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All Routes

Walk overview

General Argentinian route information

Rio Villegas to the waterfall

  1. Buses and Rio Villegas
  2. Hiking along the Rio Manso road
  3. Suspension bridge across the manso
  4. Meadows and flatlands along the Rio Manso
  5. Fences to avoid on the Rio Manso
  6. Rio Manso - easy camping
  7. The waterfall marked on the map

The waterfall to the Argentine - Chilean border

  1. El Manso: Rafting campsite, restaurant and minimart
  2. Argentinian customs - Gendarmeria Nacional
  3. The case of the missing refugio
  4. Crossing the Argentina-Chile border

General Chilean route information

Paso El Leon to Torrentoso

  1. Chilean Carabineros, border crossing and the hamlet of El Leon
  2. A rangers' forest camp
  3. Conditions along the route
  4. The turn towards Torrentoso

Torrentoso to end of Lago Vidal Gormaz

  1. Torrentoso turning
  2. Camping at the south end of Lago Vidal Gormaz
  3. Along Lago Vidal Gormaz
  4. Food supplies at the north end of the lake
  5. Route to virgin rainforest

Lago Vidal Gormaz to La Junta

  1. Lakes in the rainforest
  2. Junction of two rivers and two paths
  3. El Arco refugio and natural bridge
  4. La Junta refugio

La Junta to Cochamo

  1. Granite cliffs and La Junta campground
  2. Trail conditions along the last leg of the path
  3. End of the path from Argentina
  4. Main road to Cochamo and Campo Aventura
  5. Cochamo and civilization
Map of the area with a links image map, all links are available from text links elsewhere on the page Route to virgin rainforest Food supplies at the north end of the lake Along Lago Vidal Gormaz Camping at the south end of Lago Vidal Gormaz Torrentoso turning
part r Section 4: Click on the "i"s above for information and photos of the route. part t

s. The wonderful queso (cheese) of Sonia and Manuel

Near the end of the lake, live Sonia and Manuel with their son, Pablo. Sonia makes and sells fabulous cheese, homemade bread and farm-fresh eggs. We were invited to sleep in their field, and woke to the goats investigating our tent. This is a farm that has no access to the outside world besides via a three day horse ride through muddy rainforest. Spending time inside their house felt like a time warp to the old west of the United States, with neighbors dropping in for gossip and trade. Even the mail is brought to the area on horseback by whoever happens to make the trek into town - with addresses no more sophisticated than "Lago Vidal Gormaz, Comuna de Cochamo." Sonia also makes ponchos and saddlebags for sale in Puerto Montt. They live here all year long, even through the long, cold winters where the lake freezes over thick enough for them to iceskate on clear days.