Tours and Activities:

Touring around Cochrane

This village may be visited yer round but it is in the summer when tourists come along filled with enthusiasm for its natural environment and its extremely beautiful scenes.

Within these geographical features made up by mountains, glaciers, strong flowing rivers and valleys shaped by the wind, Cochrane invites visitors to go around its ample and shady streets in search of its southern essence.

We started our tour at the square known as Plaza de Armas and caught glimpse of its public buildings, the church and a large sign reading the name of the city on a hillside. A visit to the museum on San Valentín Street cleared out some doubts about the Tehuelche people who used to dwell in this territory and the colonists that arrived years later to populate the area.

The city has been named after a Scottish man called Lord Cochrane. He was the captain of a valuable vessel that fought the American Independence wars. It was first called Pueblo Nuevo. Its official foundation took place in 1954, and the so-called Baker Exploring Society was involved in it during its fight to colonize this zone and establish cattle-raising activities.

The huemul is the symbol of the community and that is why its image may be seen everywhere. A monolith with the figure of this animal is made out in the town center inviting people to pay a visit to the Tamango National Reserve. Likewise, a bird is paid tribute with a stone monument: the condor, well-known dweller of the neighboring mountains. On the waterfront, we could see Casa Mate, a very attractive semi-circular construction.

Reaching the top of the viewpoint known as Mirador de la Cruz let us catch a panoramic view of the urban grid nestled in the Cochrane River Valley. We got to this place by car after taking Luis Báez Street.

Lake Esmeralda lies 6 kilometers away from the town. Its intense blue hue stands out from the surrounding vegetation and reeds. We crossed two bridges over the Saltos River and reached some amazing waterfalls.

During another outing in the outskirts of the city, we visited the reserve where huemul specimens are preserved to avoid their extinction.

This short tour around Cochrane and its surroundings let us understand its idiosyncrasy and most important attractions.

See also: Hotels in Cochrane and other accommodation venues