The mountain that gives this village its name looks like exactly what it is called, a castle. The jagged ridge of Cerro Castillo rises above the Carretera Austral in a crown of dark towers and spires, streaked with snow and hanging glaciers, and from the road it fills the sky. It lies in the Aysén region of Chilean Patagonia, about a hundred kilometres south of Coyhaique, and the surrounding national reserve protects the peaks, lakes and valleys beneath. The village at its foot is small, with a few guesthouses and a place or two to eat, and it exists mostly because the road stops here.
The country around is open and wind-swept. The Carretera Austral, built through the mountains over several decades and still gravel in many sections, runs through steppe and southern beech forest, with the sky wide and the weather moving fast. Guanacos, slender relatives of the llama, graze on the hillsides, and condors circle overhead. To the east the road toward Lago General Carrera, one of the largest lakes in South America, drops down in bends with views of impossibly turquoise water. Dust, loose gravel and strong crosswinds are typical, so ride with a loose grip and keep speed under control.
Practical care is essential. Distances between services are long, and fuel supplies can be thin or irregular, so fill up at Coyhaique, the regional capital, before heading south, and carry a reserve if you can. Tyres take a beating on this surface, and the nearest repair shop might be a long way off. Rain and cold can arrive in any season, and even in summer, from December to February, nights are cool. A windproof layer is the single most useful piece of kit.
The local culture is rooted in cattle and sheep, and gauchos on horseback are a regular sight on the roads. Many travellers also walk the trail around the base of the peaks, a multi-day route that passes a turquoise lagoon beneath the ridge. If time is short, an hour's walk up the valley behind the village gives a good view of the towers. Eat a hot meal in the village, because food gets simple further south.