CARRETERA AUSTRAL
Day Fifteen - Cochrane and beyond
Posted on 4th Mar 2016
Photo: Crossing suspension bridge to camp site
On leaving Puerto Rio Tranquilo we picked up a couple of hitch hikers from France & Sweden and dropped then off at the road crossing in 'Cruce El Maitén' before continuing south to the small town of Cochrane. We spent some time in the main plaza enjoying the mid day sun & free WiFi before stocking up on fuel and groceries at the supermarket.
The road from here wasn't in the best condition so we averaged about 45kmh and made it as far as a small camp site recommended in our guidebook, on arrival there was nobody to be seen so we continued on down the side road to another camp site we had seen signposted. This brought us to a small suspension bridge that seemed barely wide enough for our the car. After doing a test crossing, walking; we cautiously drove across and continued on a very rough track until reaching a small farm and the camp site. The camp site turned out to be one of the nicest we have come across, the bathrooms were exceptionally clean and even nicely decorated, and there was even a BBQ which we used as we had purchased some steaks from the supermarket in Cochrane.