Cajón del Maipo from Santiago: Salto del Yeso, Embalse El Yeso or Las Melosas — which to choose, how to get there and prices (2026)

Cajón del Maipo from Santiago: Salto del Yeso, Embalse El Yeso or Las Melosas — which to choose, how to get there and prices (2026)

Three sectors of the Cajón del Maipo that get mixed up in a single question. What you can book from Santiago for CLP $65,000 and what it includes, what the Embalse El Yeso costs on your own or with another agency, and which one fits you.

Seasonal promotional prices: the checkout has the final word. What this guide says about the tour comes from its listing on Tuki, and the checkout charges in Chilean pesos (CLP), so the price you see there is the one that applies. Prices from other operators and park entrance fees are the ones published on their own websites as of September 21, 2026.

A day in the Cajón del Maipo from Santiago costs CLP $65,000 per person if you book it as a tour: 07:00 departure, round-trip transport, a guide who speaks Spanish and Portuguese, the Salto del Yeso waterfall, the Las Melosas waterfall, lunch, a small petting zoo and the Casa de Chocolate in San Alfonso, back in the city between 18:00 and 19:00. On your own, the same day starts at CLP $1,200 for the bus to San José de Maipo and ends wherever your car can take you.

Here is the thing to read before you book anything: Salto del Yeso and Embalse El Yeso are not the same place. The Salto is a waterfall inside a private park, a short detour off the road; the Embalse is the turquoise reservoir at 2,500 metres, at the end of about 35 km of gravel that the authorities close to vehicles from April through August. The Tuki tour listing names the Salto and Las Melosas, not the reservoir wall. If the picture in your head is the lake, confirm it on WhatsApp before you pay. And no option, ours or anyone else's, includes the three things that add up the most: the entrance fee at each park, the real hours spent on a bus, and the cash you will need where there are no ATMs.

No car, or travelling with kids: Salto del Yeso and Las Melosas, lunch sorted. After the turquoise lake: Embalse El Yeso, with a high-clearance car or a tour that names it, September to March only. Short on time: Las Melosas, the closest stop to Santiago.

Which one to choose, depending on how you travel

  • No car — Salto del Yeso + Las Melosas tour, CLP $65,000: pick-up in Santiago, lunch included, back after dark. Public buses reach San José de Maipo, San Gabriel or Baños Morales; there is no bus to the Embalse.
  • With kids — Salto del Yeso + Las Melosas: short walks from the car park, a petting zoo and a chocolate shop to finish. The Embalse adds 35 km of gravel, a half-hour walk and 2,500 metres of altitude.
  • For the photo — Embalse El Yeso: the turquoise lake under snowy slopes. You need a car that can handle gravel or a tour whose listing says 'Embalse', and the road only opens from September to March.
  • Spring with snow — Salto del Yeso in September and October usually still has snow to walk on (the listing keeps it conditional: 'if there is any'). At the Embalse the meltwater fills the lake and there can still be snow along the road.
  • Half a day — Las Melosas and Baños Morales: a waterfall, rock pools and hot springs about 87 km out. It is the lower valley and the part that depends least on the weather.

The Cajón del Maipo tour on Tuki: CLP $65,000 and what it includes

  • Cajón del Maipo — Salto del Yeso and Las Melosas — CLP $65,000 per person — round-trip transport from Santiago, bilingual guide (Spanish and Portuguese), a toast in the mountains, the Salto del Yeso waterfall, the Las Melosas waterfall, lunch, petting zoo and the Casa de Chocolate in San Alfonso. Departs 07:00, back 18:00–19:00, groups of up to 15. Not included: purchases at the Casa de Chocolate, tips and personal expenses.

This is the Cajón tour you can book and pay online on Tuki today, and in September it is the one that gets the most WhatsApp enquiries of anything departing from Santiago. The logic of the day is valley, not altitude: waterfalls, snow if there is any, a countryside lunch and a sweet stop in San Alfonso to finish. The meeting point in Santiago is confirmed on WhatsApp when you book, and the guide speaks Spanish and Portuguese, so if you need English, bring a translation app or a friend who speaks Spanish.

Experiencia: cajon-del-maipo-salto-del-yeso-baco — Desde $65.000

Salto del Yeso: the waterfall that is actually on the tour

The Salto del Yeso is a waterfall of about 15 metres inside a private park on road G-455, the same road that climbs to the reservoir, past the junction just after San Gabriel. From the car park it is a walk of a few minutes, which is why it works for children and for anyone who does not want a hike. In September and October the area usually still has snow and the listing makes the most of it: walking and playing in the snow if there is any, photos and a toast.

The park charges its own entrance fee, paid in cash. The visit to the waterfall is listed as included in the tour; if you go on your own, bring bills.

Embalse El Yeso: 2,500 metres, 35 km of gravel and a closure calendar

The Embalse El Yeso sits about 75 to 85 km from Santiago along Route G-25 (Camino al Volcán) to just past San Gabriel, where you turn onto the G-455. The asphalt ends there: the last 35 km are gravel with curves and drop-offs, no fuel and no reliable phone signal. The reservoir wall is at roughly 2,500 metres above sea level, so most people feel the wind and some feel the altitude a little. Count 1 hour 45 to 2 hours 30 from Santiago with a dry road; in spring there can be ice early in the morning.

Two things change the plan and rarely appear on booking pages.

The road is closed to vehicles from April 1 to August 31

The Cordillera Presidential Delegation bans motor vehicles on the G-455 between April 1 and August 31 every year, with a barrier at km 21.7 (Las Cáscaras sector). In 2026 the measure was issued on April 2 by exempt resolution, and reopening depends on the state of the road, normally in September. It can close again after snowfall or rockslides, so check with the San José de Maipo municipality the day before you go up.

The shoreline is off-limits

Access to the water's edge is restricted for safety reasons, which means the photo is taken from the road and the viewpoints, not with your feet in the lake. In season the municipality has also set different time windows for driving up and coming down; check its social media the day before.

If you drive, fill the tank in San José de Maipo, bring cash for the reservoir park entrance and water for the whole day. If you go on a tour, check whether the listing names the reservoir: Tuki's does not.

Las Melosas and Baños Morales: the lower valley

Las Melosas is about 87 km from Santiago on the G-25, some 10 km before San Gabriel: a waterfall and rock pools that the Maipo river carved into the stone, with parking next to the El Cristo bridge. It is the second stop on the tour and the easiest one to do on your own, because it needs no long gravel stretch and no altitude.

Baños Morales is further up, about 75 km along the road that follows the Volcán river. Two things there charge their own entrance: the village's thermal pools, around CLP $16,000 per person according to their website, and CONAF's El Morado Natural Monument, which requires an advance booking on aspticket.cl and payment in cash at the gate (CLP $3,000 for Chilean adults, CLP $6,000 for foreign adults, free for under-12s and over-60s). Neither is part of the Tuki tour; they are on your own and on another day.

How to get to the Cajón del Maipo without a car

  • Public bus (MB-72) — from the Bellavista de La Florida Metrobus terminal or Las Mercedes metro station (Line 4) to San José de Maipo (72A) or San Gabriel (72B). Subsidised fare of around CLP $1,200 per leg. Every 10 minutes during the day towards San José.
  • Subsidised bus to Baños Morales — leaves San José de Maipo with few departures: three a day on weekdays (one before dawn) and two at weekends. Often suspended in winter.
  • Tourist minibuses to Baños Morales — Turmaipo from Bellavista de La Florida at 07:30 (CLP $8,000 round trip); Turismontaña and Arpue from Baquedano metro at 07:30 (CLP $10,000 per person), booking required.
  • No public bus to the Embalse El Yeso — only a tourist minibus with a booking (Turismontaña lists CLP $10,000 round trip for the day) or a tour with transport included.
  • Tuki tour — pick-up in Santiago, CLP $65,000 with lunch, no connections or return times to coordinate.

The honest sum: the bus drops you in the village, not at the attraction. From San José de Maipo to the reservoir there are 50 km with no public transport, and from San Gabriel to the Salto del Yeso you go in by the same turn-off. That is why 'how to get there without a car' at the Yeso always ends in a minibus with a booking or in a tour.

What other operators charge for the Embalse (September 2026)

So the price does not sit there as a loose claim, this is what the Embalse El Yeso day looks like when sold by an agency that does name it in the listing, as read on its website on September 21, 2026:

  • Denomades — Cajón del Maipo and Embalse El Yeso tour — CLP $41,000 per person — 11 hours (06:00 to 17:00), shared transport, guide in Spanish, English or Portuguese, passenger insurance. No food and no reservoir park entrance (CLP $1,500, paid up there). Pick-up only along the Alameda–Providencia–Apoquindo axis. Half-hour walk from the car park to the reservoir. Runs September to March; if the authorities close the road, the route switches to another mountain sector.
  • Tuki — Salto del Yeso and Las Melosas — CLP $65,000 per person — 12 hours, transport, guide in Spanish and Portuguese, lunch included, a toast, petting zoo and Casa de Chocolate. Does not name the reservoir.

They are two different products that share a valley. The CLP $24,000 difference buys the lunch, the toast and the stops on the Tuki tour, not the lake. If what you want is the reservoir and you pack your own food, the CLP $41,000 one answers that question; if what you want is a day sorted from start to finish without thinking about where to eat, it is the CLP $65,000 one. Other agencies' prices move through the season; if you spot one that no longer applies, message us and we will fix it.

What to bring, and what nobody includes

  • Cash: the Parque Salto El Yeso entrance, the reservoir park entrance (CLP $1,500) and CONAF's fees are paid on site; there are no ATMs after San José de Maipo.
  • Water (1.5 litres per person) and something to snack on: the tour includes lunch, but the day is 12 hours long.
  • Sunscreen and sunglasses: at 2,500 metres the sun hits hard even when it is cold.
  • A windproof layer and a second warm layer: the wind at the reservoir is what rules the day, even in October.
  • Shoes with grip: gravel, soft snow and meltwater mud in the same day.
  • A bag for your rubbish: there are no bins up top and everything comes back down with you.
  • Motion-sickness tablets if bends get to you: the 35 km of gravel are one curve after another.
  • ID or passport: there is a Carabineros checkpoint at San Gabriel, the last one before the border.

Booking from abroad: the checkout charges in Chilean pesos

Every price in this guide is in Chilean pesos (CLP) because that is what the Tuki checkout charges. When you book the tour, the amount is CLP $65,000 per person; if you pay with a foreign card, your bank or card issuer converts it at its own exchange rate, so what you see in dollars, euros or reais varies a little from one day to the next. Entrance fees at the parks, on the other hand, are paid in cash in pesos on site: there is no card terminal at the gate and no ATM after San José de Maipo, so change or withdraw money in Santiago before you go.

Spring 2026: snow up top, meltwater below

September and October are the months when the Cajón comes back into weekend conversation: the road to the reservoir has just reopened after the April to August closure, the meltwater fills the lake to its highest level and there is still snow to walk on at the Salto del Yeso. It is also when people most often mix up the sectors, because photos of the reservoir and of the Salto circulate together.

The logical order of the day on the tour is the one in the listing: 07:00 departure, first stop in the Salto del Yeso sector while the sun is still low, then Las Melosas, lunch with the petting zoo, Casa de Chocolate and back down to Santiago between 18:00 and 19:00. On your own, head up early to avoid the road's time windows and the Sunday traffic coming back.

This guide in Spanish: Cajón del Maipo — cuál elegir y precios (2026)

The 6 Maipo Valley wine tours from Santiago: price and what you pay extra

Santiago in 3, 4 or 5 days: itineraries and total cost

Cajón del Maipo in spring (October 2026), in Spanish

If after all this you still cannot tell whether your day is a waterfall day or a lake day, message us on WhatsApp with your date: we will tell you what is open that week and which one suits you.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Salto del Yeso and Las Melosas tour from Santiago cost?

CLP $65,000 per person on Tuki (checkout price as of September 28, 2026), charged in Chilean pesos. It includes round-trip transport from Santiago, a guide in Spanish and Portuguese, the Salto del Yeso and Las Melosas waterfalls, a toast, lunch, the petting zoo and the Casa de Chocolate in San Alfonso. Departs at 07:00, back between 18:00 and 19:00.

Does the Tuki Cajón del Maipo tour go to the Embalse El Yeso?

The listing does not name it: it lists the Salto del Yeso waterfall, Las Melosas, lunch, the petting zoo and the Casa de Chocolate. If your goal is the turquoise lake of the reservoir, confirm it on WhatsApp before booking or look for a tour that says 'Embalse' in its itinerary.

How much is a tour to the Embalse El Yeso from Santiago?

In September 2026 an agency that does include the reservoir sells it for CLP $41,000 per person, 11 hours, no food, with the reservoir park entrance (CLP $1,500) paid up there. The Tuki tour to the Salto del Yeso and Las Melosas costs CLP $65,000 and includes lunch. They are different products in the same valley.

Can you visit the Cajón del Maipo without a car?

Yes, up to a point. The MB-72 Metrobus leaves from Bellavista de La Florida and Las Mercedes (Line 4) to San José de Maipo and San Gabriel for about CLP $1,200. To Baños Morales there is a subsidised bus with few departures and tourist minibuses from CLP $8,000 round trip. No public bus reaches the Embalse or the Salto del Yeso: you go by tourist minibus with a booking (from CLP $10,000) or on a tour.

When does the road to the Embalse El Yeso open?

The authorities close Route G-455 to motor vehicles between April 1 and August 31 every year (in 2026 by an exempt resolution issued on April 2), with a barrier at km 21.7. It reopens when the road allows, normally in September, and can close again because of snow or rockslides. Check the status with the San José de Maipo municipality the day before.

How high is the Embalse El Yeso, and will I feel the altitude?

The wall sits at about 2,500 metres above sea level. It is not serious high-altitude terrain, but on a fast climb from Santiago (500 m) some people get a mild headache or feel short of breath when walking. Drinking water, going up with stops and not rushing the half-hour walk to the lake is usually enough.

What is the difference between the Salto del Yeso and the Embalse El Yeso?

The Salto del Yeso is a waterfall of about 15 metres inside a private park, a short detour off the road with a walk of a few minutes. The Embalse El Yeso is the turquoise artificial lake at the end of 35 km of gravel, at 2,500 metres, with a restricted shoreline and a vehicle closure from April to August. They share the name of the river, not the place.

How many days do I need for the Cajón del Maipo if I am staying in Santiago?

One is enough for one sector: the 12-hour tour covers the Salto del Yeso, Las Melosas and lunch. If you also want the reservoir or the Baños Morales hot springs with El Morado, plan a second day, because they are different roads and CONAF requires an advance booking. How to fit it in with wineries and the city is in the Santiago in 3, 4 or 5 days guide.