16 February 2024

The iconic Sierra Baguales

Sierra Baguales is one of the iconic formations of Estancia Cerro Guido. Trekking excursions take place there, however, this place hides a wonderful and intriguing history.

I have read a lot about Sierra Baguales. Several authors write about it, telling stories about its name, who named it, who traveled through it, among other questions of which there are only theories expressed in literature.

Personally, it always caught my attention. I couldn’t describe why. I only know that its energy called me. Perhaps because it is a natural border, which implicitly tells you that you are just steps away from another country, or because of its particular hills and formations that captivate the eye of those who see them for the first time.

For some reason, in these months working at Estancia Cerro Guido, I never dared to go up. I didn’t want to lose that mystery, that magic that only the unknown can give you. However, duty called and I grabbed my equipment to finally enter Sierra Baguales.

Sierra Baguales

Before the arrival of the first settlers, Sierra Baguales had another name, given by the Aónikenk people: Karhuern, meaning “Place of evil spirits”.

Who are these evil spirits? There is no clear answer. However, it makes some sense to me that Santiago Zamora, the iconic baqueano of Chilean Patagonia, baptized the Sierra Baguales, when he saw different wild animals or Baguales fled to these mountains when he chased them.

We will never know if these evil spirits were the wild animals that Zamora hunted. However, let not the legend overshadow the majesty of this formation.

From beginning to end, Sierra Baguales has a unique attraction. On one side, you see Tridente Hill, which is on the Argentine side, but observable with the naked eye from Chile. And on the other, the pyramid-like Ciudadela hill rises on the opposite side of the Tridente.

This last hill is the one that attracts my attention the most. I understand that it is a natural formation, however, its majesty awakens all the doubts about the construction of the enigmatic pyramids throughout the world. It is that impressive.

Sierra Baguales Trekking

We leave Estancia Cerro Guido at around 9:30 AM, heading towards Puesto Las Flores, which is located at the foot of Sierra Baguales, therefore, it is our starting point.

Once we arrived at the site, we arranged our gear, secured our layers and backpacks. The hike is long, so we had to be prepared for any circumstance. However, Daniela, our guide, provides all the necessary security so that our experience can be enjoyed 100 percent.

We began our ascent up a steep slope, starting with a great intensity, we crossed the first climbs without problems. After reaching a first hill, we sat down to rest for a few minutes to regain strength. As I mentioned, it was a steep and inclined slope.

From then on, the road became easier. With Cerro Tridente acting as a lookout, we continued our ascent. Along the way we encountered several herds of guanacos, always with the loud neighing of the sentinel guanaco that seemed to shout at us from a distance, “Get the hell out of my territory!”

There is no need to fear their presence, they are harmless and at the slightest threat, they will move to another side of the pampas. Always with respect, we continue our walk.

On the way we encounter many birds that inhabit the heights of the Sierra Baguales such as condors and caranchos. However, it is not only the fauna that fascinates on the way to the summit. Flora is abundant. Calafate plants, flowers of different colors and captivating aromas accompany us throughout the ascent.

Once we reach the top, we get ready to eat our lunch, which was sent by Estancia Cerro Guido, at the foot of the incredible Ciudadela hill. As soon as we sit down, a light rain begins to fall, but getting wet becomes a secondary concern when you find yourself in the middle of a landscape that looks like something out of a Tolkien or Martin story.

For geology fans, Sierra Baguales is a paradise. Arriving at the top you can appreciate the Dique, which is the point where the lava comes out of the interior of the mountain to solidify when it cools down.

In addition, you can contemplate the immensity of the Citadela, which seems to resemble a pyramid with each step in its direction. With formations in the shape of an ascending staircase, with a wide base and a small peak. At the viewpoint, you will find a wetland that, if you are lucky enough to climb without wind, will be transformed into a mirror pointing towards the hill from the right angle.

Once our stay at the viewpoint of Cerro Ciudadela is over, we begin our descent. Inevitably, you will turn to see the immensity of this mountain to say goodbye. For some reason, I was drawn back, I didn’t want to leave, time became nothing.

However, on the way down, Sierra Baguales had more surprises in store for us. Sooner rather than later, we encountered a herd of “Ariscos” horses, that is, horses that are not wild, but never tamed. We knew they were not Baguales horses, now, our inner child chose to believe that we were in the presence of those mythical animals.

Daniela leads us on a different path than the ascent. She wanted us to see an area of Sierra Baguales that is rich in fossils millions of years old. As incredible as it sounds, at some point in universal history, Baguales was underwater.

That is why marine fossils such as shells and petrified algae can be found today. And so it was. As soon as we reached this sandy and slippery slope, our guide bent down to pick up what appeared to be a stone. However, it was a small, spiral-shaped shell that had petrified as a result of the environmental conditions.

It was a spectacle. You could literally stand at one point, look down to the ground and you would find marine fossils of different kinds, which for conservation reasons, you could not take as souvenirs, but seeing them like this, with the naked eye, would take you millions of years back in time.

I would have stayed there all day, but we had to go back. Once we got back to the car, I looked up and felt the longing to return. Sierra Baguales was everything I imagined and more. I can’t wait to go back up.

Trekking in Estancia Cerro Guido

At Estancia Cerro Guido you have a diverse range of Trekkings such as Sierra Baguales, which hide unique and imposing landscapes that will connect you with nature at a level that you will not experience in other places in the world.

Do you want to know them? We invite you to check our trekking options, clicking here, to make your stay at Estancia Cerro Guido unique.