CARRETERA AUSTRAL
Day Nine - to Coyhaique & Villa Cerro Castillo
Posted on 27th Feb 2016
Photo: the road descending into Villa Cerro Castillo
We woke to yet more heavy rain but enjoyed a dry night thanks to the cover from the quincho. We had planned a trip to the beach but the lack of sun and the cold wind helped change our minds. We headed straight to Coyhaique, the biggest town in this part of the world, stocked up of groceries, topped up the car with petrol (as the next petrol station wasn't for another 218km's) and headed on to Villa Cerro Castillo, a village named after the nearby mountain 'Cerro Castillo' or castle mountain as it has lots of spires that look like the turrets of a castle.
As we approached the village the weather improved and upon arriving, we were greeted with beautiful blue skies and warm sunshine. Accommodation appeared to be a bit thin on the ground as the village was overrun with 250 workers from the nearby road construction. After asking around we found an out of town camp site and started our planned for the forthcoming 3 to 4 day Cerro Castillo Trek.