Santa Cruz is located about a 2 hours drive from Santiago in the beautiful Colchagua Valley. The city is known for its colonial architecture and its surrounding wineries. Our travelArtist Dixiana tells us about her stay and her incredible experience in glaciers not far from fertile wine valleys …
I stayed at the Hotel Santa Cruz, which not only has an excellent location, but also has outstanding gastronomy and made my stay a unique experience. All the staff were extremely friendly, creating a pleasant atmosphere. The hotel has a museum and a casino, but this in no way detracts from a quiet and relaxed stay.
Near the hotel, I visited the Santa Cruz winery of the same name, a winery full of culture. There, not only the culture of wine is shown, but also the Chilean culture. A cable car takes visitors to the top of Chamán Hill, where there is a small observatory for stargazing over the Colchagua Valley. A car museum is located there as well on the hill with a number of historic vehicles that represent part of Chile’s history.
During my stay in the Colchagua Valley, I visited other vineyards such as the Viu Manent winery with its exquisite wines and the Montes winery with its delicious dishes made from local products, some from their own garden. It was interesting to visit the 100% organic RC winery, which offers e-bike tours. At the end of the visit they welcomed us with a delicious cocktail in the middle of the vineyard outside.
Visiting the wineries and museums brought me closer to Chilean culture, especially in relation to the world of wine. And I had the opportunity to taste the country’s first-class wines at wine tastings.
Excursion „Ice Caves of the Universidad Colchagua Glacier“
A very special experience was the excursion to the Universidad Glacier. After only about 2.5 hours of driving with a stopover in Los Maitenes, where the guide explained the excursion and distributed the equipment, we arrived in a completely different area than the nearby vineyards.
We walked for an hour to the glacier. The hike has an easy difficulty level and is also suitable for children. Along the way, the landscape changed and so did the weather. It was as if we were in the middle of Patagonia and the surrounding mountains even resembled the Torres del Paine peaks.
Arriving at the glacier and experiencing the colors and sounds in the ice cave was truly impressive. I would never have thought that in such an area in the heart of Chile you could find a wonder like this glacier and walk on it, touch it, see it, hear it and feel it.
After the visit to the ice cave, there was even the possibility to hike on the glacier.
My trip to the Colchagua Valley exceeded my expectations, as it not only allowed me to visit vineyards, but also to learn more about Chilean culture and discover fascinating and unexpected landscapes.
For more information on excursions to the Colchagua Valley,
please email info@travelart.com.