Cerro San Cristóbal

The hill was named by the Spanish for Saint Christopher, in recognition of its use as a landmark. Its original indigenous name is Tupahue. Wikipedia says it is the third-highest point in the city after Cerro Manquehue and Cerro Renca. The Manuel Foster Observatory, originally the Mills Observatory, was installed on the hill in 1903 as a twin of the Lick Observatory in California.

The Metropolitan Park developed from tree plantings begun in the 1870s under Intendant Benjamin Vicuna Mackenna, who planted species such as eucalyptus and pine, with a second phase in 1918 adding terraces, paths and roads, according to tourism sources.

At the top stands a sanctuary dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, with a 14-metre statue of the Virgin Mary on an 8.3-metre pedestal, giving a total of about 22 metres. The statue weighs 36,610 kilograms and is lit at night so that it can be seen from across the city. Inside the pedestal is a small chapel where Pope John Paul II prayed and blessed Santiago on 1 April 1987.

An amphitheatre at the foot of the statue is used for masses and ceremonies. The summit offers wide views over the city toward the Andes, weather permitting.

The hill's foothills hold the Chilean National Zoo at the Bellavista entrance, and the hill is crossed by roads, paths and the funicular line that begins beside the zoo. Wikipedia describes the Metropolitan Park as the largest public park in Santiago, with a Japanese-style garden and two municipal pools, Tupahue and Antilen.

Wikipedia also notes that the cable car was out of service for several years after 2009, when a gearbox failed, and that a renovation project with 46 new cabins, eight of them able to carry bicycles, strollers or wheelchairs, reopened the line in November 2016. Operating status changes, so travellers should confirm current arrangements locally.

Wikipedia lists several routes to the summit: a walk of about 45 minutes, a road through the park, the Santiago Funicular from the Pio Nono side of Bellavista, and a cable car that crosses the hill from the Oasis station. The cable car closed in 2009 when its gearbox failed, and after a long renewal process reopened in November 2016 with new cabins.

The foothills of the hill hold the Chilean National Zoo, a Japanese-style garden and the Tupahue and Antilen municipal swimming pools. The Children's Park provides another entrance via Avenida Peru.

Cerro San Cristobal combines naturally with a visit to neighbouring Barrio Bellavista. A private guided visit with a dedicated vehicle and driver can drop travellers at the funicular and meet them again after the summit.