Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael — Las Horquetas Campground

Las Horquetas sits near the junction where the Carretera Austral spurs toward Laguna San Rafael, deep in Aysén’s temperate rainforest. This is a CONAF-administered site with basic facilities — pit toilets, cleared tent platforms, and fire rings — surrounded by dense lenga and coihue. It gets used hard in summer by trekkers heading toward the glacier and by Carretera overlanders needing a night under a roof of trees. Mud is a fact of life here; bring boards or traction mats.

Access is via a rough dirt and gravel spur off the Carretera Austral near the Río Exploradores ferry crossing. Seasonal conditions can make this track genuinely sketchy in winter — plan for late October through April. CONAF rangers are intermittently present; fees and conditions vary, so check with the Puerto Río Tranquilo or Coyhaique CONAF office before you roll in.

Rainforest basecamp near Laguna San Rafael.