Portillo
Discover Portillo
Portillo is a ski resort in Central Chile. It is close to the Argentine border, and the skiing area runs right across the serpentine road to Mendoza. For 60 years, Portillo has given the ski and snowboard enthusiasts a unique experience. With an extraordinary skiable terrain, natural beauty and numerous facilities and apres ski activities, Portillo is a tourist destination for all ages. It has ski slopes for all levels, 14 lifts, certified instructors are committed to help guests enjoy the ski and snowboard, people feel like home. To make it even more pleasant experience, passengers in Portillo should not wait to get on the lifts.
What to Experience in Portillo
Taste of Portillo...
Don't leave Portillo with out having quite a few Pisco Sours. It's a Chilean speciality and the mascot of the mountain. It's made from grapes along the lines of Brandy. There is a bar in the hotel. The Posada is the spot where all the locals hang out. It's right outside the hotel and half the price. Gets busy after midnight when the workers get off for the night. There is no organized camping close to the slopes. When going backcountry you'll find most flat spaces along the noisy road. Toilets are available in the hotel for non-guests. Bring warm sleeping gear in winter. If you've got the wonga and the weather's right for it, take the helicopter transfer. Just don't touch the quick release door lever.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThe road to Mendoza in Argentina runs past the resort. Try to flag down a bus or hitchhike. The hotel will organize a shuttle back to Santiago for a reasonable price. Hotel Portillo will pick you up in Santiago and shuttle you to the mountain, it's a 2- to 3-hour trip. Also, any bus heading to Mendoza will drop you off at the resort. However be cautious because if they shut down the road due to weather they will not let a bus through, they do let the shuttles through most of the time. The resort is easily reached from Santiago in a few hours by car. An excellent but expensive highway (2200 pesos one-way for a small vehicle, possible to bypass a tunnel on the way back, saving 1600 pesos) takes you to Los Andes, where you make to turnoff and start the climb to Portillo. The road from here is decent but often carry heavy traffic. Have chains with you in winter, when there is frequent heavy snow fall. The road is sometimes blocked by trucks failing to do the ascent to the border....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
If put off by the steeply priced ski passes, you can ride the lower slopes and hitchhike back up with trucks. Bring your own gear or rent in Santiago and try to look as if you actually do have a pass. Although very possible for adventurous travelers, it's not generally recommended. Critics of this money saving activity argue that the tickets are less expensive than in the US and on par with Europe. They also call skiing without a ticket "stealing", a description budget travelers find preposterous and wrong in every important way. What ever is your belief, you will not get to take full advantage of the higher mountain terrain without utilizing the lifts. And consequently will be rather bored - if you're not a decent skier don't come here and if you are you need a lift pass and want the helicopter. Make sure you get to Tio Bob's. Lunch on the top of the mountain offering spectacular views of the resort.
Where to Stay
There is no organized camping close to the slopes. When going backcountry you'll find most flat spaces along the noisy road. Toilets are available in the hotel for non-guests. Bring warm sleeping gear in winter. If you've got the wonga and the weather's right for it, take the helicopter transfer. Just don't touch the quick release door lever.
Money & Budget
Cigarettes before you get here, if they close the road due to snow you may find smokes get rationed, having a supply of your own will (1) keep you sane if you are fond of the evil weed, and (2) make you extremely popular in the bar and club. Don't leave Portillo with out having quite a few Pisco Sours. It's a Chilean speciality and the mascot of the mountain. It's made from grapes along the lines of Brandy. There is a bar in the hotel. The Posada is the spot where all the locals hang out. It's right outside the hotel and half the price. Gets busy after midnight when the workers get off for the night. There is no organized camping close to the slopes. When going backcountry you'll find most flat spaces along the noisy road. Toilets are available in the hotel for non-guests.
Safety Information
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Portillo
a lake surrounded by snow covered mountains under a blue sky
Vista das montanhas com a Laguna del Inca ao centro. Portillo, Chile.
a person standing in front of a mountain lake
I'm a barbie
Anniversary Freight - GBRf Class 66 66719 "Michael Portillo" seen under the roof of York station at night for a weekend engineering blockade.
a lake surrounded by snow covered mountains under a blue sky
Vista das montanhas com a Laguna del Inca ao centro. Portillo, Chile.
a person standing in front of a mountain lake
I'm a barbie
Anniversary Freight - GBRf Class 66 66719 "Michael Portillo" seen under the roof of York station at night for a weekend engineering blockade.
a lake surrounded by snow covered mountains under a blue sky
Vista das montanhas com a Laguna del Inca ao centro. Portillo, Chile.
a person standing in front of a mountain lake