Concón Dunes, Reñaca + Cliffside Walk: Active Day Trip Itinerary from Viña del Mar
On my third and last full day in Viña del Mar, I wanted to venture out of the city center and explore the surrounding coastline. My Chilean partner mentioned that Reñaca is a well-known beach escape for Santiago inhabitants, and the nearby Concón Dunes provides amazing vistas of sand cliffs dropping into the ocean.
So I did my research and stitched the two together into an active, full-day itinerary: dunes first, a walk toward Reñaca for lunch and beach time, and a scenic walk along the coastal path back to Viña. If you want a day that feels coastal and a bit adventurous without being a hardcore hike, plug this route in.
Part of my Viña del Mar guide: This trip is Day 3 of my 3-day active Viña del Mar itinerary (which also includes a coastal landmark walk, beach-front run, and museums). If you want the full trip plan, start here → 3 Days in Viña del Mar: An Active Traveler’s Itinerary →
TL;DR
Distance: 4.8 miles / 8.8 km
Time: 5–7 hours (including stops for views, lunch, and beach time)
Route: Concón Dunes → cliffside walk into Reñaca → coastal path back to central Viña
Terrain: Wind + soft sand at the dunes; otherwise gentle ups/downs
Highlights: Dunes-on-the-ocean views, Reñaca boardwalk vibe, cliffside panoramas
Transit: Bus/rideshare to Concón Dunes
Best for: Full day adventure
Map of route.
Itinerary
Overview
Breakfast: Eat well & pack for the day
Morning: Transit to Concón Dunes (15-35 min, depending on )
Late morning: Explore Concón Dunes (30-45 min)
Midday: Cliffside residential walk toward Reñaca (45-60 min)
Lunch: In Reñaca (1 hour)
Afternoon: Explore Reñaca and relax on the beach and boardwalk (1 h 30 min)
Late afternoon return: Walk coastal cliffside path back to Viña (1 h 15 min)
Example schedule
10:00 breakfast & get ready → 11:15 transit to dunes → 11:45 Concón Dunes → 12:30 walk from dunes to Reñaca → 1:30 lunch → 14:30 explore Reñaca → 16:00 return to Viña via coastal path → 17:15+ back in Viña
View from coastal cliffside path from Reñaca back to Viña.
What to Know Before You Go
Surfaces: Varied – soft sand and pavement.
Elevation: Varied – rolling hills and flat stretches.
Safety: Sand dunes could be slippery; some stretches of the route are next to big car streets.
Wear: Comfortable clothing for movement, and shoes with some tread (to have better grip going up and down the soft sand dunes).
Bring: Water, sun protection, a light layer for ocean wind if you get chilly easily.
Cash: If you plan to take the bus, you will need to pay in cash to the driver (see below for more details).
Breakfast + fuel: Eat well before you go (and/or bring snacks and electrolytes)! This itinerary has you climbing sand dunes and walking 2+ miles / 3.5+ km before lunch.
Transit to Concón Dunes
Option 1: Bus (cheaper, slightly more logistics)
Common lines that go to the dunes: 307 / 605 / 609
Get off near Av. Reñaca – Blanca Estela (dunes are directly next to the stop)
Fare: Roughly $0.5-1 USD / ~500-1000 CLP (varies) one-way. Paid with cash handed directly to the driver – the drivers don’t usually give change, so if you give a bit more fare, they would just take it.
Caution: The buses drive pretty jerkily and take off suddenly in my opinion, so make sure to hold on immediately when you get on.
Note: There isn’t an official entrance to the dunes after you get off the bus stop, nor official trails, but you will see some well-trodden paths to climb to the top.
Option 2: Ride-share (easiest)
Uber is the most popular rideshare app, and Cabify is an alternative (could be cheaper).
Set your destination to “Dunas de Concón”
From Playa Acapulco, Uber is around ~8000–9000 CLP (~$10 USD) depending on demand.
Option 3: Walk (doubles the walking for the day)
If you really want a long day of walking, you could walk from central Viña to the dunes following the same walking path in this itinerary, in the opposite direction (from Viña to Reñaca beach to Concón Dunes).
This will increase your total walking to at least 9.6 miles / 17.6 km.
If you want to take this option, kudos to you! But I’d recommend adjusting your schedule to start earlier in the day so you aren’t walking after dark, bringing a snack to refuel at the dunes (or making a stop to eat something at Reñaca before proceeding to the dunes). You can also skip stretches of the walk back and take transit instead.
Bus interior.
My Notes: Concón Dunes
Note: This area (officially Campo Dunar de la Punta de Concón) is a declared nature sanctuary, so be sure to stay on respectful paths and avoid trampling vegetation.
As noted earlier, once you get off the bus stop, there isn’t a clear sign of where the path is to climb up, so just follow the well-trodden paths you see.
The way up doesn’t take too long (5-10 minutes), but take your time climbing up and be mindful of slipping! The soft sand and wind can make it feel more strenuous than it looks.
Once you’re up on top, there’s a section with vegetation (and while we were there in the spring, various colorful flowers), and you can see high-rise condos and the central Viña coastline in the background.
View from Concón Dunes.
But my favorite section of the dunes is the other side, where there is no vegetation and pure sand dropping steeply into the ocean. The landscape on that side is minimalist but grand – the juxtaposition of the sand with the bright blue of the ocean made for a pretty cool sight. You can walk the length of the dunes along the narrow path on the top. I highly recommend doing so since you really feel like you’re exposed with just the dunes and the ocean beyond you. Though, for those scared of heights (like me), you do have drops on both sides of you, so be mindful of that and go slow. This is also the section where people sandboard down.
Sand cliff down to the ocean at Concón Dunes.
My Notes: Cliffside residential walk toward Reñaca
Distance: ~2.2 miles / 3.5 km (about 45–60 minutes, depending on if you stop for photos and views)
Route:
Exit the dunes where you come in, then head south on Av. Concón Reñaca until you cross the street into a small shopping center (distance depends on where you exit the dunes)
Go past the shopping center, which connects to Av. Edmundo Eluchans (60 m)
Walk a bit on Av. Eluchans, then turn right onto Las Perlas (330 m)
Stay left on Las Perlas, even at the roundabout (100 m)
Continue on Las Perlas (600 m)
At the fork, take the right road onto Lapislázuli
Continue on Lapislázuli (400 m)
At the fork, continue onto El Encanto (180 m)
At the fork, take the right path onto Subida El Encanto
Continue on Subida El Encanto (450 m)
And the end of the road, turn left onto Av. Borgoño, and you’ll be on Reñaca beach. Follow the boardwalk towards the main town area (600 m).
I was originally planning to take the bus from the dunes to Reñaca, but decided to walk after seeing that the route was primarily residential and the sidewalks were walkable. Most of the route is downhill as it slopes slowly from the elevated dunes area to the beach.
Once we entered the residential area (Las Perlas on), we were pretty much the only people on the sidewalk besides the residents out on their balconies.
It was a nice and calm walk. The streets have condo buildings on both sides, so we only got occasional glimpses of the ocean, but the buildings are not high so we still got the sun in our faces the entire way.
Overall, the neighborhood definitely had a strong oceanside vibe, with a peaceful and laidback atmosphere.
Neighborhood on the walk towards Reñaca.
My Notes: Reñaca
Reñaca is a beach town with lots of restaurants, cafes, and stores – great for refueling and chilling on the beach after an active morning. Its vibe reminded me of a relaxed Southern California beach town.
Prices in Reñaca felt a little steep by local standards, maybe because of the beach resort premium. We went hunting for ice-cream, and a few heladerías we checked had cones going for $7+ USD. The McDonald’s downtown, though, has a surprisingly nice outdoor patio, so we posted up there to people-watch with a couple of $1 vanilla cones instead.
For food, check out Buena Vista for classic Chilean (seafood stews, grilled meats, pastel de choclo), Maestria for Chilean sandwiches, or Cholos Criollo for Peruvian (lomo saltado, grilled octopus, arroz chaufa).
The boardwalk was great for a relaxed stroll. And the beach itself was wide and expansive, with rolling waves capped in white foam. It felt noticeably calmer than the beaches in central Viña, with more breathing room and fewer crowds. Note that due to the Humboldt Current, the ocean waters are generally cold even in the summer. While we were there in the spring time (October), the cold water was a hard no for swimming, but still great to dip our feet in.
Reñaca beach.
Reñaca’s architecture is part of the scenery too, with distinct tiered and terraced apartment buildings climbing the hills. The design maximizes ocean views for each unit and blends into the hillside.
Tiered hillside buildings at Reñaca.
My Notes: Coastal cliffside walk back to Viña
The boardwalk at Reñaca Beach connects onto a coastal cliff sidewalk that takes you directly back to the boardwalk and beachside parks of central Viña. The path follows the ocean the entire way, and the views were absolutely amazing. On the day we were there, the sun was shining, saturating the yellow hues of the cliffside flowers and casting the ocean in a golden-blue hue.
At the start of the walk, make sure to turn back for a gorgeous panoramic view of Reñaca, with the terraced apartments on the hills and the beach and ocean all laid out below. Since you’re a little higher up, the entire town fits into the vista.
Panoramic view of Reñaca from the beginning the coastal cliffside path.
Be aware though that for the first stretch (before you enter Viña), you’ll be walking next to a busy car road. But the sidewalk is wide with a barrier, and there were plenty of people out walking and running, so we did not feel isolated or unsafe in any way.
If you’re tired, you could take a bus or rideshare back from Reñaca. Common bus lines are 605 / 301 / 302 / 412 / 602, and get on at Borgoño - Las Olas / Poniente. The ride is around 15-20 minutes back to Playa Acapulco in central Viña.
Coastal cliffside walkway.
Quick Recap
If you’ve got a full day and want an active coastal adventure near Viña, pair Concón and Reñaca for a 5-mile walk. Fuel up, hit the dunes, walk the cliffside neighborhoods into Reñaca for lunch and beach time, then follow the coastal path back to Viña.
