First: snow works with children, and works well
For most Brazilian children this is the first snow of their lives, and that sticks. Nobody needs to know how to ski: you play, you slide down, you go home.
Farellones is the one. It is the first resort on the road, at 2,400 metres, and the only one with a park built for exactly this: tubing, a zip line, activities that need no slope. It is also the busiest, so go on a weekday if you can choose.
The ones that simply do not admit under-18s
Snow Lounge, We Love Infinitum and Valle Nevado + Infinitum: all three are events with an open bar, not snow days with music at the end. Concha y Toro by Night and Marqués de Casa Concha are the same.
That is the operator’s rule, not our recommendation, and it is enforced at the door. If you are travelling with teenagers, those five are out of the itinerary and it is worth knowing before you build it.
The ones with a minimum age
The Cajón del Maipo snowmobile is not for children under 9. The stargazing tour is not recommended under 5: it is at night, it is cold and it involves standing still looking up. The sensory tasting does not admit under-12s.
Several mountain tours also warn against infants in arms and pregnant women because of altitude: Valle Nevado is at 3,025 metres.
The ones that work at any age
Parque Safari in Rancagua has no age restriction and is the most direct of them all: you cross the big-cat enclosure in a caged bus and the lions climb on top. Then comes the herbivore route, with giraffes and llamas.
The wineries with grounds — Undurraga and Santa Rita — also work: paying children get a juice, there are gardens to run in, and Santa Rita has an Andean museum that carries the visit for anyone not drinking.
Two practical things about the mountains
The climb leaves at five in the morning and takes about two hours of hairpins. With small children that is the hard stretch of the day: let them sleep in the van and bring something for motion sickness if they get it.
And rent the snow clothing in Santiago the day before, theirs especially. It is considerably cheaper than up there and they go up already dressed, instead of queueing for rentals with two cold children.
The tours in this guide
Keep reading
Farellones, El Colorado, La Parva or Valle Nevado?
All four sit on the same road, one above the other. Here is the real difference between them.
When is there actually snow in Chile?
The season runs June to September. But altitude matters more than the month, and that changes how you plan the trip.
What a day in the snow in Chile really costs
The tour is one part of the spend. Here is every line item, so none of them surprises you up there.
How many days do I need in Santiago?
Three cover the essentials and five let you breathe. But what shapes the itinerary is not the number of days: it is which days of the week.
Is Valparaíso worth it in winter?
Yes, if you are going for the hills and the street art. No, if you are going for the beach. It is a full day, and it helps to know what for.
What documents do I need to enter Chile?
Brazilians need no tourist visa. What does need checking before you leave home is something else.
How much money to bring to Chile, and how to pay
What takes a card, what needs cash, and the costs that appear up the mountain that nobody warns you about.
Is renting a car in Chile worth it?
For the coast and the wineries, yes. For driving up to the ski resorts in winter, no — and not because we sell tours.
What to pack for the Chilean winter
There are 16 degrees between Santiago and Valle Nevado. That, not the forecast, is what decides your suitcase.
Which neighbourhood to stay in in Santiago?
It depends what kind of trip it is. And on one practical detail: where we can pick you up at five in the morning.
SIM cards, internet and phones in Chile
Three options and all of them work. What is worth knowing is where there is no signal — which is where you will want it.
Is Santiago safe for a tourist?
It is a big capital and behaves like one. What helps is not a yes or a no, but knowing where you are and at what hour.
When is the best time to travel to Chile?
It depends what trip you want. Nine of our 25 tours are winter-only; the other sixteen run all year.