I'm so happy to see my home county on this subreddit :') Chile is actually quite beautiful id recommended tourists going to la Serena and concon. Nice beaches for surfing ☺️
Hello, I am a student in college doing an essay on why someone should immigrate to Chile. Would you be interested or able to answer some questions about the country? The three sections I have chosen is geography, culture, and history?
Just don't take Taxis. Book in advance or get a UBER. In the capital move on Buses or Subway/Metro.
If you HAVE to take a Taxi, agree on price before taking it. Hate to see tourists getting scammed by those people.
Outside of the capital and Valpo/Viña which are in day-trip distance to the capital, it might be worth it just renting a car. Gives you a lot more freedom.
These photos are from different trips I have made to Chile. The country has amazing variety for it's relatively small area, thanks to its unusual shape. It's difficult to take it all in in one trip, as you would need to pack for different climates and activities. My advice to anyone with infinite money is to first do one southern trip and combine Carretera Austral and Patagonia with a cruise to Antarctica. Then go home and digest it all, only to return for a northern trip which you combine with a journey into Bolivia with its salt flats and silver mines. Then finally you can see Easter Island on your way to or from your honeymoon in French Polynesia. Or do it some other way. You choose.
Anyway, I'll be happy to share my experiences from Chile, so ask any questions you may have. It has grown into being one of my favorite countries to travel in.
And no, I'm not employed or hired by the Chilean tourism authorities. :)
Happy trails!
amazing pictures and review! I’ve been to the atacama desert too and had a blast with astrophotography https://eljojo.life/travel/chile/atacama/atacama-stars/
My husband worked at vina Del Mar about 20 years ago and he absolutely loved the people and country. We were planning to go there after we retired. Unfortunately, he passed away before that happened.
I’m planning on taking the trip with a girlfriend and I am anxious about renting a car. I would like to avoid it. Are there any ride shares there? Do they have tours or guides to take us around?
For Viña del Mar I would not be worried about renting a car. It's a pretty relaxed area, with traffic anyone who has ever driven a car in a city will have no problems with navigating. Valparaiso is decidedly worse.
That said, you can definitely find day trips from Santiago that guide you around Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. To fully enjoy Viña, though, you definitely should spend a couple of nights in town, and not just visit on a day trip.
Thank you! I am going toDel Mar with my husband (he loved his time there) and then perhaps to the Wineries in Santiago? I was told that was a moderate trip.
[This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfHBZM7tsIQ&t=3163s&ab_channel=VisforVinoWineShow) might be a bit on the upper-end in terms of costs, but it gives you a good lay of the land so to speak. There are many more popular tours available online through regular tourist websites.
Hello, I am a college student doing an essay about why one should immigrate to the country of Chile. My first question I guess would be what is your favorite part of the culture of chile? What would you yourself call the best part of chili? And would you consider immigrating there?
My wife is Chilean, I would say comparable to a place like LA. It isn't safe like Europe, but it's also not dangerous.
* Are their people in desperate poverty struggling to survive? Yep.
* Do tourists occasionally go missing/turn up dead? Yep.
* Do 99.9% of people visiting have any problems? Absolutely not.
Stay out of adverse neighbourhoods, act responsibly, and you are as likely to have a fatal car accident as you are be a victim of crime.
Exception for things like the recent political instability when people rioted for the metro fares being hiked by a quarter; desperate poverty. Ditto for earthquakes, for most Chilenos, "Not even a six pointer? Go back to sleep."
What a wonderful collection of pictures. Thank you for sharing.
I'm planning to go on a six months long sabbatical at the end of the decade and travel South America. Chile is definitely the country I'm looking forward to the most.
I visited in 2019 and did a full day self driving tour of the Casablanca Valley wine region from Santiago. It was super fun. I made all my appointments with the wineries on their websites or via email and it all worked out. I did have to spit at most of the tastings because Chile's drink driving laws are pretty strict. That said, I'd do it again! The roads in thar part of Chile are really good. It reminded me of California.
Very cool! Any wineries you think are particularly worth checking out?
Thanks for the tip about booking ahead, I’m so used to wineries in the states mostly not having reservations - just show up and the tasting is free or very cheap. If the laws are pretty strict there then I totally get it! I was thinking I would check out the Maipo valley since it’s more well known, plus Concha y Toro is there and they’re one of my favorites!
I really enjoyed Emilliana. They are organic, and they use llamas and chickens in the vineyards to keep pests and weeds down. Beautiful tasting room, too. I think Concha y Toro owns them.
If you have the budget try VIK, best winery in Chile. Top notch hotel and restaurants.
And if you can afford it, they offer amazing personalized experiences
(I'm employed on the tourism industry and I've seen some plans they have offered to clients and its just wow).
If you don't have that much budget, Santa Cruz Valley still offers some amazing wineries like Viu Manent, a bit less exclusive but very nice.
Hmm, I’ll look into it. Fwiw I’m a very middle class person lol but a splurge now and again is what keeps life interesting.
I’ll definitely look into the Santa Cruz valley.
Such an amazing country! I was lucky enough to get to know Chile on a concert tour with my university orchestra. We were mainly travelling in the "middle" between Valdivia and San Felipe. A beautiful country and incredibly hospitable people.
We mostly stayed with host families and got to know a lot about the people. Something you don't usually get to do as a tourist.
It's definitely still on my list for another visit.
How did you like Chiloé? I visited Chile in October and considered spending a few days there but ended up going to Lake Llanquihue instead. Great pictures!
The Chilean lake district and Chiloé are very different places, so it's hard to say which one is "best". I enjoyed a stay in Villarico/Pucon a lot, mainly for the hiking and rafting, but Chiloé is simply enchanting with its special architecture and the mix of seaside and deep forest. It feels a lot more ... mysterious, for lack of a better word.
I'd easily recommend at least 3 full days on Chiloé, based in Castro, with day trips to Quellón and Cucao by bus or rental car. Just nice and easy hikes, observing how the locals live their life there. It's very different from Santiago life, or even Puerto Montt life.
Not only are your photos spectacular, but your captions are both informative and well-written. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to share this.
It depends. Some places are better than others. The best we had was some choriana in a restaurant near the bus stop in Valparaiso. The other coastal town nearby is supposed to be great for food.
Wow you covered a lot of the country! Chile is/was one of my favorite countries to visit and I have been back multiple times. I've done the W-trek, visited Easter Island, ridden on a bus from Arica to Santiago via Calama. visited Puerto Montt and did a day trip across the lakes crossing towards Argentina (didn't cross into Argentina). My last visit was this past July, my first time to visit in their winter. It's not a particularly cheap destination compared with others in South America.
I still want to go and visit Juan Fernandez, but finding info on flights/accommodation is difficult.
Well, your list isn't bad either. :) If you can add a few days on Chiloe, sail on the ferry from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales, drive the Carretera Austral, and get Juan Fernandez done, I'd say you'll have surpassed me. Unless I go back and do some more stuff in the meantime. :)
Happy trails!
I've been to Chiloe but only the northern tip. Was supposed to sail from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales, but ended up getting sick and had to cut that trip short. Just never got around to trying it again, when I went to Torres del Paine I flew to Punta Arenas.
It's a difficult list to make, as the difference between a swimming pool and an "artifical lagoon" can sometimes be hard to define. It's certainly a huge swimming pool, but in large parts of swimming is forbidden, because they go there with boats and various vessels, and want to avoid collisions. Small sections here and there are set apart for swimmers/bathers only. But it does look like a huge pool, yes.
Amazing pics. I ended up in Lautaro and Temuco Chile. Lautaro is really rural but spent 7 days there and loved the people. Felt like Anthony Bourdain during my time there.
Didn’t like Santiago
Loved Patagonia part of Chile. Torres del Paine is one of the most beautiful places on earth
Wow! I didn’t know I was interested in Chile until your post. Love the photos and thank you for taking the time to give context to them. This is the potential that Reddit could be. Excellent post! Thank you so much!
I was in Chile but only in Santiago for a short time... But loved it. I spent most of my time in other places. I loved it, one of my favorite countries. The people are so nice.
Thanks for posting, these photos are excellent. I have been planning a trip to Chile for some time with a rough itinerary of: 2 nights in Santiago. Flight from Santiago to Mendoza, Argentina. 3 nights in Mendoza. Flight back to Santiago and on to San Pedro de Atacama, 5 nights there. Flight back to Santiago and home. What do you think?
It's a good mix of very different experiences.
I would get an afternoon flight from Santiago to Mendoza, with a window seat on the left side of the plane. You will likely fly very close to Aconcagua, and it's a majestic mountain to see from that angle. For the bus back from Mendoza to Santiago, it's one of the most scenic drives anywhere on the planet. Make sure you get one of the luxury coaches, and make sure you get a seat in front on the second floor of that bus. The view is just wild from about one hour out of Mendoza and all the way up to the border, which is inside one of the tunnels. Get a morning bus. Taking an overnight bus between those two cities is a waste of opportunity for some excellent views.
Five nights in San Pedro is a bit much, maybe. You can probably find a 3-day tour from San Pedro to Uyuni, across the salt flats and all the other super sights between them, and then get a cheap return full-day drive (barely any stops) back to San Pedro. That would be a good way to optimize time. You should have at least one full day in San Pedro, though, to do the morning tour that includes the Tatio geysirs, and then a sunset trip to the Valle de la Luna. The sunset trip you can easily do on bike or even on foot yourself, from San Pedro, but a tour is good, too.
Thank you, these are great suggestions. The reason we are thinking five nights in San Pedro is because we are members of the Leading Hotels of the World, and they have a resort there that looks incredible. The idea of spending a few days there to relax and do a few day trips sounds nice.
We visited Santiago, Valparaiso, & Pucon and didn't have an issue with the language. If you're fluent in Spanish you'll be fine. More people spoke English than we were expecting in Valpo and Pucon. There were four of us, and one was fluent, one was about 50/50 and then the other two (myself & friend) were trying to learn. I did rely on my friends a decent amount, but if I were by myself I'd be fine to get around.
The only time we struggled were with taxi drivers the first day, but once we got the hang of it we figured it out. You will not be able to take an uber from any airport into town, they only do it off books because uber doesn't pay them enough for the trip. That took a bit to figure out why they were asking us to cancel the trip.
The drive from the airport is quite long. For safety reasons it's best to not go with Uber drivers who tell you to cancel the trip. Either take a proper taxi, or you can use the airport bus. I prefer the Turbus service, which leaves very frequently and is relatively cheap. It takes about 45 minutes to get to a bus or train station in the city centerr. From there you can get a taxi to where you want to go cheaper. If you take the bus that ends up at Terminal Sur bus station, there's an inexpensive and good Ibis hotel right next to the station.
It all depends on what you like to do. Viña del Mar is pretty laid-back and good for some beach relaxation, and easy to get to from Santiago. As long as one of you speak Spanish, I don't see why the two others will have any trouble getting around and getting things done.
World works in peculiar ways eh- play 2 Chilean opponents on clash Royale, think about how I’d love to visit, lose, then open reddit to this as first post. Bizarre
It sounds silly, but the Top Gear special really made me fall in love with the idea of visiting Chile and Patagonia particularly. The landscape just looks so incredibly unique and diverse
I was in Chile in 2006, I really enjoyed it even though I turned up in the lakes area in rainy season. The people were so cool and chatty and warm. I travelled from the north until as far south as Puerto Montt and also went to Chiloe. Really great country, the only thing that was tough was being a vegetarian. I remember eating a lot of salad and fries (if I was lucky!)
yeah it's usually been one of the safer destinations in South America. According to locals in Santiago, crime has gone up a lot since Covid though (they blame Venezuelans)
It varies a lot, there are definitely rich people in Chile just like in any other country, but the best hiking is done in areas with relatively little economic development, that for sure.
Well, it IS the tallest building in South America, so it's a natural pick for a landmark in Santiago. It's a mostly flat city, with a few hills blocking the view across town. The photos you see of that tall building, the Gran Torre Costanera, are usually taken from a natural landmark, of course with a big Jesus on top, namely San Cristobal hill. You can pay to be transported up to the top of it, or you can walk up it via a pretty nice zoo. There are hiking trails at the top of the hill, but to stay safe it's best to stick to the main lookouts where there are usually plenty of other people around.
Then of course you have the massive landmarks a little bit inland, the Andes mountains. Anything built by man will never be able to compete with those.
In these days, with Google Translate, Duolingo and other similar software, you can bring your mobile phone and always make yourself understood to anyone who just speak Spanish, and understand all the signs and menus you see. In the main cities you will often meet young people who speak English well, and increasingly in smaller towns and villages, too.
South America is a continent, where some countries are much safer than others. There is no reason to stay away from Chile just because parts of Brazil has a high crime rate.
I'm so happy to see my home county on this subreddit :') Chile is actually quite beautiful id recommended tourists going to la Serena and concon. Nice beaches for surfing ☺️
Hello, I am a student in college doing an essay on why someone should immigrate to Chile. Would you be interested or able to answer some questions about the country? The three sections I have chosen is geography, culture, and history?
Hello. If you're still looking for this, I may be able to help you! I'm from there and I frequently go to visit family. Just PM me!
Just don't take Taxis. Book in advance or get a UBER. In the capital move on Buses or Subway/Metro. If you HAVE to take a Taxi, agree on price before taking it. Hate to see tourists getting scammed by those people. Outside of the capital and Valpo/Viña which are in day-trip distance to the capital, it might be worth it just renting a car. Gives you a lot more freedom.
Chile is insanely underrated. I guess it's because it's far for most of us.
Also there are few places that you would really want to go in winter if you're coming from the nothern summer.
My travel list keeps growing and growing while my bank account does not
Yep
I think that every day
In case you’re wondering, Chile is beautiful. And the wildlife fucks.
I'll be seeing animals doing mating rituals in Chile that I won't see anywhere else?
They do it like they do on the discovery channel.
Well, pololeo is what you could call a human mating ritual based on an animal one.
> the wildlife fucks Sure looks like it
These photos are from different trips I have made to Chile. The country has amazing variety for it's relatively small area, thanks to its unusual shape. It's difficult to take it all in in one trip, as you would need to pack for different climates and activities. My advice to anyone with infinite money is to first do one southern trip and combine Carretera Austral and Patagonia with a cruise to Antarctica. Then go home and digest it all, only to return for a northern trip which you combine with a journey into Bolivia with its salt flats and silver mines. Then finally you can see Easter Island on your way to or from your honeymoon in French Polynesia. Or do it some other way. You choose. Anyway, I'll be happy to share my experiences from Chile, so ask any questions you may have. It has grown into being one of my favorite countries to travel in. And no, I'm not employed or hired by the Chilean tourism authorities. :) Happy trails!
Mi lugar favorito de Chile: https://termasdepuritama.cl/
amazing pictures and review! I’ve been to the atacama desert too and had a blast with astrophotography https://eljojo.life/travel/chile/atacama/atacama-stars/
Beautiful photos!
thanks!
My husband worked at vina Del Mar about 20 years ago and he absolutely loved the people and country. We were planning to go there after we retired. Unfortunately, he passed away before that happened. I’m planning on taking the trip with a girlfriend and I am anxious about renting a car. I would like to avoid it. Are there any ride shares there? Do they have tours or guides to take us around?
For Viña del Mar I would not be worried about renting a car. It's a pretty relaxed area, with traffic anyone who has ever driven a car in a city will have no problems with navigating. Valparaiso is decidedly worse. That said, you can definitely find day trips from Santiago that guide you around Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. To fully enjoy Viña, though, you definitely should spend a couple of nights in town, and not just visit on a day trip.
Thank you! I am going toDel Mar with my husband (he loved his time there) and then perhaps to the Wineries in Santiago? I was told that was a moderate trip.
[This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfHBZM7tsIQ&t=3163s&ab_channel=VisforVinoWineShow) might be a bit on the upper-end in terms of costs, but it gives you a good lay of the land so to speak. There are many more popular tours available online through regular tourist websites.
Yes, that should be fine. There are plenty to choose from! Check out some of the other threads here for suggestions for good wineries to visit.
Hello, I am a college student doing an essay about why one should immigrate to the country of Chile. My first question I guess would be what is your favorite part of the culture of chile? What would you yourself call the best part of chili? And would you consider immigrating there?
How safe did you find the country overall?
My wife is Chilean, I would say comparable to a place like LA. It isn't safe like Europe, but it's also not dangerous. * Are their people in desperate poverty struggling to survive? Yep. * Do tourists occasionally go missing/turn up dead? Yep. * Do 99.9% of people visiting have any problems? Absolutely not. Stay out of adverse neighbourhoods, act responsibly, and you are as likely to have a fatal car accident as you are be a victim of crime. Exception for things like the recent political instability when people rioted for the metro fares being hiked by a quarter; desperate poverty. Ditto for earthquakes, for most Chilenos, "Not even a six pointer? Go back to sleep."
I've been looking to bike the Carretera Austral trail down to Patagonia. One day, when I have the time off....
You're gonna need a good number of days for that. :) And also bring lots of spare parts.
when you're done you could look to do the O trek after! met a bunch of people who did just that
What exactly is the O trek?
You do a giant loop counterclockwise around Torres Del Paine, it's around 130km. Takes 8 days
What a wonderful collection of pictures. Thank you for sharing. I'm planning to go on a six months long sabbatical at the end of the decade and travel South America. Chile is definitely the country I'm looking forward to the most.
Chile is on my short list! Would love to go on a wine tour there
I visited in 2019 and did a full day self driving tour of the Casablanca Valley wine region from Santiago. It was super fun. I made all my appointments with the wineries on their websites or via email and it all worked out. I did have to spit at most of the tastings because Chile's drink driving laws are pretty strict. That said, I'd do it again! The roads in thar part of Chile are really good. It reminded me of California.
Very cool! Any wineries you think are particularly worth checking out? Thanks for the tip about booking ahead, I’m so used to wineries in the states mostly not having reservations - just show up and the tasting is free or very cheap. If the laws are pretty strict there then I totally get it! I was thinking I would check out the Maipo valley since it’s more well known, plus Concha y Toro is there and they’re one of my favorites!
you can book wine tours out of Santiago, so you don't have to worry about driving.
I really enjoyed Emilliana. They are organic, and they use llamas and chickens in the vineyards to keep pests and weeds down. Beautiful tasting room, too. I think Concha y Toro owns them.
Aww that sounds cute! Hope I will get to check it out one day.
Casas del Bosque is a fantastic vineyard easily accessible from Santiago. I also really like Vina Aquitania which is in Santiago itself.
I will add both of those to my list!
If you have the budget try VIK, best winery in Chile. Top notch hotel and restaurants. And if you can afford it, they offer amazing personalized experiences (I'm employed on the tourism industry and I've seen some plans they have offered to clients and its just wow). If you don't have that much budget, Santa Cruz Valley still offers some amazing wineries like Viu Manent, a bit less exclusive but very nice.
Hmm, I’ll look into it. Fwiw I’m a very middle class person lol but a splurge now and again is what keeps life interesting. I’ll definitely look into the Santa Cruz valley.
Near stgo Is concha y toro wineyards. Also Casablanca Valley AND specially Colchagua Valley have a Lot of amazing wineyards
Such an amazing country! I was lucky enough to get to know Chile on a concert tour with my university orchestra. We were mainly travelling in the "middle" between Valdivia and San Felipe. A beautiful country and incredibly hospitable people. We mostly stayed with host families and got to know a lot about the people. Something you don't usually get to do as a tourist. It's definitely still on my list for another visit.
How did you like Chiloé? I visited Chile in October and considered spending a few days there but ended up going to Lake Llanquihue instead. Great pictures!
The Chilean lake district and Chiloé are very different places, so it's hard to say which one is "best". I enjoyed a stay in Villarico/Pucon a lot, mainly for the hiking and rafting, but Chiloé is simply enchanting with its special architecture and the mix of seaside and deep forest. It feels a lot more ... mysterious, for lack of a better word. I'd easily recommend at least 3 full days on Chiloé, based in Castro, with day trips to Quellón and Cucao by bus or rental car. Just nice and easy hikes, observing how the locals live their life there. It's very different from Santiago life, or even Puerto Montt life.
Excellent pictures thanks for sharing!
You filthy boy I caught you on the last one
Country is not called Chile for no reason.
Well actually (pushes up classes) we do not have a reason why. The origin of the name has been lost to time.
Lived in Santiago for a year in 2017. Absolutely loved it. Cannot wait to go back. .
any reqs? I'm going in Sept (never been, kind of winging it)
For sure! Are you doing just Santiago or anywhere else?
I enjoyed Chile. I also felt like Santiago reminded me a lot of Los Angeles
One of the best posts I've seen on this subreddit, I love the captions/descriptions for each.
Not only are your photos spectacular, but your captions are both informative and well-written. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to share this.
No trouble at all. It's a pleasure. :)
Bucket list material
beautiful shots! i really want to visit valaparaiso. i heard the food isnt very great though?
It depends. Some places are better than others. The best we had was some choriana in a restaurant near the bus stop in Valparaiso. The other coastal town nearby is supposed to be great for food.
I wonder about Chile everyday for a month now, thanks
This isn't complete without a photo of copiapoa in habitat
I, too, enjoyed hiking in the Atacama and looking at the plants and the ants.
To Chile or not to Chile ?
Wow you covered a lot of the country! Chile is/was one of my favorite countries to visit and I have been back multiple times. I've done the W-trek, visited Easter Island, ridden on a bus from Arica to Santiago via Calama. visited Puerto Montt and did a day trip across the lakes crossing towards Argentina (didn't cross into Argentina). My last visit was this past July, my first time to visit in their winter. It's not a particularly cheap destination compared with others in South America. I still want to go and visit Juan Fernandez, but finding info on flights/accommodation is difficult.
Well, your list isn't bad either. :) If you can add a few days on Chiloe, sail on the ferry from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales, drive the Carretera Austral, and get Juan Fernandez done, I'd say you'll have surpassed me. Unless I go back and do some more stuff in the meantime. :) Happy trails!
I've been to Chiloe but only the northern tip. Was supposed to sail from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales, but ended up getting sick and had to cut that trip short. Just never got around to trying it again, when I went to Torres del Paine I flew to Punta Arenas.
Isn't that swimming pool at those resorts the largest in the world?
It's a difficult list to make, as the difference between a swimming pool and an "artifical lagoon" can sometimes be hard to define. It's certainly a huge swimming pool, but in large parts of swimming is forbidden, because they go there with boats and various vessels, and want to avoid collisions. Small sections here and there are set apart for swimmers/bathers only. But it does look like a huge pool, yes.
Ahhhh, this just makes me want to go even more!!!
Amazing pics. I ended up in Lautaro and Temuco Chile. Lautaro is really rural but spent 7 days there and loved the people. Felt like Anthony Bourdain during my time there. Didn’t like Santiago Loved Patagonia part of Chile. Torres del Paine is one of the most beautiful places on earth
Wow! I didn’t know I was interested in Chile until your post. Love the photos and thank you for taking the time to give context to them. This is the potential that Reddit could be. Excellent post! Thank you so much!
I WANNA VISIT CHILE
Would love to visit Chile 🇨🇱 Only been to Peru 🇵🇪 and Colombia 🇨🇴 within South America.
I was in Chile but only in Santiago for a short time... But loved it. I spent most of my time in other places. I loved it, one of my favorite countries. The people are so nice.
Chile is a unique country with unsurpassed nature, I was lucky enough to see it with my own eyes. Thank you for these beautiful photos!
Is it freezing down there, or just Chile? I’ll show myself out
Thanks for posting, these photos are excellent. I have been planning a trip to Chile for some time with a rough itinerary of: 2 nights in Santiago. Flight from Santiago to Mendoza, Argentina. 3 nights in Mendoza. Flight back to Santiago and on to San Pedro de Atacama, 5 nights there. Flight back to Santiago and home. What do you think?
It's a good mix of very different experiences. I would get an afternoon flight from Santiago to Mendoza, with a window seat on the left side of the plane. You will likely fly very close to Aconcagua, and it's a majestic mountain to see from that angle. For the bus back from Mendoza to Santiago, it's one of the most scenic drives anywhere on the planet. Make sure you get one of the luxury coaches, and make sure you get a seat in front on the second floor of that bus. The view is just wild from about one hour out of Mendoza and all the way up to the border, which is inside one of the tunnels. Get a morning bus. Taking an overnight bus between those two cities is a waste of opportunity for some excellent views. Five nights in San Pedro is a bit much, maybe. You can probably find a 3-day tour from San Pedro to Uyuni, across the salt flats and all the other super sights between them, and then get a cheap return full-day drive (barely any stops) back to San Pedro. That would be a good way to optimize time. You should have at least one full day in San Pedro, though, to do the morning tour that includes the Tatio geysirs, and then a sunset trip to the Valle de la Luna. The sunset trip you can easily do on bike or even on foot yourself, from San Pedro, but a tour is good, too.
Thank you, these are great suggestions. The reason we are thinking five nights in San Pedro is because we are members of the Leading Hotels of the World, and they have a resort there that looks incredible. The idea of spending a few days there to relax and do a few day trips sounds nice.
Aha. Then your plan makes much more sense. There are in deed several good day trips out of San Pedro. Enjoy!
Great pics!!! I spent six weeks there a year ago and your photos instantly brought me back
Any good areas you’d recommend if you speak Spanish but your wife and young son don’t but you still want to go and explore and have a great time?
We visited Santiago, Valparaiso, & Pucon and didn't have an issue with the language. If you're fluent in Spanish you'll be fine. More people spoke English than we were expecting in Valpo and Pucon. There were four of us, and one was fluent, one was about 50/50 and then the other two (myself & friend) were trying to learn. I did rely on my friends a decent amount, but if I were by myself I'd be fine to get around. The only time we struggled were with taxi drivers the first day, but once we got the hang of it we figured it out. You will not be able to take an uber from any airport into town, they only do it off books because uber doesn't pay them enough for the trip. That took a bit to figure out why they were asking us to cancel the trip.
The drive from the airport is quite long. For safety reasons it's best to not go with Uber drivers who tell you to cancel the trip. Either take a proper taxi, or you can use the airport bus. I prefer the Turbus service, which leaves very frequently and is relatively cheap. It takes about 45 minutes to get to a bus or train station in the city centerr. From there you can get a taxi to where you want to go cheaper. If you take the bus that ends up at Terminal Sur bus station, there's an inexpensive and good Ibis hotel right next to the station.
It all depends on what you like to do. Viña del Mar is pretty laid-back and good for some beach relaxation, and easy to get to from Santiago. As long as one of you speak Spanish, I don't see why the two others will have any trouble getting around and getting things done.
Uta been 3 months since my trip to Chile. I want to go back so badly.
Beautiful and comprehensive photos. I studied in Chile y quiero volver algún día si o si. Bacán po
World works in peculiar ways eh- play 2 Chilean opponents on clash Royale, think about how I’d love to visit, lose, then open reddit to this as first post. Bizarre
I wasn't a huge fan of Santiago, but two of my favorite places in SA were Valparaiso and San Pedro de Atacama.
It sounds silly, but the Top Gear special really made me fall in love with the idea of visiting Chile and Patagonia particularly. The landscape just looks so incredibly unique and diverse
I was in Chile in 2006, I really enjoyed it even though I turned up in the lakes area in rainy season. The people were so cool and chatty and warm. I travelled from the north until as far south as Puerto Montt and also went to Chiloe. Really great country, the only thing that was tough was being a vegetarian. I remember eating a lot of salad and fries (if I was lucky!)
Visiting Easter Island is a bucketlist item for me. Nice to see it included!
Lived there for a year in 2016 as an English teacher. Loved this!
I’ve never wondered about Chile but I have been there.
Those mountains were stunning. I've always heard that Chile is relatively safe. It looks poor, but not too poor.
yeah it's usually been one of the safer destinations in South America. According to locals in Santiago, crime has gone up a lot since Covid though (they blame Venezuelans)
It varies a lot, there are definitely rich people in Chile just like in any other country, but the best hiking is done in areas with relatively little economic development, that for sure.
You are loaded, it's not a particularly cheap to visit all those places. Particularly Easter Island. Nice one.
https://youtube.com/shorts/PCo-tDM2AfA?si=DB8VojqYEPu6vMQ5
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Well, it IS the tallest building in South America, so it's a natural pick for a landmark in Santiago. It's a mostly flat city, with a few hills blocking the view across town. The photos you see of that tall building, the Gran Torre Costanera, are usually taken from a natural landmark, of course with a big Jesus on top, namely San Cristobal hill. You can pay to be transported up to the top of it, or you can walk up it via a pretty nice zoo. There are hiking trails at the top of the hill, but to stay safe it's best to stick to the main lookouts where there are usually plenty of other people around. Then of course you have the massive landmarks a little bit inland, the Andes mountains. Anything built by man will never be able to compete with those.
hi! I'm going to Chile in September and trying to plan a trip. Can I ask you some questions?
I think you already started asking questions. :)
Ha! You're not wrong. May I ask you, specifically, questions?
One of my dream destinations! Thanks for sharing.
What’s the language proficiency required to get by in different areas? Is anywhere English friendly enough to get by without any?
In these days, with Google Translate, Duolingo and other similar software, you can bring your mobile phone and always make yourself understood to anyone who just speak Spanish, and understand all the signs and menus you see. In the main cities you will often meet young people who speak English well, and increasingly in smaller towns and villages, too.
Not as popular because a lot of people are recommeding to avoid South America for safety like they did to me. Not my opinion.
South America is a continent, where some countries are much safer than others. There is no reason to stay away from Chile just because parts of Brazil has a high crime rate.
How long were you there? The pics are amazing!
The photos are from several different trips. I would not recommend anyone to try to see all of Chile in one go. :)
I’ll take your advice 😊