Day Trip – Zapallar and Cachagua

I still can’t quite get used to the fact that, from our apartment, I can drive an hour in either direction and be either in the Andes mountains or on the Pacific coast.  Our last venture into the mountains was a success, and we definitely want to spend more time exploring the many trekking paths in and around Santiago, but with Summer winding down here in the Southern hemisphere, we decided to head for the beach this Saturday.

We took a day trip to Viña del Mar our second weekend here, and while it had its charms, it was still a pretty big city, and we were eager to explore somewhere smaller.  We had heard from numerous people that we had to check out Zapallar, a town about 2 hours north of Santiago.

So, Saturday morning, we jumped in our new car and headed north on highway 5.  The drive was easy, with only a few turns along the way, and within 2 hours we were on a road reminiscent of highway 101 in California.  The road wound around rocky cliffs and overlooked the beautiful blue waters of the Pacific.

We stopped made our first stop at Cachagua beach, which is just a few kilometers south of Zapallar.  It was a bit overcast when we arrived, but even under cloudy skies, we were immediately drawn in by the quiet, charming beach that spread out below the foothills of the Andes.  To the north, toward Zapallar, there is a footpath carved into the rocks that line the coast.

Just across the way, there is a small island dubbed Isla de Pinguinos due to the colony of Humboldt penguins that nests here during part of the year.  It’s the northernmost place to view penguins, and though we had to squint, it was fun to see them as we walked along the picturesque beach. After walking for awhile, turned back and grabbed a late lunch at a beachside restaurant where we enjoyed some delicious seafood.

 

From there we hopped back into the car and to Zapallar beach.  Immediately upon arriving, we knew this was a place we wanted to come back to.  The itself was calm and beautiful, and there were rocky cliffs surrounding the soft sand on both sides.  We hiked up atop a hill that overlooked the cove, and out onto some massive rock formations that jutted out into the water just past the beach.  There were some absolutely breathtaking views, and some easily accessible walking paths.  This is definitely somewhere that would make an ideal weekend getaway from the city.

From what we’ve been told, most Chileans take their summer vacations during the month of February, so we had a much calmer experience than we might have a few weeks earlier.  Either way, I can see why people would flock to Zapallar.  I hope we can make several more trips back during our time here. Here are a few more photos of the beauty we encountered to take you into Monday.