Refugio Cochamo (La Junta)
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#2 of 4 hostels in Cochamo
Location
5.0
Rooms
4.3
Value
4.7
Cleanliness
4.9
Service
4.9
Sleep Quality
4.2
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HOTEL STYLE
Great View
Romantic
Property amenities
Fitness Center with Gym / Workout Room
Restaurant
Location
La Junta River, Cochamo Chile
Name/address in local language
1 Attraction
within 5 miles
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This is one destination/valley we shopped around, but not much to shop for. If you're staying in the upper valley, which is the whole reason to go, you have a choice of either Refugio Cochamo or Campo Aventura. Refugio Cochamo was half the price, more spacious, recently built, clean and had a fun, organized team. Great hiking, don't need a guide since the team had done every hike and explained where to go. After traveling through all the south, this was my number one desired place to go back to. Thanks to all the kind people there.
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Date of stay: December 2011Trip type: Traveled with family
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Room Tip: Rooms fill up. We had to change our itinerary slightly for getting availability. Book ahead of...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This beautiful refugio has I think two rooms for couples (with a space above, like a loft, for a third adult or a child), and it was in one of these rooms that my wife and I booked for five nights. Outside these rooms is the dorm accommodation, which is much the usual sort of thing: two tiers of mattresses side by side.
We had a great stay. The place has a lovely atmosphere, like that of a really pleasant commune run by nice women. Daniel is usually down in village or in Puerto Montt, I suppose, taking care of internet communications and other things relating to the running of La Junta, leaving the everyday matters to his pleasant, efficient, bright, indeed thoroughly capable wife Silvina and her team of helpers. They prepare delicious vegetarian meals, and have both wine and beer to accompany meals if you want to buy them. I mention this because you are really 'in the middle of nowhere,' as the saying goes, and it seems amazing that they can stay so well stocked with things. In the evening, many people from the campground come to the refugio for meals, but then melt away leaving the place very peaceful at night. Outside, along the perimeter of the main building, runs a lovely deck with incomparable views.
This place is very special. You are in a high valley, largely flat on the bottom, with small rivers running through it, surrounded by massive granite domes and steep forests. The walk up to 'Arco Iris' is spectacular, as is the 'Waterfall Circuit,' which takes you to three beautiful waterfalls, one of which in particular is one of the most amazing and beautiful I've ever seen--a long cascade down a fairly smooth granite slope maybe a hundred-and-fifty feet wide in places, though the amount of water itself (at least in the dry season) is that of a modest stream. A dome of bare rock looms above you in the distance; behind you and to the sides are dense forest.
La Junta is a bit difficult to get to, no doubt about it. We took a bus from Pto. Montt to the village of Cochamo, then got a taxi of sorts to the trailhead. From there, you have to walk up for at least six hours (it took us seven and a bit), and the trail is not a very pleasant one, on the whole: for more than a hundred-and-fifty years it has been used as a cattle trail between Argentina and Chile, so it is amazingly rutted and inescapably very muddy, even when it hasn't been raining. At times you feel as though you could be walking through the trenches of WWI, except that there are no bodies lying around. The horseflies are also a misery, though you can ALMOST get used to them, and learn how best to minimize them (don't wear dark clothes, and seek the shadows. If you stay still, you can kill the few around you, for they are very slow, and then others may not find you for a while). Talking to Daniel face to face at one point, I noticed that he simply reached up when one landed on his face or head, pulled off one of its wings and tossed it aside, all this without blinking or removing his gaze from mine. He really is 'used to it,' but I could never be, I must say.
I agree completely with the person on these pages who has said that you simply can't enjoy the place by walking up and back in a day. Indeed, it is almost a physical impossibility. The place deserves a stay of three or four days to do some of the amazing, beautiful walks in the area, and to make allowances for a day when perhaps the weather won't cooperate. We ourselves had stunning weather (first week in January). It's one of the most beautiful places I've seen; the refugio is pleasant in every way; you meet interesting people. . . . I'm enthusiastic. If it weren't for those damn horseflies, the place would be a paradise.
We had a great stay. The place has a lovely atmosphere, like that of a really pleasant commune run by nice women. Daniel is usually down in village or in Puerto Montt, I suppose, taking care of internet communications and other things relating to the running of La Junta, leaving the everyday matters to his pleasant, efficient, bright, indeed thoroughly capable wife Silvina and her team of helpers. They prepare delicious vegetarian meals, and have both wine and beer to accompany meals if you want to buy them. I mention this because you are really 'in the middle of nowhere,' as the saying goes, and it seems amazing that they can stay so well stocked with things. In the evening, many people from the campground come to the refugio for meals, but then melt away leaving the place very peaceful at night. Outside, along the perimeter of the main building, runs a lovely deck with incomparable views.
This place is very special. You are in a high valley, largely flat on the bottom, with small rivers running through it, surrounded by massive granite domes and steep forests. The walk up to 'Arco Iris' is spectacular, as is the 'Waterfall Circuit,' which takes you to three beautiful waterfalls, one of which in particular is one of the most amazing and beautiful I've ever seen--a long cascade down a fairly smooth granite slope maybe a hundred-and-fifty feet wide in places, though the amount of water itself (at least in the dry season) is that of a modest stream. A dome of bare rock looms above you in the distance; behind you and to the sides are dense forest.
La Junta is a bit difficult to get to, no doubt about it. We took a bus from Pto. Montt to the village of Cochamo, then got a taxi of sorts to the trailhead. From there, you have to walk up for at least six hours (it took us seven and a bit), and the trail is not a very pleasant one, on the whole: for more than a hundred-and-fifty years it has been used as a cattle trail between Argentina and Chile, so it is amazingly rutted and inescapably very muddy, even when it hasn't been raining. At times you feel as though you could be walking through the trenches of WWI, except that there are no bodies lying around. The horseflies are also a misery, though you can ALMOST get used to them, and learn how best to minimize them (don't wear dark clothes, and seek the shadows. If you stay still, you can kill the few around you, for they are very slow, and then others may not find you for a while). Talking to Daniel face to face at one point, I noticed that he simply reached up when one landed on his face or head, pulled off one of its wings and tossed it aside, all this without blinking or removing his gaze from mine. He really is 'used to it,' but I could never be, I must say.
I agree completely with the person on these pages who has said that you simply can't enjoy the place by walking up and back in a day. Indeed, it is almost a physical impossibility. The place deserves a stay of three or four days to do some of the amazing, beautiful walks in the area, and to make allowances for a day when perhaps the weather won't cooperate. We ourselves had stunning weather (first week in January). It's one of the most beautiful places I've seen; the refugio is pleasant in every way; you meet interesting people. . . . I'm enthusiastic. If it weren't for those damn horseflies, the place would be a paradise.
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Date of stay: January 2011Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Value
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My husband and I recently spent two weeks at the Cochamo Refugio and we feel in love with the place, the people and the location. As soon as we arrived we were welcomed by the whole crew with hugs and warm smiles and we immediately felt like we were at home. In every aspect they went out of their way to make sure we were happy and well taken care of. The rooms and dorm are very clean and the beds are comfy. The Refugio is kept super clean and they provide a nice kitchen to prepare your own meals. I won't recommend preparing your own meals though, their food is outstanding. They offer fresh baked breads for breakfast, real coffee, deliciously generous sized sandwhiches for lunch and large plates of mouthwatering vegetarian food for dinner. Or you can enjoy their pizzas any time a day. Best food we have had in a long time!
If you are into the outdoors there are stunning hikes, natural water slides and emerald green rivers. If you are into climbing, you must come here!
This place is truly one of a kind. Just go! You will not be disappointed.
We are already planning for our next trip there next year:)
If you are into the outdoors there are stunning hikes, natural water slides and emerald green rivers. If you are into climbing, you must come here!
This place is truly one of a kind. Just go! You will not be disappointed.
We are already planning for our next trip there next year:)
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Date of stay: December 2012
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was a major trip advisor find, spent Christmas here with some great folks in a beautiful place. You have to be prepared of course, there are great showers (but they are heated by wood and available only at about 6), the trek in is indeed muddy and not the most lovely hike ever (we did it in just over 4 hours both in an out), and the horse flies can be annoying, but they don't bite that bad. The people are wonderful, the food is good (they went out of their way in making a Christmas feast), and beer after a day hiking or climbing is a real luxury (3500 pesos for a 1000ML lager that is pretty tasty for someone who really prefers ales). Food costs about 7000 pesos per meal. Breakfast is included if you stay there and includes pretty decent home made breads, jam, butter, and good coffee.
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Date of stay: December 2011Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hike up to la junta is long. If it rained the night before, longer! It took us 6 hours to trek through the foot deep mud, but was well worth it. The views form the top definitely rival those of Yosimite Park in the U.S. The refugio is great and the food is tasty and healthy. Definitely worth the trek up! Bring water shoes to cross the river and supplies to stay the night. It is definitely too much to walk up and back in one day.
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Date of stay: January 2011Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.



It took us 5 hours to hike into the lodge, and it was well worth every step. Be prepared and take it seriously, but it is not a difficult hike. The sun in summer does not set until 10pm, so start early and you'll have plenty of time to take breaks to enjoy the temperate rain forest that you hike through.
The family who runs this lodge have created a happy world of laughter that makes staying here such a pleasure. Delicious vegetarian food. I am a carnivore and I never left dinner feeling hungry. My friend is a vegetarian and she raved about the food. Order the plate every night, it is worth it. Be sure to stay several days; even though the hike in is beautiful, there are even more stunning hikes that originate from the lodge (DO NOT LEAVE WITHOUT HIKING UP TO TRINIDAD).
I shared a private room with my wife, but the shared sleeping area seemed well taken care of too. Limited hot water, but it was super hot.
The family who runs this lodge have created a happy world of laughter that makes staying here such a pleasure. Delicious vegetarian food. I am a carnivore and I never left dinner feeling hungry. My friend is a vegetarian and she raved about the food. Order the plate every night, it is worth it. Be sure to stay several days; even though the hike in is beautiful, there are even more stunning hikes that originate from the lodge (DO NOT LEAVE WITHOUT HIKING UP TO TRINIDAD).
I shared a private room with my wife, but the shared sleeping area seemed well taken care of too. Limited hot water, but it was super hot.
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Date of stay: December 2014Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Refugio Cochamo is really fabulous and we loved our experience staying in the dorms there. Since you can rent a bed and sleeping bags, you just need to bring clothing and a toothbrush! It’s definitely worth booking in advance since there is limited space, and also worth carrying in a good amount of snacks (and maybe a box of wine). The owners' philosophy is to create a comfortable place for people to hang out with a lot of options as well as a good place for camping, but give everyone the space to do what they want and explore however they want to explore, sans tours or guides.
The 4 1/2 hour hike in to the Refugio is super pretty and quite easy, especially if (like us) you just bring daypacks. You go through various sections of beautiful forests, pampas (grasslands), horse trails, and cross little streams and bogs and wooden logs and bridges. At certain places, you can see or even climb down to the crystalline water of the Cochamo River, or see the giant rock domes that look out over the area, impressively overseeing the landscape. The instructions on the Refugio's website are surprisingly clear, and worth printing out or saving to your phone to peek at midway through.
Apparently this area is being touted as “South America’s undiscovered Yosemite” and “the next Torres del Paine” (to note, I think you can hike through to Argentina here now if you bring camping gear). I don’t know how it compares, but it is epically beautiful and in a largely untrodden area. On the hike in, we saw maybe 6 people hiking out, plus 2 locals with some bulls, horses, and sheep. Other than that, it was just us and the tabanos (these huge flies that appear for a few weeks each year).
The 4 1/2 hour hike in to the Refugio is super pretty and quite easy, especially if (like us) you just bring daypacks. You go through various sections of beautiful forests, pampas (grasslands), horse trails, and cross little streams and bogs and wooden logs and bridges. At certain places, you can see or even climb down to the crystalline water of the Cochamo River, or see the giant rock domes that look out over the area, impressively overseeing the landscape. The instructions on the Refugio's website are surprisingly clear, and worth printing out or saving to your phone to peek at midway through.
Apparently this area is being touted as “South America’s undiscovered Yosemite” and “the next Torres del Paine” (to note, I think you can hike through to Argentina here now if you bring camping gear). I don’t know how it compares, but it is epically beautiful and in a largely untrodden area. On the hike in, we saw maybe 6 people hiking out, plus 2 locals with some bulls, horses, and sheep. Other than that, it was just us and the tabanos (these huge flies that appear for a few weeks each year).
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Date of stay: December 2013Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No gain without pain! Oh I hate that sort of stuff it's reminds me of unfinished homework! The 13km trek in was a challenge for old legs through mud, marsh, gullies and driving rain but once there the refugio team swings into action. Silvina pulled us across the river in the flying fox and 5 minutes later Daniel met us on the verandah encouraging us to shed cold wet clothes for dryer ones and to come inside by the potbelly for a large cup of steaming tea or coffee. The refugio itself is a lovely building of local timber and so well designed with sleeping upstairs and living down, separate kitchen for self caterers, one bathroom upstairs and two downstairs. New Years Eve was a special night for about 30+ of us. Some of the campers joined us. All home made delights! Large plates of dips, huge lamb main and three slices of cake. Those who took or bought wine shared it around. The drumming and dancing stopped sometime after 1am. The day trekking options are numerous and the scenery stunning. Daniel knows the landscape inside out and can advise on treks and climbing. The surrounding mountains are a Mecca for climbers who pack out the camping area. Daniel, Silvina and their team were amazing and the treks stunning adding up to pure magic. You need at least 3 days and New Years Eve. Some people stay weeks. We would have liked to.
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Date of stay: January 2014Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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Room Tip: There are are only two double rooms. Part of the dorm is being converted to another double soon....
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My husband and I stayed for 2 nights in the dormatory and had a wonderful time here. The dormatory is a 18 person dorm and arranged in two rows of bunkbeds, all next to each other, but is quite nice as they have a divider every 2 beds so we felt like we were in a double bed. It is warm enough when we were there to only need a sheet to sleep in (we didnt really need the sleeping bags we hired!). The 2 double rooms come off the dorm so arent hugely private. The showers are hot at 7pm only. The spot really is very nice, we spent most afternoons on the deck taking in the view.
The food looked nice but we used the kitchen the whole time. 3 course dinner was 7000 each. Breakfast 2500 (though this was included if you stayed) - homemade bread and real coffee. Pizzas 7000+1000 per topping and would feed a hungry man or two women. Sandwiches 4000. CAMPERS – don’t rely on eating there in February (high season), they serve their guests first and can only cater for campers on quiet days. If you want a few drinks you need to bring them up!
The same couple own the camping and the refugio.
The walk up is not difficult, we had no map and didnt get lost. There are directions on the very good website. It took us 4hrs up (with no stops) and 3.5 down. We are of average fitness and 30 years old!
Last bus from cochamo-puerto montt was 5pm
The food looked nice but we used the kitchen the whole time. 3 course dinner was 7000 each. Breakfast 2500 (though this was included if you stayed) - homemade bread and real coffee. Pizzas 7000+1000 per topping and would feed a hungry man or two women. Sandwiches 4000. CAMPERS – don’t rely on eating there in February (high season), they serve their guests first and can only cater for campers on quiet days. If you want a few drinks you need to bring them up!
The same couple own the camping and the refugio.
The walk up is not difficult, we had no map and didnt get lost. There are directions on the very good website. It took us 4hrs up (with no stops) and 3.5 down. We are of average fitness and 30 years old!
Last bus from cochamo-puerto montt was 5pm
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Date of stay: February 2013Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We hiked the long trail in the rain to the refuge. It took us 5 hours on the way and 4 hours on the way back. You can rent horses to take you but it is a moderate just long hike. We were very pleased to be staying at the refuge which is beautiful. Well equipped to cook for yourselves and very comfortable for sleeping. We recommend having dinner cooked by the refuge as it is excellent!
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Date of stay: December 2016Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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Hola, precios y para reservar en cochamo punto com
"There are are only two double rooms. Part of the dorm is being converted to another double soon. If you want privacy book early although the dorm is well set up with partitions. Breakfast is provided and delicious pizzas can be ordered as well as an evening meal. If you need to save money pack in some lunch stuff and evening tucker but their meals are great."Read full review
"Rooms fill up. We had to change our itinerary slightly for getting availability. Book ahead of time. Careful of the showers. Unlike other barely warm hostels we stayed at, this place has firewood heated tanks, and the water is great yet can burn if not careful."Read full review
LOCATION
ChileLos Lagos RegionCochamo
NUMBER OF ROOMS
27
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Frequently Asked Questions about Refugio Cochamo (La Junta)
Which popular attractions are close to Refugio Cochamo (La Junta)?
Nearby attractions include Toboganes de la Junta (0.3 miles).
What food & drink options are available at Refugio Cochamo (La Junta)?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant during their stay.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Refugio Cochamo (La Junta)?
Yes, guests have access to a fitness center during their stay.