Reserva Rio Clarillo

The spring is now well on the way and we have been taking advantage of all the nice weather. At the end of September we went on a nice little hike with a few colleagues in Reserva Rio Clarillo. While this is not as close to Santiago as our more usual treks, it is still within easy reach (just on the southern outskirts, near the town of Pirque).

The first time we went there about 2 years ago we did not find the start of the path! The signs are not exactly amazing, so worth having a look at Google Earth first! Back then we went a bit too far and only found picnic areas: very disappointing for all involved parties...

So this time we made our homework first and then followed a circular trail that took us about 6 hours to complete while ascending and then descending ca. 700m. The route is in our Outdoor Activities section of the blog in case you want some more details.

The start of the spring! The snow patches up there at 2000m will melt soon...

Dogs are supposedly not allowed but this is not really enforced (on a leash they behaved like angels...)

The area is beautiful and you can even see some semi-wild horses:

A shy horse

A family

Overall the trek is not too taxing (medium difficulty) and it offers some nice views:



Some views

Some more views

The trek wasn't in the best condition after the first 3-4km which meant that in a couple of places we had to improvise a little. At the very end of the loop also waits a river crossing (about knee deep at the time) but that was also part of the fun. Mario and Pfiffi somehow managed to avoid getting wet!

Mario's river crossing

Pfiffi's river crossing

Be prepared for wet feet (but this almost at the end so not really a problem, in fact, quite welcome!)

In a nutshell: a great day out was had by all.