Cajón del Maipo & El Yeso Dam tour: Mountain views & tastings
Mountain views, local farms and a taste of Chilean countryside in one morning and afternoon
A full-day tour from Santiago into Cajón del Maipo and up to El Yeso Dam, with a bilingual guide, hotel pickup and round-trip transport. You'll stop at a working farm to meet llamas and horses, taste goat cheese and honey, visit a chocolate maker, and end with a picnic of local food and beer while learning about Chilean history and traditions.
Step-by-step itinerary
Explore Cajón del Maipo and El Yeso
- Breakfast in the mountains
- Visit El Yeso Reservoir viewpoint
- See local fauna at The Romeral
- Optional lunch with various options
- Stop at chocolate house for pastry
- Enjoy Chilean cultural feast and games
What’s included
- Tour guide in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
- round-trip hotel pickup and air-conditioned transport.
- passenger insurance.
- basic picnic with cheese, wine and salty snacks.
- tastings of goat cheese, honey and alfajores at the farm.
- local beer and chocolate pastries.
Times
- Every day No fixed time
Before you book
Operated by Discover Santiago
Prices and times updated 2 days ago
Traveler reviews
The experience
The tour picks you up from your hotel in Santiago and heads into the Andes foothills toward Cajón del Maipo. The route climbs to El Yeso Dam, where the reservoir sits high in the mountains with views across the valley. The drive itself is part of the day. You travel in an air-conditioned vehicle with a guide who speaks English, Spanish or Portuguese and can adjust the pace to what your group needs.
At the Romeral, a working farm in the canyon, you meet the animals that live there: horses, goats and llamas. The farm also produces goat cheese and honey, which you taste along with alfajores, a local sweet. Later you stop at a chocolate house to try handmade pastries. Lunch is available at a restaurant with red meat, white meat and vegetarian options, though it's optional and not included in the tour price.
The afternoon wraps with a "Feast of Chileanity": a picnic with cheese, wine and salty snacks, plus local beer. The guide teaches you about Chilean geography and history, and there are traditional games, photos and small souvenirs. The whole day runs around eleven to twelve hours from pickup to drop-off. The tour suits any fitness level, and if weather turns bad, you can reschedule or get a full refund.
Is this one for you?Hotel pickup means you don't need a car or a way to reach a meeting point in Santiago. The van collects you and handles all the driving, so you can relax and let the guide navigate the mountain roads and the stops along the way.
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Top questions
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 8 years); Infant (under 3): free.
What happens if it rains?
It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.
What is the El Yeso Dam and why is it worth the drive up there?
El Yeso Dam is a high-altitude reservoir in the Andes above Santiago, and the viewpoint there is the centerpiece of the tour: the reason the route climbs so far into the mountains. The views across the reservoir and the valley below are what make the long drive worthwhile.
Do I need to arrange my own way to the tour, or does the pickup work from where I'm staying?
Hotel pickup is included, so the van collects you from your hotel, hostel or apartment in Santiago and brings you back at the end of the day. You don't need to arrange transport to a meeting point.
What happens at the farm, and is there time to interact with the animals?
At the Romeral farm in Cajón del Maipo, you meet horses, goats and llamas, and you taste the goat cheese and honey the farm produces. It's a working farm, not a petting zoo, so the time there is structured around the tastings and the animals that live there.
Is lunch included, and what are the options?
Lunch is optional and not included in the tour price. The guide stops at a restaurant where you can order red meat, white meat or vegetarian dishes if you want to eat. You can also bring your own food or skip lunch and wait for the picnic later in the afternoon.
What's in the picnic at the end, and is there alcohol?
The final picnic includes cheese, wine, salty snacks and local beer. It's part of the "Feast of Chileanity" section of the day, which also has traditional games and photos. Breakfast is not included, so eat before pickup if you want something in the morning.
Cajón del Maipo & El Yeso Dam tour: Mountain views & tastings
11h–12h · EN · ES · PT · at your hotel
from US$ 65 per person
Next, you choose your date and number of travelers and see the final price.