La Junta, Cochamó / February 2012

Last summer I traveled to the camping La Junta, Cochamó with three friends and my boyfriend. We take a bus from Santiago to Puerto Montt, took 14 hours and then we traveled about 4 hours on another bus to get to Cochamó.

Cochamó is a small location in southern Chile bordering Argentina, east of the Estuario de Reloncaví. From there after about four to six hours trekking to the Andes Mountains, always next to Cochamó river, you arrive at camping La Junta.



The thing is that we were so unprepared both physically and in equipment, everybody exept my boyfriend (the poor had to wait for us all the time), that it took us 9 hours to get up, to La Junta. I did the trekking with a backpack of 20k, the men carried even more heavy backpacks. The day we went up was sunny, but the road was all muddy because of the rain of the previous days. It was really hard for me, I think I never have been so tired and distressed, felt that the road will never end.


The last stretch of the road we had to do it at night and on arrival look for a place to place the tents. I was completely destroyed, I really hurt my back and feet, I did not want to take one more step. We install the tents and I changed all my clothes, which was largely wet and muddy. I didn´t even ate that night, once lying and being warm into my sleeping bag, I did not want to move again.

Only the next day when i woke up and get out of the tent, I came to realize the amazing place where we were camping, it's so beautiful, all surrounded by green hills with granite counter tops. The air is so clean (santiaguinos notice it immediately) and the water is exquisite, I can´t describe it. So at the end I can say that the hard road to La Junta really worth it. We stay there a few days until the weather became very bad, it rained non-stop all day, so we decided to go down before it became worse.

We stay there a few days until the weather became very bad, it rained non-stop all day, so we decided to go down before it became worse. We soaked down the road, the river had risen and had to cross it on foot in several parts. The tents were wet whole, so that night stayed at the "Hostal Maura" in Cochamó, the owner felt sorry for us and let us enter the sauna and then a outdoor hot tub was so nice, especially at this time.

It was a trip that I will never forget, until now is the best I remember! I still not believe that I could get there hahaha the difficulty made it much more amazing. I really recomend it!