Welcome to Villa O'Higgins, the heart of Patagonia

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Undiscovered Patagonia

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Trail stats

Distance: 1.47 mi
Elevation gain: 0 ft
Technical difficulty: Easy
Elevation loss: 0 ft
Max elevation: 886 ft
TrailRank: 24
Min elevation: 850 ft
Trail type: Loop

Coordinates: 22
Uploaded: July 6, 2014
Recorded: July 2014

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near Villa O'Higgins, Santa Cruz (Argentina)

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Itinerary description

Raise your glass and celebrate reaching the heart of Patagonia, the end of the Carretera Austral, and the remote gateway to the Southern Ice Fields. It is a land of pioneers, explorers, adventurers, and sailors, where nature is at its most pristine.

Waypoints

Museum of Patagonia

Located in the church built by Father Antonio Ronchi and the local community, this museum contains exhibits demonstrating the history of the area, the life and works of Padre Ronchi, and antiques from the pioneers of the town.

Villa O'Higgins

Just about the time that you begin to take the Patagonia landscapes for granted, you’ll reach Villa O'Higgins and your amazement and wonder will return. O’Higgins is one of the most remote villages in Chile, situated at the end of the Carretera Austral and surrounded by the peaks of the southern Andes, the deepest lake in the Americas, the fjords of the Pacific, and the Southern Patagonia Ice Fields. Several lodges and operators have opened doors in Villa O'Higgins offering a range of activities in the local area including hiking, horse treks, fly-fishing, and trips to the Southern Patagonia Ice Fields. Nevertheless, Villa O’Higgins is still very much an authentic Patagonian pueblo, maintaining its traditional economic activities which revolve around ranching and forest resources. Many pioneer traditions remain intact, including the daily dependence on horses, woodworking, using native woods and rustic tools, knitting, smoking meats, etc. Being a remote community limits access to modern luxuries, but if you are prepared for that, you'll find Villa O'Higgins full of simple comforts, including excellent options for lodging, cellular service and Internet, a rural first-aid post, grocery and hardware stores, great restaurants, travel companies and guiding services. In fact, you can even find some creative luxuries, like a wood-burning stove assisted sauna at the El Mosco hostel, and the wood-burning hot tubs at the Robinson Crusoe Lodge.

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