Maipo Canyon

The Maipo Canyon is an Andean canyon located in the southeastern part of the Metropolitan Region of Chile. It corresponds to the upper basin of the Maipo River (over 900 meters above sea level), where it is enclosed by hills, cliffs, and massifs. The area also has several confluences, such as the Volcán, the Yeso, and the Colorado, and other estuaries such as the San Gabriel, Manzanito, Coyanco, the Sauce, the Manzano, and San José. The main town is San José de Maipo, capital of the commune of the same name, which covers most of the mountainous sector of the Metropolitan Region.

We will depart from your hotel heading east of Santiago, towards the Andes Mountains, where we will climb a winding road to the high mountain range, with almond, agave, and cactus plantations, where honey, walnuts, and charcoal are sold. We will see the Maipo River, where rafting is practiced. Later, we will stop for a few minutes in the town of San José de Maipo, where we will see the plaza and the Catholic Church. The town of San José de Maipo was founded in 1792 by Governor Ambrosio O'Higgins, with the aim of creating a support settlement for the mining operations that were carried out at that time in the San Pedro Nolasco silver mine. Then going up the only road, we can stop at a stand where they sell hot chocolate and ice cream (Casa chocolate), on the way we will observe the mountains that have different types of shapes and composition of the rock, where we will also appreciate the San Jose volcano, it is located on the border between Chile (Metropolitan Region) and Argentina (Mendoza Province)