Summer in Chile: Santiago, Patagonia, Viña del Mar, Atacama

Back in 2013, I (Ray) went to Chile for 4 months to finish my minor in Spanish at La Universidad Andres Bello. While in Chile I saw a lot of the country. Santiago, several parts of the coast, the Atacama desert, the lake region (north and opposite side of Patagonia), and even visited Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Seeing all of this was amazing, but I always wanted to show Maddie the country so she could see what I experienced. I finally returned with Maddie, and my sister for 10 of the days!

It was incredible, and Maddie said it overtook Switzerland as her favorite country. It has so many different landscapes, and they're all stunning. Sometimes you don't believe that what you're looking at is real.

We strongly recommend visiting Chile, and hope this post helps inspire you to plan a trip!

ABBREVIATED ITINERARY

• Day 1/2: Travel to Santiago, Chile. Relax/Settle in

• Day 3: Exploring Santiago all-day

• Day 4: Full-day wine tour

• Day 5: Fly to Patagonia, explore Puerto Natales/surrounding areas

• Day 6: Torres del Paine Day 1

• Day 7: Glacier Boat Tour

• Day 8: Torres del Paine Day 2

• Day 9: Fly back to Santiago, drive to Viña, sunset dinner

• Day 10: Explore Valparaiso, relax on the coast

• Day 11: Morning in Viña, Winery afternoon, Fly to desert/stargazing

• Day 12: San Pedro de Atacama exploring

• Day 13: San Pedro de Atacama relaxing and Valle de la Luna

• Day 14/15: Fly back to Santiago and home

THE TRIP

DAY 1/2:

Flying to Chile it's most likely you'll route through LA, Atlanta, Texas, or Florida. You can expect flight time from the US to Chile to be 9-12 hours. It's a full travel day with an overnight that gets you there in the morning of the next day. Not great, but happens often if you're going to Europe too (especially from the west). Also consider that Chile, depending on the time of year, is going to be a couple hours ahead of ET, and a few ahead of CT/MT/PT.

We went from Denver to Atlanta, and Atlanta to Santiago. Leaving around 1pm MT, arriving at 7am in Santiago.

We always fly Delta internationally if possible, even if it's a little bit more expensive. They always take care of us, and it has become easy after signing up for the Delta American Express platinum card. This card saved us $400 when we flew to the French Polynesian islands and earned us enough points to get a round trip to London for free. Needless to say, it's worth checking out. Use the link above to learn more sign up and you'll get a ton of points after you spend a little bit of money.

Upon arriving, and throughout the trip going to and from the SCL Airport, we used TransVIP. You can book trips at the airport or online in English, and you'll have a safe ride. A private shuttle is $40 each way, or if you want to save money you can share with others going to the city for ~$15. It's important to use official transport methods in Chile.

Chile has a lot of petty theft and other crime has picked up in recent years, primarily in Santiago and Valparaiso. You just need to be aware of your surroundings, and don't leave purses/backpacks wide open, or have valuables easily accessible.

Another tip-tipping isn't the same as in the US. 10% is a great tip, and people will really appreciate that if you leave that or more. Whether it be a driver, restaurant, etc.

We stayed at Hotel Solace and recommend it. Nice hotel, rooftop pool, restaurant, bars, great location in Providencia, and only around $100 per night. They were able to hold our bags for an hour or two until we could get checked in early. We used that time to take a morning walk through Providencia, see my host family's departamento where I lived for 4 months, get some coffee, and explore Costanera Center (mall attached to the tallest building in South America).

Afterward, we relaxed at the pool for a few hours and took a nap. Then we met up with my host family for onces.

Chileans usually eat small breakfast, a big lunch, and have onces for dinner (coffee/tea/pastries/bread).

It was such a special experience reuniting with my host mom Rossy, sister Karin, brother Martin, and his partner Kristian. It was surreal being able to see them again and have them meet Maddie whom I talked about to them all the time, and my sister. We really enjoyed a few hours together, and then Maddie, Jill, and l went back to our hotel rooms and crashed, completely exhausted.

DAY 3:

After a great night of sleep, we were rejuvenated and ready to explore Santiago.

We started off the day with breakfast at our hotel, and then went to the metro to get our Bip! cards.

The trains are easy to use and make the entire city accessible. Most of what you'll want to see is accessible via the Red line. You'll have to purchase a Bip card from a ticket window, but after that, you can load it up with a machine. It's around $1 USD per ride, and you can also use your bip on buses.

Our first stop of the day was La Universidad Andres Bello, a blast from the past to show Maddie and Jill where I went to school, and from there we could do some walking. A couple of blocks away is La Moneda, Chile's palace where the President and other members of the government work. A lot of history here involving the coup in the 70's.

From there we took a nice walk through central Santiago. Just getting a feel for the city, seeing Plaza de Armas and other notable places. I was looking forward to going to the Central Market, but we got a really weird feeling around there and it just seemed sketchy. Significantly different from when I was first in Chile, and unfortunately that area seems like crime has overtaken it a bit, and the same is true in the Bellavista neighborhood. Fortunately, we could walk through a park to Cerro Santa Lucia nearby. It's a pretty easy walk/hike to an awesome lookout, where you can get 360 views of Santiago. Definitely worth the visit.

Providencia, Vitacura, Las Condes are safe. I would recommend staying there.

At this point we'd worked up an appetite, so after strolling through the nearby, happening Lastarria neighborhood and some markets within, we stopped at one of the many cafes/restaurants on the street.

In Chile for lunch, you'll often see a "menu del dia". Because lunch is their biggest meal of the day, you'll get a juice, salad, primary entree, and desert. Usually it's around $10USD.

Afterwards, we had a place called Chipe Libre - Républica Independiente del Pisco bookmarked. Pisco is the drink outside of wine in Chile, so we enjoyed some drinks on an awesome patio in the back of the restaurant. We loved this place and had a really good time trying drinks that were new to us and just relaxing.

Having seen much of central Santiago, we made our way back to the hotel to relax on the roof and drink some Austral's. Austral is a brewery in the southernmost part of Chile, Punta Arenas. I've been trying to find it since I got back, but it seems like it doesn't make it to the states much, given it's so far away.

After some relaxing, we cleaned up and went to dinner in Barrio Italia. There are restaurants and bars everywhere. If you like going out at night, this is a good place. There are also antique shops, and so much more to explore. We got here kind of late, and were indecisive about where to go. We didn't like where we ended up eating, and wish we would've gone to Silvestre Bistro on our list. It's a little off of the main strip, so it would be great to eat there, and then go to a bar on the main strip of Barrio Italia.

We took the metro back to our hotel (bus to a train-busses are easy too with the bip card), and called it a night. We had to be up early for a day drinking wine in the Maipo Valley.

DAY 4:

We were kind of surprised that we had to be up and ready by 8AM for a wine tour, but it's an hour, hour and a half drive out to wine country.

We used Viator to book our Chilean wine day. It's affiliated with Trip Advisor, and they make it super easy to explore tours, read reviews, and book them. We used it multiple times on the trip and had fantastic experiences.

We traveled by bus out of Santiago and into the country to visit a few wineries: Campo La Quirinca, Santa Ema, Vina Undurraga, and we stopped at Zinfandel for a delicious lunch.

All of these places were such a good time. Sampling wine, learning about the process, meeting people from all over the world, and exploring the beautiful Chilean wine country.

The value of this tour for $100 is unbelievable. Strongly recommend if you love wine!

After the tour, we returned to Santiago for dinner and an earlier night to get up for an early flight to Patagonia.

We got a Peruvian restaurant next to all of the consulates. TACU TACU PROVIDENCIA. The seafood was so good. Our initial waiter left mid-shift, and when he left, he went around the table saying goodbye to us all. He gave Maddie and Jill a kiss on the cheek, and shook my hand haha. The vibes were high.

DAY 5:

We got to the airport and prepped for our 3-hour flight to Patagonia. We were all ecstatic to be traveling there.

We flew into Puerto Natales to the south of Torres Del Paine. A picturesque little town on the water with magical mountain views, incredible seafood, and a ton of culture. The airport is tiny, 1 gate, 1 bag carousel. A friendly local met us to provide a rental car, and from there we were just completely relaxed and soaking in the surrounding beauty.

We were hungry, so we kicked things off by getting a meal at Wild Hostel. We still think about the burgers we had there often. Such a pleasant surprise, the people were so nice, and there was a hostel dog hanging out outside. Jill and Maddie had a great coffee, and I started enjoying the Austral.

We then checked into our Airbnb on the outskirts of town. Great, private little place with great views. Really relaxing.

We had some time before dinner, so we drove up to a lake, Laguna Sofia, about 30 minutes north of Puerto Natales. On the way you pass the Mylodon Cave natural monument. We regret not going there. Pretty cool place where they used to live before going extinct. There are statues of them and merchandise in all of the gift shops.

If you visit Torres, you'll pass this several times. The road becomes dirt/rocky at many points. I would strongly advise getting a 4-wheel drive vehicle or at minimum something that can handle rough terrain. This is especially true in the winter.

Getting back to town, we grabbed food at Mesita Grande, an Italian place. Some pizza, some pasta, some Austral-it was a great prep meal for getting to go to Torres del Paine in the morning.

Time for bed! We were zonked, and you need to rest up for a full day at Torres del Paine National Park.

You need to buy your entrance ticket to the park in advance of visiting.

DAY 6:

We got up early to get to the park. From the second you catch a glimpse of Cerro Paine Grande, you're just eager to see more. Every lake you drove past was turquoise. There were horses in fields with mountain backdrops. No traffic or congestion of people. Absolutely incredible hikes.

We did:

• Mirador Condor-Incredible views of the lake and Cerro Paine Grande and the main mountains you want to see, if it's clear. Weather was extremely variable. We went from beautiful sunny day, to getting pelted with wind that almost blew us over, and heavy rain. 10 minutes later, back to being a calm, beautiful day. We found ourselves just laughing it was so sudden.

• Mirador Salto Grande and Mirador Cuernos from Estancia Pudeto. Stunning waterfalls, up close with absolutely wild-looking mountains, lakes. Absolute beauty everywhere.

• Each day we were in the park, we also drove around quite a bit, just stopping often to soak in the views, take photos, or hit a trail we stumbled on.

What a day!

Of course, after all that we worked up a serious appetite. We ended up at Restaurante Los Coigues "Jechef" for seafood and more Austral, so so good. Puerto Natales food was so fresh and delicious for almost every meal.

While there, we also had a lot of products, including drinks with Calafate Berries. They would make Calefate sours (similar to the popular Pisco Sour). You would also see Guanacos in the wild, and then they'd be on menus everywhere too. Of course, seafood is abundant down there, and phenomenal lamb-which we enjoy on Day 7.

DAY 7:

We decided to space out our Torres days and book another Viator tour to see the Balmaceda & Serrano Glaciers and get a traditional lunch.

Simply, we rode around on a boat all day seeing glaciers, waterfalls, and incredible mountains. We even got to hike at one point up close to one, and afterward drink local whiskey with glacial ice.

To cap things off, we stopped at Estancia Perales for an incredible traditional lunch. Local lamb and chicken, with local wine. This estancia is in a very remote spot, and you can just calmly soak in everything.

Another outstanding day.

Before winding down, of course, we need to get some Austral and a good meal in town. Enter El Puesto Restobar for a steak and some great snack food we all shared.

Pretty much everything in Puerto Natales is walkable if you're staying in the downtown area or once you're down there. Lots of shops, eateries, etc.

At this point, we're pretty giddy about life. This trip is starting to become untoppable and we're only halfway home.

DAY 8:

Rested up and ready to go, it was time for another visit to Torres del Paine. We were just going to wing this day.

This time we stayed on route 9, Y-150, Y-156, Y-160, and other backroads of the east side of the park, eventually cutting through Amarga, back to the heart of the park. Ultimately, we made a giant loop back to Y-290, and back to Route 9 to Puerto Natales.

We looked into going up to El Chalten in Argentina, but it was pretty far. This area is so vast, there's tons to explore. You could spend a lot of time down in Patagonia. Endless beauty, hikes, and wildlife. It is truly wild.

We did some hikes:

• Started with Laguna Azul to try and see the pillars that many do several-day hikes to (Mirador las Torres-Look into the W and/or O Circuit if you're into backpacking). We got a glimpse periodically, as there were clouds constantly moving through, and they're just stunning

• Then went over to Cascada Rio Paine, a very cool waterfall, you can see the pillars, and really feel the power Patagonia holds

• Then we technically entered the park officially in Amarga. You could tell right away that this was going a lifetime experience by the backdrop and road disappearing into it.

We drove and pulled off often on Y-156, just a mind-blowing scenic road. Absolute scenes everywhere.

After some driving, we went west to Lago Grey and did some walking around, and soaking it on the beach there before heading out.

On our way out, we'd pull off the road and look back towards the park. Bittersweet feeling to leave a place that special. Truly one of a kind.

If you want to put a big trip on your list-Chilean Patagonia is it. You won't be disappointed.

DAY 9:

We woke up and had a quick healthy breakfast Cafe Holaste before heading to the airport.

It was a travel day up to Santiago, renting a car, and driving out to Viña Del Mar. About an hour and a half drive. We saw the aftermath of some bad wildfires in Chile, really sad. Completely decimated some areas.

We stayed in Playa Cochoa-pretty interesting place. It's just a bunch of vacation condos/apartments that are basically skyscrapers on the beach. We had an Airbnb that had a great view but was just okay. There isn't a lot going on in Playa Cochoa. If you want a more lively scene, stay in Reñaca. We had several meals there, picked up groceries, etc. It's a happening place and the beach is great.

We got settled in, and got groceries at Santa Isabel before having dinner on the coast. We watched a diver below us getting seafood for the restaurant. Beautiful, relaxing time at San Marino Puerto e Pastas

After that, we called it a night!

As I get into this part of the trip-we were happy we came here, but if you have to trim the trip, trim Viña del Mar/Valparaiso. It's nice and everything, but doesn't have the wow factor like some of the other places you can visit in Chile.

DAY 10:

We started the day with a good breakfast above our condo. Cafeteria/Restaurante Panqueque. Great avocado toast.

On to Viña del Mar and Valparaiso. Lots of memories coming back from my study abroad in 2013. Valparaiso has a lot of history, great shops, and you can take boat tours from the port. You have to be careful where you go in Valpo, there has been a lot of crime in recent years.

We headed back up the coast and got a snack and drinks on the beach. This area of chilean coast has restaurants and bars on the back of the beach. Very convenient. It was a beautiful day, and we ended up picking up an empanada and some clothes at Reñaca Surf Shop. The owner was a really cool guy who comes up to Orange County to surf periodically.

We ended up at Sazon Peruana for some delicious Lomo Saltado, before wrapping up the day.

DAY 11:

A slow morning with coffee overlooking the ocean. The perfect way to wrap up our visit to the coast.

Sadly, Jill had to leave today, but we still were going to stop at a winery on our way back to Santiago.

We Ended up at Bodegas RE. We enjoyed a wine tasting and bottle, snacks, and playing Skip-Bo in the sun for a few hours.

Back to Santiago, goodbyes to Jill, and we headed for our flight to the Atacama desert.

We got in late, grabbed our rental car, and drove an hour through the darkness. It was so clear that night that we could see shooting stars just driving. We of course pulled off a few times and gazed. Welcome to the desert!

We were relieved to check in at a beautiful hotel, Casa Solcor. Great hospitality. Comfy beds. Good shower. Private patio. Good breakfast. Nice pool and hangout areas on the outskirts, but walkable to and from town. It also had a gated parking lot. The only downside was that there wasn't AC, just a fan. We like to sleep cold so that was unfortunate.

A good night of sleep with no rush to get up in the morning was much needed.

DAY 12:

With our rental car, we decided to just explore some of the beautiful sites the desert had to offer.

After waking up and having a bite to eat, we headed south to see Salar de Talar, Piedras Rojas, Miscanti Lake, and Lagunas Altiplanicas. You can visit these on your own or via a tour. We had to buy some kind of pass to enter the area in Socaire.

Here is a full list of places we had saved to a Google Map:

• Salar de Talar

• Piedras Rojas

• Miscanti Lake

• Lagunas Altiplanicas

• Laguna Chaxa

• Laguna Tebinquiche

• Laguna Cejar

• Valle de la Luna

• Mirador Volcan Licancabur

• Valle del Arcoiris

• El Tatio

All of these places are super remote, and beyond beautiful. It really puts into perspective how far out you are when you're in the Atacama desert and the gravity of nature. You see things there that you've never seen before.

Another situation where you are happy to have a 4WD car, it's worth spending a little extra.

We grabbed Pizza at Pizzeria El Charrua. Pretty great after a day of exploring, but no beers was a bummer. But we made up for that with ice cream right across the street at Heladeria Babalu.

DAY 13:

We had a relaxing morning waking up slowly, eating breakfast, and relaxing by the pool.

We did some shopping in town and went on a tour of Valle de La Luna through Atacama Connections. Crazy dunes, rock formations, and epic views.

A lot of really beautiful areas, history, and a stunning sunset over the desert and volcanos.

This trip made us a fan of tours. You meet so many people and get a comprehensive exploration of certain things you might be interested in seeing, without having to worry about driving.

We grabbed dinner at Adobe. It was a really good vibe with live music and great food. And they had Austral!

DAY 14/15:

Time to leave the desert and wrap up our trip. We flew back to Santiago and had a day to sit at the pool, grab some food, and relax. We were pretty exhausted from 2 weeks of full days traveling and exploring. We were actually supposed to stay for around 18 days, but we moved our flight up to head home. Completely satisfied and happy with an amazing trip.

PACKING LIST/TO DO'S

• Expected spend breakdown

  • Flights: $750 each round trip

  • Trains/Rental Cars/Gas: $100 each

  • Food/Drinks: $1750 total (probably can get this lower, just depends)

  • Lodging: $2500 total (depends on your preferences)

  • Shopping: At your discretion

• Currency

  • You could bring Chilean Pesos for street vendors, but most places, including food trucks, accept credit cards

• Passport-Check that it's up to date

• See tips throughout the blog in italics on trains, flights, language, and more

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact us! We'd love to help you make the most of your Chilean or other travels.