Cochamo Walls and River HIke

The Cochamó Valley is an impressive place, surrounded by gigantic granite walls, alerce forests, rivers, and waterfalls. In recent years, it has become a popular destination among climbers for its enormous granite walls, earning it the nickname the "Yosemite of South America" in reference to the famous national park in California, a global climbing hub. However, Cochamó Valley is also a great destination for trekking, fishing, or simply enjoying nature.

The fact that this place can only be reached on foot or by horse, after a 4 to 5-hour journey with a lot of mud and loose stones, is what keeps it visited by only a few.

The excursion starts in the morning at 8:00 a.m. from your hotel in Puerto Varas. Taking the route towards Ensenada and then heading towards Ralun, where we continue on a good road to the Petrohue River Bridge. From there, the route becomes a narrower road with beautiful views of the mountains and the Yates, Hornpiren, and Calbuco volcanoes. The estuary of Reloncavi also borders this beautiful and scenic route until reaching the seaside town of Cochamó, (Sunken town). A brief stop for a drink and to stretch our legs. Finally, about 30 more minutes by vehicle, and then the last stretch to the beginning of the trail along the Cochamó River.

Here, we will start the day hike, immersing ourselves in the Valdivian rainforest. Longitudinal waterfalls of great magnitude, greens of all shades, sounds of turbulent waters, songs of birds like the chucao, and locals on horseback coming and going will be our scenery for the next few hours. The route continues through a beautiful and dense Valdivian forest, with occasional alerces, gradually gaining altitude. You will pass sections of the trail where centuries of absence of vegetation cover have allowed abundant rainfall to erode the terrain very significantly. In some stretches, the water has carved trenches more than two meters deep.

We begin walking at an altitude of almost sea level, reaching around 320 meters above sea level after nearly 3 hours for our rest and a box lunch with incredible views of the granite walls in the heart of the Andes mountain range. Very close to the river access. The return will be along the same trail. Return to Puerto Varas at around 6:00 p.m.