Cambios

Hiked out on Option 3B, and hitched within minutes on Option 3 into Villa Cerro Castillo. There is plenty of tourist traffic on the Carretera Austral.   * ''' 2025-12-14 to 2024-12-15/ 2 days/ Hiking/ NOBO/ Option 1/Tomas Martinec''' This was my first test with a multiday hike outside the main tourist routes like Torres del Paine and El Chalte. It also served as practical way to get from Chile Chico to Villa Cerro Castillo where I planned to continue with the Cerro Castillo trek. The hike took me 2 days (about half of day of walking each day).  Challenges:Lack of drinkable water at the plateauDifficulty finding a suitable camping spot in the middle section Day 1I took the ferry from Chile Chico to Puerto Ibanez Ingeniero (very cheap, around 2500 CLP) and started hike around midday. The first day follows an old gravel road. Cars passed ocasionally and several drivers even offered me the lift.  The route offers some nice scenery, including a wattergall near the beginning and open landscapes in the higher sections.  Finding a place to camp was difficult to me. The Camp {33H-01} [12.5/666] is on private land and in the morning I saw many cows around. In the end, I slept near Settler {33H-01} [13.7/636]. I recommend carrying water from the lower parts of the route. In the upper section there are lagoons, but the water is stagnant. Personally, I wasn't comfortable drinking it, even with water filter. Day 2This day follows a proper trail, passing lakes, forests, and open terrain. The views are beautiful- both of surrounding mountains and down into the valley- and I enjoyed this section a lot. The last 3 kms before entering to Villa Cerro Castillo are on an asphalt road, which is not very enjoyable.