![]() GRADUAL REOPENING OF PROTECTED AREAS |
Stay informed about the latest reopening dates for national parks and their sanitary protocols for visiting via the official Conaf website |
Cochamó––a town with a name that means “where the waters meet” in Mapundungún––offers visitors spectacular views of the Yates Volcano and the Reloncaví Estuary. The crystalline Cochamó River runs through valleys surrounded by temperate evergreen forests and crowned with jagged granite walls, well-known by climbing and hiking aficionados from around the world.
The area was long inhabited by the Cunco, Poya, and Huilliche people. At the end of the 14th century, families from the Huar, Mailén, and Pulqui Islands began to arrive in the area, and settlers from modern-day Argentina also began to populate the mountains. In 1901, townspeople built the Immaculate Conception Church, which can still be visited today. They also began to develop the local lumber and cattle industries. The municipality was officially formed in 1979.
Horses were long the main method of transport between the ocean and the mountains, which fostered a strong equestrian tradition in the area. In 2013, Cochamó’s “arrieros” (muleteers) were declared Living Human Treasures by the Cultural Council.
Various cabins, lodges, hostels, hotels, and a few restaurants are available in Cochamó. Find out more at:
Cochamó is located 72 miles from Puerto Montt. From Puerto Varas, take Route 225, which follows the shores of the Llanquihue Lake, toward Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park. When you get to Ensenada, merge right onto Route V-59 toward Cochamó.
You can also reach Cochamó via the Carretera Austral. Take the Carretera Austral to Caleta La Arena, where you can board a ferry to Caleta Puelche (no prior reservation is required). From there, take Route V-69 to Cochamó.
You can find buses to Cochamó at the terminal in Puerto Montt. Around 4 buses depart daily for Cochamó, from Monday through Sunday. Contact the terminal via phone at +56 65 2 841200.
Alerce Andino National Park is a must-see destination in the Los Lagos Region, with rare alerce trees that are over 3,000 years old and over 50 lakes surrounded by native forest.
This park is part of the World Biosphere Reserve of Temperate Rainforests of the Austral Andes.
Located south of Puerto Montt, Pumalín Park is home to millenary alerce (Fitzroya) trees and offers more than a dozen trails for exploring landscapes ranging from temperate rainforest to glaciers.
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Cochamó’s local festival is held during January.
On December 8th, the Chilean-Argentine Brotherhood meeting takes place in
Paso el León.
The first week of February the minga (a house-moving ceremony) is held.
The second week of January is the Potato and Lamb festival.
On Marimeli Island, the cancato festival takes place in January.
The first week of February is the mussels festival in Pueblo Hundido
(Cochamó)
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