Glacier Hike At El Morado Glacier, From Santiago

Was a really good hike I was picked up on time the guys with rate and very accommodating overall was a great tour.

This was a fantastic adventure in the Andes. Our guide Laura communicated our pick up details the day before and updated regularly the morning of. Our original itinerary had to be adjusted slightly due to the summer heat, but the team took us to an alternate site adjacent and we had an excellent hike that was just the right mix of rugged terrain and easy hiking around a little valley. During the whole trip Laura and her partner guide offered key knowledge about the local flora, fauna, geology, and history of the area. The team did an excellent job of keeping the group together, managing different abilities, and still sharing a tremendous amount of knowledge. I would absolutely recommend this hiking trip and Laura and her partners.

This tour was advertised as a trip to the San Francisco Glacier, which was the main reason I booked it. Unfortunately, we did not reach the glacier at all. The final destination was Laguna de Morales, and we never continued to the beginning of the glacier. The guide explained that the trail was closed, which I understood for safety reasons. However, if the glacier is not accessible, this tour should not be advertised as a glacier tour. This is misleading. Laguna de Morales is beautiful, but it is not the San Francisco Glacier, and travelers deserve accurate information before booking. This was a shared tour, and while the guide was polite and the views were nice, transparency matters. If the trail is often closed or access depends on conditions, this must be clearly stated in the tour description. Many of us choose this experience specifically to see the glacier. Overall, it was a good  day trip, but the advertising is inaccurate and sets the wrong expectations. I would not have booked this tour if I had known we would not actually reach the glacier.

This was the highlight of my trip to Chile and one of the greatest outdoor experiences of my life. The tour started on time, the tour group was in regular contact with me leading up to it, the driver and the guide were extremely friendly and both spoke perfect English. The location was absolutely beautiful. The hike was intense and satisfying. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I loved it so much.

We got “lucky” because it snowed the day before our hike, so the views we had were spectacular. We had to modify the original hike in order to be safe, but it didn’t detract from the beauty or the experience. We had a nice surprise following the hike with wine and snacks overlooking the Volcano. This trip did not disappoint, and I highly recommend it. Juan was a fantastic guide, and we loved this tour.

This was one of the hardest but best things I have ever done. The road was shut due to a landslide so we hiked a different area. You need to have a good level of fitness but the reward of the views, mountainous scenery and the glaciers themselves is just amazing. Our guide Niko was outstanding and as well as having such great knowledge of the area he made the day fun and gave us a wonderful surprise at the end which finished our day perfectly. Andoandes the tour company were efficient and sent wattsap messages the day before confirming pick ups and all were on time. I would highly recommend this trip.

Juan and Eduardo did a good job explaining the surroundings during the trek but also current situation in Chile. I was also lucky enough to have great companions that did the trek with me. I would recommend doing the hike if you’re in Santiago. It’s not strenuous at all

Juan and Eduardo were fantastic. Very knowledgeable about the geology and plants of the area. We had some good discussions about the people of Chile and their politics while hiking in the beautiful Andes. A great experience. I would highly recommend it.

Absolute A+ experience. Our tour guide Juan picked us up on time from our hotel and after a short stop to grab coffee and breakfast, we were on our way to El Morado. Unfortunately, a wildfire in the area had the route closed but Juan quickly adjusted to find us another hiking trail. Juan was friendly, passionate about the outdoors, and so knowledgeable about Chile. Furthermore, he allowed us to hike at a comfortable pace and enjoy the views. Highly recommended—A must if you’re visiting Chile.

The scenery was spectacular. You should warn people that the terrain is mostly loose rocks and hard to negotiate. Both guides were awesome!

Wonderful company that provided calm, beautiful, enjoyable treks! The owner Rai & Sebastian are phenomenal. Super smart and knowledgeable, as well as fun and thoughtful. The food they pack is made with love and DELICIOUS! You can tell they enjoy what they do and love providing high quality, genuine, experiences for their guests. I would tour with them any time!

I had a very great experience hiking to the glacier. Pick up time was very punctual. We’re a small group of two plus our guide, Sebastian, which was super awesome! He let us move at a comfortable pace and we never felt rushed. I really enjoyed my day hiking and talking with Sebastian. I wish they were able to eventually provide more hiking tours like this in the future exploring all the beautiful trails adjacent to Santiago (in a low impact and environmental friendly ways). Highly recommend Ando Andes overall!

We had a great winter hike and would recommend this tour to anyone! We went on a snowshoe hike in the Lagunillas ski area of the Andes. Our guide Rai was fantastic - very knowledgeable about the area, at all times concerned with our safety and comfort, and made us a wonderful picturesque picnic after our hike (wine included!). We hiked with a small group and enjoyed meeting other travelers.

We had a fantastic full day hike to the El Morado Glacier, with our guides Gonzalo and Ray who are also the owners. A few highlights of our day: - The pickup was perfectly on time at our hotel at 6:30 am. We stopped for breakfast and had a chance to pick up coffee along the way. There are also bathrooms with flushing toilets at the base of the hike. - The hike itself was challenging but doable and was at a reasonable pace. It's an out and back route up to the route through the valley and up to the glacier. - The first 3 km were the hardest and were more uphill as we climbed up into the valley. Really gorgeous views along the entire way! We saw dozens of horses and donkeys roaming free in the valley. - We stopped to have lunch at the lagoon near the top of the hike, which had plenty of large rocks to sit on to enjoy the views. Lunch was great with a delicious sandwich. - The rest of the hike was about 2 km to the glacier, which you have the option to continue up to for an additional challenge or you can chill by the lagoon and enjoy the solitude of the valley and the peaceful sounds of the wind and river. Highly enjoyed that on its own. - The walk back is mostly downhill and was much easier. - To our surprise, when we returned to the car, Ray had prepared a beautiful cheese and charcuterie board and had beer and wine waiting for us when we were finished. What an awesome way to end the hike! We highly recommend doing this hike with the tour company. Both Ray and Gonzalo were previously guides at some of the most prestigious hotels in Patagonia and Atacama desert and are bringing their experience back to their homes in Santiago. We will definitely come back and do more hikes with them when we come back through Santiago for future trips. @ Gonzalo and Ray - Thanks for everything. We had such a great time and you guys were the highlight of our trip. Cheers, friends!

Francisco was very friendly and informative and made the group feel at ease. Beautiful hike great weather warmer than expected and quite windy at the end. But great guide

I had the BEST time on this hike! The scenery was stunning, the hike itself was accessible for most fitness levels. We had great weather, but it was super cold at the glacier. Our guide Francisco and driver Filipe were absolute legends and made the day so much fun. Andoandes were a pleasure to deal with. Thanks for again guys!

We had a wonderful trip hiking to the glacier yesterday ! Beautiful scenery and learned so much about this area and the country . We had a great guide - Francisco F and driver Manu. Would highly recommend including this on your visit to Santiago ! It is a full day - so carve out a day for this experience .

We wanted to have a day of hiking in the Andes so we chose this trip. Unfortunately the weather closed the park for the day so the trail that was originally planned was closed, but Francisco and Matias quickly changed to another wonderful trail to El Morado Lagoon. We had a great hike and even better company. Great way to meet people from all over the world and have plenty of time to chat. The picnic with wine that was served at the end of the hike was great! Francisco and Matias were the best!

This guys are the best. They arrived in time, there were always very kind and talkative. They vehicles are adequate for the trips, and the price includes an insurance for the duration of the trip. El morado is just amazing, you can´t go wrong if you decide to pick up this trips. Chile, Los Andes and AndoAndes the best mixture to enjoy a great day in the mountains.

My husband, daughter and I wanted some good exercise, to get out of the city and enjoy a bit of the Andes. Gonzalo was awesome: professional, friendly, attentive and super informative. I am vegan and my husband is gluten intolerant, and Gonzalo showed great care in ensuring our lunch and snacks were suitable. We all loved it our day so much we booked another one straight away!

This is my second tour with AndoAndes, the last one being about 18 months ago. We did the 16km Glacier Hike on 22/12/2018. Gonzalo led the tour and from the start there was a warm greeting and lots of enthusiasm. He offered up lots of interesting information not just about the area we were visiting but also Chile and Chilean history plus answering any other questions we had. The tour included a decent lunch, snacks and water all finished off with an amazing spread of nibbles with wine, beer & soft drinks at the end. In summary if you want a good, safety conscious and well organised tour from start to finish with lots of enthusiasm from all involved then book with AndoAndes. They're consistently good [many of my colleagues have used them too], value for money and reliable. You will not be disappointed!

We took the trek the day before Christmas so the park closed early. Despite this we managed to reach the glacier and return in time. Guide was great and the views glorious.

Due to weather, we had to switch routes away from the typical Glacier hike. It was unfortunate, but our guides (Tomas and Diego) were transparent in their communication and still salvaged a nice day. Both were very knowledgeable about the hike, terrain and Chile more broadly. It was one of the more informational tours that I did while in Santiago. Overall, the hike that we did was not that physically challenging, but covered some breathtaking terrain and views. This was by far the best activity that I did while in Santiago. I would definitely recommend this!

I really enjoyed my whole trip with Andoandes. Sebastian and Pablo picked me on time. Driving was good. They are very friendly and caring. they prepared us all the gears we need. it was very kind of them..I can say very professional, guided and gave me so much information of the whole area. I will go again soon. Thanks

Four of our family (mid- 50's couple and 2 young adults) went on this hike and we can't say enough good things about it and the AndoAndes staff! We booked the tour at least a month before we traveled from the US to Chile. AndoAndes was very prompt and professional in their email correspondence with us. Thelma even met us at our door to take us to the van location. Francisco, Thelma and Javier were our hike guides and Philippe was our driver. All very professional. As stated in their description, this trip requires fitness and sun tolerance! I thought I had enough of both to do the hike but made it to our lunch destination and was exhausted. Javier Soto stayed with me as I brought up the rear hiking up and while I rested before we started down early - a true hero to me though he humbly said it was just his job. He made sure we took breaks and drank plenty. :-) They gave us all plenty of water and Gatorade and refilled before returning. Thelma, Francisco and Javier were well - informed and made sure everyone was comfortable and hiked at their own pace. And Philippe had a nice wine and cheese spread for us when we returned. A class act - we highly recommend them!

<p>This trip was absolutely amazing! I had a hard time with this hike because the ascent is very steep, but our guide, Gonzalo, kept me motivated. He stopped to inform us of all the flora and fauna around and got excited when he spotted some hard to find birds. He was well prepared to answer all of our questions. The views are hard to describe, they are some of the most beautiful views we have seen. At the end of our hike we had a lovely surprise planned for us at the end. If you are planning on doing this hike, definitely remember sunscreen, sunglasses, good hiking boots, and I highly recommend trekking poles. If you have the chance, definitely take this trip. Gonzalo is a treat to hike with!</p>

<p>Absolutely wonderful hike! Guides were friendly and knowledgeable and made sure everyone got to hike at a comfortable pace.</p>

<p>The tour guide is very knowledgeable and he make sure that everyone is safe during and after the hiking.</p>

My friend and I did the glacier hike with Ando Andes to El Morado. We had the perfect day! Our guides, Francisco and Javier, were so nice and knowledgeable. We had a lot of fun with them and also enjoyed our driver Felipe too. The hike is steep at first but levels off fairly quickly into rolling hills. I highly recommend this hike -- the scenery is stunning (mountains surround you on all sides). One of my favorite parts was after we completed the hike, our guides and driver set up a table with wine, cheese, and snacks for us to enjoy to celebrate. It was a really nice touch to end the day that way.

<p>Excellent 16km hike with Fransico, Javier and Philippe! I would highly recommend this full day hike and the views were breathtaking.</p>

I took this tour on 26 February 2018, and it was a great adventure. I recommend it to anyone with the requisite hiking miles under their belt. There were only four of us all together and we kept a pretty good pace. At 67 I, a reasonably fit retired American spending the New England winter months in South America, was the old guy in the group. The other two were BA flight crew on a 2-day layover, one of whom was an Ironman veteran and had hiked Kilimanjaro. Nevertheless, it was a fun, comfortable hike through amazing terrain to a magical destination. I had never actually seen a glacier before. Our guide and driver for the day was Joaquin Cordua....if you have a choice, get him. A native Chilean Spanish speaker, he has very good English. It may not seem important, but this is Chile so I would like to note that he was a very good and safe driver. A fair portion of the day is spent getting to and from the hike venue. Joaquin is knowledgeable about the area, the geology, and the cultural history, and as a good communicator he kept us informed and entertained. It was a pleasure for me to spend an exhilarating day with my Brit hiking companions and our excellent guide.

<p>This was a great adventure. I recommend it to anyone with the requisite hiking miles under their belt. There were only four of us all together and we kept a pretty good pace. At 67, I a reasonably fit retired American spending the New England winter months in South America was the old guy in the group. The other two were BA flight crew on a 2-day layover, one of whom was an Ironman veteran and had hiked Kilimanjaro. Nevertheless it was a fun, comfortable hike through amazing terrain to a magical destination. I had never actually seen a glacier before.<br/> Our guide and driver for the day was Joaquin Cordua....if you have a choice, get him. A native Chilean Spanish speaker, he has very good English. It may not seem important, but this is Chile so I would like to note that he was a very good and safe driver. A fair portion of the day is spent getting to and from the hike venue.<br/> Joaquin is knowledgeable about the area, the geology, and the cultural history, and as a good communicator he kept us informed and entertained. <br/> It was a pleasure for me to spend an exhilarating day with my Brit hiking companions and our excellent guide.</p>

I did the glacier hike with Gonzalo from Ando Andes out of Santiago in March 2018. Being a bit of a mountain person, for me this was the best location to visit from Santiago in the time I had. Gonzalo was very knowledgeable, friendly, spoke good English and shared his time evenly among all people in the group... but more importantly for me shared his experience regarding visiting other mountainous locations in Chile. The lunch they provide is fine, and there is a small treat at the end. Although there are better locations for this activity in Chile, I doubt there are better ones closer to Santiago and I recommend this trip for that reason.

I got picked up on time in the morning. On our way to the Andes our guides explained us a lot about the local landscape etc. It took us about 4hrs to reach the El Morado Glacier and lake (and another 2-3hrs to get back). The landscape is amazing - huge mountains around and the hike is along a small river. We even spotted a condor and saw ice blocks falling off the glacier, impressive! The delicious & healthy lunch was included in the trip, same as drinks. I recommend to be at least a little bit sporty and bring hiking shoes, hiking pants and protection from the sun (very strong at the high altitude). Special thanks to my two guides , Francisco G and Felipe who were super motivated and helped where ever they could. I can strongly recommend them! To sum up it was an amazing day trip with lovely people in a beatiful mountain landscape.

The Andes are incredible and so is this hike. But be prepared, this is not an easy hike as it gains 2000 feet and it is at altitude. Francisco was a great guide - super friendly, accommodative and interesting. Everyone on the trip just kept saying how much the hike exceeded their expectations. It is just beautiful. Just one more note- this is an all day trip. We were picked up at our hotel in Santiago at 7 and returned around 7:30 at night. But the time went fast - it did not feel long.

I and my friend were in Santiago in third week of December-2017. We went to this El Morado and Glacier Hike tour with AndoAndes Tour company and our guide was Gonzalo. Trip started around 8am from the hotel pickup and reached the hiking point around 10:30am. It was a slow start to our hike and since we did not had breakfast, me and my friend struggled to get thru the hike, we took lot of breaks in between. And Gonzalo was very nice and helpful in keeping us going. He shared lot of information with respect to Santiago, Chile, culture, wild life, andes, food, wine etc... He is super fit and full on energy and that itself pushed us for not giving up and reaching the final point of the hike. Once we had lunch, it was easy to comeback to the car park. Our guide Gonzalo and 4 other companions were nice during the hike and made our first week of South America travel memorable. Thanks to Gonzalo and the tour company for the memories.

My wife and I did the day hike to the glacier in El Morado Monument. Our guides were Gonzalo and Javier, and our driver was Felipe. From the moment they picked us up we were very well taken care of. The hike was an amazing experience. The guides were every knowledgeable about the area, the flora and fauna, and they went out of their way to make sure we were having the best possible experience. In addition to their knowledge, they were all incredibly friendly and it felt like we were out walking with old friend. Our great day in the mountains ended with with a great picnic with cold beers and Chilean wine. I would recommend this company and excursion to anyone. We wouldn't want to work with anyone else!

<p>It was a lot of fun. The only thing we did not like was that the first part of the hike was close to a mining operation and you could hear the machinery in the distance. That kind of spoiled the first part of the hike</p>

<p>Amazing tour! This was my second time joining a tour with AndoAndeslocal tour company and everything was perfectly arranged. Our guide Gonzalo was professional! I was picked up on time, received brief information about the tour and started hiking! I have to say, it is definitely not an easy hike, so be prepared! The view was magnificent all the way up to the glacier lookout, and you get to enjoy a box lunch at the lagoon : If you are in Santiago, do not miss this tour!</p>

<p>What a great hike! Definitely one of the highlights of our trip. The hike is about 9 miles round trip, the first mile is somewhat of a steep hike, but then it levels out for awhile, and gets a little steep again for the last half mile or so up to the viewing point for the glacier. Our group was relatively fit, so we finished in 4 1/2 hours I think - I could see this being a difficult hike for those that aren't very active.<br/> Our driver and guide, Gonzalo, was fantastic - very knowledgeable about pretty much everything we asked him, and had great advice about future trips we might take to Chile. He has a real passion for nature, so the trip was also a fun learning experience.<br/> We had a beautiful and warm day, but I could see if clouds rolled in, that this would be a chilly hike - we came prepared for anything. I'd recommend bringing a backpack, jacket, hiking sticks if you have them, and wear sturdy shoes as the trail is good, but has lots of loose rocks/gravel and some shallow water crossings. Also, don't forget your sunscreen on this one as there is no shade.<br/> Provided on the hike was water, lunch sandwich, snacks, and a juice box, and then a snack and celebratory glass of wine at the end. <br/> The drive to and from the hike is approx 1.5-2 hrs each way, so it was especially nice to be able to relax on the way home and not have to worry about navigating Santiago's crazy traffic.</p>

<p>I did the El Morado Hike Day tour as a solo traveller and really enjoyed it. The scenery for the walk is very beautiful, and the guides are entertaining and well informed.</p> <p>The sandwich in the boxed lunch was very good, better than expected for something to eat out on a trail.</p> <p>The tour starts at an elevation of 1,850m, and then climbs 400-600m. For most people, this height should not be a problem. at the area closest to the glacier, you walk through a bit of snow, so shoes that keep your feet dry and warm are handy. </p> <p>One bit of advice, take gloves and a beanie. It can get a bit cold and windy on some parts of the trip, and my one regret was not having this in my day bag.</p>

<p>This is a wonderful hike- not ridiculously difficult but not a walk in the park either- a few hills and steep bits to keep it interesting. The guide was excellent- bursting with knowledge about the history of Santiago, its peoples and also well grounded in natural science- geology, plant and animal knowledge- the works. He was also flexible to the needs of the group- when an older gentleman confessed to not wanting to go any further we went on ahead while a few others rested. In terms of scenery there was a variety of bird life, horses and picturesque valleys, lakes and mountains. The glacier itself is a great landmark to make it to but for me I snapped photos of the valley along the way. It was one of those hikes where I rarely put my camera down. The hike altogether took us about 5 hours, none of it rushed. I highly recommend this tour. I've been living in Chile for one and a half years now and it's the best one we've done yet in terms of guide knowledge, suitably challenging and well organised.</p>

<p>The hike in El Morado was the highlight of my trip to Chile. Our guide was very knowledgeable and educated us about Chile's history during the drive to the park. Likewise during the hike, she was very helpful with information. The scenery was amazing. The weather was cool. You could heat up while hiking and get cool when stopped to eat - dress in layers.</p>

<p>Here's what went wrong with my trip: the regular guide had an emergency so we had Felipe doing the driving, guiding, trekking and carrying of all our water/lunches/emergency supplies. Also, there was too much snow to actually get to the final destination.</p> <p>Here's what went right: Felipe told us what the guide circumstance was and then immediately made us feel comfortable. He apologized for his poor English and then spoke awesome English. He was friendly and accommodating we asked him to stop at some random places for picture opportunities and couldn't have been better prepared. While he wasn't as talkative as a guide may be, and that can be a bit much sometimes, he was very knowledgeable and gave us several very interesting facts. He pointed out rare birds and all along kept saying Take all the time you want. If this is how all the employees are at Viator then I would highly recommend a trip with them. I had a great time and the pictures will be in my photo album....forever.</p>

Kick cool, comfortable and highly recommended near Santiago de Chile by the Andes, the guides Iris and Patricia very attentive.

The experience of visiting this place was excellent from the moment we were picked up at the hotel where we stayed in Santiago. The group was small (7 people) plus two guides: Philip the driver and Francis the tour guide. We stopped in the center of San José del Maipo, located about an hour from downtown Santiago, where we were given a brief but interesting historical explanation of the place. Then we traveled an hour to the national park where we entered and walked six km outbound and 6 back, passing through spectacular places and receiving complete and interesting information from Francisco. They also gave us a box with lunch and snack food that was very rich. The return was equally pleasant and we were dropped off at the hotel in the evening, previously, we stopped for coffee. The experience is really worth the price and perhaps it would be important to note that it is not possible to reach the foot of the glacier due to security arrangements established by park rangers beyond the control of the Enterprise that organizes the tour but it should be warned. Beyond that, not getting to that point, does not take away from the spectacular views for us besides being a demanding and challenging walk. Excellent willingness, kindness and knowledge of Francisco and Felipe who are also very fun.

We hired this tour through the Getyourguide Enterprise, which hired this operator. A person from this Enterprise called me to make a convenient proposal. I didn't really like the subject was busy and I didn't understand much since the tour would be in 11 more days. He got upset. He told me he always used to work with foreigners and stuff. And that he'll be looking for another Enterprise to take me. Zero responsibility, if you don't accept their proposals. I should have canceled the reservation paid in the US and hired a new Enterprise. Lousy experience, I hope I never have to cross paths with this Enterprise or who they're in charge of.

It is a very nice place to see spectacular landscapes and do sport, as you have to climb two hills, it is heavy but worth it since at the end of the trail approximately 2.5 kilometers is a lagoon and at the end snow attached to the hills, I recommend it. Tips: Hopefully wear ankle protection boots, put on sunblock, bring water and light food, not recommended for elderly people who are sedentary or have walking problems. can be reached by car and a ticket is charged by CONAF.

We made the trekking to the San Francisco Glacier in the area of Natural Monument El Morado. They passed by on time to pick us up at the hostel. The trip was quiet, with coffee stop. The Enterprise offers snacks, water and gatorade for the trail and a toast with wine at the end. Highlight to the guide Gonzalo and the driver Manu, which were spectacular!! Super recommend, perfect experience!