MT Sobek Announces First-of-Its-Kind Expedition into Chile's Newly Protected Cochamó Valley

Over 11 days, explore Patagonia's best kept secret and the "Yosemite of South America"

EMERYVILLE, Calif., July 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Adventure travel pioneer MT Sobek today launched its Chile Patagonia Cochamó Valley Hiking, a first-of-its-kind expedition into the Cochamó Valley and beyond. The over 328,000-acre wilderness in Chile's northern Patagonia became one of South America's most significant new protected areas in December 2025. The 11-day fully hosted tour was designed in collaboration with the nonprofit Puelo Patagonia, which looked to MT Sobek's responsible adventure travel expertise in Patagonia to help shape a thoughtful tourism model.

"We are honored to bring our four decades of Patagonia experience to Cochamó Valley at such a pivotal moment as the region begins to welcome more visitors," said Seth Heald, CEO of MT Sobek. "As the first US adventure travel company to offer an immersive tour in the wilderness corridor with local guides in partnership with Puelo Patagonia, our expedition is designed to highlight how adventure travel can directly support conservation, strengthen local communities, and help shape sustainable tourism."

With exceptional local guides, decades of on-the-ground experience and long-standing relationships across the region, as well as an established track record of sustainable travel and giving, MT Sobek was invited by Puelo Patagonia to be the first US adventure travel outfitter granted access to the newly protected Cochamó and Ventisquero Valleys through a unique partnership. In Patagonia specifically, MT Sobek's roots go back to the 1970s. In 1987, MT Sobek was the first company to circumnavigate the Paine Massif—helping place Torres del Paine on the global adventure map.

Cochamó Valley is often compared to Yosemite National Park for its soaring granite walls and glacial rivers, but without crowds, cell service and infrastructure. The region remained largely unknown outside climbing circles until a coalition including Puelo Patagonia, Freyja Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Patagonia Inc./Holdfast Collective, and Wyss Foundation, with support from dozens of generous additional donors, completed a landmark $63 million purchase of the Hacienda Puchegüín estate and transferred stewardship to the Conserva Puchegüín Foundation. The territory is home to an estimated 11% of the world's remaining alerce forests with ancient trees that can live more than 3,600 years and grow more than 200 feet tall.

The region's protected status is due to more than a decade of grassroots perseverance. Puelo Patagonia formed in 2013 when a local group of residents took action to defend the Puelo River watershed from a proposed hydropower project. After the massive Hacienda Puchegüín estate was listed for sale in 2022, they sought strategic partners to successfully purchase the property—forever protecting one third of the municipality. They went on to play a key role in the creation of the Cochamó Valley Nature Sanctuary in 2023. Learn more about the grassroots conservation movement of Cochamó Valley on MT Sobek's blog.

"Cochamó is entering a new chapter," said Rodrigo Condeza, cofounder of Puelo Patagonia and superintendent of Conserva Puchegüín. "MT Sobek brings decades of experience in Patagonia and their travelers have a genuine spirit of exploration and interest to protect wild places. Together we hope to create the next generation of responsible travel."

MT Sobek designed the Chile Patagonia Cochamó Valley Hiking itinerary in close collaboration with Puelo Patagonia, resulting in a route that showcases the area's greatest natural and cultural assets while directing visitor spending to the local operators, guides, and the families who protect it.

MT Sobek's local guides will lead small groups of up to 12 guests into frontier wilderness and a granite-walled interior with unnamed peaks. Daily hikes are six to nine miles with up to 4,000' elevation gain and loss, plus a longer optional hike of 13.7 miles with 1,050' elevation gain and loss. Travelers will spend four nights at MT Sobek's private camp and have exclusive access to a refugio at La Junta in the heart of the valley. They will also enjoy three nights in the Ventisquero Valley and packraft Class II+ rapids on the crystal-clear Ventisquero and Puelo rivers. Throughout the trip, guests will interact with baqueanos (expert Patagonian horsemen and generational land stewards whose families have worked the valleys for decades) and learn how travel supports their communities.

The first departure of the MT Sobek Chile Patagonia Cochamó Valley Hiking expedition is slated for March 2027, and booking is currently open. Annually, the trip will be offered January through April and October through December. The trip costs from $9,695 per person/double occupancy. The minimum age for the level 4 trip is 18 years.

MT Sobek is a supporting member of Puelo Patagonia, a nonprofit organization dedicated to safeguarding the natural and cultural heritage of the Cochamó municipality, including its unique landscapes, while fostering responsible development for its community. The company supports their work through direct giving.

About MT Sobek

Founded in 1969, MT Sobek has spent five decades hosting small groups in the world's wildest places. Today, with more than 150 trips across every continent, they feed guests' spirit of adventure through a wide range of unique and perfectly paced itineraries led by incredible local guides. Sustainability isn't just a principle with the travel leader—it's woven into the very fabric of its operations. Every trip is designed to ensure that wild and beautiful places continue to thrive, with emphasis on sustainable practices and positive social impact. From funding reforestation projects to supporting local artisans, MT Sobek's commitment to sustainability goes hand-in-hand with unforgettable adventure.

SOURCE Mountain Travel Sobek