Parque Araucano

Sometimes confused with its almost namesake Mall Parque Arauco the only thing these two destinations hold in common is their location, being literally just a few steps away from each other, in the affluent neighbourhood of Las Condes.

In spite of the official address being Presidente Riesco sreet, the main entrance, or Porton A, is located on the Cerro Colorado street, which is in front of the aforementioned shopping mall. This gate will take you to a variety of restaurants and coffee bars, the famous Madona´s gym: Hard Candy, plus the most popular attractions amongst both local and tourist children: Kidzania and Selva Viva. Entertainment for kids are, by the way, scattered all over the park, with major areas for skate boarding and mountain biking, interesting playground equipments as well as plenty of grassy areas for the little ones to run, fly kites  and have lots and lots of fun.

Parque Araucano is basically divided into two parts; these are united by a stunning footbridge, “Puente entre Parques”, which goes over the busy Av. Manqueue. The bridge provides passersby with an impressive overview of the park, especially during the spring and summer months, when all the flowers and trees are in blossom. This is not to say that during the colder months Parque Araucano is less attractive, since there are no leaves to block the view from the snow capped mountain range, this is also scenery to behold.

As the local Chilean parents take their family duties very seriously through the year this is a place where happiness is always in the air; domestic dogs run free – despite signs stating otherwise, boyfriends and girlfriends exchange affections, toddlers play, teens ride their bicycles and adults just laugh back at their families; making Parque Araucano even more of a little piece of heaven for the tourists staying in the many hotels located nearby.

In case your hotel is not just a walk away from Parque Araucano, a good way of getting there is to take the metro to Escuela Militar or Manqueue stations, to then take a taxi which should not cost you more than CLP 3000. Additionally, some of the buses stopping at the proximities are the 411, C11, C20 and 409. Don’t forget to purchase a Bip!Card for your journey on the public transports in Santiago.

Open every day of the week from 6am to 9:30pm, this is one of the many beautiful parks of Santiago city; full of events, live music and fairs in the summer season, and a calmer ambient for the perfect long walk and or picnic in the cooler months. During the early hours of the day or in the evening Parque Araucano is a very safe environment for all its visitors, there are constantly officers from the Las Condes neighbourhood patrolling all the 22 acres of landscape. Whether your accommodation in Santiago is close to Parque Araucano or not, it is totally worth taking the time for a morning or afternoon low-cost activity in contact with nature right in the hub of Las Condes.

Article by:
Abigail Dantes