Hiking in Aysen

Cerro Castillo National Park, easily accessed from Aysen's main gateway city of Coyhaique is dominated by craggy pinnacles, snow-thick forests, crystal glaciers and bright turquoise lagoons. It has several excellent day hikes.

The first hike is to Laguna Cerro Castillo passes through lenga forest for views of the Ibanez valley and up to the famous blue lake under the Cerro Castillo peak: perfect for a brisk dip! This hike can also be done on horseback as a day ride. 

Another hike is the Neozelandes (New Zealander) hike to Porteadores camp for staggering vistas across the Cerro Palo, Cerro Chocolate, Punta Duff and Cerro Castillo peaks. 

Patagonia National Park has half a dozen wonderful day hiking trails. Some of the best are in the central Chacabuco sector of the park, including the Lagunas Altas trail, a 14 mile (23 km) hike that takes you to a high altitude plateau with lakes and lenga forest, and the slightly shorter Aviles Valley hike.

Around Jeinimeni, a great day hike takes you past the imposing rock formations of Piedra Clavada and Moon Valley, and a collection of indigenous rock paintings.

Finally, in Tamango you can combine a boat trip along the Cochrane River with day hikes of different lengths.

Along the northern sector of the Carretera Austral, Queulat National Park is known for its primeval scenery. Deep forests shade the moss-covered undergrowth, and lakes and hanging glaciers remain untouched. It has three well-marked day hikes.

The Bosque Encantado (enchanted forest) hike climbs through fuschias, along the edge of the Cascada river to a glacial lake complete with bobbing icebergs and wonderful views to the surrounding forest. The Mirador del Ventisquero trail winds through the forest to the hanging glacier, surrounded by waterfalls. The Los Pumas trail climbs steeply through the natural woodland, and in its last stretch reaches the Los Pumas Lagoon.

Villa O'Higgins lies at the southernmost end of the Carretera Austral, sandwiched between mountains, the Southern Patagonian Ice Field and the Argentinian border close to Los Glaciares National Park, and the largest lake in Argentina. You'll need a guide to hike any of the full day hikes in this area.

Among the hike here are the Cerro Submarino hike climbs to Cerro Submarino Glacier and brings spectacular views on a clear day. The Cerro Altavista hike is a hilly walk within the woods, with views of small lakes along the way. Finally, a truly off-the-beaten-track trail leads to Tigre Glacier, where you'll spot shapes on the rocks carved by the receding glacier.

Cerro Castillo National Park's trails can be challenging and remote, but the rewards are unmatched. Spend days up in the mountains, breathing in the clear air and camping under rocky peaks.

The classic multi-day trek is known as the Horquetas Trek, or simply the Cerro Castillo National Park Trek. It crosses two passes and summits Morro Negra with an additional hike up to the Cerro Palo area. Along the way, the trail takes in two stunning glacial lakes, and wild mountain views across the border into Argentina The hike ends in Cerro Castillo Village, where you can continue south into Aysen or return to Coyhaique.

This is a fantastic remote four-day hike that takes in two of Aysen's national parks: trekking from the little-visited Jeinimeni National Park into Patagonia National Park, camping along the way. 

This is a wild hike with numerous river crossings, thick forests and remote glaciers, passing from the technicolour rocks of the Jeinimeini reserve into the dryer steppe landscape in the Chacabuco valley.