Andes tour from Santiago: Maipo Valley & El Yeso Reservoir

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1/9

Duration8h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · PT +1

PickupAt your hotel

Drive into the Andes and walk the reservoir shore on your own schedule

A full-day private tour from Santiago travels 62 miles southeast through Maipo Valley to El Yeso Reservoir at 2,500 meters, with hotel pickup, an English or Spanish-speaking guide, and a short walk around the lagoon followed by an outdoor picnic. The route follows the Maipo River through Andes foothills, stops at viewpoints for photographs, and passes through Cajón del Maipo on the return.

Step-by-step itinerary

Maipo Valley and El Yeso Reservoir tour

Private hotel pickup in Santiago
Drive through Maipo Valley and Andes foothills
Enjoy views of Maipo River and mountains
Visit Embalse El Yeso lagoon
Walk 2 km around the lagoon
Observe wildlife and take photos
Have a picnic overlooking mountains
Return with stops at viewpoints and San Jose de Maipo

The Experience

You get picked up from your hotel and driven southeast toward the Andes, following the Maipo River as it cuts through the valley. The road climbs gradually, and the Andes foothills come into view across the water. The drive itself is the route—62 miles of scenery without a schedule to keep or a group to wait for, just your guide, your driver and the landscape unfolding at the pace the road sets.

At El Yeso Reservoir, you walk about 2 kilometers around the lagoon shore. The walk is short enough that moderate fitness is all you need, and it puts you at the water's edge where the mountains frame everything. On clear days, condors and eagles move through the air above the water, and wild foxes sometimes appear in the scrub. After the walk, you sit down to an outdoor picnic with the mountains across the water. The return journey includes stops at viewpoints along Cajón del Maipo so you can photograph the valley from different angles before heading back to Santiago.

The tour runs eight hours door-to-door. Your guide speaks English or Spanish, so the commentary reaches you in whichever language works. Everything is arranged—the vehicle, the timing, the food—so the day holds together without you building it.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off from Santiago.
round-trip private vehicle transfer.
English or Spanish-speaking guide.
outdoor picnic snack at El Yeso Reservoir.
stops at viewpoints along Maipo Valley and Cajón del Maipo on the return drive.

Good to know

Moderate physical level

Operated by Huaso Tours & Bike Rental Santiago

Is this one for you?Your guide speaks English or Spanish, so the commentary reaches you clearly whether you are a first-time visitor to the Andes or returning to the region. The private vehicle means the pace is yours—you set how long to spend at each viewpoint and at the lagoon, without a group schedule to follow.