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Showing posts with label Maule. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maule. Show all posts

Tuesday, 18 April 2023

Parque Nacional Radal Siete Tazas

One of the places I most wanted to visit during my time living in Chile was the Siete Tazas waterfalls, but the last year passed so fast that Claudio and I didn't manage to make it there, and it was only a couple of weeks ago that we realised that we needed to go soon, because I'm only going to be in Chile for another month! So during the Easter long weekend, we decided to take a day trip to the national park where the waterfall is located.

It takes about three and a half hours of driving south from Santiago to get there, so it's doable in a day. It is quite an enjoyable journey actually, because you pass through a big change in landscape, from the fairly arid landscapes in the centre of the country, where it's still pretty much summer right now, down to the Maule region, where it's much greener, with many more trees and some beautiful autumn colours to look at. According to some definitions, Maule is in the south of Chile, and according to others, it's in the south-central part of the country. But however you define it, it's definitely a completely different landscape to the area around Santiago, despite the fact that it doesn't look that far away on a map!



Our journey there was particularly entertaining, as a whole crowd of beautiful horses passed by! There were probably about fifty of them, including a couple of adorable babies!



Once we reached the National Park (Radal Siete Tazas), we drove along a dirt track until we reached the entrance to the Siete Tazas trail. A couple of days earlier, we had bought our tickets on the CONAF website, so we just had to show the downloads on our phones, and we were on our way to the waterfalls!

The trail to Siete Tazas is quite short, and has a wooden walkway, making it accessible for everyone. 



There is an accessible viewpoint at the end of the first part of the walkway, and then there are some stairs going down to the next viewpoint, where you can see Siete Tazas a bit closer. It's really quite an amazing natural wonder - there are 7 pools of water, all linked by waterfalls, hence the name Siete Tazas (Seven Cups)!



The next viewpoint is without a doubt the best place to see the waterfalls. However, we were quite disappointed by it, as it wasn't possible to spend any reasonable amount of time there enjoying the view. Instead, there was a huge line of people queuing up to take photos there - once it was our turn, we only had a matter of seconds to quickly take in the view and take some pictures. 



I do feel like this is a destination (and one of many) that has been somewhat spoilt because of Instagram, and social media in general. Perhaps it's a bit hypocritical of me to say that, as obviously I do write this travel blog, and I have a travel Instagram, and I like taking nice photos for both of them. So I'm as much a part of the problem as everyone else is.

But it does seem like a lot of destinations have really exploded in popularity since Instagram took off. Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like before social media, the majority of people (especially young people) mostly went on beach holidays and city breaks, and historical places and areas of nature weren't so popular. But since Instagram appeared, travel has become a kind of status symbol, and now more and more people are travelling to more and more places, and everyone wants to get those perfect shots to put on their grid. 

The example of this that I always remember is when we went for a walk in Castle Combe in the middle of lockdown, as it's not far from my family home. I would say that 10 or 20 years ago, this quaint, sleepy village was mostly visited by older tourists, and most younger people would have considered it quite a boring place to go to. But since the advent of social media, it has become much more popular as a photo spot. In particular, the bridge in the village has become one of the iconic places to take photos in the Cotswolds, along with Arlington Row in Bibury

During the entirety of our visit there (about 2 hours), there was a group of tourists on the bridge. One of them was most likely some kind of "influencer", and was posing for endless photos wearing a flimsy summer dress, despite the fact that it was a cold day in November. The tourists stopped for a few minutes to look at the photos they'd already taken, so we took the chance to take our own photos on the bridge, within a reasonable amount of time. Then one of the group actually asked us if we were done yet, as if they owned the bridge!

We laughed about it later, but it was actually kind of sad that they'd travelled to the other side of the world in the middle of a global pandemic, just to take photos. They wouldn't have any memories of exploring Castle Combe (which actually has plenty of other nice but lesser-known photo spots!) or taking in the local culture, and while one of them may have been a "travel influencer", she wouldn't have been able to provide her followers with any kind of content of value about travel in the Cotswolds - just photos of her posing in a summer dress on a freezing day. 

Obviously that's a very extreme example, and to be fair, everyone at Siete Tazas was considerate and took their photos within a reasonable amount of time. But I think so-called "influencers" like her have created this kind of culture, where taking photos while travelling has become more important than actually enjoying the destination itself.

But this is probably a topic for another blogpost!

Anyway, the view of Siete Tazas was really amazing, even though we only had a few seconds to appreciate it!





Down some steps, there's another, bigger viewpoint, where you can see the two "tazas" at the bottom. The view isn't quite as picturesque as the one at the previous viewpoint, but it's still pretty stunning, and you can actually spend some time there taking it in, listening to the sound of the running water, and just enjoying being in nature.




After going back up the steps, we followed another, slightly longer trail to La Leona (The Lioness) waterfall. There were very few people along the trail, but when we arrived at the end, we were greeted with the sight of another long queue for photos!

The waterfall is 25 metres, but as the viewpoint is quite a distance above it, the view isn't that impressive. We had seen pictures of people swimming in the pool below it, but unfortunately access to the bottom of the waterfall has now been closed to the public.





After seeing Salto La Leona, we followed the circuit back round to the start of the Siete Tazas trail and then drove back towards the entrance of the park, where you can find Velo de la Novia (The Bride's Veil) waterfall. I believe you can go and see this waterfall without buying a ticket to the park, and what makes it even better is that there's a nice big viewpoint there, so you can stay and admire the view as long as you like.

I was expecting to just see one waterfall here, but there were actually several, with the highest one being 40 metres! They were a really incredible sight!






We noticed a few people at the bottom of the waterfalls, and were intrigued as to how we could get down there too, as we could tell it would be amazing to view the falls up close.

A tour guide told us that we could go to some cabañas up the road, and pay 10000 pesos each (about 10 pounds each), which would give us access to a trail down to the bottom of the waterfalls.

Although it sounded expensive, we wanted to make the most of our time in the park, so we decided to go and take the trail.

This was a big mistake!

Although the first part of the trail was relatively easy, the actual descent down to the falls was incredibly dangerous - something the owner of the cabañas neglected to tell us when he took our money. The trail was almost totally vertical and incredibly uneven, and clearly no effort had been taken to make it suitable for tourists. Claudio fell over and scraped his arm very badly at one point, and the trail just kept getting worse and worse. In the end, we turned back before we got to the bottom, as I could feel myself getting more and more scared about what was to come, as well as the prospect of having to climb back up the near vertical terrain.

On our way back towards the carpark, we noticed a green lagoon, and decided to walk across some rocks in order to get closer to it. We wanted to try to get at least some value for our 20000 pesos! However, I tripped over Claudio's foot on one of the rocks, and to make matters worse, he trod on my leg when trying to help me up!

And the lagoon wasn't even that special anyway.





It was a bit of a disappointing end to our day in the national park. If anyone reading this is planning on going, do not attempt the hike down to the waterfalls unless you have proper hiking boots and poles. And actually, even if you do have the right equipment, I'd still advise you to avoid paying 10000 pesos to someone who can't be bothered to even make the trail safe. It's pure robbery, and shouldn't be allowed in what is supposedly a "national" park.

But despite this bad experience, and the crowds in certain parts of the park, I'm still really glad that we finally made it to Siete Tazas. Both the Siete Tazas and Velo de la Novia waterfalls are beautiful sights to see, and a great example of the amazing nature we have here in Chile.

But I don't think Claudio and I will be going hiking again in a hurry!

Saturday, 21 August 2021

Country Guide: Chile

Name: Chile

Continent: South America

Capital (and Largest) City: Santiago

Language: Spanish

Currency: Chilean Peso

Drives on the: Right

Time Zone: Chile Standard Time (GMT -4)

Adaptor Types: Type C and Type L

Description: Chile is a very long and very thin country located on the western side of South America, between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountains. Because of its unusual shape, it features many different landscapes and climates, from the hot, dry Atacama Desert in the north to cold, icy Patagonia in the south. It is also famous for its literary heritage and its wine production.

Why You Should Visit: The natural landscapes of Chile are so varied and are unlike anywhere else on Earth. The country is filled with mountains, volcanoes, beaches, lakes, forests, waterfalls and glaciers, and is also home to many amazing species of animals, including penguins, flamingos, vicuñas, guanacos and pumas. In addition, Chile has several stunning cities to explore, such as Santiago and Valparaíso.

Fun Fact: The Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar desert on Earth.


My Blogposts About Chile



- Viña Undurraga (Talagante province)

- The Sky Costanera (Santiago)

- Cerro Manquehue (Santiago)




- Cerro Santa Lucía (Santiago)







- El Cementerio General (Santiago)

- Parque Metropolitano (Santiago)


- An Unforgettable Trip to Algarrobo (Algarrobo, Isla Negra and Santo Domingo)





- Travel Tips: Destinations off the Tourist Trail (Maule region and Huilo Huilo & Siete Lagos)







- A Few Highlights From Chile (Santiago and Chicureo)

- A Day at the Beach (Viña del Mar, Reñaca and Concón)

- Travel Tips: My Ten Favourite Cities (Valparaíso and Santiago)

- Travel Tips: My Ten Favourite Castles and Palaces (Castillo Wulff, Viña del Mar)

- Travel Tips: My Top Ten Nature Destinations (Atacama Desert, Valle del Elqui, Algarrobo, Cajón del Maipo, Maule Region and Huilo Huilo & Siete Lagos)




- UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Valparaíso, Qhapaq Ñan, Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works, Archaeological sites of the Chinchorro culture and Churches of Chiloé)

- Travel Tips: My Ten Favourite Beaches (Algarrobo, La Serena and Reñaca)


- Travel Tips: My Top Five Colourful Cities (Valparaíso and Coquimbo)

- Travel Tips: The Best Day Trips From Santiago (Región Metropolitana and Valparaíso region)

- Movie Travels (Valparaíso, the south of Chile, and the Atacama Desert)


- Cute Animals in the Wild (the Atacama Desert and Algarrobo)


Discovering More of Chile's Beaches (La Laguna, Maitencillo, Cachagua)




Life in Chile: Update 2 (Santiago and Maipo province)






Life in Chile: Update 5 (Santiago and Chicureo)



Our Snow Day! (Farellones, El Colorado, La Parva and Valle Nevado)



Life in Chile: Update 7 (Santiago and Monticello)


Back in Valpo! (Valparaíso)



Life in Chile: Update 8 (Santiago, Talagante provice, Cajón del Maipo and Rancagua)






- Our Civil Union (Santiago)



Travel Tips: Ten More of My Favourite Beach Destinations (Cachagua, Iquique, Arica, Zapallar, Papudo, Frutillar and Viña del Mar)


Charlotte's Travel Adventures is 5 Years Old! (Atacama Desert, Santiago and Frutillar)


My Year of Adventurous Travel (Santiago, Papudo and Cajón del Maipo)





































Clockwise starting from top left: La Serena Beach, Laguna Chaxa in the Atacama Desert, Salto del Huilo Huilo, the Japanese Garden and Costanera Centre in Santiago, Mirador de Monjes Blancos in the Maule Region, Embalse el Yeso in Cajón del Maipo, Stairway in Valparaíso, Montegrande Church

Check out the rest of my Country Guides here!

Wednesday, 16 October 2019

Travel Tips: Destinations off the Tourist Trail

It's a cliché, but one of the best things about doing a Year Abroad was that I discovered a lot about myself, including how I like to travel! Although I enjoyed visiting places like Venice, I found the relentless crowds of tourists a bit stressful to deal with. I also realised that lesser-known places can be just as interesting as the tourist hotspots, as well as being a lot more authentic!

So, this is my list of my favourite travel destinations off the tourist trail...


1) Sète, France














Close to Montpellier in the Occitanie region of France, Sète is known as the French version of Venice, as it is a beautiful town with a network of canals. For this reason, it's not exactly tourist free, but it's not crowded either. You can take a boat trip around its main sites, and take in the great views from the top of Mont Saint-Clair.

In fact, I would recommend the region of Occitanie as a whole for those looking for a less touristy holiday in the south of France. I have spent a lot of time around the Nice/Cannes area of France, and while I liked those places, I must say that the Occitanie area feels much less extravagant and much more relaxed.

Read more here!



2) Le Havre, France



















An interesting destination in Normandy is Le Havre. This port city with artistic attractions and a funicular railway reminded me a bit of Valparaíso in Chile. The highlight is the art gallery Musée Malraux, where you can see impressionist paintings by some of the most famous artists in history, without the crowds of the Louvre or the Musée d'Orsay.

Read more here!



3) Kärnten, Austria



















Kärnten, or Carinthia as it's sometimes known in English, is the region where I lived when I spent a semester teaching English in Austria. It's not as well known as the Tyrol and Salzburg regions, but it's a beautiful place with plenty of lakes, mountains and fairytale castles! It's also very close to both Italy and Slovenia, so it's an ideal place to go to if you're planning a multi country trip.

Read more here!



4) Vaduz, Liechtenstein



















This is a European capital city quite unlike the others I've visited. For one, it's very small, just like the country it's a part of. It's also pretty much devoid of people! Well, at least it was when I visited in November 2017. In this charming city overlooked by a castle (pictured above), you can visit both the national museum and a fantastic art gallery in total peace and quiet!

Read more here!



5) Udine, Italy















I first heard of Udine when looking at train timetables in Austria. I'm surprised that it's not more well known, as it's a beautiful city with plenty of attractions. The most memorable part for me was Piazza della Libertà (pictured above), but I also loved the art gallery in the castle, and the cathedral, which has an amazing painted ceiling. Although I've been to Florence and Venice, I have to say that Udine is my favourite Italian city. It has a very authentic and relaxed vibe. I could imagine living there!

Read more here!



6) Maule, Chile



















The Maule region in south-central Chile is not totally off the tourist radar. The Siete Tazas national park is already quite well known. (It's on my list of places to visit when I go back to Chile!) However, in May last year, I went on a group tour to some parts of Maule that are not so frequently visited. My favourite places were Mirador Monjes Blancos (pictured above), Cascada Invertida (an inverted waterfall) and Laguna del Maule. This region of Chile has so much amazing nature to see.

Read more here!



7) Huilo Huilo and Siete Lagos, Chile

























Another group tour I took in Chile was to Huilo Huilo biological reserve and Siete Lagos (seven lakes) in the south of the country. I've yet to visit the far south, but I've heard it can get very busy. This place, however, was so peaceful. I went in winter, so it was very cold, although maybe that was why it was so quiet. It was worth braving the weather to see beautiful sceneries of lakes, waterfalls, forests and volcanoes. The picture above is of me in front of the famous Montaña Mágica (magic mountain) hotel!

Read more here!



That concludes my list of less-touristy travel destinations! Coming soon: Five places to visit in Austria.


Check out the rest of my Travel Tips here!