We’re just shy of 3 weeks living here in Santiago, and this Saturday we decided it was time to venture out of the valley and into the Andes. There are many reasons we were drawn to the opportunity to live and work here in Santiago, but high on the list was accessibility to some incredible hiking. Matt and I share a love of the outdoors, and while a trail up a mountain can be physically exhausting, there are few things I find more mentally relaxing.
We’re still getting our bearings here, so we set our sights on what looked like both a challenging, but relatively straightforward hike about 1.5 hours outside the city limits. We loaded up our backpacks with snacks, water, sunscreen and our cameras and set out for Monumento National El Morado.
Getting There:
While the going was slow on some winding, mountain roads, navigation to the trailhead of Monumento el Morado was actually very simply. Once outside the city, you essentially just follow the Camino el Volcan (G-25) all the way to a small mountain town of Baños Morales, which serves as the entry point for the park. Based on the research we did beforehand, it looked like much of this road was unpaved, but were pleasantly surprised to find it paved and easy to navigate all the way to a parking area just outside of Baños Morales. Google/Apple maps don’t know exactly where to take you and the Baños Morales on the map is actually further east than the small village that leads up to the trail.
The easiest way to navigate using GPS is to drop a pin directly below the park or simply follow the Camino Volcan until you see a sign for the Monumento el Morado on the left side of the road. From here, the road turns a little more rustic. You’ll find a small parking area just before you reach a bridge that will take you over the river and into Baños Morales. You can actually follow the road all the way into the village, but it’s a relatively steep incline up a dirt road, and without 4WD, we decided to just leave our car on the other side of the bridge and walk in.
From Baños Morales, it’s a short walk to the trailhead. Just follow the signs toward the Monumento, and you will find a small booth where you can pay the feel (5,000 pesos for foreigners, 2,500 for locals), grab a trail map and begin your hike.
The Hike
Once you have arrived and paid your fee, it’s up the mountain you go. The park has just one main trail, an out and back hike with 3 attractions along the way at the 3, 6 and 8km marks. The incline is never too steep for an extended period of time, but it’s a pretty constant uphill and we were definitely feeling it afterwards. Don’t forget to bring sunscreen or a hat along, as there is no cover or shade along the way, save for a stray cloud here or there.
On the way up you have a constant view of San Francisco Glacier, as well as views of the Morales Lagoon. Temperatures outside of the valley were a little lower than in the city, and there was a nice breeze, which helped keep us comfortable under then abundant sunshine.
Overall, it was a great to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, breathe in some fresh mountain air and take in some amazing views. Hopefully this is the first of many hikes in the Andes. I’ll let the pictures do the talking from here on out, but keep an eye out for more posts as we continue to explore the hiking and camping the Santiago area has to offer.
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