Cochamó is one of the most popular destinations in Chile – after a weekend in the trenches and the mud of the rainforest, I am still trying to work out why! 

It was probably a mistake: heading north from Hornopiren we took the W-609 scenic route, following the coastal road through a succession of sleepy villages where colourful boats rested on mud banks and mussels grew in abundance on the rocks.

It was a nice drive but slow going on rough gravel and our day was only lengthened further by the 30 km from Caleta Puelche to Puelo which took me back to the Chile Chico road with its juddering corrugations and endless dust clouds. 

Petrohué fjord was beautiful, if not as blue as Lago General Carrera, and it was also marred by numerous fish farms. Nearly every house we went past had a life jacket hanging up in the porch, obviously denoting a fish farm worker.

Eventually we arrived in Cochamó, which was quite a charming little place with a wide esplanade with views over the Reloncavi fjord, the northernmost fjord in Chile. A small islet just off shore had a little lighthouse perched jauntily on top and a swathe of food trucks lined the bay.

An attractive Chiloé style wooden church stood above it all: it is over 100 years old. There were shops, cafes and cabanas – things were happening in a low key way and it was all quite jolly on a sunny day which sent reflections rippling across the sea. 

The Cochamó Valley

However Cochamó is probably more famous for the nearby temperate rainforest and granite domes which lie within the 30,000 hectare basin of the Cochamó River.

Nestling in the foothills of the eastern Andes, the valley was used in early settlement days as a through route to Argentina, with cattle ranches in the area and unlimited access to wood. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are supposed to have driven cattle in from their ranch in Argentina. 

In more recent times Clark Stede, a German traveller, saw the potential of the valley and established two lodges in the area in the early 1990’s, then an American journalist bought the valley to more wide spread attention when he eulogised a 1997 riding trip.

There is a 6 km gravel road into the first part of the valley, but after that it can only be accessed on foot or by horseback. All supplies are taken in by packhorse and it is possible to rent one to carry your luggage and/or yourself if desired. 

Reservations for lodging, camping and packhorses need to be made in advance. We left booking late as usual and all the campsites were full bar Trawen, which manages to be CLP 5000 more than the others. La Junta seems to be the popular one: it is only on the other side of the track from Trawen but has a huge pasture in which to spread out (complete with grazing horses) with superb views over the mountains and riverside camping if wanted.

In readiness for our walk in the following day, we decided to head up the valley and camp near the trailhead. There are numerous possibilities but we stopped at El Laurel which was offering prices of CLP 7000 each which seemed fair, despite the cold showers. 

It was in a nice grassy meadow with a view up the valley where the distant rounded grey faces of the granite mountains could be seen. The area, popular with climbers, has been called the Yosemite of South America due to the proliferation of 1000 m granite domes.

As an added bonus, the friendly ladies in charge said we could leave our car with them for CLP 3000 a day – within the next 100 metres it rose to CLP 4000 and then CLP 5000 at the other two options! 

Cochamó Trail

The Cochamó Trail is the most popular hike in the valley, if only because it is the only way of getting up the valley to the base area at La Junta, 12 km away. With a gentle 300 m elevation, it is demanding more for the state of the track than the actual walk.

This is due to the numbers of both horses and people using what is a public trail to Argentina, although most get no further than La Junta. Many don’t even explore beyond that – there are issues with the number of Chileans on holiday who arrive with backpacks of alcohol just to party and take photos of themselves on the zip wires and flying down the water chutes.

The track was quite unique in my experience for the deep trenches which have been created by the horses, some well over head height. Simon stood on a side ledge and took aim, trying to remember what they were called in WW1!

Adding to the Somme effect were the huge expanses of duckboards which had been laid along some sections of the path, along with log pavements. In many areas these had deteriorated leaving a muddy obstacle course. As I watched the pack horses clop by, I really felt I could be witnessing a scene from the Western Front. 

It also seemed quite bizarre in paving a forest with hardwood slabs which would cost a fortune at home and make wonderful floors or kitchens, but Chile seems to have an abundance of wood.

It had all started quite gently. Having first registered at a gate (entry is free), the trail enters the forest and then crosses the Río Piedra after 2 km. There used to be a swing bridge but that was recently washed away, and has been replaced with a couple of wide planks. 

On the profile map it looks as if the trail climbs steeply from there but it is only in relation to it being relatively flat and it is hardly noticable.

The Paso de la Muerte (Death’s Pass) revealed the river far below – it is neither that narrow nor very scary. The trail then levelled off and when we got to a grassy clearing we were only an hour away from La Junta. 

It was at this stage that it began to rain. It had been largely grey all morning but we had made good progress on the dusty trails – now the dust was rapidly turning to mud before our eyes.

We got to our campsite before we got too wet and were able to throw up our tent and retreat to a cosy if rather overcrowded wooden hut, which had thoughtfully been provided with a large central indoor fireplace. 

Luckily it was comfortable as the rain set in and poured down in torrents for the rest of the day and night. There was quite a jolly comradery with a ‘we’re all in this together’ sort of mien as wet boots and clothing steamed gently over the fire. 

The Anfiteatro Walk

Luckily things looked a bit brighter the following day so we decided to do a little exploring in the valley.

The most popular walk in the valley is the Arco Iris peak, a rounded dome which rises high above La Junta, but unfortunately this was closed due to a rock slide. 

It forms a trio of desirable walks alongside the Paloma trail to a high glacier or, on the other side of the valley, the Anfiteatro (Amphitheatre) hike to a glacial valley with a half circle of sheer granite walls at the end.

We chose the latter, first having to cross to the other side of the Cochamó River in a flying fox, a wooden contraption on a wire with which one pulls oneself across with the aid of a rope. Having clambered in, the thing had enough propulsion to get about half way but then it was necessary to haul on the rope to complete the manoeuvre – we later discovered that a good shove from a friend could get it nearly all the way across! 

It was not to be easy walking! Cochamó is privately owned with many different landowners, some with conflicting interests. There is no state body to maintain paths, plus the place is a rain forest!

Expect the walking to be wet, muddy and up and down, quite often through a tangled mass of tree roots. In places a swathe might be cut through the forest due to storms and you will find yourself scrambling over, under and through fallen timber and branches. A piece of pink plastic tape tied haphazardly to a tree is your only guide. 

We walked along the river for 5 minutes and then turned into the rain forest from where the only way was up, a panting climb of mud and tangled roots with lush, damp vegetation.

However, we did have a wonderful experience of the rainforest with numerous giant alerce trees, lianas, beard lichens and colourful flowers and mosses. 

We passed the turn off for the Trinidad Valley, supposedly quite a pretty one with a steep access climb. A colourful array of handpainted signs denoted the next junction from where the climb continued steeply for a couple of kilometres before levelling out in a glacial valley.

The smooth elephantine walls rose in an impressively steep embracing circle – there is a good echo if you dare to try it! 

Back at the junction we headed down on the Cascadas walk which, after a rough scramble through fallen trees, rewarded us with a lovely waterfall cascading down over smooth granite. Above it towers the stone walls of the Anfiteatro, their soft dove grey contrasting with their angular contortions.

Between the top and the bottom waterfalls was a total scrabble. In places the track was overgrown with bamboo and one had to virtually crawl through. Roots created a constant slippery step workout and the luxuriant vegetation ensured one became very damp.

After a second waterfall we dropped down to the Las Manzanas campsite in a pretty clearing at the valley bottom where chunky gaucho horses stood flicking their tails – I had lost count of the slippery exposed log bridges over chasms that I had crossed by this stage! One of the staff kindly came to help with the flying fox and soon we were back on our side of the river. 

As a gentle leg stretch later in the day we did the Toboganes loop, which branches off from the early stages of the path to Arco Iris.

We crossed a precarious wooden swing bridge over the La Junta river and followed its course down to Toboganes where a wide slab of granite rock stretches across the river. It has been worn so smooth that it is possible to climb up the edge of the rock and then slide down in one of the water chutes into a deep pool at the base.

One brave local was demonstrating the method whilst three more sensible girlfriends looked on – the river is fed from the Paloma glacier. 

We discovered just how cold the water was in the next ten minutes when we wanted to get back to our campsite. We had expected a bridge but nada – we had to take our socks and shoes off and paddle across the annoyingly wide river.

It rather summed up the walking in the valley: none of it is simple. Nearly every walk requires a long, steep climb on horrible paths. Some I would not even want to attempt, involving exposed climbing with fixed ropes. 

Looking at many of the people who walked in to the campsite they were not those sort of hikers and I wondered why most of them even bothered coming. Undeniably the scenery is beautiful and there is a lovely view from the La Junta campsite if you want to admire the walls but whether it is worth the 12 km hike in is questionable.

I think a recent television programme might have caused a spike in interest too, and at the other end of the scale, it is quite cheap entertainment with camping or lodging the only expense. I have come to the conclusion that the only way I would return is on a horse riding trip – apparently Southern Trips do an 11 day all inclusive circuit for CLP 1,298,000 which sounds much more tempting! 

We packed up slowly on the morning of our third day in the valley: our time in Chile was ending as it started with torrential rain. We were certainly to get the full Ypres salient effect as we hiked the 12 km back to the trailhead.

What had been pleasant if dusty walking on the way out was now a wide swathe of thick, wet mud and water, churned up by the reluctant packhorses. Initially we tried to sidestep the worst of it, but by the end of the 5 hour walk we had given up, and emerged with sodden, muddy boots and trousers.

Discussing the trip later, we decided that although the scenery was indeed spectacular, none of the walking was really that enjoyable! The tracks were in such an awful condition with erosion and damage so dire one felt that they should really be a before example on how not to maintain a public path. Unfortunately I cannot see an after in the pipeline without public funding of some sort which appears unlikely.

So Cochamó will probably remain a unique anomaly, beloved of climbers who will put up with anything if it is cheap and a feat of endurance for the rest of us who dare to brave the trenches. 

Puelo

We didn’t do more than drive through little Puelo which is a stepping off point for more hiking or horse riding adventures in the Puelo River Valley beyond it.

It is possible to do a circuit which crosses into the Cochamó valley, covering a lot of lovely countryside on old gaucho trails. It is also a well regarded fishing destination with a long season which stretches September to May. 

Termas del Sol Hot Springs

About 5 km west of Puelo, these smart hot pools have ten stone pools between 36-42° in a lovely valley landscape. Although quite pricy between CLP 32,000 to 40,000, they are probably worth it and there is also a cafeteria on site with such delights as pizzas and beer – enjoy it, you’ve earned it!

NOTES

The villages of Cochamó and Puelo are actually quite easy to get to: there are regular buses from Puerto Montt which go through Puerto Varas.