Before you head into the Andes: park rules around Santiago

📋 Rules📅 Updated October 8, 2026⏱ 4 min read

Cover: Laguna del Morado, with the glacier behind. Photo: Ratolibre1, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Almost all the hills and valleys of the Andes near Santiago are inside parks, and each one has its own rules: tickets you buy in advance, last entry times, registering with the ranger and things you can't bring. Knowing them saves you from reaching the gate and having to turn back. This is what the most visited parks ask of you.

1. Buy your ticket before you go

Asociación Parque Cordillera parks (Aguas de Ramón, La Plaza Sur, Cantalao, Las Hualtatas, Puente Ñilhue): online payment. CLP 3,450 for adults; CLP 2,300 for over-60s and children aged 2 to 14.
Yerba Loca: tickets online only; they are not sold at the park. Adults aged 18 to 59, CLP 7,000.
El Morado: hours and tickets on CONAF's ticketing site (Pases Parques).
Parque Manquehue: entry is free.

2. Respect the hours

Salto de Apoquindo, a tall waterfall between rocks and trees

Salto de Apoquindo. Photo: Jason Quinn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

On top of the park's opening hours, each trail has a last entry time. Some examples:

Salto de Apoquindo: last entry at 10:00; the trail closes at the Cruce el Estero at 11:00, and the last descent from the waterfall is at 14:00.
Cerro Provincia: the park opens only on weekends and holidays, and the last entry to the summit route is at 9:00.
Alto Las Vizcachas: last entry at 10:00.
Yerba Loca: entry from 8:00 to 15:00, and the park closes at 20:00.

3. Register with the ranger

At La Plaza Sur, you register your entry with the rangers at the park office. At Cerro Provincia, you must register both your entry and your exit.

4. What you can't bring

Hiker walking along a ridge with patches of snow, near the summit of Cerro Provincia

Near the summit of Cerro Provincia. Photo: Alanbritom, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Pets: not allowed in the Asociación Parque Cordillera parks or in El Morado.
Drones: banned in the Asociación Parque Cordillera parks and in El Morado.
Fire: in the Asociación Parque Cordillera parks you can't make campfires or smoke, and in El Morado fire of any kind is banned. In Yerba Loca any fire is banned, including smoking, with a fine of 5 UTM.
Unsuitable footwear: the Asociación Parque Cordillera parks don't let you in with unsuitable footwear. For Salto de Apoquindo, hiking boots or shoes with good grip are mandatory.
Camping: not allowed in most parks. The exceptions are the dome on the summit of Cerro Provincia and the Villa Paulina campground in Yerba Loca.

5. Minimum age on demanding routes

Salto de Apoquindo is open only to hikers aged 15 and over, and Cerro Provincia is recommended from age 12, with previous trekking experience.

6. Stay on the trail

Green El Morado valley with rocky peaks and snow behind

El Morado valley. Photo: Nd0806, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

In El Morado you can no longer go to the glacier or its base, because rockfall has made the area unstable: you can only walk as far as the lake. Manquehue has open, conservation and risk zones, and its trail is signposted. Every park asks you not to leave the marked trail.

Before you go

The parks publish every day whether they are open or closed, and they can close because of risk or emergencies. Every Hediny trail page shows today's status, taken directly from the park's website.

Any questions about the parks? Ask in the comments below.

Official sources

Community experiences

User experiences, not official information. Always check the official status before you go.

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1. Buy your ticket before you go

Asociación Parque Cordillera parks (Aguas de Ramón, La Plaza Sur, Cantalao, Las Hualtatas, Puente Ñilhue): online payment. CLP 3,450 for adults; CLP 2,300 for over-60s and children aged 2 to 14.

Yerba Loca: tickets online only; they are not sold at the park. Adults aged 18 to 59, CLP 7,000.

El Morado: hours and tickets on CONAF's ticketing site (Pases Parques).

Parque Manquehue: entry is free.

2. Respect the hours

Salto de Apoquindo, a tall waterfall between rocks and trees

Salto de Apoquindo. Photo: Jason Quinn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

On top of the park's opening hours, each trail has a last entry time. Some examples:

Salto de Apoquindo: last entry at 10:00; the trail closes at the Cruce el Estero at 11:00, and the last descent from the waterfall is at 14:00.

Cerro Provincia: the park opens only on weekends and holidays, and the last entry to the summit route is at 9:00.

Alto Las Vizcachas: last entry at 10:00.

Yerba Loca: entry from 8:00 to 15:00, and the park closes at 20:00.

4. What you can't bring

Hiker walking along a ridge with patches of snow, near the summit of Cerro Provincia

Near the summit of Cerro Provincia. Photo: Alanbritom, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Pets: not allowed in the Asociación Parque Cordillera parks or in El Morado.

Drones: banned in the Asociación Parque Cordillera parks and in El Morado.

Fire: in the Asociación Parque Cordillera parks you can't make campfires or smoke, and in El Morado fire of any kind is banned. In Yerba Loca any fire is banned, including smoking, with a fine of 5 UTM.

Unsuitable footwear: the Asociación Parque Cordillera parks don't let you in with unsuitable footwear. For Salto de Apoquindo, hiking boots or shoes with good grip are mandatory.

Camping: not allowed in most parks. The exceptions are the dome on the summit of Cerro Provincia and the Villa Paulina campground in Yerba Loca.

6. Stay on the trail

Green El Morado valley with rocky peaks and snow behind