South America
Chile
Santiago Metropolitan Region
San Jose de Maipo
Things to Do in San Jose de Maipo
Embalse El Yeso

Embalse El Yeso, San Jose de Maipo: Hours, Address, Embalse El Yeso Reviews: 4.5/5

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Embalse El Yeso

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Embalse El Yeso
4.5
1,636
#1 of 23 things to do in San Jose de Maipo
Dams
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9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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More than 3 hours
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Best nearby
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Attractions
1 within 6 miles
Laguna De Los Patos
4
0.9 miBodies of Water • National Parks
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,636 reviews
Excellent
1,287
Very good
245
Average
67
Poor
19
Terrible
18
Paula J
Santiago, Chile58 contributions
Beautiful place
The Embalse and its lagoon is so beautiful with the snowy mounitain. The trip is very intense but you need to hace good driving skills to arrive the Embalse. If you don`t have too much experience driving choose other destination in the area. The road in winter has movement of rocks in some places before arriving the Embalse. Now you cannot pass the Embalse by car, you have to walk. There are two sites where you can leave your car safely.
Written June 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Damien S
Adelaide, Australia4,675 contributions
STUNNING!
Solo
If you are in Chile this is a must see! Only a few hours from Santiago, there are plenty of tour operators who can take you there at a good, fair price. The journey is an adventure of dirt roads with single access ways. But you are rewarded with stunning views that you can marvel at all day. A must see!
Written January 25, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Nicolas M
Antofagasta, Chile26 contributions
Awesome time with nature
I went there In winter , with my sister and my nieces. All good.. We walked a little trough the sender and something happened ... I started to walk faster because they was a lot of snow , and I'm from the desert of atacama so it was really new for me.. So I walked and I walked like 5 km , I forgot about my sister and I was without signal for my phone so, I climbed a little hill (1000 msnm) and yeah as you may think I get lost from my sister (even tho I always have in my survival backpack a garmin gps) ... So I enjoyed the summit I took pictures and everything and then I went back to the parking site , long story short.. I started to walk back the road .. Till some police officers stopped me asking for my ID. Are you Nicolas ?
Yes officer , did my sister ask for Me? No , your cousin did (she's a police captain ) and she said that if we don't find you in the next half our we have to use the helicopter.

What I want to say with my
Story is
* don't be a stupid, always tell someone where you will be and what will do you , and set an hour to met up*
I was like 15 lol back in that
Time they yelled a lot at my when I back home.
Written December 6, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Alvaro G
Santiago, Chile19 contributions
Dangerous and insecure
Family
I visited on Feb 6 2019 with my own car and my kid. The place around the embalse El Yeso is not safe due to geological risks. I strongly not recommend under any circumstances to visit the place. Highly risk of a avalanche of stones in many places.
Written February 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
ciana90Sheff
Sheffield, UK197 contributions
Really really dangerous road if driving
Family
I wish someone had mentioned before I drove here how dangerous the road is. It is literally a one car road that has cars coming both ways so you must be alert, not only that it is a mountain edge so if anything was to happen u will fall down the mountainside into the water from a ridiculous height. The road is not paved so you slide on gravel. Lorries drive at ridiculous speeds along this path so you are doomed if one comes the opposite way and neither see one another. The Laguna is not really that impressive considering it’s a main attraction. It was really dirty with lots of trash around the waters edge. I was disappointed by the end of it and felt I risked both mine and my daughters life. Had I known before I would have looked from afar or not gone at all. Once on the road there is no turning back till you have adventured the mountain edge. Be careful.
Written March 12, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
nestpas
Curitiba, PR23 contributions
beautiful view
Couples
we rented a very small and simple car and it was totally possible to get there. just drive slow and very carefully.
it is a wonderful place. we went to the lower part of the road where we could park next to the lake, have a picnic and enjoy the view for an hour or so.
all the landscape surrounding the road is amazing as well.
Written February 23, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Eri L
Perth, Australia19 contributions
Picturesque
Couples
Visited 17th Sept 2019
Rented a car from Santiago and drove here, the drive is quite challenging as the road close to the attraction is narrow and close to the edge of the cliff. We went on a sunny and clear day, and had to park the car and walk about 4km. Lovely view and was well worth the effort!
Written September 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Malcolm M
Campinas, SP82 contributions
A great day out!
Family
Great place to visit. Be very aware that a 30 minute hike at least is REQUIRED to arrive at the view points. Highly recommend continuing along the path for a further 1500 miles to glimpse the very best views.

We chose to drive up which was fine but in the case of snow might be dangerous.

Great views and a great experience! Not a lot of attention payed to health and safety so beware of falling rocks and of falling off the path! Hold very tight onto smaller children.
Written July 26, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Jax M
Nashville, TN21 contributions
Overrated! Too Crowded .... really skip it ....
The place is absolutely wonderful but there are way too many people that at times it was dangerous. The road is a single lane as you get closer with traffic in both directions. Sometimes there were traffic jams and cars where facing each other where one car had to back up to let the other pass. The thing is that one has to be careful as there is a big drop off (ravine) on the other side. We went during the winter time and it was slippery. Folks were doing bbq on the side of the road so the smell of food was everywhere which was pretty gross. Had we known all this we would have skipped it. Very beautiful place being ruined by too many people there. Skip it or go when there is no one there.
Written July 22, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Fernanda T
94 contributions
O M G! Breath taking
Words can not describe how incredible this place is.
There's JUST nature. Really... nothing else. But it's so amazing and definitely one of my favorites places on Earth.

All Santiago's water come from places like this, where the ice melts and go to lagoons between the Andes. This is one of he places where the water is "storage".

You shouldn't go alone. Find a travel company (like 123 Chile - the one I used) to take you there. They now the way (it's about 1:30h driving) and the road its... peculiar to say the least.
And they prepare a "Wine and Cheese" lunch by this beautiful view.

It's not as cold as it looks, but if it's windy.... brace yourself!! 😂

I just LOVED THIS SO MUCH!
Written May 25, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Embalse El Yeso
Embalse El Yeso is open:
  • Sun - Sat 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Buy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund.
We recommend booking Embalse El Yeso tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 24 Embalse El Yeso tours on Tripadvisor
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