Where to begin? We booked this tour last minute after our original tour was canceled, and boy, are we glad we did! Nicholas met us at our hotel, and we were quite surprised that it was just going to be the three of us on our tour up to the ski resorts at Valle Nevado, which were surprisingly just outside of Santiago. We couldn’t have asked for better weather and got to see the sun starting to rise over the mountains as we wound our way up to the top. Nicholas told us about the area and how people bike up the mountain for exercise as we passed a few on the way. We stopped and were able to see some horses grazing on some of the slopes on our way up also. Being the off-season, there was no snow or ice on the ground, making the trip to the top surprisingly quick, but we were well acclimated by the time we got to the top. I was floored to see that we were 3,000 meters high or 9,842 feet above sea level. We parked at the ski resort area, which is comprised of two large hotels and some condominiums, and the first thing we saw was a beautiful fox crossing the parking lot, not seeming to mind that we were there. Because it was off-season, we were the only people there save for some of the workers that keep the buildings running. Nicholas told us about the condors that frequent the area, and after a few minutes, we saw several of them perching on the top of one of the hotels. After giving us some perspective on these majestic birds, we climbed a little further above the resorts to get some great views of the majestic mountain peaks in the distance, and Nicholas pointed out the glacier near one of the peaks. He told us the incredible story of the Incan Child and let us take all the time we wanted. He readily took photos whenever we asked and ensured we had everything we needed. We then looked back on the valley where the condors were circling the area, looking for food. As we headed back to the car, and after taking many photos and taking in the calm serenity of the area, we saw even more condors joining their search for a meal. We ended up spotting about 10-12 condors, which Nicholas told us was the most he had seen in his many years of giving guided tours up the mountain.
The tour could have ended there, and we would have been delighted, but there was one more surprise awaiting us. As we left the resort area, we headed back down the road,
but as we were about 800 feet below the resort, Nicholas took us off-road to the top of a cliff that overlooked the valley, where he started setting up a terrific picnic with wine, cheese, and snacks so we could all enjoy and take in the beauty of the area.
We were even able to see the city of Santiago in the distance! We talked, and Nicholas didn’t mind that I was able to mix into the conversation my rusty Spanish, learned so many years ago in high school and college. We talked about our different worlds, our
families, our pets, and the overall beauty of the surroundings. Overall, it was an amazing day, one of the very best we’ve ever had. It felt like we were the only people in the whole world at that moment, and the entire tour was more than we could ever have imagined. We highly, highly recommend this tour and especially Nicholas as your guide. Five stars for sure!
Wonderful trip to the Andes from Santiago, Great sights, mountains, views, condors, etc. and nice wine and snacks taking in the views.
Nicholas was a terrific tour guide, right on time for pickup and right on time for airport drop off. Highly recommend. Great final day in Chile. Could not have asked for a better experience!!!
This is a must do excursion when visiting Chile. Our tour guide Nicholas arrived to our hotel on time for the schedule. His car is clean and he made sure that our water is always replenished. The views in each of our 3 stops are breathtaking. We learned so much about Andes mountains and Chilean culture. Highest point we reached was 3000 meters above sea level. The tour concluded with an unforgettable wine and cheese snack overlooking the views from Andes mountain before head back to our hotel. Every item on our nicely dressed picnic table tastes so good. That includes the red wine. Thank you for this memorable experience.