In the middle of Santiago’s gloomy winter rain season, when you’re handed a warm sunny weekend, you take advantage! And, that’s just what happened this past Saturday! I blissfully awoke to bright rays of sunshine wriggling their way through my curtains and warming my vitamin D-deprived skin. It was the perfect day to get out and soak up some sun in the mountains! The perfect weekend to hike Cerro Pochoco.
For the past few weeks my friend Mandy and I have been trying to get into adequate physical (and mental) shape for our upcoming 5-day trek to Machu Picchu. I’ve never even done an overnight trek before, so I’ve been trying to fit in all of the practice that I can. Thankfully, there are so many different options for day hikes around Santiago that we’ve had no shortage of treks to choose from. Hiking Cerro Pochoco came highly recommended by friends who had done it a few weeks before, so we were really excited to give it a go!
Cerro Pochoco is one of the closer and easier hills to get to by public transportation from Downtown Santiago, so we were even able to sleep in a bit! We woke up, leisurely prepared some lunches, threw on our daypacks and head out around 10:30AM.
After about an hour and a half on public transportation, we finally arrived to the parking lot at the beginning of the trek. We mentally prepared ourselves and off we went.
The assent to the top of the hill was a steep climb from the very start and only continued to increase in incline, but we took our time with the hill as we couldn’t help but continuously turn around and gawk at our surroundings. We were extremely lucky to get a completely clear day, not a cloud in sight and the further we rose, the crazier the view became. We were on top of the world looking down at all of Santiago below us.
Finally after 2 hours of trekking, climbing and forging our own path, we arrived at the summit, where there was plenty of space to sit, relax, take in the view and dig into lunch!
It’s a tough, steep climb to the top of the “cerro,” but an incredibly rewarding experience. When you finally arrive to the summit, leg muscles all noodley with exhaustion, you are awarded the most spectacular panoramic views of Santiago, the best I’ve seen this far!
Pochoco Practical Information
How to get to Cerro Pochoco
All said and done, from downtown Santiago (I live in Plaza Italia) to the entrance of the hike, by public transportation, should take a little under an hour and a half.
Arriving to the Cerro Pochoco hike by use of public transport requires 3 forms of transportation, Metro, Micro and Colectivo or Taxi. Although this may seem like a pain, it really wasn’t bad compared to some others treks I’ve done.
Price of Transportation: ~3.000 CLP pp round trip
Directions: Take Metro Line 1-Red to Manquehue in Las Condes. From there find the bus stop and take Micro C01 or C01c until Plaza San Enrique. In Plaza San Enrique you will find taxis and colectivos who can bring you up the hill to the start of the hike. Make sure to get their cell number so you can call them to pick you back up on your way down.
(If they don’t answer your call, you can also call an Uber from the parking lot of the trek, which is what we ended up having to do and was actually cheaper!)
*You can also rent a car or take a taxi all the way from the center, but this is not necessary and these options are far pricier.
Price to enter
Free!
Unlike many hikes around the Santiago Metropolitan Region, this one doesn’t require permission to enter and is free of charge!! I know.. that’s what we all like to hear!
When to go to Cerro Pochoco
This trek can be done year-round, but I suggest avoiding it during the dry summer months of January-March. During this time the hill is in direct sun causing the ground to become dry, dusty and very slippery.
We did the hike on a sunny day after a rainy week and it was absolutely beautiful! The rain had washed away most of the usual smog and there was a fresh dusting of snow on the surrounding mountaintops!
Duration of Hike
- ~ 1 ½ hours to ascend from parking lot to summit
- ~ 45 minutes to descend
*Note: If this is your first time to Cerro Pochoco, I would allot more time than above. We were in no rush, pausing often, taking in the views, snapping photos and enjoying our surroundings! We also stopped to eat lunch for quite a while taking in the panoramic view at the summit. All in all I’d say it took us about 4 hours.
Difficulty Level
Of the hikes I’ve done around Santiago, this was definitely one of the more challenging. The trek was fairly steep and there was a good amount of climbing involved. The path was also not clearly marked and consisted of more a small network of interwoven trails. We mostly just followed the people up in front of us and continued our incline the best way we could find.
That being said, anyone in decent shape should be able to handle this trek, as although it is pretty steep, it is not very far, only about 4.2 KM, one way. It was definitely taxing, but completely doable, especially if you take your time!
Keep in mind that the way down, although quicker, was as complicated, if not more complicated than the way up. I really had a hard way on the way down as I was not wearing the appropriate shoes for this type of trek and kept slipping on the dry dust and rocks. Don’t worry! No injuries thankfully!
What to Bring
- Hiking Boots– I would definitely invest in a pair of hiking boots before attempting this hike. I wore my Nike trainers and as I mentioned above, I had a pretty hard time on the way down, slipping and sliding on loose materials.
- Plenty of water– There will be nowhere to fill a water bottle during this hike and as I’ve mentioned it is fairly challenging. Staying hydrated all the way is very important!
- Sunscreen– A good part of the trek is in direct sunset, with no access to shade.
- Food for the day– Once you continue on from Plaza San Enrique, there will be no markets to buy food or drinks. Bring enough food to last you through the day.
- Gloves with grips– This one is not necessary, but is a good idea. Some of the hike includes climbing and using your hands to lift/guide yourself.
- Backpack– During this trek you’ll want to remain handsfree for support and balance.
Liked this post? Pin it!
What do you like to do on the weekends? Where is your favorite place to hike?
I love those snowy mountains in the background. What a gorgeous hike!
It was really really beautiful!! 😀
I love these kind of hikes! Thanks for the tips Lauren!
Aren’t they the best Isabel 😀
Love the photo with the clouds covering the mountains. Looks like you had a great preparatory hike in Cerro Pochoco. I am looking forward to reading about your Machu Picchu hike.
Unfortunately that is not a cloud … that’s SMOG 😡 … But yes, still looks cool! Can’t wait to share about my Machu Picchu hike! Thanks Ahila 😀
Those skies are amazing. I love the backlist cactus photo too!! I can’t wait to hear more about Machu Picchu and if you felt ready for it after this adventure!!
Hoping these adventures will prep me and I’ll be ready! You’ll hear all about how it went here 😀
Looks like a wonderful hike, Lauren. I love hiking in the mountains. Some great tips too.
Thanks Clare!! 😀
The views from the top are absolutely spectacular! It looks like a difficult hike, but the views make it all worth it. It also sounds like a great hike to get ready for Machu Picchu!
The views made the trek sooooo worth it! I can only hope all of Machu Picchu won’t be that difficult 😛
beautiful landscape!
Thanks Tanja!
Wow well that’s a little more dramatic than hikes I did in Scotland! Good luck with your Machu Picchu training!
Thanks so much Rebecca! 😀
I love that this is a (stunning!) hike accessible by public transit. That so rarely happens. I think the way you shared practical information at the bottom of the post makes your blog an incredibly helpful resource.
I love when great activities are accessible by public transit! And thanks so much! Hoping other people find the information as helpful as you do Lauren! 😀
Love this! And love that you’re going to Machu Picchu soon!! Can’t wait to hear all about it. That’s also one on my bucket list, but I think my first thru hike will be the one in Patagonia 🙂
I’m dying to get to Patagonia!! That’s up on my list for the end of the year! Guess I’ll just have to keep regularly doing hikes to keep myself prepared 😛
I really get a bad conscience for not hiking more often whenever I read your posts. I mean I practically live in THE hiking country of Europe but seldomly get my ass up to actually get out there, haha! So jealous of seeing you hiking in the most beautiful surroundings (and taking the most gorgeous pictures) whenever you have a free minute 😀 But really, can’t wait to read about Machu Pichu!
Trust me Van, on the weekends sometimes it’s seriously hard to get my ass up too haha! I just have to remind myself that the views after all the hard parts will be worth it!! Or hope that the smog will be clear enough that they will be …. I’m very lucky to have all of these mountains just waiting to be explored and so accessible around Santiago, but luckily for you can just step out of your apartment and snap pictures of breathtaking scenery!! For that I’m super jealous!! 😀
Lauren!! this look so awesome! I wrote about hiking this week too, but I just went forest hiking you climbed a mountain! holy cow! That picture with all the clouds hovering over the mountains almost takes my breath away. it should be put on a postcard!
I mean …. mountain is being generous! It was a “hill,” but a damn big one at that! Haha And I wish I could say that that is a cloud … it’s actually Santiago’s pollution turned to SMOG :X yuckkkkie! Maybe not the best thing to advertise on a postcard hehe
Yay for Santiago hikes! I need to get myself here soon, it looks amazing 😀
Definitely! You and Carlos would absolutely LOVE this place!!
So great the day was so crisp and clear! The views are amazing. You can tell how high you were by taking a look at the houses below. That has to be good preparation for that Machu Picchu hike.
Sometimes it’s hard to realize how high up you are, but one look at the houses below is a reminder! I’m hoping these smaller hikes will help! I’m a bit nervous for 5-days trekking :X
Kudos to you for training in advance for your trek! I like that you can go on all of these terrifyingly high hikes for me. 😀 Beautiful photos, and thrilled to see you are making the most of your time in Chile!! Thanks for the link-up!
Thanks Christy! Trust me — the hikes are hard for me as well. I’m terrified of heights. It’s usually no problem getting up the mountain, it’s the way back down that scares me! :X
Whooo I feel you on the noodley legs after doing a steep climb like that. When I did the Old Rag hike in the Shenandoah Valley in VA, I thought my legs were going to give out before we even got to the top lol. Also can relate about the going down being just as tough. Great job with your hike! I can only imagine that the views were even more stunning in person. Can’t wait to hear about your trek to Macchu Picchu!
Thanks Setarra! And yes the noodley feeling is so strange, but almost feels good as it means you’re getting a great workout! 😀 The views were so much more amazing in person, so hard to capture something like that in a picture! Hope to share all about Machu Picchu soon!!
Dang, those pictures just look too pretty to even be real! I’m in pretty terrible shape so I’d probably be one of the select few to somehow injure myself hahah. Also good tip about the shoes, one time my fiance took me on a super rocky hike in Lake Tahoe that was EIGHT HOURS round trip, and I wore CHACOS. Yes, sandals. Not only were my feet black from all of the dust, but I also had pebbles stuck under my feet, major blisters, and I fell multiple times. Pretty much the worst/most embarrassing hike ever lol.
Oh nooooo! Mine wasn’t that bad as I was wearing trainers, but it still wasn’t fun without hiking boots! Being prepared with the right type of equipment has so much to do with how you enjoy your time! I’m sorry that you experienced that, sounds like a pain! Makes for a good story though 😛
Beautiful photos!
Thank you Claire!:D
I love a weekend hike – I have a group of friends that I go on Sunday rambles with through the English countryside. Not really these types of climbs though – that makes for some stunning views!
Getting out of the city and experiencing nature on the weekends is the best! 😀
Oh my goodness! How did I miss the link love? Thank you so much for sharing – Copenhagen is amazing in the summer. Cheers from Denmark! Erin
Don’t worry!! Thanks for linking up! Loved the post! 😀