Things to do in

San José de Maipo

Discover Cajon del Maipo on a day trip from Santiago. Relax in the medicinal hot springs, enjoy a traditional Chilean barbeque, and see the stunning Veil of the Bride waterfall. Leave Santiago around 6:00 A.M. and head into the Andes to see a majestic sunrise. Cross the old train line and the Maipo river to enter Cajón del Maipo. Drive past picturesque towns before stopping at a restaurant for a delicious buffet breakfast. As you eat, marvel at a view of the volcano. After breakfast, continue through the hills to the natural hot springs of Termas Valle de Colina. Relax in 7 pools with temperatures ranging from 130ºF to 86ºF, heated by the nearby volcano. When you're ready, continue to several viewpoints and enjoy panoramic vistas of the volcano and mountains. Head back to the restaurant to enjoy a Chilean barbeque or empanadas, depending on the season and weather. As you eat, drink wines from central and southern Chile. Once you've finished eating, drive to the roaring Veil of the Bride waterfall, fed by the water of a nearby glacier. Return to Santiago around 4 P.M.

Depart Santiago and journey to the foothills of the Andes Mountains, where you will find the remote and peaceful Baños Colina. Depart at 07:00 for an estimated arrival time at San José de Maipo at 09:00. Admire the stunning beauty of the Maipo Canyon (Cajón del Maipo) along the way. Upon arrival at the volcano of San José de Maipo, take a 2-hour, 4-kilometer round-trip hike to a glorious viewpoint. Get breathtaking views of one of the most active volcanoes in the metropolitan region, and learn why the area is one of the world's most lively, geologically speaking. Stop for lunch and a glass of wine at 12:30 PM, and then continue to the hot springs of Baños Colina, located about 100 kilometers from Santiago at an altitude of 2,500 meters above sea level. Enjoy panoramic views of the Andes Mountains while sitting in a natural pool that can reach temperatures of 50°C. Return to Santiago at 3:30 PM for an arrival and drop off at approximately 7:00 PM.  

After a two-hour drive from Chile’s capital, arrive at a ranch in a small town on the banks of the Maipo River. Once there, get ready for a spectacular horseback riding adventure guided by “arrieros” (local cowboys). Enjoy the stunning views and admire the abundant flora and fauna from horseback. Scale narrow mountain trails and have a short break on a plateau while enjoying the gorgeous surroundings. Try to spot Chilean condors flying high in the sky. After horseback riding, have some free time for lunch. Then, visit internationally-renowned Concha y Toro Wine Vineyard in the picturesque town of Pirque. Walk around the gardens of the residence, discover the variety garden, visit their cellars, and taste a selection of three of their fine wines.

Cajón del Maipo & El Morado Piscina & SPA One of the most incredible experiences to enjoy during this time of the year. We will tour one of the main tourist attractions, the imposing “Cordillera de los Andes”, where Cajón del Maipo is located, a place that has been selected for four consecutive years as the “Best Adventure Tourism Destination in South America”, in the category of the World Travel Awards (WTA) 2018, also known as the “Oscars of Tourism”. Our experience begins, at our first stop, which is the Plaza de San José de Maipo, declared a National Monument of Chile. San José de Maipo was founded as a Villa by act of Don Ambrosio O'Higgins in 1792. The Governor of Chile and future Viceroy of Peru considered it necessary to give it the quality of Villa as a way to support the mining operations that took place in the area, in these mines there was an important production of silver, which was of great importance for the coffers of the colony. Then we continue towards the interior of the Cajón del Maipo, to San Alfonso, to the Casa del Chocolate, recognized for its great architecture in the zone, built 37 years ago at the hands of the Artist Sergio Andrade, who gave it life with recycled materials such as wood, clay and beautiful stones. Where visitors are now open to experience and enjoy natural products from the land without chemicals, there is an ice cream parlor and chocolate shop with unique products, led by Lorenzo Andrade, alongside his mother Liliana Astorga. After we are done enjoying this sweet stop, we continue with our exploration of the Andes Mountains towards the El Morado sector, where after approximately one hour we will arrive at our "Scenic photographic point", where we can come to understand how this Andean range came to be, one of the largest mountain systems in the world with minerals contained within it, such as copper and gypsum. To end our adventure in the mountain range, we arrive at El Morado Lodge & Spa, it is located in one of the Precordilleran Villages of the Cajón del Maipo in Lo Valdés, it is the first self-sustaining hotel in the area, located in one of the highest points of the Cajón del Maipo, it houses a restaurant, fitness center, spa center, sauna, Turkish baths, indoor pool. In this beautiful place we will enjoy a "healthy lunch" and then we will have time to enjoy its pools surrounded by nature.

Start the day with a visit to Concha y Toro Wine Vineyard in the picturesque town of Pirque. The founder was Don Melchor Concha y Toro who brought the first vines from the Bordeaux region in France to Chile that grew prosperously in the Maipo River basin. Walk around the gardens of the residence, discover the variety garden, visit their cellars, and taste a selection of three of their fine wines. Then, have some free time for lunch at a quaint restaurant in the Andean village of San Jose de Maipo. In the afternoon, enjoy a 50-minute continuous succession of whitewater rapids, the longest rafting experience on the Maipo River. Get ready for adventure with class 3 and 4 rapids, spectacular Andes Mountains scenery, and relentless heart-pumping whitewater.