Best of Chile Itinerary | What to See and Experience

Having traveled a good bit throughout Chile while visiting and working there, I’d like to share a “best of” Chile itinerary.  This itinerary of what to see in Chile is geared to those with enough time to do more than a couple of days’ worth of exploring (but not boundless time either….).   I elaborate on some of the places mentioned here in other posts in this blog.  Therefore, I will not repeat all that content here (true, for example, for the Atacama and Patagonia bits).  Now, admittedly, I did not get to see some places I hear are worth exploring, like Valdivia but I did see a good bit!

My time in Chile – or why I can offer a best of Chile itinerary

As background, I spent three months working in Chile in the early post-dictatorship days of the early 1990s,  During that stint, I got to travel north AND south of Santiago during my spare time.  From the beaches of La Serena to the island and volcano beauties of the area around Puerto Montt and Chiloé.

Then in 2010 I got to return to Chile to work for a year.  On that year I ventured further north than I had before to the Atacama Desert.  And, equally, further south to Patagonia, in an ever-expanding coverage of my experience of the natural beauty of this South American country.  And, it goes without saying, a lot had changed in the country in the time between 1990/91 and 2010!

Not only was it almost twenty years in between (with a major set of economic booms with the liberalized economic model implemented in the 1980s), but also a real evolution.  From a timid way of living (from needing to mind curfews and the like during part of that period) to a more free and lively society reveling in the democratic and economic success that is Chile – the Switzerland of South America (or is Switzerland the Chile of Europe perhaps??).

Valley of the Moon, Valle de la Luna, Chile, Atacama, desert, desierto, mountain, color, purple, photo, Canon EOS Rebel

The Valle de la Luna is one of the key sights in the Atacama Desert

The diversity of Chile’s lands

Chile offers a wide range of scenery as it runs a long way in the latitude dimension.  Therefore, the climates along the country vary significantly – a climate zone for every preference!  The presence of the Andes clearly has a major effect in the climate.  It also provides a great backdrop to many of the places you should visit and experience in the country.  Heck, sometimes the Andes are not just the backdrop but part of what you will explore!  The terrain in Chile varies from coastal plains or cliffs (lush to arid) to the big wall that are the Andes.  Fjords, hot deserts, glaciers and islands complete the diversity of landscapes that make up Chile.

Cueva Milodon, Patagonia, Chile

View from la Cueva del Milodón in Patagonia

A trip to Chile typically starts of in Santiago (SCL), its capital.  However, one can enter the country over land from any of the neighboring countries (that would be Perú, Bolivia or Argentina) in places like the Atacama Desert, Pucón, the lake district, or Patagonia.  In terms of flying, from the U.S., a flight to Santiago can be from 9 hours upwards.  From Buenos Aires, a little over 2 hours to fly in.  And from Europe, well, longer.

Atacama, desert, Chile, vista, view, photo, Canon EOS Rebel

In the Atacama Desert, near the Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon)

My best of Chile itinerary

If you really want to see the range of what Chile has to offer, a good itinerary would include these 7 destinations:

–  San Pedro de Atacama and nearby sites of interest like salt lakes, geysers, and moon-like landscapes (4-7 days); a two-hour flight from Santiago plus an hour ride by bus or car

–  Pucón and the Villarica area (3-4 days) with volcanoes, fast rivers, lakes and lots of green; I did it on a long 10-11 hour drive – LONG!

–  Patagonia/Tierra del Fuego including Torres del Paine National Park, fjords, islands, glaciers, penguins and the like (5-10 days); a direct flight from Santiago would be about 4 hours nonstop; though there are flight that stop in Puerto Montt (without changing planes) that split the flight in half

–  Santiago (a city is a city is a city but I find it worth exploring) (2-4 days) with its diversity of food, neighborhoods, nature

–  Valparaíso – check out its “elevators” or foniculares and add on nearby Viña del Mar and nearby beaches – though having grown up in the tropics, they don’t rank up there in my book!) (2 days tops, 1 day is doable); a little over an hour drive from Santiago – easy

–  Puerto Montt, the Lake District, perhaps even doing the crossing of the lakes to South America’s best known ski resort town in Argentina:  San Carlos de Bariloche, and crossing over to the island Chiloé (4-8 days); Puerto Montt is a 2 hour and change flight from Santiago; from Bariloche, one can either turn around and go back to Puerto Montt or fly to Buenos Aires

–  Mendoza (OK, this is Argentina but it is almost on Chile and easier to get to from Santiago than from anywhere else!) – wine country is just less than 40 mins away by plane and dirt cheap if you buy the plane ticket from WITHIN Chile (2-3 days).  Mendoza is also the gateway for Mount Aconcagua, the tallest mountain outside of the Himalayas, I believe.

Puerto Natales, Chile, Patagonia, Canon EOS Rebel

A typical house in Puerto Natales, the closest town to Torres del Paine

Readers, please feel free to add to the list, comment on the destinations mentioned, or provide other perspectives.  Make your suggestions to expand this best of Chile itinerary.  I, by no means, saw EVERYTHING Chile has to offer and wish I could say I did.  I’d enjoy receiving more reasons to go back!


Pin these images to your travel board, create your own Chile itinerary, and then head to Chile!  

best of chile, chile itinerary, visiting chile, exploring chile

best of chile, chile itinerary, visiting chile, exploring chile best of chile, chile itinerary, visiting chile, exploring chile

Mendoza Wine Tour

As I said in my previous entry about Mendoza, wines are the other good reason to go to Mendoza – the capital of wine in Argentina.

Wine tasting in Mendoza

I had Saturday to play around so I opted for a tour of several wineries as I didn’t feel like renting a car and driving around solo in unfamiliar territory.  It was a great choice.  The wine tour I chose was offered with Trout and Wine.  The tour cost about $135 lasted from 9AM until 5PM and covered 4 different wineries.  At one of the wineries we were to have a 5 course lunch paired with different wines.  The tour was a great idea as the wineries were guaranteed to be open and ready to receive you (though I sensed that would not have been a problem in this season).

Land around a winery in Mendoza, Argentina

At one of the wineries

All the wineries offered us a tour of the facilities as well as a tasting either by sitting down at a pre-set table or by standing around a bar or table (except for the lunch one where we sampled wines paired with the various lunch courses).

Wine barrels in Mendoza wineries in Argentina

Heaven

Wine tanks in Mendoza wineries in Argentina

Heaven, part dos!

We visited Terrazas which sat us down at a table and where we felt we were just having a chat with a knowledgeable friend about wines.

At Belasco de Baquedano, we were treated to the aroma room where you can walk around and try smelling different scents to train your nose.  I actually tried to do the smelling blind to see if I could detect the aromas.  I didn’t do too well, I must admit…  But the concept was phenomenal.

Aroma Room at Belasco de Baquedano winery in Mendoza, Argentina

Aroma Room at Belasco de Baquedano

Our tour guide, Cecilia, had worked at one of the wineries in the past and knew a lot about wine.  That, combined with the on-purpose small size of the tour group, made for a great day.  Along with me were a Danish father and son, and a California couple.  We enjoyed talking throughout the day and exchanging travel stories.

I had asked Cecilia about a good parrillada place for dinner (meaning, a good local place) and she recommended Estancia La Florencia on Ave. Sarmiento which was really a building away from my hotel.  The California couple and I decided to go together for dinner and we had a fabulous dinner in a mostly-locals only restaurant with great atmosphere.  It was the perfect place for a piece of Argentine steak!

Wine tour ends – Cross back the Andes!

As I flew back Sunday, I got to see Mt. Aconcagua (tallest mountain in the Americas, north of 22,000 feet).  Unfortunately, it was on the opposite side of the plane so I could not get a good picture of it but I did manage to get a few good pictures from my side of the plane.  Enjoy!

Crossing the Andes by plane - view of the mountains!

The awesome Andes

 

 

Crossing the Andes by plane - view of the mountains!

 

 

A Weekend in Mendoza, Argentina

My current business trip to Santiago is for 2 weeks so I had a weekend in between to either:  walk around Santiago and re-discover parts of it, opt to go and visit southern Chile (Puerto Montt or Pucón, for example; both of which I had visited in 1991), or go to nearby Mendoza, Argentina (capital of Argentine wine country).  Because it is peak season in the south (high airfares, no rental cars available, and only 2 days) and due to a colleague strongly recommending Mendoza, I chose the quick trip over the mountains to Mendoza, Argentina, a place I have been wanting to visit because of its wines.

Mendoza, as the eagle flies, is pretty darn close to Santiago.  However, the magnificent Andes sit in between.  So the drive takes 6-7 hours over spectacular landscape from what I hear.  However, I also hear customs on either side of the border can be quite bad so for a 2-day weekend visit, I had to fly.  Luckily, LAN had an $82 fare (taxes included) and a 30-40 min flight time so it all became a no-brainer for me.   My colleague suggested a moderately priced hotel ($60/night) in a great location so that eliminated guesswork and research time which I didn’t have.  She also got me some recommendations for restaurants which was great.  Flying over the Andes brings with it incredible winds and both flights gave me a run for my money in terms of scary moments!

Exploring the town of Mendoza proper

I arrived in Mendoza around 5 PM and had no problem getting a taxi at the airport at the rate I had been told ($23A or $8US).  The Hotel Internacional where I stayed was OK.  The room was not as nice as the pics on the website but the hotel was quite decent for the price.  For the $60/night, it included a good breakfast and wi-fi.  The location was great, surrounded by good eateries and close to the center of town.

I walked the town Friday after I arrived and on Sunday morning.  The contrast couldn’t have been any bigger:  the pedestrian part of Sarmiento (the main street) was a beehive of activity Friday but almost deserted Sunday morning.  It sports cafes and shops and you can see the locals coming out from their homes to enjoy fresh air – and likely “cooler” temperatures than their own homes.

Calle Sarmiento in Mendoza, Argentina

The not yet crowded Calle Sarmiento

Calle Sarmiento in Mendoza, Argentina

Calle Sarmiento begins to pick up customers!

Mendoza is very, very hot this time of the year (90s – but dry) and I doubt everyone has AC at home.  So it is nicer to sit in a plaza and enjoy some breezes under the shade of the many trees that line the streets of Mendoza (an odd thing considering it rarely ever rains here and that it is very arid land; the answer is that snow melt is captured and then released to the city and farms via an ingenious curbside open flow system).

Water collection from snow melt curbside in Mendoza, Argentina

The ingenious way to collect water!

Sunday morning, I got to walk almost in total solitude around town, covering all major squares and parks in the center.  Mendoza struck me as a town that would be probably a great place to live as it is pleasant, clean, and not chaotic as Buenos Aires.  At the same time, the time I spent walking around was probably all that a tourist needs to do in the town itself while visiting (surely, I am omitting some museums or theaters) outside of just chilling (in which case a tourist can do a LOT of that perhaps while enjoying wine, beer or ice cream at a café…).

Bank building in Mendoza, Argentina

Government building in Mendoza, Argentina

Need I say? A government building, of course…

Statue in Mendoza, Argentina

Now, while the city is not a grand collection of sites for tourist interest, there are 2 things that make it quite a good choice destination to see:  1.  the food.  2.  wine country.  Food, I will share here.  Wine

Food

I ate at Mi Tierra on Friday night where I enjoyed empanadas to start and deer raviolis for dinner.  The food was definitely good but I wouldn’t call it spectacular.  The ambience of the restaurant is outstanding.  (Watch out:  the menu offer is only valid if you pay cash!)

Mi Tierra restaurant in Mendoza, Argentina

Mi Tierra

Saturday night, I ate at La Florencia on the corner of Sarmiento and Peru, a few steps away from my hotel.  This is not the same type of fancy restaurant than Mi Tierra (or a couple of the other restaurants recommended by my colleague, like Azafrán).  It feels very local (in fact, most of the customers seemed either local or, at least, Argentinian) and was highly recommended by my wine tour guide.  She was right!  I was wanting just a normal Argentine piece of steak and fries and this place was PERFECT!  The menu was quite broad and everything I saw served looked fantastic.  We sat there for 3 hours and we felt we were at home.  THAT’S the experience I was wanting and I got it!

La Florencia restaurant in Mendoza, Argentina, great for parrillada

 

I definitely think I chose wisely how to spend a weekend.  While another day would have allowed me to go to the base of Aconcagua (I really wanted to do that), I cannot complain because I did get to sample great food and a taste of life in this western town!

%d bloggers like this: