Cochamó Valley

We both fought off tears as we dropped my parents off at the airport and drove away to our next destination, but we were so happy to have spent an amazing week with them. We were also very excited for our next destination, Cochamó Valley. The Cochamó valley is called the Yosemite of the South because huge granite domes surround the isolated valley which makes it a mecca for climbers and hikers. We had booked our campsite a month in advance due to the limited space in this valley. We had booked 4 nights in the valley in order to do all the amazing hikes we had researched. This valley ended up being one of our absolute favorite places we visited. Only National Park Patagonia could contend with this pristine area.

From the Pucón airport, we drove 4 hours south to the small village of Cochamó, but on our way we drove though quaint farmlands and past the astounding Osorno volcano. This volcano is about as picturesque as a volcano can get. It raises out of nowhere and touches the clouds with its snow covered peak. The view of this volcano while being surrounded by farmlands was quite a sight.

The village of Cochamó was a very peaceful place situated on a fiord with access to the Pacific Ocean. We gathered all our supplies here, packed up our backpacks for the next 5 days and had a very peaceful nights sleep. The next day we drove the short 10 minutes to the trailhead and started an unforgettable week. The only way to access the valley is by foot or by horse. Many people hire horses to bring supplies in, but we decided to carry all our own gear in. Many climbers stay in the valley for a month or more at a time, so for them, hiring a horse sounds reasonable. The hike into the valley was a 6-hour hike along a very beaten up horse path. The constant use of horses had left deep muddy ruts in the trail. Some of these ruts had turned into canyons! At times we walked through narrow alleyways only wide enough for one person with sides that reached up to 10 feet tall. It almost became like an obstacle course when a horse passed by and we had to scramble out of these horse-made canyons. The trail passed through thick forests and eventually opened up to the immaculate valley.

The huge granite domes towered over the green valley while a crystal-clear river ran through it. There were four different campgrounds in the valley and some of them required crossing the river on a self-powered cable car! We found our campground and set up our tent in a green field with an amazing view of the granite domes. We had also planned out or next 3 days in the valley. Each day we would get up, make a quick breakfast and then do a long day hike before returning to our tent to make dinner and relax during the evenings. During our research of this area, we learned the hikes from this valley were relatively short, about 5-8 miles, but extremely strenuous with up to 4,000 feet of elevation gain. We also knew the most well-known hike involved using climbing ropes that are bolted into the rock to pull yourself up steep sections. We were both excited and a bit nervous for these hikes.

Our first hike was Sendero Trinidad which lead up one of the valley sides and ended at a lagoon. The majority of this hike was absolutely exhausting. The trail climbed through the thick forest, but the elevation gain was killer. The steepness combined with the humidity in the forest forced us to stop and rest multiple times along the way. About ¾ of the way up, we reached the base of one of the granite domes and were in awe of its size and shape. The whole mountain was one huge piece of granite that used to be the lava chamber of a volcano that slowly cooled to form the granite. The granite wall in front of us curled up like a halfpipe and even extended to an overhang above us. We could see why this is a climber’s paradise.

We kept on trudging along the trail and were so happy to finally arrive at the lagoon. We were so hot and tired that the idea of a cool swim was very enticing. We quickly stripped down to our underwear and went for an amazing swim. The lagoon was fed by snow melt, so the water was pretty frigid, but our quick swim felt so nice! We then relaxed on the shore and had our lunch before heading back down.

On the way down, we stumbled across a hidden swimming hole fed by a little steam. On the way up we had not seen it because it was obscured by two boulders, but on the way down we found a way under these boulders and found an amazing sight. The small swimming hole was completely hidden from the trail and had a stunning view over the valley. To make it even more perfect, the pool was fed by a small waterfall! Even though we had already swum once today, we could not pass up this opportunity. So once again we stripped down and lounged in the water. This hidden gem made this hike one of our favorite hikes ever!

The following day was a much more relaxed day. Just a 10-minute walk from our campsite was a waterfall that made a natural waterslide. It was even named the toboggan waterfall. We packed a lunch and planned to relax the whole day by this waterfall. The waterfall was beautiful, and many people were there enjoying it. There were two areas where people could climb up and slide down into the clear but cold pool below. We rode the slide 5 or 6 times before relaxing on the rocks and reading for most of the afternoon. It was a well-deserved rest day because the next day was our big hiking day.

Our last full day in the valley, we chose to hike the most well-known and infamous trail, Sendero Arcoiris. This trail really was an obstacle course. The trail was so steep, that we had to use our hands multiple times to climb over huge tree roots and boulders. We were a bit nervous about the sections with the climbing ropes and we said we could easily turn around if we didn’t feel comfortable. The two main rope sections were pretty intense but neither one of use felt uncomfortable with our safety. We were confident in our abilities to pull ourselves up the rocks. The trail was 9 miles in total with 4,500 feet of elevation gain but the views at the end were worth it! The trail ended at the top of one of the granite domes and provided a stunning 360-degree view of the valley. From this height, we could even see the Osorno volcano in the distance! At the top we had a great lunch while enjoying the views.

The way down was a bit scarier than the way up due to the roped sections. It is much less nerve wracking to pull yourself up a rope than to use the rope to descend. Being afraid of heights, my heartrate spiked at these sections, but Nikki was very supportive and helpful as I slowly inched my way down the rock wall. I was very glad when we finished both of the scary sections and I could relax again. We both could breathe a sigh of relief that we had concurred this extreme hike without getting hurt.

We absolutely loved the Cochamó valley and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see a beautiful and remote area of Chile. While the hikes in the area are strenuous and a bit fear-inducing, the unique views made this area one of our top 2 places in all of Chile and Argentina.