Vicinity of Viña del Mar

From Viña del Mar [1] north, a string of beach towns [2] corresponding to various social classes stretches among the headlands. To the interior, the towns of Limache and Olmué are gateways to Parque Nacional La Campana [3], one of the region’s underappreciated gems; a northern park access point from the Panamericana is near the town of Hijuelas.

In January, Olmué hosts the Festival del Huaso de Olmué, honoring the Chilean counterpart to the Argentine gaucho. The country’s largest folk festival, it’s a far less commercial event than February’s international song competition in Viña [4].