Trümmelbach Falls

We returned to Lauterbrunnen - the Valley of 72 Waterfalls - and headed further into the valley to see the famous Trümmelbach Falls, Europe's largest subterranean waterfalls. These are the world's only glacier waterfalls that are accessible underground by a series of tunnels and stairs inside the mountain. We climbed up and down to many viewing galleries that overlook the ten chutes as they plunge in foaming pools and disappear into the darkness underground.

The last fall exiting into the sunlight

The falls carry the meltwater from the glaciers of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau and flow at up to 20,000 litres of water per second. The powerful torrent has carved its way through the mountain forming beautiful rock formations and 'corkscrew' passages inside the mountain. The water is the beautiful milky glacier blue and some of the falls catch a sliver of sunlight at the bottom to form rainbows in the caves!

The roaring sound of the water reverberates through the tunnels, making it exciting and fun amid the spray and glistening rockface. The falls are a natural UNESCO world heritage site and are well worth a visit.

Cascadas Las Animas

We did some exploring over the weekend and headed down to Cajón del Maipo, a canyon southeast of Santiago. We spent the day at Cascadas Las Animas, an adventure resort that offers all sorts of activities. Our first stop was a delicious three-course meal overlooking the river - we had the best table in the house!

After lunch, we went for a casual zip-line, 30m above the Rio Maipo. The longest wire was 170m across the river and my squeals echoed around the canyon!

To end off the day, we walked to the famous waterfalls, where the fairy spirits are said to live. According to legend, they are benevolent to children, but mischievous to adults... Fortunately they did not stir while we were out and we enjoyed the beautiful scenery and cascadas.