The Incredibly Wild Cóndor Circuit in Chile

We slowly trudged through the white volcanic sand, hoping that the top of the hill would finally be the last. Unfortunately, we never received our wish – at least not that day. The Cóndor Circuit revealed endless amounts of beauty but also tested us and pushed us outside our trekking comfort zones.

The 5 day trek is a great off the beaten path adventure just south of Santiago. I wanted to explore the nature between Santiago and Pucon because I feel like a lot of people skip this part of Chile. The Cóndor Circuit was the perfect way to connect multiple national parks around Talca, Chile.

This is a tough trek and the trail is unmarked for 3 of the 5 days making it only suitable for experienced backpackers. The CONAF rangers interrogated us before they allowed us to begin, asking about fuel, gps, food and chargers. To be honest, I was nervous starting out and didn’t have a totally clear understanding of the trail (mostly due to lack of info on the internet).

The trail starts from Altos de Lircay Reserva Nacional and ends it Parque Ingles. We also chose to camp another night in Parque Radal Siete Tazas so that we could enjoy the waterfalls there. The Cóndor Circuit utilizes multiple trails and passes through dense forest, rivers, volcanic sand, meadows and rocky trails.

Views on day 2

The Cóndor Circuit 5 Day Itinerary

Day 1: Talca —> Vilches Alto (park entrance) —> Camp 1 Valle Del Venado ; 22 kms & hitchhiking

Day 2: Valle Del Venado —> Refugio El Blanquillo & “hot spring” ; 10 kms

Day 3: Refugio El Blanquillo —> Vegas Manantial Pelado; 10 kms

Day 4: Vegas Manantial Pelado —> El Bolsón; 13 km

Day 5: El Bolsón —> Exit of Parque Ingles —> Camping Valle de las Catas & Radal Siete Tazas; 11kms & hitchhiking

Key Tips for Completing the Cóndor Circuit

1. Download maps.me to use for GPS. This is critical because the trail is very hard to find in a lot of places and following the trail on maps.me is really helpful

2. Get an early start on day 1 because it is a long 22kms

3. Rock towers are your friend. When in doubt look for a rock tower guiding the way

4. Water is available everyday, but on day 3 there isn’t much along the way. We also filtered our water but the ranger said it was safe to drink.

5. Day 3 is a demoralizing day trekking through the thick sand. You can go further but we chose to stop and rest our bodies.

6. The Hot Springs are not that hot but feel good and refreshing on a sunny day of trekking.

7. The views, lack of people and uniqueness of this trail make it incredible

Jack walking across the swampy meadow

Going and Returning to Talca

Talca is the biggest town in this region and we used it as our home base. We really enjoyed the hostel we stayed at called Hostal Plaza Maule Express. It was very close to Mall Plaza Maule so we could do our food shopping, have our last meal and buy any necessary gear. They also let us store our extra possessions while we were away on the trek.

We hitchhiked from the Petrobras on Avenue San Miguel a few minutes from the Hostal. However, there are also buses that go from Talca to Vilches Alto where the entrance of the park is. We took 2 different rides to get to the trailhead.

The time table from Talca to Vilches Alto as of December 2019

When you finish at Parque Ingles there are also buses that go from the park back to Molina and then you can take a bus from there to Talca. We were able to hitchhike back but not without spending an hour on the highway Ruta 5 trying to flag someone down.

Beautiful Mirador on Day 1

Day 1: Crazy Cows and a lot of Kilometers

After we successfully answered all the rangers questions and tests we started out on the trail. The first half of the day in on a well kept trail going through the forest. We stopped for lunch underneath some trees and had 2 cows as our guests. These cows were pretty cheeky and kept trying to investigate our things. We turned our backs for a second and one of the cows snatched up jacks T-shirt that he took off to dry and proceeded to chew and try to swallow it! I was laughing hysterically and eventually managed to grab the T-shirt back when the cow dropped it. Unfortunately that shirt was never worn again but Jack had to carry it for the remainder of the trek.

Jack and the hungry cow

The Trail eventually opens up and leads you to an incredible viewpoint overlooking the valley, river and cascade below. Then you have to do some pretty steep downhill climbing until you reach the river and valley floor. I thought the river was really beautiful and thankfully we were able to cross it as needed without taking off our shoes.

Little nap on the trail

By the last 2 kms of the 22 kilometer day I was really spent and could not wait to take my backpack off. We made it to the camping area and were the only ones for the night. The Refugio seemed to still be closed.

Lunch Break at Laguna El Blanquillo

Day 2: Mountain Lagoon and “Hot Springs”

The second day got off to an uphill start – the first 6 kilometers to be exact. It was hot and rocky. The Laguna Blanquillo was such a  relief to arrive upon. We took a long lunch break here icing our feet in the water and playing a game of dominoes.

After lunch we had a beautiful walk along the river (had to cross it once) and then we needed to cross a very swampy meadow to get to the Refugio on the other side. We were trying to avoid stepping in a deep soggy pool of grass. The Refugio was so close and my feet were so dry when I miss judged the sogginess and completely submerged my foot in a puddle.

“Hot springs”

When we got to the Refugio, we met 4 guys who were there to summit the volcano the next morning. They were really helpful and showed us an extensive map of the area so we could see where we needed to hike the next day. We also had plenty of time to check out the hot spring. It wasn’t very hot but felt good in the sunshine and was a refreshing way to end the day.

Tent Views

Day 3: Mental and Physical struggle in the elements

Jack and I both hadn’t hiked in months so by day 3 our bodies were hurting. To make matters worse this whole day consisted of trekking through thick volcanic sand uphill. Every time we thought it would be the last hill and the end of the sand but we were always disappointed. We would reach the top only to find and bigger hill to climb next.

The never ending sand mountains

We had planned to hike 15 kms this day but ended our day early at Vegas Manantial Pelado. This was an okay spot to camp. It was pretty exposed so wind was a factor, but it was right on the river and was surround by beautiful snowy peaks.

Sunset on Day 3

Jack set up our tent and then came over to give me a kiss and this huge gust of wind ripped the stakes out of the ground and our tent took off like a kite. It tumbled over the rocky terrain really fast and Jack started sprinting to catch it. I was pretty useless because I couldn’t stop laughing. It blew the tent a few hundred meters before he finally caught up to it. Once again, we were all alone on this night.

Laguna Manantial Pelado

Day 4: Wild Horses and Camping Views

On this day we finally came to the peak that marked the end of the sand. We even got to pass by another beautiful lagoon. From the top of the pass it was all down hill from there (about 10 km). The sand gave way to grassy valley trails and we stopped for lunch after a couple hours in the campsite we had intended to make it to the day before. In my opinion the place we stayed was better anyways.

Shortly after, we were walking along the path and we came upon a huge group of wild horses and their babies. We stayed still while they nervously found ways around us. There were a dozen babies and twice as many adults. It was really magical.

Reaching El Bolsón campground was a relief because we were finally back in “civilization”, however, this also meant paying the 4,000 p/p fee for the night. The campground was on a beautiful open grassy area with a towering black slab of rock.

Crazy Adventure to reach Salto Leon

We went on an adventure to find Salto León (it’s marked on maps.me). It became apparent that not too many people had made it to this waterfall. It’s really close to the camping but you have to climb up the river and cross it multiple times trying to use rocks as stepping stones and pushing through the bushes. It was worth it when we arrived though! A beautiful waterfall and a frosty plunge.

By this point we had exhausted most of our food. Our last dinner consisted of rice and mayo – a combination I hope to never repeat. We went to sleep dreaming of the Completos and Empanadas we would eat the next day.

French Fries!!

Day 5: Feasting and Hot Showers

The 11kms out of the park is pretty easy and mostly flat or downhill. We exited and picked the closest tienda to get some food. We ordered the largest portion of fries, completos and massive empanadas. I’ve never been so excited to feast and I think my body went into shock from the grease.

At this point I was really proud of us for successfully completing the Cóndor Circuit.

Full and happy, we started hitchhiking to the campground in Valle de las Catas near the Siete Tazas attraction. We easily got a ride but ended up having to walk 3 kms from the entrance up to the campground.

Staying at this campground felt like luxury. It was huge and we scored a secluded spot called La Isla. They had hot showers which was so necessary after 5 days. It cost 10,000 p/p to camp but was so worth it.

We chose not to go to the waterfalls on this day because the weather was rainy and we were exhausted from walking. This was a really good call.

Salto la Leona

Day 6: Waterfall Celebration

We woke up to blue skies and walked the 3 kms from the campground to Siete Tazas. Our night in the campground included entrance to the waterfalls and the ticket collector let us store our big bags with him while we went and explored. There are a couple lookout spots before you get to the Salto la Leona.  Here you can take the stairs down to a beach and swimming hole with the waterfall. This was way cooler than expected! Thankfully we got there early because within an hour or two the sliver of sandy beach was totally packed. At this point we were content and headed out.

Crazy crowds at Salto la Leona

We quickly got a ride heading all the way back to Molina. However, our kind friends eventually dropped us off in the middle of the freeway about 3 kms farther north than we wanted. We tried to flag a car down for an hour and had just given up and started to walk, when a truck came screeching to a halt. Christian was our savior and although we couldn’t understand his Spanish, he was an awesome guy and delivered us back to our hostel in Talca.

I highly Recommend the Cóndor Circuit

Although it was a tough trek, I really loved the 5 days we spent on the trail. It was amazing not to see anyone else for so many days and the landscape is incredible.
I also love that we got to do something off the beaten path – There aren’t very many people that know about this route.
Definitely do your research before embarking on this trek. I hope that the information I have shared provides a solid base to get started.

Does anyone know any other treks in Chile that are not as well known?