Chile

All You Need to Know About Chile

Chile is a vast and stunning country that has something to suit almost everyone. There are the breath taking and awe inspiring mountains of Patagonia, the vast and ever expanding desert in Atacama, the captivating culture and street art in Valparaiso and the sunny and relaxing beach side cities in the North. It would be difficult to visit Chile and be disappointed.

Highlights

Patagonia

Patagonia is, in my opinion, the jewel of South America. I highly encourage anyone planning a trip to South America to pencil in some time to visit this truly stunning area of the world.

Patagonia is the most Southern region in South America and is a popular access point for Antartica. It covers extremely large sections of both Chile and Argentina and boasts a huge variety of dramatic and ever changing views. From the temperate rainforests in Pumalin Park, to the giant hanging glaciers and mountain passes on the Carretera Austral and the ever famous towers of Torres Del Paine.

Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas are the most Northerly starting point for the Chilean side of Patagonia. From here you can begin a grand journey down to the South of Patagonia via Pumalin Park, the Carretera Austral, Torres del Paine and then finishing in Ushuaia, the most Southern point.

Pumalin Park

Pumalin Park is beautiful area that is perfect for anyone wanting to disconnect from the world and take in all that nature has to offer. This private park was previously owned by the founder of The North Face, Douglas Tompkins and was recently gifted back to the Chilean government when he passed away on the condition it remain private and free to access.

You can find glaciers, temperate rainforests, and even an active volcano inside this diverse park. It is also the perfect first stop before commencing your journey on the Carretera Austral. Be sure to bring your own camping and cooking gear as well as food before catching the ferry over as there are no other forms of accommodation or shops beside the campsites that are speckled throughout the park.

Carretera Austral

The Carretera Austral is the perfect off the beaten path journey for any adventurous traveller. You will have the opportunity to explore the real Chile without mountains of tourists, just actual mountains. The absolutely breath taking views on an endless number of hikes will leave you speechless. My favourite being the four day trek to Cerro Castillo. Other captivating spots include the world famous white water rafting of Futaleufu, and the stunning hanging glacier in Puyuhuapi. Also, the adrenalin rush and thrill of hitchhiking in an area full of extremely generous and hospitable locals will be an experience you won’t forget. The Carretera Austral is definitely worth adding to your Patagonian itinerary.

Torres del Paine

Any trip to Patagonia wouldn’t be complete without visiting the ever famous Torres Del Paine National Park to complete either the well known W Trek or the adventurous and stunning O Circuit. The views change dramatically in each section of the park leaving your jaw on the floor time and time again every time you hike around a new corner.

Santiago

Santiago is the capital city of Chile, with majority of Chile’s population also residing here.  It is a city full of famous hilltop viewpoints, excellent party districts, an interesting city centre and a well oiled metro subway system. There are a variety of ways to experience the capital and on a variety of budgets. It is also another excellent starting point for South America or Patagonia for Australian’s and New Zealanders, with regular flights into the city from both New Zealand and Australia.

Valparaiso

Vaparaiso is located on the coast near Santiago. It is an amazingly lively city full of culture, street art and an essence for life you don’t always find so easily. While there I had this feeling I was in the South American version of Melbourne and I loved it from the very first second.

It is a World Heritage protected city that has all it’s charm and history preserved for all to share. You will fall in love with the rabbit warren style streets, the always changing murals across every wall, step and post in the city, and the very lively night life. Given the proximity to Santiago you can easily take a day trip to this beautiful city, or if you fall head over heels for it like I did, you can just as easily stay a whole week.

Viña del Mar, the seaside sister city to Valparaiso, is also worth a visit if you are in the area. From there you can continue to head North along the coast and explore all of the little cities and towns along the way. From what I hear there is even some sand boarding to be had on the sea side dunes.

San Pedro de Atacama

This little town is nestled amongst the extraordinary vastness of the Atacama Desert. It is made up of dirt roads, clay brick walls and a bustling main street of tour offices, market stalls and karaoke bars. It is an ironic combination of late night partying and early morning tours, with the surrounding Atacama Desert made up of several valleys, each with their own unique beauty.

There are two ways you can access the surrounding valleys, lagoons, and sand dunes in Atacama.

The first and most expensive option is with a tour company. You are spoilt for choice when it comes to which company to choose and often it is a lot more cost effective to book all of your tours with the same company. My main advice would be to shop around as the companies are very competitive. My second piece of advice would be to go for a mid-range company. The cheapest option, isn’t always the best and can mean they will scrimp on food and transport and when you are on the same tour bus from 6.30am to 7.00pm you want to be comfortable. At the end of the day though, they all go to the same places so you don’t need to give them your first born child either.

The second option, is to hire bicycles and cycle to some of the most popular and most accessible locations near to the town including the famous Valley of the Moon and to the Salt Lagoons at Cejar Lagoon. Some of the areas in Atacama can only be reached with a tour given the distances travelled, but where possible it is recommended to try and cycle yourself.

Here are some of my picks for the best locations and tours to do while you are in San Pedro de Atacama:

• Valley of the Moon (Valle de la Luna) BICYCLE or TOUR
• Cejar Lagoon, Tebinquinche Lagoon BICYCLE or TOUR
• Altiplanicas full day tour that includes; Altiplanicas lagoons Mistkanty and Miniques, the Piedras Rojas mirador, the Tuyasto Pueblo Socaire lagoon and the Atacama salt flats TOUR
• Sand boarding in Death Valley TOUR / GEAR HIRE unless you have your own gear and experience
• Stargazing TOUR for telescopes and astronomer guided experience
• Rainbow Valley TOUR

Wine Regions and the Far North

Despite spending two glorious months in this stunning country, there were still some areas I wasn’t able to make it to. Unfortunately I missed out on the wine regions that surround Santiago and the more Central and Northern regions of Chile. I also didn’t get a chance to visit the far North section of Chile that is full of sprawling seaside cities. From what I’ve been told by the other travellers I have met on the road these areas are also worth a visit. The surfing is apparently quite good in the North of Chile and it also gives you a logical route to continue onto Peru if you aren’t planning on visiting Bolivia. And given how amazing the wine in Chile was, I can only imagine the wine regions would be incredible. I would highly recommend anyone who has a taste for good food and wine to pay that area a visit.

Important Details

The Currency

The local currency in Chile is the Chilean Peso (CLP). The ATM fees within Chile can add up quite quickly given that there are often limits on the amount you can withdraw in one transaction so it is recommended to convert your money before coming to Chile or to bring USD or EUR to convert as you travel. Tipping is customary in Chile of around 10% for restaurants and cafe’s and if you found a tour guide to be extremely helpful or friendly then you can tip them also.

The Language

The Chilean version of the Spanish language is famous for being very unique and difficult to understand. They speak incredibly fast, with a large amount of slang / local words, and link a lot of their words together. They also usually don’t pronounce the ‘s’ at the end of words which can make it even more difficult to understand if Spanish is not your first language.

The exciting part about the Chilean version of the language is that when you start learning the local lingo, including the large number of swear words they use, the locals will be very impressed! Almost all of the locals I met were patient and helpful when it came to communicating.

If you are planning on travelling to the Carretera Austral or any other more remote or regional parts of Chile then it is recommended to learn at least the basics in Spanish as most of these communities do not speak any English. These regions are also excellent places to practise your Spanish and communication skills.

The People

The locals I met in Chile were by far some of the friendliest, welcoming and helpful people I have ever met. The generosity and kindness I experienced while hitchhiking the Carretera Austral left a life long imprint on my soul. I also met a lot of Chilean people while in Patagonia that were travelling themselves from Santiago or Concepcion and I clicked with them all instantly. Each and every one of them then opened their homes to me when I arrived in their home towns later in my trip. I still talk regularly with them now, even after my trip has ended.

Some of the people living in Santiago will come across as the typical city-goers you would come across in any capital city. If you can look past this and really get to know the local people of this amazing and vast country then I can assure you, you will fall just in love with these people and this country as I did.

Modes of Transport

It is difficult to pin point the most popular, cost effective and time efficient form of transport in Chile as it varies depending on the region you are travelling in and when you book your tickets. Sometimes it is cheaper to catch a long distance bus, for example when ever you are trying to cross a border, or while within Patagonia. There are other circumstances though, where the price of a flight can be a lot cheaper and take only one or two hours compared to several days.

Travel by Bus

While in Patagonia and zig-zagging across the border from Chile to Argentina I would highly recommend travelling by bus. It will be the most cost effective and sometimes even the most time efficient due to the lack of airports in the Patagonian area. While in Chile my favourite bus companies were Andesmar Chile and BusSur. My preferred company for booking bus tickets online, or researching departure dates and costs while in Chile was BusBud. I found that I mainly booked my buses in Chile over the counter in the bus terminals as it was cheaper and fairly easy. Keep in mind that sometimes there are still times available that aren’t online so it is always worthwhile heading to the bus terminal to check.

Travel by Plane

Travel by plane in Chile is the most useful when trying to travel great distances from one region to another. Chile is a very long and thin country in it’s layout which means travelling between the North and the South can be very difficult and time consuming if you don’t take a flight. There are budget airlines in Chile such as Sky Airlines offering decent flight prices, especially when they have sales. So if you are booking as you go then try and keep an eye on your flight prices around three or so weeks in advance of your preferred departure date.

In my personal experience, I travelled by bus, ferry and hitch hiking to get from the North of Patagonia to the South of Patagonia in Chile and then flew from the South back up to Santiago. It just didn’t make sense to me to catch several long distances buses back in the direction I had just travelled from when the flight was actually a lot cheaper.

When to Visit

The most popular time to visit Chile is in and around the Summer months as this is the best time to visit Patagonia and the coastal cities and towns. The Patagonian season is from October to April, with peak season and the warmest weather between November and February. The Atacama desert is open for business most of the year, as it is a desert after all. If you are travelling mainly to visit the cities or wine regions then you have a fair amount of flexibility. The wineries are beautiful from October to February when the vines are green and growing, a fun experience during harvest season from March to May and still possible to visit during winter.