Cerro Provincia, Mountain summit in Santiago, Chile

Cerro Provincia is a mountain summit near Santiago that rises to about 2,750 meters and features a stone shelter at its peak. The location offers views overlooking Santiago and the distant Andes mountains, making it a notable vantage point for the region.

Cerro Provincia is the fourth-highest summit of the Sierra de Ramón, a range bounded by the Mapocho river to the north and the Maipo to the south. The mountain, estimated at 1.8 to 2 million years old, was raised by the San Ramón Fault, which grew out of the tectonic processes that lifted the Andes more than 10 million years ago. On 15 October 2016 two University of Chile engineering students, Vicente Charpentier (22) and Joaquín Castillo (20), entered the hill without registering during a North Face Endurance Challenge event and got lost; 140 people joined the search from 22 October.

Cerro Provincia is climbed year-round from Puente Ñilhue and from San Carlos de Apoquindo in Las Condes, and its summit holds a small dome-shaped refuge where climbers spend the night. The mountain is also the setting of the October 2016 search for two Universidad de Chile engineering students, Vicente Charpentier (22) and Joaquín Castillo (20), who entered without registering during The North Face Endurance Challenge and were last seen near the Salto de Apoquindo; 140 people joined the operation from 22 October.

The climbing route demands several hours and good physical fitness due to altitude and steep terrain along the way. It is important to start early in the day, bring sufficient water and supplies, and check weather conditions before heading up.

On 15 October 2016, during The North Face Endurance Challenge, two Universidad de Chile engineering students, Vicente Charpentier (22) and Joaquín Castillo (20), entered the mountain without registering and got lost; they were last seen near the Salto de Apoquindo, and 140 people joined the search from 22 October.