Most of the people who get to Navarino Island do it because of its rugged Dientes (teeth) de Navarino, the Southernmost trek in the world. For 53 kilometers, the Navarino Circuit goes through otherworldly landscapes with spartan vegetation and strong winds. This is the last “piece of land” before the legendary Cap Horn and Antarctic Sea.
The trek is usually done in 5 days, each stage requiring 5 to 6 hours to complete and it is not an easy one. In summer time there is no lack of daylight but you can have all the seasons in one day. Also it is poorly marked, there are not clearly defined paths and some of the signs are faded so it is recommended to do it with a local guide or at least with a GPS.
I decided to contract one local guide and do only the first day hike up to the Teeth. This first part of the trek is still well marked.
The Circuit starts at the dam and ends at the fish factory about 8 km from Puerto Williams. The first part of the trek was relatively flat until a nice waterfall. Then we crossed a Lenga Beech forest up to Cerro Bandera, with nice views over Beagle Channel.
In an hour or so we reached the end of the forest and continued for the naked slope of the hill until reaching the plateau of the teeth. We stopped here for lunch with nice views over some lagoons. Vegetation is scarce, I only saw some Patagonian cactus and small plants. Most of the trees are bent, due to the strong winds in the area.
