Valle Nevado
Central Chile is a region of Chile.
Cities
34°15′0″S 71°12′0″W
Map of Central Chile- 1 Santiago – capital city
- 2 Los Andes
- 3 Pichilemu – laid-back town with beaches and surfing
- 4 Pomaire
– handicrafts, rather commercial - 5 Melipilla – best place to drink chicha, a homemade alcoholic wine-like drink
- 6 Quintay
- 7 Rancagua
- 8 Reñaca – beach
- 9 Sewell – an old mining town
- 10 Talca – vast hiking east of it, including Descabezado Grande
- 11 Valparaíso – sea, hills and beautiful old houses
- 12 Viña del Mar – beaches, "The Garden City"
Other destinations
- 1 Algarrobo – home to the largest swimming pool in the world at the San Alfonso del Mar resort
- 2 El Colorado – ski area
- 3 Juan Fernández Islands
- 4 Portillo – ski
- 5 Radal Siete Tazas National Reserve – extraordinary bucolic paradise of waterfalls and lakes
- 6 Valle Nevado – ski area
- 7 Vilches
Understand
Climate
In central valleys the climate is essentially Mediterranean. This kind of climate is characterized by warm to hot, dry summers and mild to cool, wet winters.
Talk
The majority of the population speaks only Spanish. Just a few people, especially tourist guides, engineers and businessmen can speak fluent English. Nevertheless, many young people understand some simple English phrases and can start basic conversations since English has been more prioritized in the national curriculum in the last few years.
Get in
Get around
See
- 1 Lobería (100 m off the beach). Sea lions and seals seek their luck on this smallish island in front of Cobquecura. Great and without the usual expensive tour to see a place like this. If you got an optical zoom instead of just your smartphone, you will be in for some nice pictures. Free.
- 2 Iglesia de Piedra (Santuario de la naturaleza Islote y Loberia Iglesia de Piedra) (6 km north of Cobquecura). A large rock formation at the beach which is hollow inside, causing the common name. The size is quite impressive and you can climb up for a impressive view of the coast.
- 3 Quirihue. A small typical Chilean town with a small market during the week and a large one during Saturdays. It is quite nice to see how life runs besides the typical touristy places. Try out the restaurant between the two large green supermarkets on opposite sides in the centre—it looks nice.
- 4 Curanipe. A growing fishing village, where in the morning at the Playa San Pedro locals mix with tourists for the fish coming in from the sea for the best prices, and surfers and fisher boats fight (literally) for the best best space between the waves.
- 5 Pelluhue. A popular surfers' town along the coast south of Santiago de Chile.
Do
- Swim in the largest swimming pool in the world at the San Alfonso del Mar resort.
- Surfing. Everything between 13 Cobquecura and 14 Pelluhue , like Curanipe, Cardonal, Tregualemu and Buchupureo are exceptional surfing destinations and mirror the shape and conditions of the Californian coast on the northern side of the continent. This region is still a hidden gem and receiving a lot of state sponsoring for development. However, beaches and breaks are far from overrun and you can find many lone opportunities to try out your board.
- Hiking. To the east of Talca an area of vast hiking opportunities exist. Some highlights:
- 1 Descabezado Grande (3953 m).
- 2 Radal Siete Tazas National Reserve.
- 3 Altos de Lircay National Reserve.
- 4 Lengua de Vulcano.
- 5 Laguna La Invernada.
- 6 Cerro Azul.
- 7 Cerro Calabozos.
Buy
- 1 Large Supermarket, Cobquecura. Along to coast you mostly have the choice between small and very small mini-markets. In case you are looking for a decent supermarket with sizeable selection, try this one at the south when you enter the coastal region from Chillan.
Sleep
- 1 Ecolodge Ekilibre, Cardonal, ☏ 56984064596, ✉[email protected]. Inexpensive hostel with a friendly Chilean-French couple that offers tours, regional advice and lodging. Surf in summer, and ski in winter. Also: FB[dead link]. Dorm: CLP$6,000-8,000.