Chile is a long, narrow country bordered by the Andes Mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is known for its spectacular mountains, lakes, fjords, and the driest desert in the world.

We are excited to explore the country outside of the huge capital city, Santiago. For the past year, we have stayed in big cities and now we want to experience more natural areas. We won’t be able to visit all regions of the country but plan to explore as much as we can.

Santiago, where we are staying for two weeks, is a modern city of 5 million. The financial district has the tallest building in South America and there are modern malls with high-end retail stores, as well as numerous American chain restaurants. It is also hot, and the air is hazy during the summer (February is summer in the southern hemisphere).

A few days ago, we decided to get out of the city and explore a beautiful sight in the mountains.

Cajon Del Maipo

Cajon del Maipo, “Canyon of the Maipo River”, is a long stretch of mountain reserve along the river. People go there to see its glaciers, and to hike, camp and see wildlife. It’s also very close to the city of Santiago, making it a weekend destination for Chileans who want to escape the city.

Early one morning we went east out of Santiago into the Andes Mountains to explore the beauty and rugged terrain of the canyon. The canyon begins 16 miles southeast of the city but feels as though it’s worlds away.

We boarded a van and drove high into the mountains to El Morado Natural Monument. In the park, there are hot springs and the vast El Yeso Reservoir which provides water to farms and towns including Santiago.

For 3 hours we drove along the gorge, following the El Yeso River. During the summer, the river isn’t much more than a stream. Many of the glaciers that feed the river have been receding and the area receives less rainfall than in the past, which was evident in the dry landscape.

As we drove deeper into the gorge, the road became narrow and steep. The gravel road is really only a trail, wide enough for a single vehicle to pass. Rockslides can be common. Two years ago, tourists were killed on the trail from a rockslide and since that time, stopping along the trail is forbidden.

In the valley below, we could see mining operations for limestone and gypsum. The raw material is hauled out one truck at a time.

We passed through several small towns. There are some houses and small hotels uniquely designed like something right out of a Hansel and Gretel Fairy tale. We stopped at the “Chocolate House” for homemade ice cream and chocolates.

After a rough, bumpy ride we arrived and hiked the remaining distance to the mouth of the reservoir. The water is intensely blue due to the minerals in the river.

I was surprised by the number of people who had set up small tents and were relaxing.  The rocky landscape looked to me like a photo from Mars taken by MER (Mars Exploration Rover).

It was a beautiful day with blue skies and sun. Perfect for hiking! It wasn’t too hot either, as there was quite a breeze from the mountain.

Our tour guide set up a nice lunch with wine at the site which made it all the better to enjoy the landscape and peacefulness.

On our way back to the city, we stopped near a small waterfall. The glacier behind the falls higher up the mountain has receded to the point where we could hardly see it. The hot weather and climate change are having a significant impact on the glaciers and water supply in Chile.

The long ride home gave us a chance to relax and just enjoy the scenery.

Cousiño-Macul

When in Chile, you must visit at least one winery because Chile is known for its great wine. The area near Santiago provides the perfect climate to grow grapes.  In the past, we have toured vineyards in California and Italy. But our tour at the Cousiño-Macul winery was a true experience.

There are so many wineries around Santiago we didn’t know which one to choose. We decided upon Cousiño-Macul because it is so close to the city and it is one of the older vineyards in Chile. To this day, it is still family-owned and we saw the family’s private stock located on-site.

The winery is a museum of wine history. The original underground cellars are still intact, even after the large earthquakes that this area experiences.

There was a small fee to tour the winery, but it was well worth the price. Our private tour was led by a young man who was the director of tours for the winery. We began with a couple of glasses of wine before we started our tour. I think it was to help us relax.

As we progressed through the tour, we sampled more wine from the sampling displays set up through-out the winery.

When we finished, we went to a private room set up for us to try six more types of wine paired with cheese, dried fruits, and nuts.

Our guide explained each wine and what to pair the wine with. As we finished the six wines, he left and a few minutes later returned with a carafe of their special, reserve wine. Of course, we could not pass that up. We continued to sample the wines over and over until we felt like we had our fill.

We spent most of the day at the winery. After the tour and sampling of their wines, we roamed around the vineyards. Even though the winery was at the edge of town, we felt like we were out in the country. It was quiet and peaceful.

It was a great way to relax and spend a day in the “country”.