Cajon del Maipo/Embalse del Yeso, Tradition Folk Picnic included
Description
Discover the magic of the Andes on a full-day adventure to Cajón del Maipo. Travel in a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle from Santiago toward San José de Maipo, passing charming mountain villages as your expert guide shares local stories and traditions. Enjoy specialty coffee by the Maipo River (breakfast not included) before visiting the breathtaking Embalse El Yeso, where turquoise waters meet dramatic peaks. Our coordinated visit with Parque Cordillera ensures a safe experience, including an easy marked trail and panoramic viewpoints. Experience rural Andean life: photograph baby goats and native wildlife, taste fresh goat cheese, artisanal honey, and traditional alfajores, and browse local crafts. Meet locals in traditional Chilean attire, enjoy live folk dance, and savor an included picnic with cheeses, charcuterie, snacks, juice, and a wine toast. Return to Santiago around 6:00 PM.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Cajón del Maipo is a canyon located in the Andean southeastern portion of the Santiago Metropolitan Region. It encompasses the upper Maipo River basin, where the river has entrenched itself in a narrow valley. The zone features a series of confluent rivers such as El Volcán River, Yeso River and Colorado River, as well as other minor streams, including San Gabriel, Manzanito, Coyanco, El Sauce, El Manzano and San José. The main locality is San José de Maipo, capital of the commune that includes all of the Andean sector of the Metropolitan Region
This sector actually corresponds to the “El Yeso Reservoir”, a formidable body of water located over 2,000 m.a.s.l. , it has a capacity of 250,000,000 m3, and a depth of 55 meters. In its emerald green waters, it is possible to practice various water sports such as wind-surfing and sport fishing, all surrounded by gigantic mountains. In this place you are going to enjoy the picnic.
Once we enter the G-25 route, the first town we will know is La Obra, this sector had its beginnings in 1802 because of the tasks that were carried out during the construction of the San Carlos canal, whose mouth was born in the Maipo river.
Our next destination corresponds to the town of El Canelo, which owes its name to the sacred tree of the Mapuches, which is also found in the wet streams existing in the sector. From here you can access the Purgatory Hill with 2,466 meters high and also enjoy wines and spirits from the area.
El Manzano is the fourth town that we can find in the Cajon del Maipo. It offers to the visitors sectors that invite to travel between boldos, thorns and quillayes, the estrus existing in the sector.
It is the second town we will visit, its dawn dates back to 1941 as a result of the lot of an old farm. Currently typical products such as almonds, honey, nuts and quartz crystals, meet the visitor at the sides of the road
The identity of this town encourages visitors to enjoy their beautiful natural surroundings more and more peacefully, which in some sectors is confused with the picturesqueness of their local architecture. In addition to enjoying wines and spirits from the Area
San Gabriel emerged as a small village born from livestock activities and the exploitation of quarries and mines. In this town it is possible to observe on the rocky slopes of the hills the "Cypress of the Cordillera", one of the few existing confieras in the country. A great attraction are “Los rodados de San Gabriel”
Locality that arose from the need to have natural pastures to feed the animals that came down from the mountain range. In this place you can enjoy a beautiful landscape that invites you to travel and enter the sector to enjoy more full contact with nature
Casa Chocolate is one of the most charming and photographed spots in Cajón del Maipo
Departure from Santiago city
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Departure Point: Your Santiago accommodations in the districts of Providencia, Las Condes (hotels area), Vitacura (hotels area) , or Santiago Centro, or at another meeting point in those districts Dates: Daily Return point: Returns to original departure point
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Must be of legal drinking age to consume alcoholic beverages
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- Assumes no responsibility for events that are not attributable whatsoever to the tour like disease, strikes, weather conditions, natural disasters, riots or any other cause beyond our control
- There can be changes on pick up time according mountains conditions of the day
Reviews(3,022)
Awesome day. Our guide, Diego, made it even better
Thank you so much for your review! We’re delighted to hear you had an awesome day and that Diego made the experience even better. We’ll be happy to share your kind words with him! We hope to welcome you again on another adventure in Chile, MTO TOUR TEAM.
Nothing short of amazing. I hate when reviews don't capture the essence of an experience, but you will be so extremely fulfilled after this experience. I booked this sporadically the night before and the price was unbelievably reasonable. Like please tip, they deserve more for all the work they put in. You couldn't get this price like anywhere else in the world for all that's included.. (wine, goat cheese, chocolate, snacks, the tour, etc) They communicated so well. They called me, waited for me to come out, and Edison and his team were so inviting. I had the best time of my life. We went literally everywhere, we laughed, we got to experience it to the fullest. The group was a perfect size, not too overwhelming and you have room to ask questions freely. When booking, the length sounds long but it breezes by so fast, (sadly)..You can genuinely tell Edison loves his job. He's passionate about what he does and he made the experience almost 10x better. If you're questioning going on this excursion, please take it from me; DO NOT MISS IT!!! I had the best time of my life and I plan on coming back. Edison your warmth changes lives, please don't lose it💓💖💞 I hope to do this again soon. So grateful.
Thank you so much for such an incredibly heartfelt review! We’re truly delighted to know that the experience exceeded your expectations and that you enjoyed every part of the journey. It’s especially wonderful to hear how Edison’s passion, warmth, and dedication made such a difference. We’ll be sure to share your beautiful words with him and the entire team. Thank you for trusting us with such a special day, and we’ll be thrilled to welcome you back in Chile, MTO TOUR TEAM.
Loved the experience and everyone should see the beauty of Cajun del maipo at least once in their life. Im thankful for our tour guide Edison for being an excellent guide and giving us a once in a lifetime experience. He was extremely helpful, considerate and patient.
Thank you so much for your review! We’re thrilled to hear that you loved your experience in Cajón del Maipo and that Edison made your day so special with his helpfulness. We’ll be happy to share your kind words with him! We hope to welcome you again in Chile, MTO TOUR TEAM.
Our guide ignacio is amazing, the tour was very good and the picnic was great!!!
Muito obrigado pela avaliação! Ficamos muito felizes em saber que o Ignacio tornou o passeio ainda mais especial e que vocês aproveitaram o passeio e o picnic. É ótimo saber que tudo saiu tão bem! Esperamos recebê-los novamente em uma próxima aventura pelo Chile! MTO TOUR TEAM.
When we booked the trip to the Andes. Communication and updates were given right away. All the questions that we had were answered immediately by the tour company. Me and my husband had a beautiful experience that we will never forget. Everlasting memories were created. The experience is electric.
The price-quality comparison is not that good for the experience, the tour was not complete due to external situations, however this was not notified in advance, therefore it made the experience something precarious, nor was any solution provided in this regard.
Gracias por compartir tu opinión. El itinerario puede verse afectado por condiciones externas, especialmente climáticas y de acceso, que pueden impedir realizar algunas visitas por seguridad. En estos casos, adaptamos el recorrido según las condiciones disponibles para ofrecer la mejor alternativa posible. Tomamos en cuenta tu comentario sobre la comunicación previa para seguir mejorando, MTO TOUR TEAM.
A well-diversified tour with great stops providing us to know a lot in a short time. Our guide Ignatius was very attentive and friendly, just compliments.
Muito obrigado pela avaliação! Ficamos muito felizes em saber que você aproveitou a diversidade do passeio e as diferentes paradas. É ótimo saber que o Ignacio tornou a experiência ainda mais especial com sua simpatia e atenção. Agradecemos muito pelos elogios e esperamos recebê-lo novamente em uma próxima aventura pelo Chile! MTO TOUR TEAM.
The walk was amazing! Our guide, Ignatius, was a dear one. It transformed the experience that is already good into something even better. I recommend!
Muito obrigado pela avaliação! Ficamos muito felizes em saber que o passeio foi incrível e que o Ignácio tornou a experiência ainda mais especial com sua simpatia e carinho. Agradecemos muito pela recomendação e esperamos recebê-lo novamente em uma próxima aventura pelo Chile! MTO TOUR TEAM.
The tour was very nice, everything happened within the expected.
Muito obrigado pela avaliação! Ficamos felizes em saber que o passeio foi agradável e ocorreu conforme o esperado. Esperamos recebê-los novamente em uma próxima aventura pelo Chile! MTO TOUR TEAM.
We ended up doing the alternative route due to an avalanche but it was fantastic, so much packed in the day definitely recommend!
