Cochrane Day Trips (Parque Patagonia)

Description

About the tour

Parque Nacional Patagonia is a gorgeous cornucopia of landscapes, hiking trails, camping experiences, wilderness museums, and more! We have a selection of carefully curated tours guided by veteran experts on the flora and fauna of the region, who know exactly how to show you the best the park has to offer to suit your spirit of adventure.

All tours pick you up from your hotel in Cochrane and return you there the same day.

Note that all these tours require a minimum of three persons.  You can still take the tour as a solo passenger by paying for the three-person minimum to cover the tour.

Tours are officially guided in Spanish, and there is no guarantee the guide will speak English but they will make their best effort.

Option 1: Tamango sector hiking (Los Carpinteros)
The tour will take you to the Tamango sector of the park, which is the closest sector to Cochrane on the western end of Lago Cochrane. There we board a boat to go up the gentle river that empties into the lake, and we disembark on the shore to join the trail, Los Carpinteros for a short hiking trip. On the way, we’ll go alongside the rushing area of the Cochrane River known as “Las Correntadas” before turning back to Cochrane in time for lunch.

Total trip time: 4  hours. Departures daily at 8:30 a.m.

Included are hotel pick-up and drop-off, all transportation, park entrance fee, and a guide.

Option 2: Hike to the confluence of Baker and Chacabuco rivers
This shortest and most economical of the tours takes you north to the trailhead where we climb two hours to an incredible viewpoint overlooking the mighty coming together of two of Chile’s greatest rivers, the Chacabuco River and the Baker River. We then come back down and make the trip back to Cochrane in time for lunch.

Total trip time: 3.5 hours.  Departures daily at 9:00 a.m.

Included are hotel pick-up and drop-off, all transportation, and a guide.

Option 3: Hike the La Vega Trail in Valle Chacabuco
The Chacabuco Valley is one of the most unforgettably scenic places in the world in which you will find a glimpse of the paradise that is Patagonia. Not only will we hike the La Vega trail, but we’ll also visit the interactive museum tucked into the wilderness that interprets many of the natural phenomena of the area. On the hike, you will see Laguna Cisnes, home to many birds and other wildlife.

Total trip time: 4 hours.  Departures daily at 9:00 a.m.

Included are hotel pick-up and drop-off, all transportation, park, and museum admission fees, and a guide.

Option 4: Confluence of Rivers, PLUS La Vega hike and museum
We start in the morning going to Puerto Bertrand which is the headwaters of the Baker River, then take you to another spot for you to see it flowing into and joining the Nef River, which is quite dramatic. Then we go to the Chacabuco Valley, as described above in Option 3, where you will start with a visit to the interactive and interpretive museum before heading off for a hike on the La Vega trail.  Bring your camera to take lots of photos, both of nature and wildlife.

Total trip time: 5.5 hours.  Departures daily at 9:00 a.m.

Included are hotel pick-up and drop-off, all transportation, park and museum admission fees, and a guide.