They want to draw attention to plans for the second of six dams proposed for the magnificent Biobio river. The ceremonial grounds where they gather will be flooded if the new Ralco dam goes ahead.
Large buses follow the delegation's vans, barely managing to navigate the rugged road.
They carry Aymara and Atacame os from the north, Huilliches from Chilo Island in the south, and students and activists. Every so often a small shrine lies nestled in the mossy roots and rocks beneath a tree. The travellers sit around the cookstove in the dim light, sipping from a communal mug of mat tea. They hear how this family was physically assaulted by their landlord, anxious to evict them from their home which borders the new reservoir. The land is now valuable for building.