Termas Valle de Colina: Hot Springs Tours from Santiago

Termas Valle de Colina are natural hot pools high in the Cajón del Maipo, beyond Baños Morales on the G-25 road. Chile Travel, the national tourism portal, describes terraced pools heated by the San José volcano, at more than 2,500 m, and puts them 109 km from Santiago on Ruta G-25, about two and a half hours’ drive. It adds that the last stretch is unpaved and needs a 4x4 or a high-clearance vehicle, “especially in winter”.

That road is one good reason to go with a tour. Several operators sell hot springs days; the two we compare here include the entry to the baths and are run by Aprendi a Viajar Chile, with hotel pickup in Santiago. Neither lists English guiding: their guides work in Spanish and Portuguese.

The baths and the El Yeso closure

The baths are on a different road from Embalse El Yeso. The vehicle ban in force on 11 November 2026 covers Ruta G-455, the El Yeso road, from km 21.7 (see our El Yeso guide); it does not name the G-25 to Baños Morales and the baths. A day that combines the two, though, cannot reach El Yeso by van while the ban lasts.

We could not find the spa’s own website, entry price or opening season, and Chile Travel prints none of them, so we give none. Both tours below include the entry.

Cajón del Maipo hot springs: the two days

Santiago: Cajon del Maipo Termas Colina Trip is the baths alone, about 10 hours, from US$90. From September to December it passes the old Tinoco railway tunnel and serves a picnic-style lunch with wine and juice at the baths; in the winter months it goes straight to the baths. It runs “in all weather conditions” and is not suitable for people with mobility impairments, heart problems, a cold or altitude sickness.

Santiago: Cajon del Maipo, Termas Colinas & Embalse El Yeso adds El Yeso and a picnic in San José de Maipo, about 10.5 hours, from US$99. It may be cancelled for weather, with a full refund or the option of a new date. While the El Yeso road is closed, the El Yeso part is the one in doubt.

Prices, ratings and review counts from our November 2026 data check; operators change prices by season and date, so read them as the shape of the market, not a quote.

Before you go

Bring a swimsuit and a towel; neither tour includes them. The pools are high up and the afternoon turns cold, and Chile Travel’s own advice is water, food, sun protection and warm clothes for later in the day, and a check of the road before you set out. Our what to bring page has the rest.

If you would rather have a picnic day without the baths, the Cajón del Maipo picnic tour is the one this site is built around.