How to get there

Where is Valle Nevado? Valle Nevado ski resort is located about 67km to the east of Santiago in Chile, high in the Andes Mountains. Valle Nevado is one of the Tres Valles ski resorts that are accessed via the Cajon de Mapocho (Mapocho River Canyon). The drive from Santiago to Valle Nevado takes about an hour and a half in good conditions, but there are many variables that can impact on the drive time. The Valle Nevado base is higher than La Parva and El Colorado ski resorts, so the drive time to get there is longer.

Other ski resorts nearby Valle Nevado is inter-connected via the lifts and slopes to the resorts of La Parva and El Colorado, as well as Farellones, although this is really just considered to be part of El Colorado.

Flying into Santiago de Chile The Santiago Benitez International Airport is the gateway airport for Valle Nevado. Lan is the major international carrier with flights from Australia, New Zealand, United States, Canada and Europe. Flights from the UK may go via New York, Miami or Los Angeles. There are also other airlines that fly into Santiago from other South American cities. For a great price on a flight use one of our flight search engines such as CheapOair. It's also possible to search by flight times and the number of stops.

Private Transport from Santiago International Airport There are also lots of companies providing transport from the Santiago airport to Valle Nevado, but the prices are extraordinary unless you have a large group. For a return trip on a different day, the cost with KL Adventures for a vehicle for 1-3 people is $US350, and this ranges up to a mini-bus for 6-23 people for $US680. 

The resort can arrange return transfers from the airport or hotels in Santiago for a cost of US$350 which services up to 6 people (2009 rates).

If you want to avoid all those switchbacks and money is no object, Valle Nevado can arrange helicopter transfers from Santiago Airport. The return helicopter ride costs $2,200 USD for the whole chopper. Have you got a spare spot for me?

Shuttles and Private Transport from Santiago There are various transport companies that provide inexpensive daily shuttles from Santiago to Valle Nevado. These either leave from their rental shop on the eastern outskirts of Santiago, or the transport can include a hotel pick-up that goes via the shop.

Santiago Adventures can organise transfers from Santiago Airport and / or your hotel to / from Valle Nevado. You have the choice of an English or Spanish speaking driver. Click here for rates. You can book transfers by using the "Get a Quote" button on this page.

Another transport operator is KL Adventures (in English) who provide round trips to Tres Valles. For departures from their shop in eastern Santiago (near the turn-off to Farellones), a return trip is only $10.000 with an 8am departure and return at 5pm. For a hotel pick-up between 7am and 8am it costs $20.000 (via their shop) for same day return. For return on a different day the cost is $38.000. Convert currency here. Ski Total is another example of a shuttle operator.

These shuttles are good for the budget oriented but they can take a long time, especially considering there’s a wait at the ski shop for everyone else to hire or take back their equipment. If you don’t need rental equipment this can be rather frustrating. KL Adventures and various other companies also provide private transport which is much more expensive than the shuttle service unless you have a large group.

The other option is to catch a taxi from Santiago. Your hotel will generally be able to negotiate a better fixed price for the trip, as opposed to hailing a cab off the street where you’ll need very well developed bartering skills.

Driving to Farellones En Route to Valle Nevado Whether you go via the Costanera Norte Autopista in Santiago onto Av Kennedy, or via Av Apoquindo, you’ll need to end up on Av Las Condes heading east. Not far after the Mall Sport mega shop (on the right) is a Terpel Service Station. Turn right here into Camino de Farellones (G21). The signage for this turn-off is quite subtle so keep a close eye out for the turn-off.

Just after the turn-off there are a couple of ski and snowboard shops where you can pick up rental equipment and chains. The other option to rent the compulsory chains is part way up the hill at some colourful shipping containers, where you’ll potentially find some men flapping their arms at you! They’ll vie for your business but try to rip you anyway. Don’t pay more than about $7.000 per day, as the rental fee doesn’t include the fitting of the chains.

The road up to Farellones has 38 curves, most of which are switchbacks. The road is paved, cleared, and has various safety barriers in place. It’s also fairly wide but considering that it’s sometimes choked with traffic (including wild donkeys!) there are regulations to make the road one-way at times. On weekends and during holidays (in July) only up-hill traffic is permitted between 8am and 2pm, and down-hill traffic is permitted from 4pm to 8pm. At other times it’s a two-way road.

Once you reach the snow-line you’ll be accosted by various men offering to put your chains on. This is rather handy if you don’t know how to fit chains or if you don’t want to get your hands and clothes dirty (or break a nail!). The competition is fierce, so feel free to barter a little - $5.000 is probably reasonable. Carry small notes, otherwise they’ll claim they have no cambio and the price of chain fitting will be rounded up. On the way down the hill, the process for taking off the chains is similar, although the price is likely to be much less.

In Farellones, one road veers off to Valle Nevado and the other to El Colorado and La Parva. These roads are well signposted.

Driving from Farellones to Valle Nevado The access road from Farellones up to Valle Nevado is perilous and not for the faint of heart, particularly in poor weather conditions or when there’s a lot of traffic. From Farellones, the 12km road up to Valle Nevado is initially just a little windy and it lulls you into a false sense of security. Then the real curves start (about 20 of them). They call them curves but they are more aptly called tight switchbacks.

The terrifying road isn’t as bad as a couple of NZ club field roads because it’s not particularly steep, there are a few safety rails, and the edges of the road are marked by orange poles which are a godsend in low visibility. However the road must come as a bit of a shock to many North Americans who are used to driving on highways to get to the ski resorts. In comparing the road to those in NZ, the main difference is that in NZ they close the road in poor visibility. At Valle Nevado they might not do so. Do not drive up if it’s snowing – very bad move!

When Valle Nevado gets big storms, the road can close for days which can completely ruin your travel plans. You’ll need to keep a very relaxed approach to the potential of the road closing, because the resort certainly has a very laid-back approach to it and don’t seem too savvy to the angst it can cause for travellers. Check the weather forecast before driving to Valle Nevado for a day trip or you might get stuck there for a day or two, or three, and the hotel bills might not be pretty.

Like the road up the Farellones, the Valle Nevado road is one way on weekends and holidays. It’s up in the morning and down in the afternoon. However if there’s a bit of snow on the road this could happen midweek also, and any rules about the timing of one way traffic can completely go out the window. And don’t expect that the resort will do a good job of communicating the road situation (and don’t believe the report on the internet). When driving to and from Valle Nevado, you have to just go with the flow.

Overnight guests can park under the hotel, but for day trippers the parking is limited. When it’s busy the cars are parked down the windy narrow road which makes the drive even more difficult. The panel beaters in Santiago must do a roaring trade!

Getting Around Tres Valles It can sometimes be difficult to sample multiple resorts at Tres Valles even though they are interconnected. If staying on-mountain, you need to pick one resort knowing that’s where you’ll do most of your skiing.

From Valle Nevado it’s possible to ski to and from La Parva and El Colorado, but this is really only for advanced riders. The other limitation is that these interconnections are closed if the access lifts are shut due to limited visibility, windy conditions or avalanche risk.

If you have a car it’s possible to drive between the resorts, as long as it’s the right time of day for one-way traffic and the roads are open. The Valle Nevado road in particular is prone to closure during and after a snow storm. The drive from Valle Nevado to El Colorado takes about 45 minutes in good conditions.

If you’re staying in Farellones, a couple of the accommodations provide shuttle transport to and from the ski resorts. For example the Posada Hotel and Blue Tambo Lodge in Farellones provide shuttles to Valle Nevado for a small charge, whilst transfers to El Colorado and La Parva are complimentary.

There are no taxis in the area so the only other option left is to hitchhike.

Getting Around Valle Nevado Getting around Valle Nevado is easy on foot as the “village” is very small.