Villa O'Higgins is a village of about 600 inhabitants, located in the Region of Aysén, Chile, at the mouth of the Mayer River to Lake O'Higgins, next to the border with Argentina .

It is the capital of the commune O'Higgins, which extends from the birth of Rio Bravo by the north to Mount Fitz Roy and Lautaro volcano by the South.

The Village marks the southern end of the Chilean Austral Roadway,

at a distance of 1,240 km from Puerto Montt, 2,034 km from Santiago de Chile, 575 km from Coyhaique and 220 km from Cochrane, always heading south.

The main attractions are its glaciers and mountains crossed by multiple paths that cross the generous geography of rivers, lakes and Patagonian forests. 

Villa O'Higgins is a fantastic base to undertake various Tourist Activities in its natural surroundings, such as Trekking, Sport Fishing, Horseback Riding, Expeditions, Photography, Flora and Fauna Observation, among others.

The offer of services in the town is varied and growing, although it does not yet have everything that a demanding traveler can ask about.Commerce is diverse; there are small supermarkets, handicrafts, and one Gas Station.

In Communications, the Village has Mail, Landline Telephony and Mobile Telephony (Entel), Internet, two FM radio stations and four national open television channels.

In Lodging there are “hosterías” (or Inns ), Full Equipped Cabins (like ours “Cabin Las Ruedas”) and several Family Lodgings with very good attention. To eat, in addition to the lodging itself there are some restaurants.

Another characteristic of Villa O'Higgins in summer is its Cosmopolitan Environment marked by the Border Crossing with El Chaltén, a fantastic Route of travelers and adventurers that joins the Chilean Austral Road  (Carretera Ausral) with the Route 40 of Argentina. (*see our tab/section “Trips” we offer the best price in transport from Puerto Bahamonde to Candelario Mancilla)

Around 1963 the mouth of the Mayer River’s inhabitants resolved to enable a runway to receive support by aircraft coming from the main Chilean towns of Patagonia. The work began on the grounds of resident Pedro Rivera and came to fruition in the late winter of 1964. Subsequently, on September 20, 1966, Villa O'Higgins was founded to support the Chilean colonizing impulse. Its name remembers the Father of Chilean Homeland, Bernardo O'Higgins.

In later years the town is consolidated. First Settlers were given their Domain Title to the settlers. An Elementary School, a Public Primary Health Center and a gymnasium were built, and the construction of settlers’ houses was subsidized. In 1980, O'Higgins Commune was created, which allows the operation of the Local Town hall (Municipality) to support the development of the area and channel the needs of the small population. In 1983, electricity began to be generated for the Village.

In 1992 the young Commune of O'Higgins had 337 inhabitants. That same year, began the construction of the Austral Road from Puerto Yungay  to Villa O'Higgins and the work was finished in 7 years.

Since the opening of the Road in 1999, new services have been created in the area, such as satellite telephony, internet, asphalting of the runway and improvement of all existing services such as electricity and drinking water. Tourism began to function as a promising factor in the local economy and many settlers started businesses in this regard.

At present, the town is recognized as an important point of support for multiple scientific and sport expeditions to “Campo de Hielo Sur”, originally promoted by the Chilean Air Force and continued by universities, study centers, foundations and independent sportsmen.

Chile was crowned with this award in the category “South America’s Leading Adventure Tourism Destination 2016” Our country competed against important representatives of Tourist Industry, such as Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Argentina and Uruguay.

This World Travel Award comes to be a kind of “Oscar Awards” of tourism

“This award is a real honour for the country in general and the region of Aysen in particular, which stands out in the market for being the second Region of the country having more adventure tourism services registered in Sernatur (Turistic National Service) with activities such as trekking, recreational fishing, boating, horseback riding, canoeing and hiking…"  

Said Gabriel Inostroza, Regional Director of Sernatur Aysén.

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