Although Cochamó Valley is first and foremost a rock climbing destination, it‘s also worth a trip for hiking. The landscape is very different from the rest of Patagonia and reminded us a lot of Yosemite Valley.
We had three days left before we had to return our rental car in Puerto Varas, so we gave Cochamó a try and it did not disappoint.
Like many of the climbers, we stayed at one of the campgrounds at La Junta, which is located 14,5km from where the dirt road ends and where we parked our car. On the following days, we left our stuff at the camp and always returned to La Junta.
You could potentially continue on after La Junta and go as far as Nahuel Huapi national park.
The area around the campground is also amazing for an off day. Just grab your mate utensils and find a cosy spot by the Rio Cochamó!
Stats
The distance to La Junta is 14,5km. The rest is up to you.
How to get there
The closest cities with an airport are Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas. We can recommend the latter for an easy day with brunch, coffee and a nice dinner.
You can reach Cochamó by bus or you can try to hitchhike. It’s 110km frrom Puerto Montt and 93km from Puerto Varas.
We had a car and came from the south on the Carretera Austral, which meant taking the ferry from Caleta Gonzalo. Be sure to book a ferry ticket in advance, if you take the same route.
The hike
Day 1 – Camping Los Pozones to Camping Tarwen at La Junta (14,5km, 460m)
The way to La Junta was easy with a light uphill part in the beginning. It almost felt like a jungle hike along the Rio Cochamó. Since everything is transported to and from La Junta on horseback, you have to maneuver through a labyrinth of deep ruts at times, but it‘s fun.
Day 2 – Anfiteatro (12km, 1000m), out and back
The hike itself was not the most interesting to be honest. It started with a fun river crossing in a wooden gondola which was followed by a long uphill. The trail runs through the forest and only at the very end you get some good views. But those views were worth it and the name „Anfiteatro“ says it all. It feels like standing in the middle of a massive 270 degree stone satellite dish. Looking north was similar to Glacier Point in Yosemite.
Day 3 – Laguna Trinidad to Camping Los Pozones (24km, 1170m)
The hike up to Laguna Trinidad is very similar to the the one up to the Anfiteatro. It‘s basically just one valley over. But great stuff nonetheless. After we returned to La Junta we packed our stuff and made our way back out Camping Los Pozones where our car was parked.
Conclusion
We actually didn’t have Cochamó on our list, but then we heard that some friends of ours stayed in the valley just when we were going past on our way north on the Carretera Austral. So we decided to give it a shot.
We had great weather, we spent new year’s with our friends and we got some good hikes in. So what more could you ask for?
