Towards Salto del Agrio

When choosing either Caviahue or Copahue as a summer tourist destination, it is always a good idea to visit the Agrio River fall, situated a few kilometers away from both districts. This is an amazing rock formation accessed through a path that goes past some smaller cascades that fall from the heights.

Feeling curious about nature, we left Caviahue along Provincial Route 26 –made of gravel- heading for Copahue. We crossed an old wooden bridge and when the road forked, we took Provincial Route 27 along the path known as Cañadón del Trolope. The special charm of the monkey-puzzle trees and the Agrio River were constantly present during the journey and they gave us a preview of what we would find at the end of the road.

We walked for a while and saw several small cascades until the roaring sound of a big fall brought us close to the highest point in the tour. At this location, water falls into the void and fills a natural pool from a height of 60 meters. We were amazed by the loudness. We could not stop watching the dazzling basaltic rocks tinged in various hues, especially golden. The sunbeams reached the waterfall and the rocks, providing a luminous glow.

Below, a pond concentrated that whirlpool and the sensations were completed with a rainbow formed within the scene, while the Copahue Volcano silently watched it all. The Mapuches who used to dwell in this area considered this as place of worship.

Later on, we learned that the Agrio River basin has a glacial origin and is situated inside a depression on the ground with volcanic features. Both the walls that surround the river and the bed were formed by cooled lava spilt in former times, which adopted whimsical shapes and colors according to the minerals that compose it.

The Agrio River was the main protagonist of this outing and the weather made it possible to catch a perfect glimpse of the beauty of the area. Nature offers these wonders. We just need to discover them and let ourselves be carried away by their magic.