Chilean El Morado Full Day Trek

 

After an 8am pick up from your hotel in Santiago, we head out of the city across the Maipo Valley and towards the Andes Mountains. It's surprising how quickly the grand metropolis of Santiago turns into countryside and busy avenues turn into small streets selling typical local produce. We arrive at a dirt road and take a secret detour which leads us up a mountain road and towards el Morado. The spectacular El Morado Reserve is nestled at the foot of a towering mountain, exemplifying the dramatic rock formations of the Andes. It's a truly breathtaking sight and one of the lesser known places in Chile, adding to the mystical mountain feel.

Picking our way through rocky slopes dotted with wildflowers, we begin our ascent. Condors soar overhead, with wingspans of up to 3 meters and smaller yellow Cometocinos fly by as we follow an icy river up through mountainous paths. After approximately 4 hours of moderate trekking we arrive at the summit and are met with the spectacular sight of an enormous glacier and glacial lake. We feast on a tasty box lunch while soaking up the view of the hanging glacier and its lagoon full of floating ice. Afterwards we begin our descent, arriving back at our van at around 19:00 hours, ready for the scenic ride back to our hotel in Santiago.