El Morado National Park & San Francisco Glacier: Day Hike from Santiago
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El Morado National Park & San Francisco Glacier: Day Hike from Santiago
El Morado National Park & San Francisco Glacier: Day Hike from Santiago
Maipo Canyon, Santiago Region, Chile
Duration
10 hoursType
All AgesFrom US$
132 p/p
Tour Overview:
Colorful and warm Santiago immerses the traveler in a storm of bright colors and impressions. But what if the city's noise has already bored you, and you want to get away from it for several hours into the quietness of the mountains whose snow-capped peaks rise on the horizon? A hiking tour to El Morado Park and Glacier San Francisco is an excellent opportunity to make it happen.
The route is a 16 km out-and-back trail winding between steep rocks. The elevation gain during the trek is about 700 m. The rise to the foot of El Morado takes about 4 hours, but the descent takes half of this time. The route is well-marked, and the trek is considered easy-middle difficult.
Tour Highlights:
Cajón del Maipo
El Morado Park
Price Details:
| 1 guest | US$ 420 per Person |
| 2 guests | US$ 240 per Person |
| 3 guests | US$ 180 per Person |
| 4 guests | US$ 150 per Person |
| 5 guests | US$ 132 per Person |
Tour Includes
- ● English Speaking Guide
- ● Private Transportation
- ● Lunch box
- ● Bottled Water on Board
- ● El Morado Park ticket
Tour Excludes
Itinerary Details:
Santiago
The tour will start early in the morning from your hotel in Santiago around 8:00 a.m.
Transfer from Santiago to Cajón del Maipo (Baños Morales)
The private driver and local guide will take you 93 km southeast from Santiago to the small village of Baños Morales, the entrance to El Morado Park. The transfer will take about 2 hours.
El Morado National Park Hiking
El Morado Park is a romantic corner of the Andes. It covers an area of 3,000 hectares on the right bank of the River Volcán, one of the tributaries of the well-known Maipo River in the region. "El Morado" translates from Spanish as "the purple one." The name given to this beautiful valley comes from El Morado Mountain (5,060 m), whose dark slopes give the landscape a somber grandeur.
Our tour will continue right after registration for the trek.
The first half an hour of this requires effort as one goes uphill sharply. After that, the path flattens, and travelers can start on an almost flat trail, enjoying views, silence, and sweet mountain air.
Reaching the plateau, we can enjoy views of the colorful Andes, which look as if they are painted in shades of orange. This effect occurs due to rain and melting snow that dissolves iron compounds to flow down to the base in strange streaks. En route, we will commonly cross streams and pools where the water exhibits similar rusty and brick-colored markings on the rocks rising out of the water mineral springs with high levels of mineralization.
We continue our hike to the next stop - Morales Lagoon, which means three-quarters of the way; this lagoon has a malachite turning emerald color, depending on the light. And crystal clear to show on the bottom velvety carpets of algae. Here, we will take a rest and have a lunch box (which is included).
The main highlight of the El Morado hike is the San Francisco Glacier. If we are fast enough on our hike, we will reach the glacier's viewpoint, an hour's hike from the lagoon.
This viewpoint is our last stop before heading back.
Transfer from Baños Morales to Santiago
Santiago
Return to your accommodation at 6:00 p.m.