Cochamó

For the last trip of the year we decided to visit the Cochamo Valley (also known among the climbers as the "Yosemite of Chile").

The valley is located about 900km south of Santiago and to get there you need to make it to Puerto Montt or Puerto Varas and then catch a local bus to the town of Cochamo. From there, one needs to arrange a taxi to the start of the trail to "La Junta" and "El paso de los leones" (lots of useful info here).

At the start of the trail, you probably have a good 5h of trek before you get to "La Junta" (also known as "Camping La Junta" or "Refugio Cochamo") which is the first obvious place to camp. Everything around there is private property, so although you could theoretically camp, it is likely to result in unhappy landowners in the reasonably unlikely event that you got caught. The path is not easy, very rocky and eroded and it gets worse the further you go (plus, it does get flooded in several sections when there is rain). You are also likely to have a heavier pack than you are used to so that you have enough food for a few days up there.

However, the journey is definitely worth it if you are a trekker, climber or just a nature lover with a reasonable level of fitness as the place is really stunning and fairly remote (no roads, just horses and people make it up there).

Camping at La Junta

Los Toboganes - Natural Water Slides
(beautiful and fun, but handle with care, you are likely to be 24h away from the nearest hospital)

Eroded sections of the trail in reasonably good condition (picture this flooded and with lots more rocks)

A river crossing near Refugio La Junta
(don't get used to this comfort if you try to follow the path on to Argentina!)

Once there, there are several trekking routes that can be done from "base camp" at La Junta. We went to La Paloma and Cerro Arco Iris (we could not reach the top of this due to snow). Again, a warning that these are not easy paths and caution is recommended.

View from La Paloma

View towards La Paloma (for a sense of perspective, try to find Christian in the image)

View from Mirador II Cerro Arco Iris towards the Cochamo Valley

Cerro Arco Iris covered in snow

The Cochamo Valley

After a couple of days of local walks, we were both feeling fit and we had plenty of food for 5 days or so. We decided to follow the main trail and see how far we got (which eventually crosses to Argentina through what is called "El paso the los leones" or "The Lions pass" - in reference probably to the fact that there are Pumas in this area). The weather had been great so far too!

We did, however, have a small accident in which the heavier one of us twisted his ankle badly (and while carrying a heavy pack). We continued on to the next Refugio "El Arco" which if truth be told, is a lovely camping spot but has zero facilities or people. Very recommended if you are after a remote and quiet camping location, but be prepared for a challenging trek with 3 river crossings on foot in ice cold water and with very slippery rocks. This is not a real issue if you have good equipment/clothes/boots and if the weather has been good and the rivers are not carrying too much water. El Arco is a rock formation in the shape of an arch.

El Arco - An arch like rock formation which is just above Christian's head
(with lots of vegetation, in front of/above the waterfall)

The weather also changed from sunny to rainy and after a night at El Arco, we decided to make our way back to La Junta. The way back was interesting as after a night of rain, the river crossings were (to say the least) a lot more exciting that the previous day. What was knee high before, was now in between mid thigh and waist... In the spot that is shown in the photo above, there was water falling from the yellowy/orangey rock section to the right of the arch (more than twice as much water in just 12h!). With a twisted ankle, it took us much longer to cover the distance too. We were also lucky to have some walking sticks (highly recommended in this area!).

For the second part of the trip, we went kayaking to give the foot some rest! We followed the Cochamo river from the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park and onto the Reloncavi Fjord (this is the northern most Fjord of Chile). We arranged this 2 day trip through KoKayak (and they were very good).

Yate Volcano in the distance

The Reloncavi Fjord by Kayak - we saw some dolphins and sea lions :)

The idea is to be in the kayak for 3-5h (depending on the conditions) each day. At the end of the first day you camp with a local family who live in a very remote area along the Fjord. It was really interesting to talk to Yolanda and Juan Carlos about their way of life (certainly not veg*an but traditional and reasonably low impact compared to most! - it was hopefully also interesting for them to ask about our lifestyle! :op).

Yolanda and Juan Carlos who made us a delicious meal, showed us their land and told us about their lifestyle

We had a fantastic time. Enough talk! ;o) the slideshow is below or in high resolution here.