Oh, the Places You'll Go - Santiago Edition

CAJON DE MAIPO

From downtown to up in the mountains, and each of the quaint neighborhoods in between, Santiago de Chile has unlimited entertainment, dining, and adventurous opportunities.  Although my bucket list of to-do's has much more to see, I've had some time to explore my new home and the variety of scenes it offers.  My favorite by far has been my day trip just outside of Santiago to Cajon de Maipo.  About two hours outside of the city, we spent the day venturing through small quaint towns and villages and up to the snow caps of the Andes.  

The beginning of our journey we stopped for breakfast at Huevos de Oro for some eggs and bread (oh how the Chileans love their bread), warmed up with some coffee and tea, and geared up with our snow boots.  Next stop was the mountains.  On the way, we drove through a few of the villages of San José de Maipo and saw some of the old mining towns and villages.  Through each turn and winding curve, the vegetation slowly began to change with our increase in elevation.  Up the dirt roads to the landing, we hopped out and started our trek to the hot springs.  The weather is ever so changing, but we had happened to go a few days after some rainy days back in the city, where the mountains received some snow, so the continuation of the road had not yet been cleared to drive directly to the hot springs ...but that just made the adventure ten times more enjoyable!  Down the winding paths and through the snow, we saw lots of snow, passed a stream, some wild horses, and was greeted by a dog at the base of the hot springs.  We hiked our last little trek and dove right in.  The volcanic hot springs are warm all year round, and consist of a series of pools ranging in temperatures, flowing from one to the next.  The area itself has 5 volcanoes, which is why the hot springs stay so warm.  The relaxing waters and unbelievable views weren't the end of our journey.  We headed back  down the mountain to catch a glimpse of the sunset which was unbelievably beautiful to see peaking through the valleys and lighting up the snow caps and mountain tops.  With the never-end sights to be seen, the photos from my phone couldn't even capture half it's true beauty.  A must see in Santiago, and great adventure from the hustle and bustle of the city!