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Hiking Around Valparaiso and Cerro La Campana

April 25, 2016 By Lauren 8 Comments

After thoroughly recharging our batteries in Buenos Aires, Chris and I were ready for two weeks of adventure in Chile. We picked up a rental car and my sister Lindsey (who just finished four years of medical school and is now enjoying some much-needed vacation before her residency starts this summer) and her girlfriend Kelly (who is an equally-accomplished, PhD sciencey lady) from the Santiago airport after their overnight flight from the States. What to do when your sister arrives from an overnight flight after just finishing med school? Let her sleep? Shower? No! Go directly to a winery, of course. The white wine region of Casablanca Valley lies directly on the way from Santiago to Valparaiso, where we’d be starting our trip. Casablanca Valley is known for its white wines, and we tried some delicious ones at Emiliana Organic Vineyards.

Despite the rainy weather, Emiliana is stunningly gorgeous
And what’s that over there?
Llamas!

With the trip already off to a great start, we finished the rest of the drive to Valparaiso and checked into a fantastic two bedroom, two bathroom Airbnb (for the bargain price of $58 per night) overlooking the city. Valparaiso is a gritty, colorful port town that was given World Heritage status by Unesco. It is one of the most unique places we’ve visited on the trip. Houses cling to dozens of steep hills, which most locals traverse using one of the many rattling ascensores (funiculars), and graffitied murals, which the city actively promotes, cover nearly every available surface. We took an excellent free walking tour with Tours 4 Tips that led us through some of the city’s most famous cerros (hills).

The view from our Airbnb balcony
Valparaiso still has an active port industry
Just one of Valparaiso’s many cerros
Filled with incredibly colorful houses
It’s a workout to get from one level to the other
Although most locals skip the workout and use the funicular
There are a lot of (usually friendly) stray dogs in the city
Murals and stray dogs were frequent occurrences on our tour
Lindsey channeling her inner model
Our guide also introduced us to a local artist
Here’s the artist’s picture on a nearby mural, and we also me the man himself
And he also serenaded us along with a local guitarist
Colorful stairs up Cerro Alegre
With some delicious alfajores cookies at the top

Lindsey and Kelly were also good sports when I insisted that we visit one of Pablo Neruda’s homes. Pablo Neruda was a 20th century Chilean poet-politician that would on to receive a Nobel Prize. Although the end of his life was tumultuous (he died just before dictator Pinochet assumed power), Pablo Neruda definitely enjoyed the high life throughout most of his years. He built three whimsical houses throughout Chile: one in Santiago, one in Isla Negra, and one in Valparaiso. They are all museums open to the public today, though photography inside is not allowed.

Happy campers ready for learning!
Pablo Neruda’s Valparaiso home
Kelly on the Neruda bench
I’m not sure if this is Neruda in a mural nearby, but it kinda looks like him

We enjoyed several great dinners and several pisco sours (although I prefer the Peruvian variety that comes shaken with an egg white) during our four days hiking up and down Valparaiso’s hills. Also, true to my family’s traditions, we spent a lot of time in bars playing cards.

Lindsey was not so pleased when the local cat jumped into her lap at the bar
I, on the other hand, was thrilled

To burn off all the food and drinks we enjoyed together, we decided to do a full-day hike up Cerro La Campana. Charles Darwin did this hike in 1834 (with the help of a horse), and there is a plaque near the top to commemorate his visit. Hiking up this 6,170 feet tall mountain forces you to climb up 4,773 feet in just 4.4 miles. And it really is more of a climb than a hike, especially the last 90 minutes when you are scaling boulders trying to reach the rocky summit. It took us over eight and half hours to climb, enjoy the view, and hike back down on increasingly-shaky legs. However, unlike Machu Picchu Mountain, the effort was truly worth it. At the summit, we could see both the Pacific Ocean and the Andean summit of Aconcagua in Argentina (the highest mountain outside of Asia). Almost as good was the box of empanadas we bought and enjoyed on the drive back to Valparaiso.

Heading to the top!
It had recently rained heavily, so the ground was slick and there were often obstacles (like fallen trees) in our path
Pretty soon we were above the clouds
Kelly and her Darwin tattoo next to a plaque in his honor
Three hours in, and things were about to get even harder
The last 90 minutes forced you to scramble up boulders with an occasional red arrow pointing the general direction
Although Chris somehow managed to climb with his hands in his pockets while I needed all four limbs to get up
Thank goodness, we finally made it!
Chris enjoying a victory Oatmeal Creme Pie (sent by my mom and imported by Linds and Kelly)
Sister picture!
Aconcagua in the distance, and Lindsey plotting to climb it one day
Working on our 90s album cover photo
Taking a moment to appreciate the view and preparing for the equally-grueling descent
Finally time to head down
My patented “on your bottom” descent technique
True to our RTW trip style, a local dog appointed himself our guide towards the end… and he ended up saving us from a snake by scaring it off the trail
After eight hours of hiking on only a few granola bars, these empanadas were the greatest thing in the world

With our legs thoroughly sore, we said goodbye to Valparaiso and headed south into Chile’s famous Colchagua Wine Valley. Carménère, here we come!

Filed Under: Adventures Tagged With: Chile, South America

Comments

  1. Mary McCausland says

    April 25, 2016 at 6:17 am

    I bet that challenge was one of the most rewarding moments on your trip! Good job guys! The photos are stunning, can’t imagine how gorgeous in real life.

    Reply
  2. Gretchen says

    April 25, 2016 at 12:46 pm

    Gorgeous pictures. Have to admit, the picture of Lauren holding the cat was my favorite.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      April 25, 2016 at 8:58 pm

      I knew you’d appreciate that Gretch!

      Reply
  3. Mrs. Migliore's 4th Grade Class says

    April 25, 2016 at 2:51 pm

    Hi Lauren,
    We thought the graffiti was awesome! Did you touch the clouds? We liked the colored houses. Did you like the artwork?
    Mrs. Migliore’s Class

    Reply
  4. Sara says

    April 25, 2016 at 9:56 pm

    Great photos! Lol at the one of Chris leisurely walking up while you’re using hands and knees!

    Reply
  5. DB says

    April 26, 2016 at 9:28 am

    Amazing pictures of the hike and summit! That trail looks a little suspect.

    Reply
  6. Clare Pierce says

    April 26, 2016 at 11:34 am

    Great photos of scenery and family. You guys must be getting pretty toned.

    Reply
  7. Jen says

    May 6, 2016 at 3:23 pm

    Wow, that looks like an incredible hike! Love the pictures of the llama and the sister pic! 🙂

    Reply

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