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Santiago, Chile
We stayed in Santiago for two nights but were underwhelmed by the capital city
and recommend saving days for other exciting parts of Chile. Once you arrive in
Chile get a good nights rest in a hotel close to the airport to prepare for your
flight to Patagonia the next day.
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Puerto Natales, Chile
Puerto Natales is the main hub and closest city to Torres Del Paine National
Park. It's just a 2 hour drive away from the park entrance. We loved the cute
port city and were surprised by the variety of quirky restaurants, bars and
cafes in the area. The first day in the city will be your preparation day before
going into the park. To get to Puerto Natales from Santiago, you will have to
take a 3-hour flight. Our flight left at 11am and we had no problem preparing
everything for our trek the next day. Make sure you book your flight far in
advance as it books up fast. You don't have to do a multi-day hike to see the
famous three towers in Torres Del Paine National Park. You can do a day hike and
camp or stay at a hotel at the base of the park. You will need to purchase your
bus tickets and any hiking snacks in Puerto Natales the day before you leave, as
well as pick up your camping equipment if you're renting anything such as a
tent, sleeping bags etc.
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Torres del Paine, Chile
Today you will arrive in the beautiful and rugged Torres Del Paine National
Park, where you can hike up to the famous Three Towers of Paine. Once you ascend
750 meters to the Towers Lookout, you will be rewarded with breathtaking views
of the three granite towers behind a blue glacial pool. Prepare for the weather,
as it's extremely windy and you could have a blizzard come through at any
moment. The best time to hike in Torres Del Paine is from November-March when
it's summertime. There are two different ways to go about your itinerary
depending on if you plan to stay in a hotel or camp. Both methods require you to
book far in advance. Camping will be a lot cheaper than staying in a hotel.
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Valparaíso, Chile
You don't want to miss seeing the less travelled city of Valparaiso. The
bohemian city was a thriving port and "Jewel of the Pacific" in the late 19th
century until a massive earthquake struck in 1906 and the Panama Canal was
completed in 1914. Wealthy families then abandoned the city and it underwent 100
years of decline. Valparaiso became the Berlin of Chile attracting artists,
creatives, writers, and poets. It's filled with street art, contemporary art
galleries, cobblestone streets, fascinating architecture and quirky hillside
cafes and bars. Located an hour west of Santiago, it is an easy drive from the
Santiago airport. Renting cars in Chile is easy and the roads are great to drive
on.
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Elqui, Chile
Road trip time! If you have a rental car you can either drive 6.5 hours to
Pisco, Elqui from Valparaiso or you can drive back to Santiago, take a quick 1
hour flight to La Serena and pick up another rental car for the 1.5 hour drive
into the Elqui Valley. We chose the latter to limit our driving time. The
relaxed and sunny drive from La Serena airport to Pisco Elqui was one of the
most beautiful drives we've ever done. We had never seen so many cacti or
rather, mountains covered in cacti in our lives. It was exciting driving through
the "route of the stars" to the quaint town of Pisco Elqui. The area is famous
for its astro tourism and production of Pisco, a type of brandy used to make one
of our favourite cocktails the Pisco sour.
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Atacama, Chile
The mountainous barren landscape of the Atacama Desert was nothing like we've
ever see before. Not one tree or cactus. It truly felt like we were on Mars. We
can see why NASA tests rovers here! The night sky was what we were the most
excited for. The arid desert conditions and altitude make it arguably the best
place in the world to see the stars and galaxies. The stars seemed closer,
almost like you could touch them. They were vibrant in colour and brightness.
When we were flying in, we noticed it was raining and thought that was strange
since the area only gets 15 mm of rain each year! We soon learned there was a
rare flash flood blocking the only road to San Pedro de Atacama and flooding the
town! San Pedro de Atacama is the main hub for the tourist attractions, so
everything was closed for the next week.