Cruze El Chalten Villa O'Higgins
Cruze El Chalten Villa O'Higgins
This is an English description of our 'Crossing from El Chalten to Villa O'Higgins', which we made on the 7th/8th of December last year (whow, that sounds long ago, but it's only 4 weeks); for the fun of our English readers,a nd maybe for future travellers.
The whole route went northwards:
First, in the morning, a 2 hours bus drive from El Chalten to the south end of 'Lago del Desierto'. Well, thats what we intended, but a tree, freshly fallen over the street, threatend to put an early end to the trip, because the time was short to catch the boat at the lake/largo. But our bus driver took a rope, tied it to the tree, and asked us whether we were willing to help. With some attempts, many "1, 2, 3, hoop!" etc., we pulled the tree half-way out of the street. The driver cared much to bring us to the lake in time to catch the boat, so he hurried us back into the bus, and drove quickly.
We made the boat, for a half hour cruise from the south to the north end of the lake. Its the only means of transportation there, there simply is no road to the north end. Only boat, horse, foot, or helicopter. At the north end was the Argentine border police, which added a stamp in our passports and a paper to their files, and off we went.
Soon we met the horses which we had ordered: one for each person and one for the baggage, one for the guide. (you have to order the horses well in advance, e.g. at www.villaohiggins.com . From there they can communicate to the horse guide by shortwave radio.) The path first went uphill, for more than 2 hours. Its a path sufficient only for hikers and horses. Well, some pushed & carried their bicycles, but I wouldn't want to do that. At the top of the road is the continental divide (of water) between Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, and also the border between Argentine and Chile. No human soul, just 3 markers. (was different many decades ago, when small fighting took place here) (This pass over the Andes mountains is only 800 m in altitude above see level !, further north (Lago Puelo s. of El Bolson) there is a pass even lower, ca. 150 m !!) Soon we reached a house/refuge, where we gave the horses and ourselfes a 1 hour rest. The houses originally was a border police station, and now serves 2 men of the Estancia Candelario Manzilla, one of which was our guide, as summer living place to care for the cows.
After the rest we continued the ride for 3 hours. It was generally downhill, often on a road the Chilens had built towards the border. On flat parts the guide urged us to trott the horses to reach the destination in time. At the end was the Chilenian border police, same procedure as on every crossing. Soon after we reached the 'Estancia Candelario Manzilla'.
I had thought of Estancias in Patagonia being rich, with estately houses, thousends of cattle, and lots of gauchos ... . Well, in this area, with harsh weather, poor soil with much rock, Estancias don't exactly fit this imagination: E.g. the 'Estancia Candelario Manzilla' has 100 cows, a few horses, and a few chickens. Thats mainly it. Each year they sell the calfes of these 100 cows. Thats the main income, I suppose. This one estancia is lucky to have a bit of extra income from the tourists that do this cruze.
In these years the estancia is run by the elderly couple, one grown up son (Riccardo), and one other man. For their own food they have 2 cows in the stable, a few chickens, garden, small fields, small greenhouses.
Their means of communication with the world is satelite TV/Radio, and the short wave radio. Usually in the evening between 8 and 11 p.m. the generator is running for electricity.
Hint for other travelers: they have 3 or 4 simple rooms, and a simple campground. They rent that for very reasonable prices. You can have a simple dinner and breakfast there, for reasonable prices. For the next day they could provide us with hard boiled eggs and home-made bread.
Ok, so we spend the night there, fortunately the oven in the hallway outside the bedrooms was light in the evening. The next day the bi-weekly boat picked us up to bring us to a view of the Glacier O'Higgins, and to (the village) Villa O'Higgins.
Hint for other travelers: Every 14 days this boat trip is also used to serve many of the estancias around this vast lake. That is their only means of connection to the village and world. We happened to make this trip on such a day.
On the one side this was quite interesting: The small tender boat was set to water, went ashore, brought them supplies they had ordered via shortwave radio, brought or took passengers (e.g. the schoolkids in the vaccations, people for doctor visits, visitors), city officials visited the farms and talked to the people, on other estancias young sheep were tied and placed in the tender, and all that time the main boat with us waited 100 m off-shore, and we had ample time to watch the procedures at shore and the estancias themselfes with binoculares, and contemplate about the life in this pioneer area.
On the other side it was sort of tiering: at 11 a.m. we borded the boad, by 7 p.m. we had made it to the glacier for sideseeing, and at 3 the next morning we reached (the village) Villa O'Higgins.
For the boat crew this was a more than 20 h day !!
But the boat crew cared for our well-being: we were offered to participate in the dinner, and in the evening they called (again short wave) to make accomodation arrangements.
Tourist facilities in Villa O'Higgins can still use development. But if the 2 places that have a sign 'Restaurant' outside, are closed, you can ask your host whether they have food. The first night we were in a hotel that can be categorised as 'simple', and though we were happy to find shelter from rain and to a great extent from the wind as well, that first night, we didn't like it for further nights. We were happy to find a much more cosy accomodation at 'El Mosco'. We can highly recommend it! In Febr.2008 they plan to open a new building, and they also have a campground, and minibus-service (in Calle Lago Christie 300 m north of the center square, patagoniaelmosco@yahoo.es, or call 67-43 18 27) One reason I liked it: I got 'allergic' in the CHilenean part of Patagonia - to walls of laminated plaster wood, esp. in the bathrooms, and damp smells in the rooms. And this house was different. Even (almost) wind-tight!
This cruze was one of the highlights of our trip!
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