Villa O'Higgins — The End of the Road

Villa O'Higgins — Where the Carretera Austral Ends

At the southern end of the Carretera Austral, after 1,240 km of gravel road through Patagonia's wilderness, lies Villa O'Higgins — a tiny village (600 inhabitants) that feels like the literal end of the world. Here the road ends, and the Southern Patagonian Icefield begins, the third-largest ice mass on Earth.

Villa O'Higgins is not a place with classic sights — it is a feeling: the feeling of having arrived at one of the most remote inhabited places on the planet. The silence is overwhelming, the view of the icefields and mountains surreal, and the few residents are of a warmth rarely experienced in civilization.

What to Do?

• Border Crossing to El Chaltén (Argentina): The most legendary border crossing in South America — by boat across Lago O'Higgins, on foot across the border, and by boat across Lago del Desierto to El Chaltén (Fitz Roy!). Takes a full day and is an adventure in itself
• Ventisquero O'Higgins: Boat tour to the O'Higgins Glacier — one of the largest glaciers calving from the Southern Icefield. 4h tour, about 70,000 CLP
• Hiking: Numerous trails into the surrounding mountains and to glacier lakes. The Sendero de Chile leads to viewpoints over the icefield
• Fishing: World-class fly fishing in the crystal-clear rivers and lakes around the village