Waterfalls Hidden in the Forest

On sunny afternoons at Villa Traful people usually go to the long beaches on the lake and take a bath; however, there are other tours leading to the mountain and the forest which are not to be missed. One of them is the hiking tour to the cascades under the shady trees.

Leaving from the waterfront of the lake, we headed upwards along an inner street in the village until we reached a place known as Pampa de los Álamos. There we parked our vehicle as some horses were eagerly devouring green grass waiting for a tourist to go for a horseback ride.

The trails towards these cascades start in that plain, where we stared at old and leafy coihue and ñire trees of the forest, which would provide us shelter during our tour.

First, we took a very well-marked trail leading to Coa Có Cascade and then a smooth slope, which led deep into the forest. Along the journey, we found two creeks with low water level and, after about ten minutes’ walk at a slow pace and zigzagging around logs of fallen trees, we faced the cascade vantage point. Facing southwards, it has an astounding view of Lake Traful, lying to the Northeast.

There we stayed for a long time to have a rest and be delighted with the incredible mass of water falling. The moisture coming from the cascade creates an incredible lush green, big and shiny vegetation environment in the area.

We made our way back along a different trail until we reached the parking area again, our starting point to visit the Blanco River Cascade. The hiking tour covered 1,500 meters amidst coihue and very tall cypress trees, where we could hear the chirping of hidden birds certainly sheltered among the branches. Once we arrived at the vantage point, we stopped for a few minutes to appreciate the falling water, the thickness of the forest and the native flowers.

As we were suggested by the hosts at this place, we made a stop and while we had some the mates, the sound of the water got stuck in our heads. A lush and winding trail led us to our vehicle again and our faces showed the pleasure of having gone on this typical tour in beautiful Villa Traful.