Cochrane, Patagonia National Park

Attractions Sightseeing Tours Nature & Adventure Tours Off the beaten track
Cochrane is a Chilean town in the Patagonia Aisén Region. The 2002 census gives its population as 2,867. It had no access by road access to the rest of Chile until 1988 when the Carretera Austral was opened. Cochrane is still the southernmost town along the Austral highway, with only a few villages south of it. We did not pass through Cochrane, but passed close to it, as our route from Argentina dropped us down onto the Carretera Austral just north of the town.
 


Cochrane is a comparatively recent town, founded in 1954 (as Pueblo Nuevo). Its name was later changed to Cochrane to honor Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, a British naval captain, and politician who was appointed the first Admiral of the Chilean Navy in 1818 and made a major contribution to winning Chilean independence from Spain.
 


Cochrane is the last town that crosses the Carretera Austral and is located in the XI Chilean Region, 334 kilometers south of Coyhaique and 1,983 kilometers from Santiago. It is characterized by having large glaciers, lakes, and important rivers that surround the area. The city was founded in 1954 under the name of Pueblo Nuevo and has about 4,000 inhabitants. Until today, it serves as an air service center for the rest of the southern zone.
 


Cochrane and its surroundings present landscapes as beautiful as wild. One of its main attractions is the Tamango National Reserve, the only place where you can closely see a population of huemules. In addition to Lake Cochrane, which on the Argentine side receives the name of Pueyrredón Lake, you can know the jumps of the Baker River and the Nef, the North ice fields, and the San Lorenzo hill, with its eternal snows.
 
Exotic, extensive, of infinite and wild beauty. This is how Patagonia described the explorers who arrived almost 500 years ago. This is how it remains until today. Come to know this unaltered nature, full of mountains, fjords, glaciers, forests, and steppes!
 


In the middle of the cinematic landscapes, you can discover pioneer cities and towns, where you can breathe a cattle story and the style of the gaucho of Patagonia. Travel by car or bicycle on the Carretera Austral to marvel at the best of northern Patagonia.
 
If you are passionate about trekking, Torres del Paine is your north: forests, hills, waterfalls, lakes, and privileged views of the Southern Ice Fields will be part of your experience.
 
To live a unique and adventurous trip, explore the southernmost part of the American continent and embark on an Antarctic experience. Browse the fjords and channels; and also by the Strait of Magellan. Enjoy the imposing and ancient presence of hundreds of glaciers, along with dolphins, penguins, and killer whales. Reach Cape Horn, the southernmost point of the continent, or go further until you reach Antarctica, a scientific and ecological treasure that you can not miss.
 


Anchored like a ship by Lake Pehoé, at the heart of Torres del Paine National Park, explore Patagonia has a privileged location from where to go out and explore the park. All our programs include accommodation, transfers from and to the airport, meals, and beverages, and a menu of more than 40 exploration routes designed by our outdoors team. Treks and horseback rides include mountains, turquoise lakes, glaciers, lenga tree forests, viewpoints, prairies, and rivers, in addition to the most iconic spans of the trekking circuit known as “W”.
 


Explore Patagonia was designed as the perfect base from where to explore Torres del Paine National Park. With an exclusive location and unparalleled views, you can choose among 40 explorations –either hiking or horseback riding– to some of the circuits of the renowned W and other less explored routes that will help you get familiarized with the typical geography and wildlife of Patagonia.
 

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Cochrane, Parque Nacional Patagonia, Aisén Region

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Cochrane, Patagonia National Park
Cochrane, Patagonia National Park
Cochrane, Patagonia National Park
Cochrane, Patagonia National Park
Cochrane, Patagonia National Park
Cochrane, Patagonia National Park
Cochrane, Patagonia National Park
Cochrane, Patagonia National Park
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