La Campana National Park

Being an outdoors fan and living in Santiago, one gets the sense that Chile’s coolest natural wonders — such as Torres del Paine, San Pedro de Atacama, and Easter Island — are too far away. However, Chile’s central valley offers a myriad of options for those adventurous souls who seek a little hiking, trekking or backpacking away from the smog-ridden air of the metropolis.

La Campana National Park is one such refuge, filled with trails, and situated at a mere two hours from Santiago. The park lies within the coastal mountain range and one can retrace the footsteps of Charles Darwin, who in 1834 visited the summit of Cerro La Campana from where awe-inspiring panoramic vistas stretch from the Andes to the ocean. One side of La Campana also houses spectacular reserves of Chilean Wine Palm forests, some of the last palm forests of this threatened species.

This past weekend, I went with my girlfriend and some friends on a camping trip to La Campana. Aside from the a little rest & recreation from the concrete jungle, one of my objectives was to experience, learn about and explore the park’s vistas and photographic opportunities. It was a sort of scouting mission to figure out how and what to do on subsequent multi-day backpacking trips. After a two-hour bus ride from Santiago to Olmué, we arrived mid-afternoon at the Granizo sector from where the 7km. (4.35m) trail to the summit of Cerro La Campana begins. We pitched the tents and made camp, followed by a leisurely stroll through a nearby trail.

We woke up at 5am to get an early start on the trail, to elude the hottest hours of the day where temperatures easily reach 35°C (95°F) at midday. We left basecamp at 6am and began the progressively steep ascent, passing through the misty clouds that roll in from the Pacific Ocean and cover up the nearby towns’ skies. Once we were high enough, we took in the spectacular views of the cloud-covered valleys on our way to the base of the rocky bell that gives the mountain its name. We arrived at the summit near 1pm and aside from the crass amount of graffiti covering almost every rocky surface in view, the panoramic vista was well worth the hike. Definitely heading back to do more photographic work in that area.