Puerto Williams & Navarino Island

If the idea of breaking some trails where few people have ever hiked before, Navarino Island is the place to head for. The Dientes de Navarino ('The teeth of Navarino') mountain range that look over Puerto Williams are home to the southernmost multi-day trek in the world: the brilliantly remote Dientes de Navarino trek, which spends five days exploring the lonely passes, lakes and forests of the island in a series of wild camps. 

For those wanting something a little easier, there are plenty of day hikes to spectacular locations. These include Cerro La Bandera which has sublime panoramic views across the Beagle Channel, the waterfall of Cascada Los Bronces and along the coast to the peaceful bay of Bahía Virginia. 

While the open Beagle Channel itself is too exposed to kayak in, the endlessly crinkled coastline of Navarino Island offers plenty of opportunities for paddling, particularly around the bays of the Onachaga Channel.

Exploring the coastline, you may often have encounters with sea lions and even the occasional penguin. The landscape also reveals traces of Navarino’s earliest inhabitants. In many places you can see large middens of oyster and mussel shells, built up over the decades by Yaghan people who camped here. These precious archaeological sites can only leave visitors in awe – reflecting on their modern weatherproof gear, while the Yaghan wore skins and greased their bodies with seal fat to protect themselves against the wind.

One of the best ways to explore Navarino Island is on horseback. Led by a local gaucho, the riding trails wind through the many different landscapes that Navarino has to offer: along the steppe, around lagoons, fording rivers in the forest and always looked over by the island’s rugged mountains. The rides can be modified according to the experience of the rider.

If you’re not keen on horses but still want to explore in the saddle, mountain biking is also available, following the scenic coastal path around the island. No road on the planet is further south, but beware the wind!

Puerto Williams might have barely 3000 inhabitants, but it definitely has a friendly oversized charm. Any tour here takes in the fisherman’s wharf, where local boats land catches of enormous king crabs, the first house and church built on the island, and the heart of the Yaghan community in Villa Ukika.

The Museo Antropológico Martin Gusinde is a highlight of any visit, with its impressive ethnographic displays the Yaghan, who have lived on Navarino Island for some 10,000 years.

The main port is home to the Chilean Navy, but the government has plans to develop for Antarctic tourism – hopefully without changing the character of Puerto Willams in the process.