Santiago Sports & Outdoors

There is a lot of diving in Chile and also near Santiago on diferent spots on the cost. The water is obviously colder that nin the caribean, but there is nothing that a 7mm neoprene suit can´t fix. Lots of companies offer -for the day- or weekend trips, including hotel or the BBQs etc. Personally I have seen fish banks, see wolfs (surounded by them at very close range), ship wraks, lots of flora and fauna. I have a page about everything you need to know about diving in Chile. (I think it´s the only non-comercial diving page in Chile). Check it out: www.dive.cl

Equipment: all gear can be rented from the local operator and is usually included in the price.

There is a lot of diving in Chile and also near Santiago on diferent spots on the cost. The water is obviously colder that nin the caribean, but there is nothing that a 7mm neoprene suit can´t fix. Lots of companies offer -for the day- or weekend trips, including hotel or the BBQs etc. Personally I have seen fish banks, see wolfs (surounded by them at very close range), ship wraks, lots of flora and fauna. I have a page about everything you need to know about diving in Chile. (I think it´s the only non-comercial diving page in Chile). Check it out: www.dive.cl

Equipment: all gear can be rented from the local operator and is usually included in the price.

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The best places for skiing in Chile are near Santiago - Valle Nevado, La Parva, El Colorado and a little further away - Portillo. I have not skiied in the US or Canada so can´t compare the conditions but I have never heard anyone complaining about the skiing conditions here. Each of these places has its own website:

Valle Nevado
La Parva
El Colorado
Portillo

There are places to ski further south but if you were to base yourself in Santiago you could try out a few different places by taking a shuttle each day (see my Santiago page sports tips for details).

There is accommodation available at each of these locations however it is quite expensive and usually require a minimum stay (eg 7 days in Portillo).

Equipment: Equipment can be hired on the mountain but it does make for an expensive outing. I took my own equipment with me.

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Chileans are football crazy and Colo Colo are the most popular football club in the country. They play their home games at Estadio Monumental. Built in 1989, the stadium has a capacity of 45,000. Originally, the stadium could hold up to 65,000 spectators but its capacity was reduced for security reasons. The highest ever recorded attendance was 69,305 for a 1992 match between Colo-Colo and Universidad de Chile.

Nowadays, it is very rare for games to be sold out, except for the Superclasico v Universidad de Chile. I got there more than an hour before kick-off and bought my ticket on the day of the game. I paid C$12,000 to see a Copa Libertadores match. For that, I had a good seat at the side. Colo Colo's most fanatical fans, known as the Garra Blanca, stand behind the goal, where you will see huge flags, flares and fireworks.

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Rafting on the Cajon del Maipo was awesome fun. I have done it twice now and would recommend it. The rafting trip was about 12 kilometres long and took about an hour. Trips leave at 11am and 2pm.

Contact the owner Alexis direct on his cellphone. For bookings made and paid for 7 days in advance Alexis gives a 10% discount.

The cost is 15,700 pesos Monday to Saturday and 16,900 pesos on Sundays and holidays.

Equipment: All the equipment is provided by the company. All you need to wear is your swim suit and some sturdy shoes (sneakers) although the company can supply those too. They give you a wetsuit, jacket, shorts, helmet and a paddle.

A lot of people have asked me what to do on weekends, and especially on long weekends.
The beauty of Santiago is just how easy it is to get away from the city and into real nature.

If you have a mountain bike, a great trail is Hacienda Las Varas. This is a private ranch, that has good vibes with cyclists. But it´s a reciprocal thing. Be respectful, it´s someone´s farm!
To get there, take the road up to the ski centers. At mile marker (sorry, kilometer marker) 3, there is a curve and a wooden sign that reads HACIENDA LAS VARAS. Take that road (dirt) which makes a right. You will start climbing a pine columned road up, and up. At one point, you will see some simple homes, make sure to say hi to everyone. After about 8, there is a barrier. Say, ¨PUEDO SUBIR?¨with a smile, and they open the electric gate for you.
Great riding starts soon!
Trails and more trails, with stunning views of Santiago on one side. You can come out the same side, or ride down the singletrack and come out a bit closer to Santiago. There is a small ampitheater, where they do german language plays twice a year (December I think).
Don´t spook the horses and respect this beautiful spot.

Equipment: Helmet
gloves
pump
inner tube
water
munchies

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This tip is really for expats or Chileans who may be interested in joining a sports team while they are living in Santiago. Touch Rugby is taking Santiago by a storm with a competition running in the winter and summer. At the moment we are playing on Monday nights. The games were held at the Prince of Wales country club for a number of years and in 2007 moved to the Estadio Israelita.

We don't practice very often at all but when we do we usually combine it with a BBQ in a park with family (see pics).

Equipment: You should get a paid of touch rugby shoes so you don't slip but shirts are provided by the team you join. If you are wanting to join a team then you are welcome to drop me a line. I play for the team called "Mongrels"... believe me, it sounds more ruthless than we are!! Our team dresses in bright pink shirts which stand out during the night games :)

Near santiago you have several sky resorts, just about one hour or less Farellones ( extremelly basic sky resort) el Colorado, La Parva and Valle nevado all of the last are great, sky lift is expensive, may be the most expensive one is Valle nevado, but worth it. the sky season in chile normally starts on june and ends in september. a little bit more far then this sky resort you have agrat one PORTILLO may be the best of them with very chalenging hills, the road to argentina , may be 2 or 3 hours from Santiago.

Equipment: in every sky resort you have sky renting equipment

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Santiago is the perfect place to base yourself if you are planning to include some skiing or snowboarding in your Chilean adventure. Three skiifields are located about an hour away from Santiago. They are Valle Nevado, La Parva and Colorado. There is another skiifield about 2 hours away called Portillo. Accommodation is available on the mountains however they usually require that you stay up there for 7 days.

As I was living in Santiago, I made day trips up the mountain using a local ski transportation company called Ski Total.

Equipment: If you haven't brought your own gear you can rent it at the Ski Total offices in Las Condes.

A really nice 2 day trip to the Andean Mountains near the town of Curico. It's a really lovely place a bit different to regular horseback riding as the route done here is not very well known, infact I'd have thought I was the first person to ever be there. Wich in the end wasn't true as we reached a breathtaking place up in the mountains called Stone house that lies next to a beautiful blue lagoon . It's a 7 hour horseride up, through rivers, steep hills, thick branches that scratch a bit but once your up the top you get to a stone house beside a lake which I found awesome. The "arrieros" that accompanied us up then prepared a tasty and life saving barbecue and in the evening we just chatted away surrounded by this heavenly place. next day we took our horses again and we followed the track to the river Teno where a raft was expecting to take us done some rapids... what can I say.... just wow!... that was pretty awesome, never done it before in my life, but I'd certainly do it again.... yes sir!...

Equipment: Definetly some protective clothing (trousers and long sleeves) the branches seem to scratch once in a while. Sun protection, just a day back pack... don't have to pack much as these guys seem to bring everything we could possibly need with them.