laundry, good food & drink, and nice company. More expensive than expected, but worth the stay. Shops in Puente Negro had sufficient resupply for Segment 4.
* ''' 2024-12-14 to 2024-12-17 / 4 days / Hiking / SOBO /GPT02/RR+OH(VarD)+EXP-OH(05) / Dorota Szparaga '''
Bridge -34.24227, -70.55086 is in bad condition. A lot of water after 17 km to 30 km.
Camp night 1: -34.39601, -70.57223
After crossing the pass, I have lost energy doing bushwacking. Finally, I finished in a settlement of four men(cultivating marihuana). They were
versión polite and showed me a good way.
At 47 km, I took variant D for no crossing river. But the bridge at 7.1 km of OH var D did not work, so finally, I crossed the river. It was hard.
Camp night 3: 57.4 km. There I met arrieros with a lot of sheep.
Starting from 65.6 km, I took Exp-oh-5. Part starting from km 7.9 of this variant was cruel bushwacking. I won't recommend it.
At Aqua Buena, I spent the night in the restaurant Higuera. Good food, room, and possibility of washing clothes. I spent a really good time with the family.
* ''' 2024-DEC-01 > 03 / 3 jours / Randonnée / SOBO / RR / Pierre-Marie '''
Etape : GPT01+GPT02+GPT03
| Meteo : soleil
| Eau : facile
| Neige : non
| Intérêt : 2/5
| Difficulté : 5/5
| Danger : plantations illegales, riviere puissante, chemin mal entretenu
Chemin tres mal entretenu sur une grande partie de l'etape.
Attention danger dans la descente apres le col (-34,4770687, -70,6119512) plantation illégale. Apres un bush bashing extreme (je n'avais pas de trace gps sur cette section), je suis passé pendant la plantation des pieds, les hommes etaient gentils et ils m'ont montré le chemin, mais pendant la recolte ce sera surement tres tendu voir carrément dangeureux.
Le passage du rio Claro etait dangereux, plus puissant que prévu. Je me suis fait un peu peur, mais comme il n'est pas large l'effort est intense mais court.
DEC-04 : Repos San Fernando, A-R Bus.
*'''2024-NOV-25 to 2024-NOV-28 / 3 days / Hiking / SOBO / RR + OH (var. B) / Ivan, Jakub, Daniel'''
We started the stage late in the evening, planning to find a spot with water near the river close to Coya and camp early.
Fairly close to town, there’s a decent spot by the trail right next to the road, but we didn’t have enought water, so we kept going. Eventually, we found water—a pipe running along the road for some time had a tap with fairly good water flowing from it (approximately at coordinates -34.2359833, -70.5440333). However, for a while, we couldn’t find a place to camp. Unexpectedly, we found a spot at coordinates -34.2443300, -70.5501132.
During our night hike, we encountered tarantulas twice, and later saw two more during the day.
From the camping spot, we took Variant A to Termas de Cauquenes. It was closed, and the area was guarded by a large and aggressive pack of dogs. Fortunately, we met a local staff member who guided us through the premises and drove the dogs away.
The Huinganes Campground was also closed, and we couldn’t reach anyone.
The ford [16.1/877] could be crossed dry-footed; it’s manageable if you jump far enough between stones.
The ford over the Rio Claro de Cauquenes [17.7/872] is easily passable. The water is clear, and the bottom is visible. At its deepest, the water reaches slightly above the knees.
From the ford to the saddle [36.5/2047], there are plenty of water sources, so there’s no need to carry large supplies.
The gate [20.7/1069] was closed but could be easily climbed over.
That evening, we camped at coordinates -34.4022167, -70.5747500. The site fit three tents comfortably, although the ground is slightly sloped. Another option is near the ford [30.6/1315] or at coordinates -34.4128306, -70.5806225.
After crossing the saddle and bush bashing, a group of men called out to us. When we got closer, we saw they were all wearing balaclavas and had a campsite on the flat ground to the right of the trail (around -34.4780833, -70.6135833). They were growing marijuana there. However, they were very friendly, guided us through the area, and pointed us back to the trail.
From the saddle to the ford over the Rio Claro [-48.3/862], we managed to cross all fords dry-footed, although some required fairly long jumps.
We crossed the Rio Claro ford. The water level wasn’t high, but the current was very strong. We crossed as a group of three, which made it manageable. For solo hikers, crossing may be unsafe, and we wouldn’t recommend it. Be careful. The key is to ford at the spot under the rock where the waypoint in the trackfiles is located, not where the trail line crosses the river.
That evening, we reached coordinates -34.5163178, -70.6655452. It’s a nice spot for several tents. Another good camping spot is at -34.5376128, -70.6627607.
At the settlement [76.7/652], there’s a gate. It was locked, but since no one was around, we climbed over it. On the other side, there are several signs indicating the area is private and entry is prohibited.
The minimarket in Agua Buena is open until about 8:30 PM. The staff was very friendly, as was the family running the restaurant La Higuera. They served us well, chatted with us late into the night, let us take showers, and even camp in their garden.
24-11-26 - 24-11-29 / 2,5 days / OH2-RR /Volker