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==Season 2025/26==
''' GPT 37 + 38 | 1/16-1/23 | 7 Days | Western Traverse + RR Counterclockwise | SOBO | Graham + Gabe '''
Section 37 - 5 days
Picked up at Bahia Pescado
Section 38 - 2 Days
Section 37 was beautiful, challenging at times, but quite a nice desolate section. Mild weather, got some nice views. Laguna Verde is beautiful.
Trail is actually in quite decent shape, perhaps section 36 lowered my expectations. However, if you don’t lose the trail, did you ever even have it?
The Puesto at Bahia Once Hermanos is not abandoned, but was not currently occupied.
Waited at Bahia Pescado for boat, the company could receive my messages but not vice versa, so I used third party to communicate with them via whatsapp — shoutout Ally.
Section 38 we started with the pass with the plan of doing out and back to Don Luchos. Pass is quite chill. Don Lucho was not home, so decided to take loop along lake back. Got pounded by freezing rain, but 2 hours later it was one of the most beautiful day we have had in the south.
Got to Ricardo’s late that night, was gifted Cazuela to warm our souls. Lovely people who are actually related to Roberto (the kind Arriero on section 33!)
* '''2026-03-01 / 0,5 day / ferry / SOBO / Isabelle & Sander'''
Unfortunately had to skip the peninsula because of time. Just wanted to share that it’s probably best to book with Turismo Ruedas. The other companies do glacier tours and are happy to take you if they go anyhow, so we booked with Amigo Paragon because it was going on a Saturday but they canceled the afternoon before. Ruedas was fully booked for two trips so the next opportunity was ten days later. Luckily ruedas was rescheduled because of bad weather from Monday to Sunday and some people canceled and we could take their seats. Then the ferry was full again.
After the ferry hiked in two days to El Chalten (GPT38 and 39) to do the Vuelta Huemul (40).
* '''2026-02-18 to 2026-02-24 / 6 Days + 1 zero day / Hiking / SOBO / partial RR (O'Higgins to Bahía Pescado) / Michel & Lisa'''
General notes:
- There was no water at Camp {37H} [36.9/776], you have to bushwhack 170m towards the stream.
- Ferry to Candelario Mancilla: Ruedas de la Patagonia lets you cancel your reservation up to 2 days in advance of departure and reimburses the full price of the ticket. So it may be a good idea to book ahead if you know you're going to want to take the ferry around a certain date.
- Ruedas de la Patagonia can pick you up at Bahia Pescado without problems, it's the same price though. They'll also bring a packet for you if you want (e.g. food supplies or a packraft that's not of much use on the peninsula) at no extra cost.
- If you want to communicate with ruedas using an InReach, you'll have to use the MapShare feature as somehow their text responses don't seem to go through (i.e. they can receive your InReach message but if they reply to the text they get, they'll never arrive on the InReach, no clue why - at least that was the case for us and probably why Alex and Aoife never got a response from them)
- Hang your food, there are mice in some camp spots.
- The wind here doesn't seem to follow clear day/night cycles (i.e. calm nights and mornings, windy afternoons). We basically just always had wind and strong gusts. So if you're considering packrafting on the lake or crossing to Candelaria Mancilla you really need the right conditions.
Day 1
- We started late as we still had to do some groceries and drop off stuff at the ferry company
- Took a taxi to the end of the road (20'000 CLP)
- Hike through the forest is easy and trail well visible
- Up the pass was very windy and therefore cold, we were slightly hypothermic when we arrived up there. The path is pretty steep in parts.
- Continued to Camp {37H} [18.3/637], where there are lots of perfect, flat spots.
- The wind kept blowing through the night and gusts seemed very strong. We were worried about trees falling (potentially on our heads) and therefore didn't sleep well at all
Day 2
- We started kinda late after a very windy night that had us worried about trees falling onto our heads (there are many fallen trees around)
- Put on dry suits when we hit boggy section and kept them on through the fords and about 15 min into the trail along the lake which made progress much faster and convenient. It's actually surprisingly nice to walk in dry suits if it's rather cold.
- Walk along Laguna Verde was very beautiful, if windy. In the beginning we walked on trail, then switched back to the shore where it was easy going. It seemed we didn't have too high water levels, else it might have been more tedious with a more flooded shore
- Continued towards the west up the valley. We would've had to ford one more time here [-48.64486, -72.64465] but managed to circumvent that by doing some pretty tedious and boggy bushwhacking on the shore, getting our feet wet in the process. So you may be better off to just ford the river here.
- There is one more ford here [-48.64179, -72.67764] that you have to do, at least with the water levels we had. You might be able to hop across this one in fall when there's less water.
- All in all a beautiful day thanks to the landscape, even if we had intermittent rain. The last stretch up the valley was tough, especially the bushwhack and the last ford (not because it's difficult, just because it came unexpectedly and we were both already pretty tired).
- We wanted to camp at Camp (37H} [36.9/776] but there's no water there (it seems that a river dried up or changed course). So we bushwhacked 170m north to the stream where we found a nice campspot for bad weather camping (sheltered, next to the river, pretty flat) here: [-48.63968, -72.68518]. Generally I would recommend people to camp further down in the valley though because it's more open terrain so you get views of the landscape, here the forest is too dense to see anything.
Day 3
- Hiked up to the pass in a mix of clouds, sun and rain. There are some boggy sections where we got our feet a bit wet. The stream has to be crossed multiple times, not just at the two ford markers. Kind of annoying but the landscape makes up for it.
- After the pass it's a lot less soggy.
- When we hit the CC stretch (RR-CC-A {37H} [53.9/41.1+1.7]) we went a bit further down the hill and found a nice trail that helped a lot. At first it's slightly down hill from the track file and then it joins it. It disappears after about half way.
- We continued to Camp {37H} [62.2/262] (Arrollo Derrumbe) where there's good wind shelter and pretty flat spots.
- Hang your food here. We forgot and had chewing marks in some of our food bags in the morning.
Day 4
- Very scenic hike today along the coast in less overcast and rainy conditions than all the days before - nice! Still very windy though, big waves and white foam on the lake.
- Looking at the lake we were glad we didn't bring the packraft to cross the lake, it wouldn't have been feasible in these conditions, at least not in our open 2 person packraft and with our risk tolerance.
- We camped at Camp (37H} [64.1/377] where there's a wind sheltered spot in the trees for I'd say 2-3 tents. In windy conditions this is a good campsite. If you have nice, calm weather I'd go somewhere else since here you don't really see anything.
- It's worth it to continue on the path for 5 - 10 min to get beautiful views of the mountains.
Day 5
- We continued along the trail and made it to Bahía Pescado (Settler {37H-H} [4.5/264] (Bahia Pescado, Nicole and Misael)), where we searched for a spot to put our tent. The settlers were not there, so there was no starlink. It was difficult for us to find a wind sheltered spot for our tent, the wind seemed to change directions all the time and was rather strong. We chose to camp next to the hay stack which was okay
- Camp {37H} (66.5/343] (Vista Fitzroy) does have very nice views but other than that nothing special, not very sheltered, we took a long lunch break there and enjoyed the incredible views of Fitz Roy and Lago O'Higgins
- The views from Pass {37H} [68.1/492] are amazing as well
Day 6
- Due to high winds, the ferry that was supposed to pick us up from Bahia pescado couldn't leave that day and so we had to wait out another day in high winds which made it not very enjoyable. We wished that the settlers had been there, that would've probably made for a much nicer experience.
Day 7
- We got picked up by the ferry (Ruedas de la Patagonia) in Bahía Pescado at 9:45, 1h 45 later than they told us, and brought to Candelario Mancilla
* '''GPT37H / 2026-01-30 to 2026-02-01 / 3 Days + boat ride following morning / Western Traverse /SOBO / Hiking /RR, G, RR, H / Alex and Aoife.'''
Attractiveness: 5/5
Difficulty: 3/5
Florida Peninsula. Overall, beautiful section which does feel quite remote. And very novel to be picked up on the southern end via the Boat.
Pre organising required as we wanted the boat to meet us at Bahia pescado and take us to Candelario Mancilla.
Due to our time constraints and the boats only operating on Monday, Thursday, Saturday (weather permitting) we did this Western Traverse in 3 days. We managed but it was too much. I think 4 or maybe even 5 days would provide A much more leisurely pace where you can stop and enjoy your surrounds a bit more.
We arrived late into Villa O'Higgins the night before and went straight to the Ruedas ferry office and met with Sebastian. We organised the Monday boat would pick us up at Bahia Pescado at 9am and bring us to Candelario Mancilla . He also agreed to bring our foodbag for section 38 & 39.
Camped at Camping Tierra Paraiso. 8k pp. Nice enough place, grass to pitch on and was quiet at the time.
As we were in a rush we didn't quite think through establishing a communication system well. So I'll mention what we did and how I would do it better.
It seems generally hikers and Ruedas assume at Bahia Pescado that Starlink can be used at:
Settler {37H-H} [4.5/264] (Bahia Pescado, Nicole and Misael)
-48.825720, -72.700350
to contact Ruedas and confirm they are there to be picked up etc. This idea doesn't work when Misael and Nicole aren't home.
So the morning we started the hike I sent a whatsapp message to Seb explaining that I am going to send a test message on my Garmin Inreach to him and if he could reply to confirm he got it.
I didn't hear back so messaged him on whatsapp from on top of a hill a few kms into the hike to put my mind at Ease and assured him we would be there on the Monday even if we don't have internet reception to confirm this. He also confirmed he got the inreach Message. So I said I would contact him on that when we arrive.
I never got a response back from Seb on my Inreach, Im guessing that maybe due to Chilean phone plans only providing data and minutes which only seem to work to contact other phones with the same service provider.
So I think talking about the Inreach and doing a test message in Person and just being clear about that process would be something I would recommend.
The two supermarkets in town were relatively stocked for dry goods , don't expect much in terms of fresh produce.
Day1: 30/01/26
We got a hitch from the edge of town the 7km to Puerto Bahamondes. Apparently there is a bus from Villa O'Higgins tourism office - we had someone mention this to us but can not confirm.
Distance: 23km
Time: 1015- 2000
Water:
Water along the way even on the pass.
Route:
Walked the 750m of minor road to where the TL starts. Followed Emily's track notes, following the animal tracks along the river. We were there after sunny weather so was less boggy but you could see it could be very boggy in parts. Trail was easy to walk on and follow managed to keep dry and shoes on with some creative route finding until ford [19.7/607].
Due to warm weather there was lots of ice melt so massive flooded section over the trail so avoided this.
Took shoes off once we reached Laguna Verde and walked in the shallows until the other side of ford [24.9/542]. Track became a little bit harder to follow from then until camp. Basically you would be in the trees until it got thick and then you would be rock hopping on the shoreline until back unto the trees. Lots of trees down and water level of Lake higher then RR shows on GPS in some sections.
Camp:
We were tired and decided to camp at (-48.63257, -72.60775) space for 1 tent, sheltered, flat and access to lake for drinking.
Day2: 31/01/2026
Diatance: 24km
Time: 0830-2000
Water: Lots of water along the way.
Route:
Easy start along nice trail. At ford [30.56/ 575] water was just above knee ( we are 170cm tall) . Had to take shoes off a few times. Lovely views the whole way up the ascent to the pass. We had great weather. Views from the pass to the West are amazing... well worth it. Some boggy sections , but not too bad.
Route was relatively easy to find until the cross country section at ( -48.64337, -72.73005). We followed animal trails in general direction until around ( -48.648055, -72.736618) where the track started to contour and then gradually climb, the path was well trodden so we followed for a bit, but then decided we had gotten too far off route so descended down to RR , we regretted this decision as we had to push through knee high spikey bushes for the remainder of that section.
Would recommend to continue following prominent animal tracks from around above waypoint and stay high until roughly above the waypoint:
‘Trailhead [55.6/344]’ (-48.65420, -72.74617)
and descend on the animal tracks of your choosing. Trail was then easy to follow and relatively quick until the final CC section, the descent to camp, we found the landscape intuitive enough to read and get down easily.
Camp:
[62.2/262] ( Arrollo De Rrumbe) , there was a couple of streams close by before you get to the final CC section, otherwise water At the lake. Well sheltered, beautiful views across the lake. Nice sunset and sunrise.
Day 3: 1/ 2/26
Distance: 22km
Time: 0700-1800
Water: At fords and streams along the way.
Route:
Followed the RR until variant G ( as per Emilys recomendation, Thanks). We crossed a Ford [ 64.0/375], mid calf. Started raining after lunch and wind picked up. After the pass on descent down to Bahia Pescado lost the trail a few times. Followed RR to variant H and then took Variant H to the way point settler [4.5/264] ( Bahia Pescado, Nicole and Misael) . No one was home, except the chickens. At the time, it was hard to find a sheltered spot, pitched next to a big bundle of hay qnd camped there. No streams located in that area, drank from the lake. Messaged Ruedas from Inreach, no response back.
Camp:
Within 50m of
Settler {37H-H} [4.5/264] (Bahia Pescado, Nicole and Misael)
-48.82551, -72.70026
Next morning:
Picked up by Ferry that was 2 hours late ( we were getting nervous) . Boat pulled into the headland at around (-48.826254, -72.699904) where it pulled up we had to embark from a rock pulling ourselves up onto the boat from a handrail. Several passengers on board were definitely curious as to how/why/where we had been. Took about 20-30 mins to Candelario Mancilla. We stayed at Maria and Ricardos in a cosy little cabin (15k pp) , 10k pp to camp. Access to Starlink, hot shower, and at the time fresh bread and eggs. Definitely recommend the fresh bread and eggs.
'''2026-Jan-21 to 2026-Jan-25 / 5 days / Hiking / CCW / RR / Kole'''
An amazing adventure, but not without its challenges. The beach walking portions and sunset at Laguna Verde were memorable highlights. It was very immersive with not seeing anyone else during the trek.
Attractiveness: 5/5
Difficulty: 5/5
Camps:
Night 1: Camp [105.1/549] — a great flat and relatively sheltered camp spot on Laguna Verde, I didn’t find it excessively buggy
Night 2: Camp [62.2/262] (Arrollo Derrumbe) — another great spot right off a rocky beach on Lago O’Higgins, there are several flat and somewhat sheltered spots. Note that the waypoint is mislabeled, the camp is actually around km 49.0
Night 3: Camp [76.0/464] — no views, small spot, but greatly protected
Night 4: Camp [97.3/262] — plenty of flat and sheltered spaces in and around a forested coral
Challenges:
Some very overgrown (and rather thorny) trail in many parts. The trail also at times becomes difficult to follow amongst the rouge cow paths, keeping a diligent eye on GPS is required. Expect a constant personal escort of horse flies on windless days. Many fords and bogs made for wet feet the entire trek. I experienced relatively tame weather, but do expect this segment to be much more difficult in poor conditions.
Fords:
Ford {37H} [69.8/255] at Bahia Pescado was waist deep (~100cm) but easily passable with a minimal current.
Ford {37H} [90.1/263] (Rio Aro) and Ford {37H} [97.0/255] (Rio San Martin) were closer to 80cm high but with strong currents required careful footing.
I found Ford [96.6/255] to be entirely impassable at the time of my trek. The path requires wading across a bay, but the tide was up to my pack. I had to turn back and take variant Q along the boggy shore.
* ''' 2026-Jan-16 to 2026-Jan-18 / 3 Days / Hiking / 01, 08, 01 RR / Mor '''
General remarks:
Default state is wet feet as the mountain feels like one big swamp.
Trail finding is definitely the most challenging part of it.
Day 1: villa O'Higgins -> Camp {37H} [19.7/388]
Walking on Opt 1, trail finding is largest challenge after passing the puesto.
Tried to go into Opt 2 and Opt 2A but as I was about 750m into Opt 2 a sudden hail shower turned me back as I didn't want to walk on the exposed ridge of Opt 2A in strong winds and showers.
Day 2: Camp {37H} [19.7/388] -> Camp {37H-08} [4.6/337] (Bad Weather Option) -> Camp {37H} [19.7/388]
*Option 8*: until where camps are marked (around 4.6 km) it is walkable on a decent trail which does require more BB/CC than Opt1 but is okay. Exploration part seemed undoable or highly demanding. No apparent trail that goes up the ridge. Abundance of rock fall and overall poor quality rock. Very very steep and exposed face. Wind is a big factor especially as the trail faces West and most winds comes from W-NW meaning they hit you directly. I turned around after a few hundred metres as I figured it didn't worth the risk of exploring it alone.
It forced me to trace back to Opt 1 and miss the part of Laguna Verde. In the end, due to lack of food, motivation and overall low physical feeling I cut the journey short leaving room for the next time.
Day 3: Camp {37H} [19.7/388] -> Villa O'Higgins.
Easy stroll on decent trails back to VOH.
* ''' 2026-Jan-5 to 2026-Jan-14 / 10 Days / Hiking / RR, 01, A, RR, 03, RR / Massa and Jacicek '''
Day 1
We started walking at villa O’Higgin's and took option 1 to laguna negra. The path up to Laguna is nice and there is a lot of viewpoints. After the ford there is a gate and it can be opened from the right side. The puesto appeared to be empty, but there were a pair of water shoes before the ford. We camped at camp km 12.3.
Day 2
The path on the right side of the lake was in worse condition than the day before. And you need to pay attention to the GPS to stay on the path. Water was available at multiple places along the path. We stayed at camp km 18.7.
Day 3
We continued along the option 01. The initial horse trail is certainly nice. The cross-country section up the hill was rather challenging, but there was almost no bb. From the pass 23.9, the path is nice again. We camped at -48.53519, -72.69804.
Day 4
We found opt A to be traversable without issue, follow the edge of the dense forest, The path was even cleared at certain spots. The pass is really beautiful. Camped at [-48.55710, -72.64674].
Day 5
A lot of CC through wet marches. At the edge of the Lago (Ford 24.9) we would recommend to go through lake water further, as there is deep bog and large fallen tree just in path. Several dozen meters further is much nicer path. Camp km 105.1.
Day 6
Due to bad weather forecast for counter clock wise traverse we went in the direction of Bahia Aros. Ford at 96.6 was almost waist deep,, but narrow. We haven’t managed to find a path around through the shallow water (muddy after about half way). Settlers at puesto 90.5, they were friendly and told us that we can stay at refugio at Bahia Aros (where we camped). Ford at Rio Aros was rather strong and waist deep in the evening.
Day 7
Opt 3 starts with animal trail tracks. Some are better than others, and at places there are many new ones. The flatter valley section is boggy, but there are plenty places to pitch a tent, even wind protected. We camped [-48.71497, -72.67569], which wasn’t really flat however.
Day 8
Path 03 down to puesto La Pampa is nice and maintained with beautiful view of the Lago. The CC section 41.1 +1.7 was demanding for us. We stayed at camp 40.2, we found water there as described by Michael and Kasia.
Day 9
A lot of rain today, with many fords due to that rain. Camped at camp 114.5.
Day 10
Track back to villa O’higgins.
'''2026-Jan-04 to 2026-Jan-08 / 5 days / Hiking / SOBO / Full 8 Circuit, anti-clockwise; RR, G / Emily'''
An incredible section - one of my favourites. I really enjoyed the full circuit and its diversity of trail and landscapes - would highly recommend! If you’re short on time, I’d suggest the western traverse, or an inverted ‘Q’ (i.e. a side trip to Cañadon los Patos rather than to Bahia San Martin) for the best views and trail.
Attractiveness - 5/5
Difficulty - 4/5
Camps
* Day 1 - Ford/Camp [18.3/637]. Plenty of space. Lots of bugs.
* Day 2 - -48.701918, -72.755100, (beach before Camp 62.2/262, where the CC ends). Space for 1 tent, flat but sloped, very hard ground. I wouldn’t recommend this spot and would suggest continuing to the marked camp. I only stopped here after arriving at the first beach and misreading the map. Note, this camp is around 48.5km - not 62.2.
* Day 3 - -48.834730, -72.625340 (hill above Camp 76.4/449). No water, lumpy and zero protection, but beautiful views.
* Day 4 - -48.677538, -72.589635 (approx. 101.3km). Very small spot. No water but a small stream shortly beforehand. I would only recommend in a pinch; Camps 97.5/320 and 105.1/549 looked a lot more comfortable. There were a couple of spots before in the forest that would’ve been more suitable if you’re looking to camp between the two marked spots.
The write up in the manual gives a great overview of the section. I found conditions to be more/less the same, with the biggest challenges being wayfinding and overgrown trail. Some points of note
* I started from Villa O’Higgins at midday on a Sunday; no luck with hitches. On return (Thursday, 5pm), there were plenty of cars near the Fin de la Carretera sign at Bahia Bahamondes, and I got a hitch shortly thereafter.
* After the bridge at 8.3/282 there’s a trail that cuts straight up to the RR around -48.519166, -72.597222, avoiding the unnecessary descent.
* Watch for the RR turnoff at the intersection for Option 1 - very easy to miss and continue on to the option.
* The RR requires some BB where it diverges from Variant G. G is instead relatively clear and easy to follow.
* There are lots of misleading animal trails, though with a bit of creative CC you can usually find your way back to the RR. The exception to this was after Water 49.9/252; watch for the trail going up. I continued along a well-defined animal trail, and when trying to cut across hit some steep scrambles and impenetrable BB. Best to backtrack if you find yourself in a similar situation.
* Trail on the eastern traverse was at times overgrown, requiring some CC/BB in thorny bush. For the most part, the path remained visible. These overgrown sections became very wet after light rain, making for some pretty miserable and cold walking.
* After a week of sun, I had no issues with fords. I crossed Rio Aro [90.1/263] around 3.30pm, starting below the waypoint and walking on a diagonal up. This kept me in shallows to my knee, with the exception of the last 2m to my mid-upper thigh (165cm). I crossed Rio San Martin [97.0/255] at the waypoint; mid-upper thigh. Both fords had strong currents, but weren’t particularly difficult.
<big>'''2025-12-20 to 2025-12-22/ 3 days/ Hiking/ SOBO/ RR, Option 2, Option 2A, Option 1/ Greg Carter'''</big>
Overall
Wild and scenic mountain and forest/ lake environments, with challenging wind, cold and rain, and complex terrain to navigate.
Attraction: 5/5
Difficulty: 4/5
Accommodation in Villa O’Higgins
I camped at Camping Paraíso for CLP 8,000 per night
Friendly host, hot showers, kitchen/ dining room, and 50m to a cool microbrewery/ restaurant with tasty hamburgers and fries :-)
Day 1
Somewhat challenging finding a route on Option 2, uphill to Cerro Altavista, alternating between bush bashing seemingly unavoidable tree groves and rocky ridges. Made much slower progress than anticipated to get to turn-off to Cerro Altavista, and the wind was rising so I ‘cut the corner’ and continued on (EXP/I) Option 2A. Generally better progress was made on the northern side of the ridge. However it was slow progress with lots of shale, loose rock and rock hopping. The route was not straightforward with many climbs and descents on rock bands which extend down from the ridge. Route finding would be very difficult in poor visibility. I recommend Option 2A only in good visibility. I camped here: -48.52680, -72.69173, beside a small alpine lake.
Day 2
I intended to hike Option 1 to get to Options 8 and 8C, but made slow progress due to glitches with my primary navigation device (Garmin Enduro 3), which made it unusable. I tried to use the Gaia app as the primary but this slowed me down (not hands free for poles) with constant checking required in complex terrain, and would have required lots of phone charging in the days ahead. Due to expected slow progress (especially EXP/I Option 8C) and uncertain ability to solar charge my power banks (unreliable direct sunlight), I decided it was prudent to abort and return to Villa O’Higgins to fix the Garmin fault. Camped at Laguna Negra Camp [18.7, 298] - nice sheltered spot set back from the lake.
Day 3
Returned to Villa O’Higgins on Option 1, via Laguna Negra. Slow going on the track beside the lake, with lots of fallen branches and trees, and indistinct or non-existent trail, particularly around here: -48.49909, -72.68848. However lovely views over the lake in both directions, and after the lake approaching Villa O’Higgins.
Postscript
The GPS issue seems to have been caused by using the Auto Select function which, according to the manual, uses “ SatIQ™ technology to dynamically select the best multi-band GNSS
system based on your environment. The Auto Select setting offers the best positioning accuracy while still
prioritizing battery life”. However I found that frequently the device was unable to fix my position at all, meaning also that ancillary functions like distance, elevation and speed did not work either.
Afterwards I consulted Jan (he has the latest Garmin Fenix), who said that he uses the ‘GPS only’ mode to conserve battery power.
This is what Chat GPT says about the benefit of using “GPS Only” mode on your Garmin Enduro 3:
“Main Benefit — Better Battery Life
• GPS Only mode limits the watch to just the U.S. GPS satellite constellation instead of using multiple GNSS systems (like GPS + GLONASS/Galileo).
• Because it’s only tracking one system instead of many, it consumes substantially less power. That means longer battery life during activities like long hikes, ultramarathons, multi-day backpacking trips, etc.
For example, with GPS-only tracking the Enduro 3 can last significantly longer on a single charge compared to modes using all systems:
• GPS Only: ~120 hours (up to ~320 hours with good solar)
• All Systems: ~80 hours (up to ~144 hours with solar)
• All Systems + Multi-Band: ~60 hours (up to ~90 hours with solar)
So if you’re more concerned about maximizing time between charges and don’t need the absolute best positional precision, GPS Only is typically the most efficient setting.
** Trade-Off — Potentially Less Precision in Hard Environments
By using just GPS satellites, you might get slightly slower fix times or somewhat less precise positioning in challenging environments (like dense forest, deep canyons, or urban canyons) compared with multi-GNSS or multi-band settings. That’s because those broader settings can pull signals from more satellites to improve accuracy and lock-on speed.
When to Use GPS Only
- Long endurance activities where battery life is more important than pinpoint accuracy
- Backcountry trips, multi-day hikes, thru-hikes
- Activities in open areas where GPS signal is strong and accuracy differences are minimal
When Not Ideal
- In very dense tree cover or canyons if you need the tightest track logging
- For activities with precise navigation or mapping requirements.
In short: GPS Only mode extends battery life by simplifying the satellite system used, which is great for long adventures — at the cost of some positional precision in tough signal areas.”
<big>'''2025-11-25 to 2025-11-30 / 6 days / hiking /RR east trav Sobo, Opt 4(EXP/I), Opt 3, Opt 3B, RR west trav Nobo / Ohad & Bailey'''</big>
We found this section wild, beautiful and hard. I will write the general information, add our opinions, and at the end describe Option 4 which is EXP and I. I apologise for the long one.
Fees:
Non
Camp:
Camp 37h [30.5/543] - nice protected corral in the forest. Río San Martin close by for water.
Camp 37h [78.5/291] - semi sheltered, little mound is protecting from wind coming from the lake. River to the northeast was silty, found a small clear stream about 100m to the south west.
Camped at S 48.758705 W 072.633320. Protected Camp with stream near by, in an unmaintained forest, maybe not the best in high winds. Falling tree danger?
Camp 37h [62.2/262] (Arrollo Derrumbe), beatiful beach, we cowboyed on the beach there. Camp looks a bit lumpy, no water other than the lake.
Camp 37h [24.5/552] nice camp, water nearby, lots of mosquitos.
Fords:
Many fords, only three of note.
Ford 37h [90.1/263] (Rio Aro). It was quite strong. We crossed it closer to shore than shown in the files.
The fords on varient M were unpassable, we forded a bit upstream (S 48.661758 W 072.604474) and with a bit of BB and clambering got back to route.
Ford 37h [79.5/520] (Cascada) is an easy ford but very impressive with the waterfall and with higher stakes.
Water:
No problem.
Trail Conditions/Challenges:
The trail on the east traverse is much less clear and much steeper than the west with a lot of TL sections that feel like CC or light BB. Very easy to veer off route.
The route was often wet, many fords and bogs.
We would not recc Varient M. Unnecessary fords and risky fords, BB and clambering. Just go to RR, its not a time saver.
We encountered no one at Bahia Pescado
Opinions:
we found the east traverse very demanding with constant routefinding, light BB and very steep rollar coaster trail. The east traverse offers amazing views over Lago Ohiggins, with the lake snaking through the mountains. The beach walks are nice and the waterfall ford is very memorable. But over all the trail experience hindered our enjoyment of the views.
We were very happy with our decision to head inland on Option 4 and later Option 3, we feel like the views are nicer from higher up and we enjoyed the alpine experience and the glacial valley of 3.
The west traverse is nicer, the view is a bit less impressive then the east but conditions are much more pleasant.
Option 4:
We loosley followed the route on the files. I will write up a loose description of the route and attach an email address if you want our gpx.
From Pass 37h[68.1/492] ascend uphill north roughly following the ridgeline. The terrain is bluffy and low bush. No water here except tarns.
After passing west of the high point of the ridge (S 48.813329 W 072.704473) continue ascending north towards the gulley, you enter a forest, some of it easily traversable some less, after the gulley you continue north in a bog and then a bit of bb in forest. There may be campsite options in this part as it is flatter. after, you enter high alpine CC for almost the reminder of the route. Continue north towards the gulley of the pass. The Nav and CC is easy. Big snow patches in the pass. The rest is scree.
Descending was quick with the snow. Ascending SoBo would probably be exhausting with all the snow. The gully gets steep and you walk west on the south bank. We found various cow trails and camped before connecting to Opt3. Forded 100m upstream of ford waypoint and connected to Opt3.
Option 4 offered beautiful views over the lake, the bluffs were nice and once youre in alpine terrain the view opens up. And fitz roy accompanies the journey from afar. We very much enjoyed this Option and would reccomend it.
Attractiveness: 5/5
Difficulty: 5/5
==Season 2024/25==
*'''2025 Apr 5 to Apr 14 / 9 hiking days / SOBO / Hiking / Opt 1, 1B, RR, Var A, Var G / Michael and Kasia'''
QUICK NOTES:
Though it's almost impossible to choose a favorite GPT section, this may be ours. It felt as big and wild as some of the northern sections, and the demanding navigation made it really adventurous. We would definitely recommend budgeting more time for this section to really enjoy it, and to make the route-finding less frustrating. (I spent at least three days carrying the GPS in one hand all day because I had to check it so often there was no point in putting it back on the strap.) We also really enjoyed Opt 1 to Lago Negro. As a bonus, if you choose to do Opt 1 and then take the CC/BB Opt 1B to avoid backtracking, the rest of the route will seem easy by comparison!
CAMPS:
Night 01: -48.48213, -72.66873 (Camp Opt 1 [8.69], in the forest, some wind protection, water access is about 50 m away at the lake, or about 100 m further along there was a clear stream running across the trail)
Night 02: -48.52777, -72.72149 (Lake, Camp Opt 1 [16.2] (wind protected, easy water access)
Night 03: -48.53809, -72.67203 (flat, okay wind protection, nice views of lake and mountains, water from stream about 50 m away)
Night 04: -48.59170, -72.65789 (flat, wind protected, no view, water access is about 300 m away)
Night 05: Camp without water 40.3 (decent wind protection, had a kind of half-corral style wind barrier; there actually was water, at (-48.64095, -72.71988) about 70 m north of the campsite, it's just a little tricky to get to)
Night 06: Camp 49.2 Arollo Derrumbe (most of the site is a bit on a slope, but we did find a pretty flat spot next to the large willow tree just a bit up from the fire ring, good water access on the pebble beach, really nice place to see the sunset)
Night 07: Puesto 53.7 La Pampa (there was a flat area inside the corral at the western side, almost directly opposite the cottonwood trees, wind protection was good, water was from a shallow stream up the hill about 100 m, access was a little tricky)
Night 08: Camp 66.6 Vista Fitz Roy (we don't recommend this as a campsite. Water access is not good, there is no wind protection, if it's early in the season or has been raining there will likely be no place to put the tent that isn’t swampy. We found one dry seasonal lake bed a little below the fire ring that worked, but we imagine that it is often swampy or under water; we would recommend to make this a lunch or coffee break spot and camp a little further along the trail, maybe near the river around Camp 63.5 or 63.6)
Night 09: Stayed at Misael’s
WATER: there is a lot of water
Day 01 - Apr 5th
We booked the boat with Ruedas the day before, arranging for them to pick us up in Bahía Pescado on the 14th (their last sailing of the season). In the morning, we dropped off two boxes of resupply since we were planning to do 37, 38, and 39 together. We started hiking a little after 10:00. The gravel road out is kind of annoying. There was a surprising amount of traffic on it. At X 3.6 there were a couple of picnic tables and a trailhead to the Sendero Altavista trail, which is the beginning of Opt 1 (Lago Negro). We had originally planned to just do the western traverse along RR, but when we saw the sign we checked the wiki, and after reading Volker’s trip report we decided to go with Opt 1. The trail was generally in good shape and easy, though there were a number of muddy spots. The views were amazing and we were lucky to have sun and no wind, so it was very pleasant. Ford Opt 1 [11.5] was easy, mid calf and almost no current. On the other side of the river was a private property sign and a wire fence. The gate (also wire) was padlocked shut, so we lifted the bags over it and then climbed between the wires on a side section to the right in order to not damage the gate. We passed by the buildings, it looked like it was abandoned. We continued onto the lake and camped around the Camp 8.69 waypoint. We found a flattish spot in the woods just above the trail. There was a clear stream running across the trail about 100 m on that was a good water source, but the lake is easily accessible as well.
Day 02 - Apr 6th
We continued around Lago Negro. For the first km or so the trail was easy and in fairly good shape. But after that it oscillated between good to non-existant, open to bush bash. It was definitely slow going. Much of the trail is in the forest, and it is Valdivian rainforest. It is very dark inside and feels like a jungle. Then the trail climbed up onto more exposed areas. There were lots and lots of muddy and marshy sections. It was slow going to work around them and keep our feet dry, but we managed. Somewhere around km 11 the trail drops down to the lake. We put on water shoes and just walked along the bank for about 500 m to avoid all the bush bashing. If the lake level is low enough and the weather is good, we recommend it, it goes much faster. The trail then went up again. Just before Water 12.6 we stopped for lunch on a hilltop overlooking the lake. It was a really great view and a nice break spot. The trail went up and down a few more times. We were tempted towards the end to walk in the water again but decided against it. Looking down from above it seemed like the right call. There were a number of dead trees in the lake that would have been hard to maneuver around. We camped at the south end of the lake . There was a fire ring and the site was set back in the trees a bit so there was some wind protection. The beach was really nice on that end of the lake, and we wished we had time to take a zero day here and just enjoy the atmosphere.
Day 03 - Apr 7th
We took Option 1B up to reconnect with RR to avoid backtracking. It was very, very slow going. At first there seemed to be a bit of a trail, but that ended quite quickly. Nearly the entire route up is a CC/BB the whole way, and much of it was quite steep. It took us almost exactly 8 hours including a couple of short rests to make the 1.3 km up. It never felt unsafe, but it was a lot of work. On the bright side, that put all the route finding for the rest of the section in perspective. There were some amazing views at the top. We camped in the forest along the side of the larger lake that starts at around km 26.5 of Opt 1. We found a flat spot about half way between the beginning and the end of the lake that had a fire ring. There was a clear stream a little before it that was a good water source.
Day 04 - Apr 8th
We continued back toward RR. The fall colors and the light at that time of year were amazing. It was full sun and no wind that day. Somewhere around km 28.9 of Opt 1 we decided to CC southeast to skip a lobe of the trail. It worked out for us, however the area is a marsh and earlier in the season or after rain it might not be passable. At km 29.9 of Opt 1 there was an open field that would have been good for camping and a good stream for water. From the clearing we went CC to RR, similar to Var A, but further south. By staying to the right of the river and going uphill we managed fairly easily. The trail up to the pass was very steep and in sections had scree over hard packed earth, so we did a lot of CC on the way up as well. About half way up we stopped to rest for a couple of minutes. There were a couple of condors flying around. Kasia was about 7 meters away from me. One of the condors dipped to fly by her, maybe just 2 or 3 meters away! It was an absolutely enormous bird. At the top of the pass there is a plateau. There were a couple of small lakes and some streams. We stopped by one of the lakes for lunch. With sun and no wind it was very pleasant. The way down the other side was fairly easy to follow. The valley on the other side looked like it was out of a fairytale, and the fall colors really looked amazing. We wandered around for a while just to explore. About 50 m away from Ford 18.4 there was a large tree that had fallen across the river and made a good bridge. Camping on both sides of the river looked nice, there were flat grassy areas. I would have chosen to camp before crossing just because it was easier water access, but there was a fire ring on the far side. Ford 19.8 was dry when we passed. Ford 20.6 was just above the ankle. We had trouble finding camping around Ford 20.6 as much of the area is rocky, and a lot of the forest had shrubs instead of grass. We found a spot fairly far from the river, but it was flat and had good wind protection, which was good because the wind started over night and continued into the morning.
Day 05 - Apr 9th
We got up early to make as much distance as possible. It was windy and cold. Ford 21.6 was easy, it had a fair amount of current, but was below half calf. Camp 24.6 looked nice. It was inside an open forest and was a place that arrieros camp with a windwall and fire ring. At the Ford mark shortly after, the water was very shallow, but wide. I was able to drop a long branch across it to create a makeshift bridge. The first part of the way around the lake was through forest, but the lake level was fairly low, so by about a third of the way around we could walk on the beach the rest of the way. Camp 29.3 looked okay. It was in a clearing set back from the lake a bit. There was still a fair amount of wind coming through on the day we passed, though I imagine the direction of the wind makes a big difference. Ford, X 30.2 was knee deep but with very little current. Ford 31.7 was half calf with a moderate current. We were not really sure where Camp 37.0 was. It was not near water and there didn’t seem to be any flat place to camp. We don't recommend planning this one for camping if you can avoid it. The rest of the way to the pass was a bit challenging. It was incredibly windy on that side. There isn't really a trail for much of it and it goes back and forth across the river several times. About 100 m before Ford 38.8 was actually the first of several fords. After the fords there were some deep marshy areas. We crossed the pass and camped at Camp 40.3. It was a good spot. There was very little wind there. The wind wall at the site was set up almost like a corral. There's only room for one tent, and the X-Mid 2 just barely fit, but it did fit. We discovered that there is actually a water source there, about 70 m due north of the camp site. The way to it is kind of marshy/muddy, but I was able to access it without getting my feet wet. Earlier in the season that might not be possible.
Day 06 - Apr 10th
We started down early. It was fully overcast but an almost windless day. The muted grey of the clouds combined with the turquoise of the water and the oranges and reds of the trees made for spectacular scenery throughout the day. Despite the descent being listed as CC, a good bit of it actually followed a trail. About 500 m before the trailhead, we decided to do a complete CC heading south-southeast instead of southwest. We headed toward a grassy patch then cut more south, went down a steep animal path and across a marshy field before finally reconnecting with RR. I’m not sure it saved any time or distance, but it was fun to explore. Ford 43.6 was dry foot crossable, we stopped there for lunch. Ford 45.6 appeared a little tricky, but since we had read the reports from Tomas, Roman and Jonas, we were aware of the turn and it was no problem at all. The descent to Camp 39.2 was CC/BB. Towards the end it was possible to cut across the boulder field early and go directly to the camp site rather than to the lake and coming around along the beach. Arrollo Derrumbe was nice and had easy access to a pebble beach. We had an absolutely stunning sunset that night. We camped up next to a willow tree a little ways away from the fire ring because the ground was more level there.
Day 07 - Apr 11th
We were hoping to get to Camp Vista Fitz Roy, but it had rained in the night and even with our rain gear we got soaked just going through the brush. As we got to La Pampa it started to rain. We found a place up in the forest to take shelter to wait it out for a bit. When the rain stopped it was already late in the afternoon and we knew we were unlikely to make it. Reading through notes and looking at topo and satellite imagery we thought it would be fairly unlikely to find another camp at least until km 63.4, so we decided to just camp early. We found a flat and fairly wind protected spot inside the corral on the western side. It had stopped raining and some sun had come out so we strung up a line and hung some of our wet clothes to try to get them dry. For water we went back up the hill to the east about 100 m. Outside the fence there was a shallow stream flowing through a wetland area. It was a little tricky to access.
Day 08 - Apr 12th
We hiked over the pass and then down. There was no issue passing by Bahia Once Hermanos on the RR. It looked like Var E would take you directly to the house, but the RR stays outside the fenced areas of the property. We did not see anyone when we passed. We took Var G. The path wasn’t always clear, but this part of the peninsula was mostly low shrubs so it was easy to find a way. Ford 63.5 was half-calf, mild current. Both the camp before and the camp after the ford looked okay. The one after was cleaner. Water 65.9 was actually a ford similar to Ford 45.6. There was a lot of brush on both sides that encroached on the passage and made it a little tricky. This was also the last place to get running water if staying at Camp 66.6. We were actually fairly disappointed with this campsite (notes above in the Camps section). We would recommend camping elsewhere and just stopping for lunch or a break at this spot.
Day 09 - Apr 13th
It was a cold and windy day. It seemed that the wind had knocked most of the water off the bushes as we did not get nearly as wet as a few days prior. The route was often tricky to find. We got lost towards the top and ended up CCing a steep hill to get to the pass. There was a short little plateau and then it began to drop down the other side. It was even windier on the far side. Miseal was a very hospitable host. We talked for quite awhile. For dinner he made roasted lamb ribs, salad with greens from his garden, and a kind of deep fried yeasted bread cooked in lamb fat, which was really delicious. He explained that the bread was very similar to sopaipilla, with the main difference being that what he made is fried in animal fat and sopaipilla is fried in oil. We preferred his version to the more common sopaipilla. We slept on the floor in a side room that seemed to function as both a storage room and a guest room.
Day 10 - Air 14th
The boat arrived on time. We said goodbye to Misael and got on the boat. The ride was maybe 15 minutes. At the dock on the other side we took the boxes and walked to Ricardo and Maria's place.
*'''2025-MAR-20 to 2025-MAR-21 / 1 day / Hiking / SOBO / RR / Ivan, Jakub, Daniel'''
BOAT CROSSING:
Day 4: Continued in the same direction, but after Water {37H} [76.3/443] it was again overgrown all the time, this time only knee-high. Frequent check of the GPS was necessary because several animal trails are leading astray. After 40 minutes i turned around, because i wasn't in the mood to squeeze through bushes more than necessary. This time i bypasses the worst muddy-bushbashing at the rocky beach between Water {37H} [71.8/271] and Water {37H} [71.3/265]. This is what i recommend doing, at least it saves you from parts of the BB. Heavy rain started 1h before i reached BP. Spend the time with their two dogs and sheltered myself from the rain in the tiny vault toilet until the ferry arrived.
*'''2025-01-20 to 2025-01-22 / 3 days / Hiking & <span style="background-color:aqua;">Packrafting</span> / NOBO / RR, RP (Laguna Verde), RR / Manon, Robin, Lucie, Thomas'''
Day 1:
We left Isla Central with La Soberania (boat ~10 days for inhabitants of the lake). After a tour of the inhabitants, La Florida left us at Bahia Pescado around mid-day. We followed the RR from km 69 to ~km 60.
Day 2:
Continued the RR until km~33.
Day 3:
Continued the RR for a couple of km until the Laguna Verde. Laguna Verde was completely flat so we packrafted it (not engaged as you can follow the shore all the time): great moment ! Continued the RR (multiple easy fords - ankle/below knee height - after Laguna Verde) until Bahia Bahamondes where we hitchhicked to Villa O’Higgins.
* '''2025-Jan-07 to 2025-Jan-10 / 4 / <span style="background-color:aqua;">Packrafting</span> / SOBO / 37H-10A + 37H-10 + 37H-08 + 37H-08A + RR / Roman'''
=Transport to and from Route=
February 2026:
- Ferry to Candelario Mancilla: Ruedas de la Patagonia lets you cancel your reservation up to 2 days in advance of departure and reimburses the full price of the ticket. So it may be a good idea to book ahead if you know you're going to want to take the ferry around a certain date.
- Ruedas de la Patagonia can pick you up at Bahia Pescado without problems, it's the same price though. They'll also bring a packet for you if you want (e.g. food supplies or a packraft that's not of much use on the peninsula) at no extra cost.
- If you want to communicate with ruedas using an InReach, you'll have to use the MapShare feature as somehow their text responses don't seem to go through (i.e. they can receive your InReach message but if they reply to the text they get, they'll never arrive on the InReach, no clue why - at least that was the case for us and probably why Alex and Aoife never got a response from them)
- ferry cost 60k CLP per person, booking online it seems to be 70k CLP
February 2025: