Traveller8032
Google
We (four adults and a teenager) stayed here for 4 nights to do some hiking and sightseeing after a week-long conference in Puerto Varas. We had a wonderful stay. The hosts, Silvie and Manuel, speak English, French and Spanish and were lovely people, very welcoming and helpful in planning our day trips. The accommodations were simple but clean, modern and comfortable. Heating is provided by a wood pellet stove located in the dining/living area. There are LED lights throughout. The bedrooms were very clean and comfortable with down comforters that kept us warm. The hostel is beautifully constructed with bare wood and fanciful touches such as ceiling lights made from tree branches and kitchen lights from tea cups. Guests are asked to remove their boots to keep the space clean. There are 4 or 5 bedrooms and three shared bathrooms, each with a toilet, sink and shower. Towels were provided. The water is solar-heated with electric heating to supplement, and was piping hot. The kitchen area is well appointed with modern range and large fridge, Silvie fixed breakfast for us each morning and was very accommodating of our schedules, waking very early to allow us to get an early start each day. The breakfast was delicious, with fruit salad, fresh bread and local cheese. We made packed lunches for ourselves in the kitchen each day and ate dinner each night at the one restaurant in Cochamo, La Ollita (which we can recommend). There was no wi-fi in the hostel, but there was 3G cell phone reception. There was wi-fi at the La Ollita restaurant (password provided by the staff). We recommend stocking up on groceries in Puerto Varas because there are no decent grocery stores in Cochamo. There was a hot water urn for tea and coffee. The shared kitchen, dining and living area is open-plan with two comfortable couches, and spectacular views of the estuary and mountains and Calbuco volcano beyond through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Traveling from Puerto Varas via Ensanada, the road becomes a pothole-ridden dirt road after you cross the mouth of the Rio Petrohue, so allow more time for driving than you might expect (the Google Maps driving times were pretty accurate). The drive is beautiful, however, with great views of the estuary and mountains. The hostel is in an idyllic rural setting above the village of Cochamo, surrounded by pasture land and horses. Cochamo itself is a tiny place, not yet discovered by tourism, with no gas station and only one restaurant at this time of year. This is an "off-the-beaten-path" place to come for the hiking and scenic beauty. We recommend the hike to La Junta (long and arduous through dense forest, but with spectacular views at the end) and the ferry ride across Lago Tagua Tagua to explore and hike the Rio Puelo valley beyond. Also, although more touristy, a visit to the Petrohue falls, La Cascadas falls and a ski lift up the Osorno volcano for spectacular views on a clear day.
