Spanish Courses in Santiago & Valparaiso, Chile

El Morado Natural Monument, Andes Mountain Range
From Santiago we set off to San José de Maipo, a little town where you can take a break and then start following the Río Maipo Valley up to Baños Morales. Total hiking time: 6 hours (medium difficulty). We'll reach a mountain lake within the first 3 hours, with a view of the impressive Cerro "El Morado" which is 5,060 "meters above sea level" and with an impressive view of its two glaciers. Within 40 minutes you'll reach the foot of the glaciers.

El Roble Hill, Coast Mountain Range
Tour to the highest peak of the Coast Range, Cerro El Roble (2,200 meters) with a spectacular view of "Monte Aconcagua" (6,983 meters) and the Pacific Ocean to the west. We pass through Caleu, an old native village that had a period of prosperity due to its gold-mines. In autumn the colors of the "Roble" forests are amazing. We also visit olive and cactus farms in the Til-Til district.

El Morado Glacier, Andes Mountain Range
From Santiago we set off to San José de Maipo. From there we follow the Río Maipo up to the Cajón del Río Arenas. We hike for about 2.5 hours at medium difficulty to the most accessible glacier in central Chile. The glacier falls with ice walls of 15 meters high into a lagoon, where you can see ice blocks floating in its muddy waters. If the season's conditions are good, we hike up to the foot of the glacier. Which is situated at 3,200 m.a.s.l. Warm clothes are important.

Dama Island, Humboldt Penguins National Reserve
Day 1: We leave Santiago at night to reach La Serena within 7 hours. Here we take a coffee-break. We continue to the Chañaral Island where you can find the only colony of warm water dolphins observable from a boat. Later, we return to Punta de Choros Wharf where we take a boat to the Dama Island and set up for camping.

Day 2: We hike through the island and explore the flora and fauna, particularly the Humboldt penguins. You can take a bath, swim or just relax at the beach. We also prepare our meal together during this time.

Day 3: We leave the island at 12:00am. The return trip to Santiago takes 9 hours.

"La Campana" National Park. Ocoa Palms area.
From Santiago we take the Panamericana Norte highway to La Campana National Park, Ocoa area, 5th Region. There are only two forests of Chilean palms and the largest can be found here. The park offers local vegetation of exceeding beauty. A hiking trail of 6 km (2 hours) leads us to a beautiful cascade. The return takes another 2 hours.

"Radal Siete Tazas" Nacional Reserve. 7th Region.
The park is administrated by CONAF and is located in the 7th Region. Its importance relies on the endangered species you can find there such as Mountain Cypress, Luma Blanca, Maitén, Roble, etc. Furthermore, you can find a rich fauna such as Pudús, mountain lions, foxes, vizcachas, etc. Among the birds: Black Woodpeckers, Condors, Peregrine Falcons, etc. There are cascades like the 40 meters high “Velo de la Novia” and the 25 meters high “Salto de la Leona”. The Siete Tazas are a geological formation of the Río Claro, with seven basins and seven cascades, surrounded by local vegetation. The Parque Inglés is another beautiful area within a pre-mountain landscape, which offers pleasant hikes through the forest and bathing areas in the river.

Day 1: In the evening we go to Radal (5 hours) and set up camp in the forest.

Day 2: We leave the sector to visit the “Velo de la Novia”, the “Salto de la Leona” and the “Siete Tazas” to reach the “Parque Inglés” where we set up our second camp.

Day 3: There is a 3 hour hike through the forest of Robles and Coigues. At 3 p.m. we return to Santiago.

El Yeso Dam and Termas del Plomo Reservoir, Andes Mountain Range
We pass through the Cajón del Maipo to El Yeso, a supply dam with water of an intense turquoise color, which took ten years to construct. There we can find high mountain landscapes, surrounded by snowy peaks and glaciers. We continue on a moderate road up to Termas del Plomo in an altitude of 3,000 meters, which consists of natural basins with a temperature of 22º C, where you can take a bath. From there we hike two hours to a beautiful lake in the mountains with crystal-clear water. Warm clothes are important.

Quintay Wharf. Central Coast.
We take Route 68 to the Central Coast through the valleys of Curacaví and Casablanca. There we walk through an area of farmland and forests, finally reaching a gorgeous beach and a bay with an industrial history, and a traditional fishing village. Beside the coast you can see the ruins of an old whaling facilities, which was intended for the hunting and processing of these mammals. Today, it's a museum with some information and pictures of its whaling history. By the sea you can find typical restaurants serving fresh fish and seafood.

Isla Negra: House of Pablo Neruda. Central Coast.
From Santiago we set off, through the valleys of Curacaví and Casablanca, to the Central Coast where we visit the spa El Quisco and its bay. Later on, we visit the museum of the house of Pablo Neruda, Nobel Prize winner of Literature, in Isla Negra and have lunch in the port of San Antonio. Returning to Santiago, we stop at the village of "Pomaire", where we have a look at the shops of traditional arts and clay handcrafts.

La Serena, Valle del Elqui and Cerro Tololo Observatory.
Day 1 - Friday: In the evening, we depart from Santiago and within 7 hours we reach the beautiful city of La Serena, where we sleep in a hostel.

Day 2 - Saturday: On the way to Valle del Elqui we visit the Cerro Tololo Observatory at 9:30 am. Then we have lunch in Vicuña. In the afternoon we visit some villages and Pisqueras to get familiar with the production of Pisco. Later on, we return to La Serena.

Day 3 - Sunday: In La Serena we visit the art market La Recova and its great hotel facilities. In Coquimbo we visit the English Quarter, reminding us of its colonial past. From there, we visit the Cross of the 3rd millennium, a building of monumental status in the shape of a cross. The entrance to this building is located in one end of the cross and houses a museum, with a spectacular view point. This structure is considered the tallest in the country.

Comuna de Peñalolen
This district is located at the foothills of Santiago. Here we have various options: We can visit the "Parque por la Paz" (Peace Park) and the former Villa Grimaldi, historical site that during the Pinochet dictatorship, served as a torture center. Another possibility is to visit the Parque José Arrieta, National Monument and location of the SEK University, which has beautiful gardens and springs. In the house of Mario Irarrazaval, a regional sculptor, you can see an exhibition of his artworks. You can also make a trip to the Quebrada de Macul, and go horse riding or visit the winery of Cousiño Macul.

Valparaiso, World Cultural Heritage.
We take Route 68 through the valleys of Curacavi und Casablanca. In Valparaíso we visit the museum of the house of Pablo Neruda, Nobel Prize winner of Literature, called "La Sebastiana". Afterwards, we pass by the picturesque and typical view points of the city and use some of the old elevators or funicular railways dating from the 19th century, which were declared World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO in 2003. After lunch we make a boat tour through the bay.

Ski Centers
Option1: A tour to meet the different ski centers around Santiago: Valle Nevado, El Colorado, La Parva and ending up at Farellones to take a hot chocolate.

Option 2: A full-day ski tour to Valle Nevado, El Colorado or La Parva. It includes transport, ski rental and ticket.