Introduction

Navarino Island can be found to the south of the Beagle Channel and is one of the three islands that make up the commune of Cape Horn. The Dientes de Navarino and Lake Windhond circuits are located on this island, which received its name due to the mountain range that surrounds the whole route. Trekking lovers from all over the whole come year after year to walk this route, attracted to the region due it being one of the most southern and pristine locations on earth. In 2001, el Ministerio de Bienes Nacionales (Chilean Ministry of National Heritage) completed the task of marking the Dientes de Navarino route, which shares the first 12km with the Lake Windhond circuit. The Lake Windhond circuit can be found deep in the middle of an internationally important ecosystem. In 2005 UNESCO, as part of their MAB program to promote and demonstrate a balanced relationship between humans and the biosphere, declared this area as part of 4.884.274 hectares that make up the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve.

 
To start this trail, you will need to travel the 2500km from Santiago to get to the town of Puerto Williams, located on the northern coast of Navarino Island. The town was founded at the end of the 19th Century, when settlers arrived, attracted by the Gold Rush caused by the deposits found in Puerto Toro, on the eastern side of the island. Thereafter, the State began to encourage the breeding of livestock which brought some hundred more settlers to the area, who founded Puerto Luisa on the 21st November 1953, whose name was changed just three years later to Puerto Williams after the Irish sailor John Williams who was the founder of the fort Fuerte Bulnes by the Strait of Magellan (1842). Puerto Williams currently has a population of around 2000 inhabitants, of which only 35% are civilians and the rest being linked to the Armed Forces. This is due to the town’s strategic position between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as its proximity to the Chilean territory in the Antarctic. The island is neighboured by the islets Nueva, Picton and Lennox, which were the main reason for the dispute between Chile and Argentina in 1978 where armed conflict was only just avoided due to papal intervention.

Along the Lake Windhond Circuit, as well as the Los Dientes de Navarino and Wulaia routes, you will be able to see the effect that beavers have had on the landscape, an introduced species from Canada that were brought to the region due the fur industry in the 1930s in Ushuaia, from where the animals escaped and then crossed to the neighbouring island of Navarino. Since 2001, which was the first time that these mammals were seen on the island, the population of this species has grown exponentially as there are no natural predators to contain their numbers. The beavers have changed the landscapes by felling trees, creating dams, flooding and destroying the Magellan woodland, and they are endangering the indigenous flora and fauna of the island.

Lake Windhorn, meaning greyhound in Dutch, takes its name from the neighbouring bay which was christened in 1624 by the Dutch Fleet of Nassau, Windhond being the name of one of their ships.

Appropriate season

The best months to complete this circuit are between November and April, when the days are longer and the temperatures higher. However, always be prepared for the cold, wind, rain and snow.

Access

From Punta Arenas

From Punta Arenas there are two options for getting to Puerto Williams:

• By air: you will need to take a plane with DAP Airways, which you will need to book by directly contacting the company via email ventas@aeroviasdap.cl or via telephone 61 2616100 (Punta Arenas). The cost of a return plane ticket is approx. CLP$ 143000 (~US$ 228), and the journey takes from 35 minutes to 1 ½ hours depending on the condition of the plane and the weather at the time. The flights leave daily from Monday to Saturday. The inhabitants of the town Puerto Williams are given three return tickets each year by the government.
• By sea: from Punta Arenas it is possible to take a ferry with the Transbordadora Austral Broom S.A. which takes around 30 hours to Puerto Williams. This beautiful journey will take you through the Patagonian fjords and the Beagle Channel. The prices are $98000 (~US$ 156) semi-cama (“half-bed”; semi luxury) y $137000 (~US$ 219) cama (“bed”; luxury) with discounted prices from children between 2 and 10 years old. There are just four journeys each month, generally departing from Punta Arenas on Thursday at 18:00, and return from Puerto Williams on Saturday at 16:00, apart from the last week of the month when the first leg of the journey departs on Sunday.

From Ushuaia

There is a boat operated by the Argentinian company Ushuaia Boting which makes the crossing from Ushuaia in about 30 minutes. You will then need to take the bus to Puerto Williams. The journey from Ushuaia leaves daily from December to February subject to weather conditions which cause the cancellation rate of this service to be relatively high. Contact ushuaiaboating@argentina.com or boatingushuaia@gmail.com.

Permits / Prices

You will need to advise the police in Puerto Williams of your departure.

Accommodation / Facilities

At the end of the second day’s walk there is Charles refuge which is 16m², so is big enough for two two-man tents, a wood-burning stove, sponge mattresses, old bunk-beds and an interesting visitors book.

Recommendations

• As well as this description, the guide for the route Lake Windhond heritage route could prove useful. This, although not as up-to-date, is quite comprehensive.
• Give yourself more days than necessary, in case of bad weather. If you take more days, we recommend that you use the Charles Refuge as a base to get to Windhond Bay at the south of the island. Day 3 can also be split into two days, as you can camp near to the old refuge Beaucheff. 
• It is possible to go fishing on Lake Windhond.
• Light fires are NOT permitted. In 2015, the region of Magallanes had more than 2,000,000 hectares of woodland that were in a state of post-fire regeneration.
• It is important to book the plane tickets in advance, especially in January and February, due to popular demand during the peak season. What’s more, there are currently lots of construction work being completed in Puerto Williams, and the workers are taking up a great deal of the available tickets.
• Remember that in Puerto Williams it is forbidden to ask for plastic bottles from the grocery stores. 
• The maximum weight of luggage on the plane is 10kg, so to avoid paying more for overweight bags it is advisable to stock up on food in Puerto Williams. Due to the complicated access to the area there are no air taxes, hence the prices not being extremely high. 
• It is possible to find gas in Puerto Williams, in a hardware store in Plaza de Armas, and also in the shop Wulaia Expediciones.
• On the last Sunday of every month there is a ferry that goes from Puerto Natales to Puerto Toro, a small village on the south-eastern side of the island, to bring supplies to the zone and to take their rubbish away. If the dates are suitable, it is possible to take the ferry for free, by signing up in the municipality of Cape Horn, located on the street calle O’Higgins #186, Puerto Williams, or by emailing municipalidad@imcabodehornos.cl.
• There is free Wi-Fi for all tourists and locals in the library in Puerto Williams.
• The route is marked by different waypoints to those described by the Ministerio de Bienes Nacionales. These latter waypoints are marked by poles, rocks, marks on trees, etc. which help the hiker find the route as well as pointing out relevant points along the way (passes, viewpoints, campsites, etc.).

Gear

• Use of GPS, map and compass.
• Trekking poles.
• All type of water protection. You will cross many rivers, meadows and peats, so it is almost impossible not to get wet.
• Mountain clothing and equipment. Warm, water and wind resistant.
• Water resistant footwear or a spare pair.
• Thermal wear is absolutely necessary. 

Schedule

1. Puerto Williams - Campsite 1
2. Campsite 1 – Charles Refuge
3. Charles Refuge - Puerto Williams