Santiago de Chile Chile de Finde
The sea stacks of Punta de Lobos rising out of the Pacific beside the cliff, in Pichilemu.

169 km from Santiago · straight line

Punta de Lobos

The sea stacks, the Pacific and the best sunset on the route.

  • Idea
  • A weekend

Photograph: Bastiancortezz · CC BY-SA 3.0

Why it's worth the trip

Because it changes the register of the whole route. After so much mountain, the Pacific reminds you that Chile is also a very long coastline.

Landscape

At Pichilemu, two rock stacks rise out of the water in front of a low cliff and a headland of cacti. It is one of Chile's best-known surf spots — declared a World Surfing Reserve in 2017 — but it works just as well for people who never get in the water: you come to watch the sea break from above.

  • Coast
Sunset at Punta de Lobos with cacti in the foreground and the ocean behind.
Sunset at Punta de Lobos with cacti in the foreground and the ocean behind. Photograph: Jorge Mallen · CC BY-SA 3.0

What the trip could look like

A night in Pichilemu, sunset at the sea stacks and a long unplanned beach morning.

A possible format, not yet a trip with a date.

A good fit if

  • Anyone wanting sea rather than mountains
  • Groups after a relaxed weekend
  • Photography

Maybe not if

  • Anyone expecting warm water: the Chilean Pacific is cold year-round

Worth knowing

  • The afternoon wind is constant; bring a windbreaker.
  • The rocks on the point get slippery at high tide.

Sources

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