Chile is a privileged country to enjoy the mountain and one of the most beautiful locations for the Best Trekking in Santiago are the mountains surrounding it.

The geographical location and very particular (and long) shape that allows different weather and vegetation manifest throughout the country. On one side, it’s the Pacific Ocean and to the East, the Cordillera de Los Andes is located at the border with Argentina and all over Chile’s territory.

This privileged location has a benefit for mountain lovers since pretty much anywhere in the country you’ll find mountains with to hike and practice mountain sports. Several of the highest and complex peaks of the continent are located in Chilean Andes.

If you have in your plans to visit or live in the city of Santiago there are many things to do and places to visit, such as antique markets, restaurants, and cultural sites.

• Check here about the Must-see places to visit in Santiago
• Plan your weekend trip to Valparaíso
• Visit the best Shopping neighborhood
• Visit La Vega Central or BioBio, the best Markets in Santiago

If you are searching where to stay in Santiago, find the best offers here 
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If you love the mountains, or if you’ve even thought about getting started in this activity, Santiago is the perfect place for you.

With many places to practice trekking in Santiago, to explore the mountains and get in touch with nature and admire the city from above. You can enjoy the native flora and fauna found in all areas bordering the capital and are ideal for disconnecting from the city scene.

The central mountain chain that connects all of the central hills. Places easily accessible and as peaks are connected, you can go from north to south between the Farellones area and Cajon del Maipo.
It depends on your expertise and experience if you do trekking of hours, days or trips of several days in the mountains and if you are alone in the city I recommend you go with an organized tour for security reasons.

There are difficult routes due to their location, some mountains above 2500mnsn as the hills Provincia, La Cruz, and San Ramon.

If you want to venture to higher mountains the area to consider is Farellones. There you’ll find El Pintor, Leonera and Cerro Plomo, a place known for the archeological Inca ruins found in this area.

Check HERE my list with the best places to stay in Santiago, including Hotels and Neighborhoods

If you plan to do Trekking in Santiago I recommend you to keep in mind the following:

• Ensure the availability of water and food in place, many of these trails require several hours to visit them and it’s hard to find a store near many of the trekking areas.
• Protect your skin and eyes from sunlight. Since the radiation is very high in this part of the country the constant use of sunscreen and sunglasses is a must.
  Almost all of these places have little shade and you’re most of the time under the sun.
  
• For safety reasons always go accompanied to these destinations.
  In some of these hills have even registered some assaults to visitors, so it’s a good idea to always go in groups.
  It is better to have someone else to help you if you get sick or injured as well.
  For a group organized hike you can BOOK HERE to visit Cajón del Maipo and San José volcano.
• Consider the weather between winter and summer. The mountain weather is different from the city and temperatures and visibility changes a lot during the day as well as the landscape.
  You can start your trek with sunshine and end with snow and fog.
  In winter, many of these places will have snow.

 

These are some of the best places for trekking in Santiago

This selection is based on my favorite places between which I have visited and performed Trekking in Santiago, but as I still lack enough experience in mountain and have not been to all, I’ve had someone collaborating this article, a mountain and photography lover you can check more Gaston shots in his Instagram account.

• Cerro San Cristóbal y Parque Metropolitano
  
• Cerro Manquehuito
  
• Cerro Manquehue
• Cerro Pochoco
• Parque Natural Aguas de Ramón y Salto de Apoquindo
• Parque Cordillera Yerba Loca
• Parque Mahuida
• Parque Puente Ñilhue
• Parque El Morado

1.Cerro San Cristóbal y Parque Metropolitano

Located in the heart of Santiago, this is undoubtedly the most visited hill in the Chilean capital.
While it is not considered as an icon of trekking itself, it is a good starting point to get a first impression of the geography of Santiago and appreciate the different summits that you can visit.

Within the busiest area, almost all trekking trails are closed due to security issues, so all the walking paths are well-paved roads, a benefit for bikers.

San Cristobal is a must in the journey around Santiago if you get there from Pio Nono Street, there are a few food shops where you can try the unique and refreshing Mote con Huesillos. The Virgin of the hill protects the city and you can get to this point by feet or in the historical Funicular.

The park has different entrances, being the one in Pedro de Valdivia street one of the less visited. From there you can reach one of the most attractive and low difficulty trail leading to the viewpoint El Sauce.

Within the Metropolitan Park, there are small gardens and theme parks very beautiful and worth visiting. My favorites are the Japanese and Botanical Garden.

For more information www.senderosdechile.cl

2. Cerro Manquehuito

One of my favorite places that I was introduced by my friend Roberto Antezana when I went back to Chile after a long journey through Asia and Europe. I have spent many evenings watching the beauty of nature, the sunset, and the city lights.

It is in the middle of the city of Santiago in the sector Lo Curro and low difficulty. A beautiful place for its vegetation and besides the great view we have of Santiago and the Andes at the same time.

The trek to the summit of Manquehuito (which is 1316 meters high) lasts 2 hours return and access is free!

HOW TO GET THERE

You need to get first to Gran Via street and then climb Vía Roja Road, in the same place you’ll find the access to Manquehue hill. On the weekends, it can be a lot of traffic so try to arrive early if you go by car.

3. Cerro Manquehue

Within the same area where is located Manquehuito you’ll find Manquehue Hill. This mountain is visible from most of the city of Santiago with a characteristic volcano shape, it’s one of the places most “santiaguinos” go to begin training at a certain altitude.

With 1635 meters, Manquehue has a medium difficulty level, with significant slopes, the Manquehue hill is for those who already have some level of training in the body.

The trekking in Manquehue has about 4 hours long and requires a certain level of training. The terrain is very steep and so many pebbles quite slippery, it is recommended to use good shoes and poles.

Despite being one of the busiest and not to be trusted because there are multiple routes and is very easy to miss the main trail.

HOW TO GET THERE

You have to follow the same route to enter the Manquehuito.

 

4. Cerro Pochoco

If you want your first experience with a medium intensity trekking Cerro Pochoco is the ideal place to know your limits, if you can think this is fine you can choose others like Cerro Provincia.  You can have a nice view of the city as well as the flora and fauna of the central zone.

The level of difficulty is average. Keep in mind it is a busy place, especially during the weekends.
It has a height of 1,804 meters and a duration: 4hrs (round trip).

HOW TO GET THERE

To get to Pochoco you need to head to San Enrique Square, where the municipality of Lo Barnechea is, and take the Pastor Fernandez street. After traveling to km 1.8,  turn left on El Alto road towards Achaya Observatory.  After another 1.8 km, you will reach the end of the road at the height of 18.390, where there are parking lots at the entrance at the foot of Pochoco Observatory.

5. Parque Natural Aguas de Ramón y Salto de Apoquindo

This large park has three trails options each with different intensity and duration. At the end of the trail, there is a beautiful waterfall of about 20 meters. It is an intermediate level route as the terrain is simple but is long-lasting.

From the entrance from La Reina district, you can access two paths: El Canto del Agua, with low difficulty and covered in half an hour.

El Paso Los Peumos, a path of medium difficulty and is traversed in 3.5 hours. This is the path that can take you back along the same route or take an alternate route that starts at a suspension bridge and connected to the same starting point.

The path that leads to the Salto de Apoquindo is the longest and most difficult. It takes about 7 hours (about 9km) so I recommend starting it early has some demanding sections. At the end is the Cascada Salto de Apoquindo.

If you prefer to walk alone back along the same path as most take the route of the suspension bridge to return. Here you’ll find composting toilets available just before the waterfall.

HOW TO GET THERE

To get here, the access is down the street Alvaro Casanova has a value of $ 1,500 for adults and $ 500 for children under 8 years and older.

For more information check their website www.asociacionparquecordillera.cl

 

6. Parque Cordillera Yerba Loca

Located just 35 km from Santiago city center, Yerba Loca Park is one of the classic places to visit in the capital area, with a mountain environment, you can see native flora and fauna.

If your goal is to make a visit for the day is recommended to reach the waterfalls that are just before the rise of Piedra Carvajal, which is 3280msnm.

In winter, it is one of the best places to practice ice climbing. This first part of the trail is of medium difficulty, especially for the length, it takes about nine hours to walk to the glacier. After this point, it is possible to make a trek to La Paloma Glacier, which has a distance of 13km, which is necessary to spend the night in the place.

An important detail is that the water that crosses the valley in Estero Yerba Loca is undrinkable and has toxic waste, so you have to carry water for the route.

If you prefer to take a guided trip, you can BOOK HERE and enjoy a wonderful day in the Andes with this guided hike through the valley with fresh mountain air and spectacular views.

HOW TO GET THERE

Yerba Loca Park is located at the Andes mountains, in Farellones road.

You can make a visit for the day or camp also in place, it has basic facilities. The value of the tickets is $ 1,500 for children and $ 2500 for over 12 years.

For more info, you can check their facebook

7. Parque Mahuida

This park has direct access to the hills La Cruz and Ramon, and if you want to make a long crossing you could even reach the Provincia.
There are in place nine different routes: Sendero Collihuay, Sendero de los poetas, Sendero El Litre, Sendero El Espino, Sendero El Guayacan, Sendero Quillay, Romerillo and Sendero de Chile. The Sendero de Chile is the largest walking distance.

The trail to Cerro La Cruz is the most difficult and requires great physical effort. It lasts 12 hours, 7km from the entrance in very steep terrain, with areas that have little to do rock climbing. You will also be exposed all the time to heat and sun.

HOW TO GET THERE

The entrance to Mahuida Park is located in the commune of La Reina at Avenida Alcalde Fernando Castillo Velasco. The entry has a value of $ 3,500 per car and includes up to 6 people and $ 500 per person for pedestrians. It has a picnic area with a value of $ 15,000 for 10 people.

8. Parque Puente Ñilhue

The Ñilhue Park is a mountain area where you can perform activities ranging from hiking, environmental education activities and observation of flora and fauna of the area as romerillos, culpeo foxes, vizcachas, and reptiles.

Has hiking and trekking routes of medium difficulty high, the first challenge circuit overlooking El Naranjo is medium to high difficulty and the estimated time of ascent is about five hours. In this sector also accessed by the Parque San Carlos de Apoquindo.

If you need more adventure you can move forward to continue to the summit of Cerro Province, a privileged place to observe condors. One of the landmarks of lovers of high mountains, with a higher level of difficulty. You must be somewhat trained to climb to the summit, considering only to the summit it takes almost 6 hours of walking, which is located one height of 2,750 meters.

To get to Cerro San Ramon program must spend the night in the mountains because to get to the top you need x hours. As you descend you can connect to the Cerro La Cruz and reach Mahuida Park.

HOW TO GET THERE

The Ñilhue Park is located in the Andes, on the road to Farellones, you enter the same road that marks the access to Cerro Province.
The value of income is $ 1,500 adults and $ 500 for children under 8 years and older. The value per person per day camping (located near the 2000mt) is $ 1,500.

9. Cajón del Maipo and El Morado Glacier

The mountain natural reserve of El Morado is located in the Metropolitan area in the Municipality of San Jose de Maipo. It is managed by the CONAF and has over three thousand acres. The area of “Baños Morales” was created in 1974. Within the natural reserve, you can do outdoor activities from hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding, and camping.

The most visited trekking trail in the area is heading to the Laguna Morales and the base of San Francisco Glacier. It is an intense hike cause its length and inclination, but with low difficulty. It is an easy walk for children and adults who are in good physical condition. They are about 8 kilometers that can be completed in four hours at a normal pace.

You can read my full experience HERE

 

 

 

Have you visited any of these places?

Do you have a favorite for trekking in Santiago that is not on this list?

(Updated August 2019)