La Campana - an autumn walk above the clouds

La Campana is a national park near Santiago in the Valparaiso region. There are several treks to do in the area but the most challenging one is the Sendero Andinista which goes up to Cerro la Campana.

The walk itself is relatively easy (meaning non-technical) and can be done at any time of the year. Nevertheless, it is important to mention that it requires an ascent of 1500m in elevation difference, which is not for the faint hearted (and not having been trekking that much recently, it left 2 of us a bit sore for 2 days after ;o))

We went with a couple of friends and as it is currently autumn over here, we had quite a bit of Camanchaca (sea fog which is quite typical of the central and northern parts of Chile and creates some very interesting vegetation and scenery). This meant that our views weren't that great while we were climbing although, it was all very atmospheric!

The walk has 2 parts, the first one is a relatively gentle and very easy going uphill (2h roughly) until you reach an abandoned mine area which is a good spot for a snack, a small rest and a photo!

The area of the mine - a good spot for a snack and a photo

An interesting story is that Charles Darwin went up this mountain during his south America trips making extensive notes of all the flora and fauna he encountered (further info on this at the hyperlink). There is a little plaque along the way to commemorate this event. More interesting for us was that the native vegetation of the area includes Chilean Wine Palms (or Jubaea chilensis) and that this plant produces what could be described, in both looks and taste, as miniature coconuts (coquitos de palma). They are delicious and make a very creamy vegetable milk.

From there on, the path gets more rocky and uphill and in the next 1.8km, one has to climb about 800m (roughly 1.5h).

A lot steeper than the first bit and quite rocky... you may need your hands!

At some point, we reached the top of the fog in our ascent... and then we went over it and got rewarded with amazing views:

The second part was steeper but eventually allowed us to get over the fog

Once we reached the top, a sea of clouds was waiting for us below with the Andes and the cordillera de la costa in the distance:

All in all, it was great walk! :o) A slideshow of the photos above in slightly better resolution can be accessed here.