Chile de Finde
High mountain terrain in El Morado Natural Monument, Cajón del Maipo.

65 km from Santiago · straight line

El Morado

Real high mountain in Cajón del Maipo: a glacier, a lagoon and silence.

  • On the list
  • A day
  • Car or transfer recommended

Photograph: Javiera Pérez-Cotapos · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Cartography: OpenStreetMap

How to get there

Recommended option

Car or booked transfer to Baños Morales, high up the Cajón del Maipo.

Car or transfer recommended

Departure point
Santiago, all the way up the Cajón del Maipo
Arrival point
Baños Morales, natural monument entrance
Final leg
From the entrance the whole route is on foot, gaining altitude.
Limitations
Short, snow-dependent season. There is a cut-off time for starting the climb.

Alternatives

  • An organised tour from Santiago
  • A shared booked transfer

Schedules, fares and conditions may change. Check the latest information before travelling.

CONAF — Nuestros ParquesDirections from SantiagoOpen in Google MapsView on OpenStreetMap

Reviewed: 2026-08-04 · Official source

Why it's worth the trip

Because it's the first destination that feels like an objective rather than an outing. And because having a glacier in sight this close to a capital city is rare.

Landscape

You enter at Baños Morales and climb an open valley to the lagoon, with the San Francisco glacier hanging on the far wall. This is the point on the route where the landscape stops being gentle: there is altitude, rock and wind here, and the group walks more quietly.

  • Mountain
  • Water
Mountain landscape in El Morado Natural Monument, near Baños Morales.
Mountain landscape in El Morado Natural Monument, near Baños Morales. Photograph: Nelson Pérez · CC BY-SA 3.0

What the trip could look like

A long outing with a guide or professional support: an early morning climb, the lagoon at midday and a return in daylight.

An idea of how the day would go.

A good fit if

  • Anyone already comfortable walking
  • A first taste of high mountain, properly accompanied

Maybe not if

  • A first-ever hike
  • Anyone who hasn't tested how altitude affects them

Worth knowing

  • This is high mountain terrain: we would only do it with a local guide or operator.
  • The access season is short and depends on snow.
  • The monument has CONAF-regulated access.

Sources

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