I realized I’m pretty behind on this whole blogging thing, so I’ll add a couple to catch up. Last weekend I finally climbed Cerro San Cristóbal, a small mountain in the middle of Santiago. It’s a popular tourist destination because of its beautiful views of the city. A couple of us decided to start climbing it in the late afternoon on a sunny day in Santiago, so needless to say the weather was not exactly on our side. The sun was beautiful though, even if it did give me a sunburn on my nose that lasted a week. We also decided to hike it after climbing a small hill in the middle of the city (Cerro Santa Lucia) and after walking several miles around the city, so we were a bit tired by the end…
The hike is harder than one would think with how many people do it. It took us over an hour of pretty steep climbing to make it to the top, but it was well worth it.
The hike is harder than one would think with how many people do it. It took us over an hour of pretty steep climbing to make it to the top, but it was well worth it.
There were a lot of people hanging out at the top, getting food at one of the little shops or taking pictures of the city. The panoramic view is really spectacular – you can see each neighborhood of Santiago and the mountains that surround the city.
We climbed up the steepest part of the hike and decided to go down the longer way on the road to see the whole view of the city and what the park had to offer. The view coming down was equally as spectacular.
It was really cool to see this part of the city, without any skyscrapers or huge shopping centers. Views like this really make you appreciate how big the city of Santiago is.
I clocked it when we got home and we had walked around 10 miles in the hot Santiago sun. Well worth it, though, and a must-see for anyone who visits the city!
I clocked it when we got home and we had walked around 10 miles in the hot Santiago sun. Well worth it, though, and a must-see for anyone who visits the city!