First: they are all on the same road
Leaving Santiago on route G-21 you climb 46 kilometres and 40 hairpins. Farellones appears at km 31 at 2,400 metres, El Colorado at km 36 at 2,750, La Parva at km 38 at 2,662, and Valle Nevado at the end, km 46 at 3,025 metres.
Portillo is not on that list: it sits on a different route, 164 kilometres away towards Mendoza. It is a separate trip, not one more stop further up.
Farellones, if you travel with small children
The only one with a snow play park. Nobody needs to ski to spend the day, and it is the cheapest to reach.
The downside: it gets the most crowded, especially Sundays and during Brazilian school holidays. Go on a weekday if you can.
El Colorado, if you are taking a first lesson
Wide slopes with a gentle gradient. It is where most Brazilians who learn, learn.
It works without skiing too: ride the chairlift, have lunch at the top, come back down.
La Parva, if you want snow without the crowd
The quietest of the four. Fewer people crossing your photo, shorter lift queues.
It tends to cost a bit more and is not always in the season list, so it is worth asking.
Valle Nevado, if you are really going to ski
South America’s largest ski area, and the highest point on the road at 3,025 metres.
It also spreads people out best: being much larger, a busy day shows less than at Farellones.
The question almost nobody asks
Are you going to ski? If the answer is no — and for half of travellers it is — altitude and ski-area size stop mattering. What matters is travel time, price, and whether there is something to do without setting foot on a slope.
With that filter, Farellones and El Colorado win almost every time.
The tours in this guide
Keep reading
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.
Chile with children: which tour works at which age
Five of our tours do not admit under-18s and three more have a minimum age. Better to know now than at the door.
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.