Ride Into Wild Patagonia
Cochamó Horse Expeditions
Multi-day mounted expeditions through ancient forests, remote valleys, and high mountain passes — fully supported, personally guided, and deeply connected to local Patagonian culture.
6–10
Day Expeditions
Nov–Mar
Season
100%
Private Guided
Where Forest, Granite, and Time Still Move Slowly
Cochamó Valley and the Paso El León region sit at the edge of modern access — a landscape of towering granite walls, glacial rivers, and forests containing trees over 4,000 years old.
Here, there are no highways. No lodges on every ridge. Travel happens the way it has for generations — by horse, along trails cut through ancient woodland and across open mountain passes.
This is not a tourist route.
It is a living, working landscape shaped by local families who still move livestock and supplies through these valleys as they always have.
To ride here is to enter Patagonia properly — slowly, deliberately, immersed in terrain that feels both immense and deeply human.
The Patagonia Experience
What makes our Cochamó expeditions unlike anything else.
Mounted Expeditions
Travel by horse through ancient forest trails, river crossings, and open mountain passes.
Ancient Forests
Move through temperate rainforest with 4,000-year-old alerce trees and pristine ecosystems.
Granite Walls
Cochamó's massive granite faces rival Yosemite — a world-class climbing destination.
Local Partnerships
Built with local families who have lived in these valleys for generations.
Full Expedition Support
Camp crew, horsemen, meals prepared fresh — everything handled with care.
Remote Access Only
No highways, no lodges on every ridge. This is Patagonia at its most authentic.
A Fully Supported Patagonian Expedition
Our Cochamó expeditions run 6–10 days and are fully supported by experienced local horsemen, expedition staff, camp crew, and led personally by a professional mountain guide with long-standing ties to the valley.
River crossings beneath towering granite walls
Travel through ancient alerce forests
Open pasture valleys bordered by deep forest and granite faces
Wide river flats and movement along the shores of Lago Vidal and Lago Grande
Evenings gathered in expansive lakeside camps beneath towering granite and forest edge
Our Cochamó expeditions run 6–10 days and are fully supported by experienced local horsemen, expedition staff, camp crew, and led personally by a professional mountain guide with long-standing ties to the valley.
It becomes immersion in landscape and silence — the kind that quietly recalibrates you.
Guided With Local Knowledge and Deep Connection
These journeys are built in partnership with local families who have lived and worked in these valleys for generations. The horses are local. The knowledge is local. The routes are lived-in, not commercialised.
Leadership is personal and attentive — balancing expedition logistics, cultural respect, and group rhythm carefully throughout.
Expedition Pathways
Our Patagonia expeditions are built around real movement through the Andes — following horse trails, river systems, mountain passes, and remote valleys still used by local arrieros today.
Some journeys remain entirely within the Cochamó Valley and Río Puelo region. Others continue deeper across the Andes into Argentina through isolated mountain routes shaped by generations of horsemen and local families.
These are not fast-paced tours.
They are immersive expedition journeys designed for people seeking depth, landscape, connection, and a more meaningful experience of Patagonia.
EXPEDITION 1
La Herradura Expedition
7–8 Day Remote Valley Journey
A fully supported mounted expedition through the remote valleys, forests, rivers, and mountain landscapes surrounding Cochamó and Río Puelo.
Designed around immersion, slower movement, camp life, river crossings, and genuine Patagonian wilderness travel, the journey follows traditional horse routes still used by local arrieros today.
JOURNEY OVERVIEW
Days 1–2 — Arrival Into Northern Patagonia
The expedition begins in Puerto Varas with shared accommodation overlooking the lakes and volcanoes of northern Patagonia. These first days allow time to settle into the slower rhythm of the journey ahead — recovering from travel, preparing equipment, sharing meals together, and enjoying the landscapes surrounding the lake region. Optional walks and short hikes can be enjoyed before departing into the mountains.
Days 3–5 — Entering The Valley
After breakfast, the group departs toward Cochamó Valley where the horses and local arrieros await. From here, the expedition moves gradually deeper into the mountains through forest trails, glacial rivers, open pasturelands, and remote valleys inaccessible by vehicle. The first riding days are spent camping beside rivers and forest clearings while travelling deeper into Patagonia by horse. All meals, camp setup, expedition logistics, and horse support are fully managed throughout the journey.
Days 6–7 — Lago Vidal & Remote Patagonia
Midway through the expedition, the route reaches Lago Vidal and the remote home of Señora Luisa — one of the local families continuing to live seasonally within these isolated valleys. Here, the rhythm slows further: warm meals, wood-fired cooking, hot showers, lake fishing, quiet evenings, and genuine Patagonian hospitality far removed from modern pace. Guests wanting additional immersion may choose to extend their stay beside the lake with optional extra days for fishing, exploration, and visiting nearby rupestre rock art sites.
Final Days — Río Manzo & Return Through Patagonia
The final stage of the expedition descends gradually from the mountains through Río Manzo and back toward the Río Puelo region. The journey finishes with hot springs, shared meals, and a final evening together in comfortable accommodation near Puelo before returning to the town of Puerto Varas the following morning. Rather than ending abruptly, the final stage allows time to properly unwind and absorb the experience before returning from the mountains.
EXPEDITION 2
Paso El León Traverse
Chile → Argentina Andean Crossing
Following the same remote valleys and horse trails as La Herradura during the first stage of the journey, the expedition eventually branches deeper into the Paso El León region — continuing across the Andes into Argentina through traditional mountain routes still used by local arrieros today.
Our team were born and raised within these valleys, having spent their lives moving through this terrain by horse well before Patagonia became known to outside travellers.
Travelling entirely by horse through river valleys, forest passes, and isolated mountain terrain, the crossing offers a rare opportunity to experience Patagonia the traditional way — moving slowly through the mountains between Chile and Argentina as generations of horsemen and local families continue to do today.
The expedition finishes in Argentina before returning through northern Patagonia by vehicle back toward Chile.
Additional days can also be incorporated throughout the journey for fishing, rest days, and continued exploration through the northern Patagonian regions of Argentina including Lago Puelo and Bariloche depending on the style of expedition desired.
EXPEDITION 3
Cochamó Valley Horse Experience
Full-Day Patagonia Journey
A full-day mounted experience designed for travellers wanting to experience the forests, rivers, waterfalls, and atmosphere of Cochamó Valley within a single immersive journey from Puerto Varas.
The day begins early with breakfast in the forests surrounding Ensenada before travelling toward Cochamó Valley where the horses and local arrieros await.
From there, the journey continues by horse through forest trails and river crossings into the valley itself — arriving beneath the granite walls of Cochamó for a relaxed lunch, time beside the rivers, and the opportunity to experience one of Patagonia’s most beautiful mountain valleys at a slower pace.
Guests return by horse during the afternoon before continuing toward optional hot springs, shared dinner, and evening return to Puerto Varas or optional overnight stay near Puelo.
All transfers, horses, meals, snacks, and expedition logistics are fully organised throughout the experience.
OPTIONAL EXTENSIONS
Additional overnight stays and extended valley experiences can also be incorporated for guests wanting more time within Cochamó and the surrounding mountain landscapes.
For multi-day trekking, camping, climbing, upper valley traverses, granite walls, and deeper wilderness immersion experiences, explore our:
Looking For Deeper Valley Immersion?
For travellers wanting multi-day trekking, camping, climbing, upper valley traverses, granite walls, bivouac experiences, and deeper exploration within Cochamó, we also organise immersive valley programs throughout the region.
