Cambios

==Season 2025/2026==

We took 8 days of food with us from Villa Cerro Castillo and hoped we would get lifts at the start and the end. Luckily we did get lifts (32km in total) and spend 7 days on the trail.

🚌 9.40am bus from Villa Cerro Castillo to start of Option 3B

🥾 Walked 1km, got a lift 🚗 for 6km to the RR, walked on the road for the rest of the day, a couple of gates, one easy ford. The public road ends at a locked gate at -46.26266, -72.35047.

⛺️ Camp at 38.5/1020 (-46.26492, -72.41280) the edge of this large clearing is sheltered from the wind with a stream nearby.

🥾 Easy road walk and horse trail in the morning, then it gets harder in the forest as the trail isn’t obvious a the time. Many stream crossings and boggy sections but kept feet dry.

⛺️ Camp at 58.8/1020 (-46.39009, -72.49369) one tent spot, away from the wind, as recommended by Emily & Kole - thanks!

🥾 The pass day. It was raining on and off the whole day and we didn’t get to see all the views. No snow on the way up and walked around one snow patch on the way down. Make sure you follow the RR and head left at the top of the pass (to approx -46.41859, -72.49544) so you descend on the rocky/bouldery patch in between the slippery steep slabs. Once we reached the bottom, we walked on the left bank of the river, 4 km of CC, BB and intermittent animal trails, slow going.

⛺️ Camp at 69.8/634 just before the ford.

🥾 The day of river crossings of Rio Avellano and other side streams. The first main one at camp dropped a little bit overnight. It was up to our crotch deep. Fast current, manageable with careful footing. The second time crossing Rio Avellano, we crossed it here (-46.45641, -72.32730) a braided section. It was at knee deep. The river path probably changes every year as where we crossed didn’t look like what’s on satellite images.

⛺️ Camped at 87.4/454 (-46.46164, -72.24432) one tent tent, partially wind protected. It was 200m after a ford.

🥾 Easy walking on minor road towards the lake. Very windy and dusty. Spent a few hours at the disused port building at Puerto Avellano to shelter from the afternoon wind. Walked the last few kms after dinner.

⛺️ Campo Chico 102.4/212 (-46.48727, -72.10030) near the lake.

🥾 A dusty day walking up and down hills along the shore through thorny bushes. Crossing a stream or creek every hour or two. Windy.

⛺️ Campsite 116.3/239 was full of thorns, except one tent spot near a boggy area (-46.42128, -71.98175).

🥾 Walked along the shore then up on a dusty road. 14km to the road intersection between Puerto Ibanez and Levican. We found only two water sources between the lake and the road - both small streams: (-46.40371, -71.97566), and (-46.38677, -71.97407). Both might be dry in drought.

🚗 We waited at a bus stop shelter for 1.5h before the first car passed and picked us up. 🚌 We took a bus back to Coyhaique at night from Puerto Ibanez instead of staying there due to perfect bus timing and cheaper and wider resupply options in Coyhaique.