Cochamó Valley

Cochamó is a valley of vertical granite: domes and walls rising a thousand metres and more from a river of clear green pools, hung with waterfalls and clothed in temperate rainforest of alerce and coihue, and it has become a serious destination for big-wall climbers as well as walkers. There is no road in. The way is an old cattle trail that has been churned by horses into deep mud, and it takes four to six hours to walk to the meadow at La Junta, where a few refuges and campsites sit beneath the walls. From there, day walks climb to viewpoints such as Arco Iris and El Anfiteatro, and to natural rock waterslides in the river. Numbers are now controlled by a reservation system to protect the valley, which had been suffering from its own popularity.

What you actually see

• The granite walls - thousand-metre domes and faces above the valley floor.
• La Junta meadow - the camp and refuge clearing at the heart of the valley.
• The river pools and slides - clear green pools and natural rock waterslides.
• The viewpoint climbs - steep day walks to Arco Iris and the amphitheatre.

When to go

December to March is the summer window with the most settled weather; the rest of the year is wet and the trail becomes impassable mud. Reservations for trail entry and camping are required in season and should be made well ahead. Even in summer, rain is frequent and the forest holds it.

Honest expectations

The approach trail is notoriously muddy, often knee-deep, and takes four to six hours each way carrying everything you need, so this is a genuine backcountry trip rather than a day out; horses can carry gear. There is no road, no shop and no reliable signal. Reservations are compulsory in season and capped. Rain is likely and the granite is treacherous when wet.

Nearby

Puerto Varas, Lake Llanquihue and the Osorno volcano are a couple of hours north.