El Morado National Park & San Francisco Glacier: Day Hike from Santiago

The tour will start early in the morning from your hotel in Santiago around 8:00 a.m.

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 Natural Monument is a protected Andean valley in Cajón del Maipo. 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 part of the trail is the steepest. After that, the path becomes gentler, with open views of the valley, mountains and streams along the way.
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.

Return to your accommodation at 6:00 p.m.