Modern ski resort with Santiago wine country access

Valle Nevado is Chile's largest ski resort, just 90 minutes from Santiago. The French-designed resort offers modern facilities and connects to La Parva and El Colorado for South America's largest ski area. The proximity to Maipo Valley wineries makes ski-to-wine day trips possible.

What to do there

5 things to do

1. 1 Stand Beneath the Mountain Where the Incas Sacrificed a Child to the Sun History · Free

   The snow-capped peak towering above Valle Nevado's slopes is Cerro El Plomo, 5,444 meters of sacred Andean rock. In 1954, climbers found a 9-year-old boy perfectly mummified near the summit — entombed 500 years ago as a messenger to the sun god Inti after walking hundreds of miles from Cusco. You are skiing the lower flanks of a mountain the Incas consecrated with the most precious sacrifice they could offer.

   Where: The valley facing directly toward the resort. As you ride the Mirador chairlift upward, turn and look northeast — the dominant, sharply-pointed summit at 5,444m is Cerro El Plomo. No entrance fee. No ticket needed. Just look up.

   What: In February 1954, climbers discovered a child preserved by altitude and cold near El Plomo's summit — 500 years after Inca priests walked him from Cusco to be entombed as a *capacocha* offering. He wore fine textiles; gold and silver figurines accompanied him. Today he rests at Santiago's Museo Nacional de Historia Natural (Quinta Normal, free admission Sundays). The Incas chose this exact peak because it was visible from long distances and its glaciers represented proximity to the heavens. You are skiing the lower terrain of a mountain they considered sacred.

   How: At the Mirador chairlift top station (~3,400m), stop at the small food truck area and take a long look northeast at the peak. No rush. On clear powder mornings (most of July and August), the summit is crystalline against a deep blue sky. Ask any lift operator — they know El Plomo by name and will point it out.

   Backup: If clouds obscure the peak, the resort's mid-mountain terrace at Hotel Tres Puntas also faces the mountain. The Museo Nacional de Historia Natural in Santiago displays the mummy — Cerro El Plomo Mummy, free on Sundays — if you want the full story before or after skiing.

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2. 2 Ski 900 Hectares of Andean Powder at 3,000 Meters — The Southern Hemisphere's Largest Resort Adventure · Price: high

   In 1988 a group of French entrepreneurs modeled Valle Nevado on Les Arcs and Val d'Isère, transporting construction materials up steep Andean roads through winter storms to build South America's biggest ski domain. Since 2025, Valle Nevado and neighboring La Parva merged ownership, connecting their terrain into roughly 7,000 acres — the Tres Valles, South America's answer to the Three Valleys of the French Alps. In June, when the northern hemisphere is in June sunshine, Olympic and national teams from Europe and the US fly down here to train.

   Where: Valle Nevado Ski Resort, Camino a Farellones s/n, Lo Barnechea, Santiago Metropolitan Region. GPS: -33.3547, -70.2498. From Santiago: 46km east via Avenida Las Condes and the road through Farellones — about 1hr 15min drive.

   What: 900 hectares of skiable terrain across 34 marked trails. 70% intermediate-to-advanced. Wide groomed boulevards for carving; powder bowls and chutes off the back of the Mirador lift. The Tres Valles connection (via La Parva) adds another 2,000+ acres and access to terrain above 3,670m. On clear days from the top: views across the Argentine border.

   How: Adult lift ticket CLP $89,000/day (~$94 USD). Plus CLP $6,000 for the rechargeable Valle Plus card (reusable season to season). Ikon Pass, Power Pass, and Mountain Collective Pass holders receive included or discounted days. Buy tickets in advance at store.vallenevado.com to skip the morning queue. Road warning: on weekends and holidays the access road is one-way uphill 8am–2pm, one-way downhill 4pm–8pm — plan your arrival and departure accordingly.

   Backup: If snowfall is light or conditions are icy, La Parva (now connected ownership) and El Colorado are 20-30 minutes further along the same road — three resorts, one mountain range, one day.

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3. 3 Float at 3,000 Meters in a Heated Pool While an Andean Condor Circles Overhead Adventure · Price: low

   The outdoor pool and hot tub at Valle Nevado's central plaza sit at 3,000 meters above sea level. The condors — the largest flying birds on earth with wingspans over three meters — ride thermal currents above the resort regularly in the late afternoon. Locals call the moment when the sun drops behind the western peaks and the sky goes pink and orange 'alpenglow.' You can watch it happen from a heated hot tub with a Chilean wine in hand and a DJ set reverberating off the Andean walls.

   Where: Central plaza outdoor pool and hot tub, Hotel Valle Nevado, Valle Nevado resort village. GPS: -33.3547, -70.2498. The pool area is visible from the main run; follow signs toward Hotel Valle Nevado.

   What: From approximately 3:30–5:30pm, the après-ski scene at the outdoor pool becomes the social center of the resort. DJ music, cocktail service, hotel guests in swimsuits in a hot tub while steam rises against snow walls. Andean condors — which nest in the high crags and hunt the valleys below — frequently soar overhead in the afternoon thermals. The moment is real: you are in a hot tub at altitude in the Andes, watching Earth's largest soaring bird while the sun sets over the mountains.

   How: Pool access typically included for hotel guests. Day visitors can enter the resort village and the pool area; drinks from the bar start around CLP $5,000-8,000 (~$5-8 USD) per cocktail or glass of Chilean wine. The Valle Nevado Bar (inside the hotel, adjacent to the pool) has an extensive wine list focused on Chilean producers — ask for something from Alto Maipo to taste wines grown at the foot of the mountains you skied.

   Backup: The Valle Lounge terrace (same level, facing west) has the same views without requiring swimwear. If the pool is hotel-only on your visit day, the outdoor terrace at La Fourchette restaurant also faces the sunset.

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4. 4 Descend from the Andes and Taste Wine Made by the Former Owners of Château Margaux Wine · Price: moderate

   In 1984, Bruno Prats (owner of Château Cos d'Estournel, Saint-Estèphe) and Paul Pontallier (CEO of Château Margaux) flew to Chile together looking for terrain that could produce Bordeaux-quality wine outside France. They found it at the foot of the same Andes you just skied — a wind-sheltered bowl in Peñalolén, 20 minutes from Santiago's edge, where rocky Andean colluvial soils at 700m altitude produce Cabernet of what Pontallier called 'impeccable freshness and poise.' They named the winery Aquitania — the ancient Roman name for southwest France, home of Bordeaux.

   Where: Viña Aquitania, Av. Consistorial 5090, Peñalolén, Santiago Metropolitan Region. GPS: approx. -33.480, -70.568. From Valle Nevado: drive back toward Santiago (~55min), then southeast toward the Andean foothills of Peñalolén. Fully signposted from Av. Consistorial.

   What: Ask for the Premium Tour + tasting (CLP $30,000/person, ~$30 USD). It begins at the panoramic viewpoint — a 360° view of the 18-hectare vineyard with the same Andean peaks behind you — then proceeds through the cellar and barrel room, ending with a seated tasting of Premium and Icon wines. The key wine to ask for: Lazuli Cabernet Sauvignon. Smell it: red cherry, cassis, tobacco, cedar. Taste it: firm tannins, good acidity, long finish. This is what Bordeaux would taste like if Bordeaux were at Andean altitude, made by the man who ran Château Margaux.

   How: MUST BOOK 24 hours in advance — tours are not walk-in. Book at aquitania.cl/en/tours-2/ or email info@aquitania.cl. Hours: Mon-Fri 09:00-18:00, Saturday 10:00-13:00, closed Sunday. If you're doing a ski day at Valle Nevado, aim for a 3pm or later appointment at Aquitania — you'll need the morning on the slopes and 55 minutes to descend and cross Santiago.

   Backup: If Aquitania is fully booked, Viña Haras de Pirque (owned by Antinori, the Tuscany dynasty) is 30 minutes south in Pirque and also represents the Bordeaux-in-Chile archetype. Or book the Don Melchor Collectors Experience at Concha y Toro (donmelchor.com) — equally elite, equally close to the ski route.

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5. 5 Descend into the Cellar Where the Devil Guards Chile's Most Famous Wine Wine · Price: low · Optional

   More than 140 years ago, Don Melchor Concha y Toro noticed bottles disappearing from his private cellar. Workers and townspeople knew about his finest wines and couldn't resist. So Don Melchor started spreading a rumor: that the devil lived in his cellars. The sounds — every echo, every shadow — became evidence. Nobody stole the wine again. The cellar became known as 'Casillero del Diablo' — the Devil's Cellar. Today it's one of Chile's most visited wine experiences, and the wines still age in those same underground caves.

   Where: Viña Concha y Toro, Avenida Virginia Subercaseaux 210, Pirque, Santiago Metropolitan Region. GPS: -33.6356, -70.5740. From Santiago: 1 hour south by car or organized tour. From Valle Nevado: ~65min via Santiago.

   What: Book the 'Casillero del Diablo Sensory Experience' — it includes a walk through the 22-hectare centennial park (the former estate of Don Melchor himself, built 1880s), the historic underground cellar, and a tasting of 2-3 premium wines. The winemaker for the flagship Cabernet is Enrique Tirado, who works alongside consultant Eric Boissenot — the same Eric Boissenot who advises Petrus, Mouton Rothschild, and Lafite. When the bottle says 'Concha y Toro,' it means a consultant who flies between Pomerol and Santiago in the same week is signing off on that wine.

   How: Half-day tours depart Santiago hotels 9am-9:30am, return by 2pm; afternoon tours depart ~3pm, return ~7pm. Book through viator.com (search 'Concha y Toro Santiago') or conchaytoro.com directly. Ticket prices vary by tour package, roughly $35-55 USD including transport from Santiago. If self-driving, the winery runs guided tours directly — check conchaytoro.com for tour schedule and pricing.

   Backup: If you've already done Concha y Toro on a prior visit, the Almaviva winery (Chilean-Rothschild joint venture, same Pirque area) offers tours by appointment — the ultimate Bordeaux-Chile story in a single glass.

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Insider tips

• Ski morning, then descend to Maipo Valley for afternoon wine tasting at Concha y Toro

• The Tres Valles interconnection with La Parva offers massive terrain variety

• Hotel Valle Nevado restaurant features excellent Chilean wine list