Chile is one of the most unusually shaped countries on the planet. It extends thousands of miles from top to bottom, but averages just 110 miles in width. And boy does the terrain and type of vacation change depending on whether you visit the north, center or south.
We hiked the incredibly beautiful W Trek through Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, spent a few days recharging in Santiago, then immersed ourselves into the arid Atacama Desert before taking a salt flats tour over the high altiplano to Uyuni in Bolivia. And what an adventure it was!
In this Chile travel guide we explain everything you need to know about planning a first trip, including places to visit, itinerary, when to go and much more.
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Places To Visit
Santiago – We were pleasantly surprised by Chile’s bustling capital city. Partly because it’s surrounded by the Andes Mountains and picture perfect views and partly because we loved its stunning neoclassical architecture, unique neighborhoods and fun nightlife.
Valparaíso – If you’re looking to experience Chile’s rich culture, look no further than Valparaíso. It’s a beautiful bohemian town famous for its colorful hillsides, abundance of street art and meandering alleyways.
San Pedro de Atacama – This remote adobe town in northern Chile is located in the heart of the driest desert in the world, the Atacama. We spent 4 days visiting geysers, hot springs, lagoons and amazing arid landscapes here.
Patagonia – Home to countless awe-inspiring landscapes, Patagonia is a diverse region with 9 national parks, forests, glaciers, mountains, volcanoes and river. When we’re asked about our favorite places to visit in the world, this place is always in the discussion.
Torres del Paine National Park – Located on the southern tip of Chile within Patagonia, this national park more than lives up to its hype. We hiked the amazing W-trek with all our gear, and it remains one of the hardest but best hiking memories we have.
Easter Island – Known as one of the world’s greatest mysteries, Easter Island is a Chilean territory in Polynesia. It’s home to hundreds of hollow-eyed statues, locally known as Moai, that were carved by Polynesian visitors. It’s not cheap to visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site!
Top Experiences
Instead of looking at travel planning solely by which cities and towns to visit, we like to know what experiences are worth doing when we visit new places.
Here’s what we’d start with in Chile based on what we’ve done and what we’d love to do in the future:
- Hike the W Trek or O Trek
- See glaciers and marble caves in Patagonia
- Drive the Carretera Austral Highway
- Soak up the vibrant culture in Santiago
- See the colorful houses in Valparaiso
- Visit wineries in the Central Valley
- Explore the vast Atacama Desert
- Fly to Easter Island
- Learn how to surf in Pichilemu
Transportation
We took some seriously long coach rides in South America (one was even 24 hours!), but Chile is so long and desolate in-between popular tourist destinations that we had no choice but to fly.
The good news was that Chile had a few low budget airlines that transported us from Patagonia’s Punta Arenas airport in the south to Santiago in the center and then on to Calama airport in the north for the Atacama pretty cheaply.
They’re the three major tourist areas and they’re so far apart that it wouldn’t make sense to travel any other way.
The downside is that these low budget airlines will try to fleece you for every penny, so make sure you pay for the correct baggage storage. We got hammered at Santiago airport because our 40L backpacks were too big for Sky’s carry on limit.
Itinerary
Here’s how we planned our Chile itinerary and what we recommend doing:
Torres del Paine – Days 1 to 7
- Fly and/or bus to Puerto Natales
- Ferry to Torres del Paine
- Hike the W Trek (5 days)
- Or the O Trek (9 days)
Santiago – Days 8 to 11
- Fly to Santiago
- Cable car to Cerro San Cristobal
- Visit the Cenco Costanera
- Day trip to Valparaiso
San Pedro de Atacama – Days 12 to 15
- Fly to Calama and bus to SPdA
- Cycle into Valle de la Luna
- Or do it with a tour for sunset
- Go to the El Tatio Geysers
- Bathe in Puritama hot springs
- Tour the altiplanic lagoons
- Take a stargazing tour
Our awesome itinerary stopped at Chile’s most popular touristy highlights in the most efficient way possible. And it’s exactly how we’d do it if we were visiting for the first time again.
We traveled through Argentina from Buenos Aires to Bariloche and El Chalten before arriving into Puerto Natales. Then we took a Bolivia salt flats tour from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni, before exploring further into Bolivia.
Accommodation
We spent 10 weeks traveling through Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru, and Chile was easily the most expensive country out of the four. Everything from hotels to attractions and from public transport to food cost us more money in Chile.
In Puerto Natales we stayed in a backpackers hostel which was pretty pricey for what it was, then we paid to stay at each campground along the W Trek.
Next, we booked a nice hotel for 5 nights in Santiago so we could recover in luxury after the trek, and it cost around US $250 which was reasonable. Hotels were more affordable in Santiago because there was more choice.
Finally, at US $252 for just 4 nights, our hotel in San Pedro de Atacama was one of the cheaper options we could find with a private bathroom, which was extortionate. But it looks like tons more lodging options have popped up in SPdA since we visited, so there’s probably better value to be had now.
Food
We absolutely loved the food in South America. The amount of empanadas we rifled down was quite frankly embarrassing! And the steak is honestly on another level.
But when we could tear ourselves away from empanadas, we did also eat a lot of traditional Chilean foods like their famous corn casserole called Pastel de Choclo and Cazuela which was basically a delicious hearty stew with meat.
In Puerto Natales we also found a great pizza place called Base Camp Pizzeria. There’s also a smokehouse that looks awesome called El Brisket. We did lots of snacking, light bites, cafes and cocktails in Santiago. Then in San Pedro we found an amazing empanada place called Emporio Andino that you have to try.
When To Visit
Chile experiences all four seasons and its climate changes dramatically the dry deserts and high altitude mountains in the north to the lakes, islands and glaciers in the south.
Patagonia was the place we were most concerned about getting right with the weather. The best time to visit for favorable conditions is in the summer months of December through March, so we arrived in the last week of February.
After Patagonia we didn’t mind so much. Santiago is a year round destination with a climate like the Mediterranean. We arrived at the start of March which was like going in the first few weeks of fall in the US or Europe.
Finally, the Atacama is busiest, hottest and most expensive in its summer months from December through February. The shoulder months either side are better to benefit from cooler temperatures, cheaper hotels and fewer crowds. So we arrived at a perfect time in the second week of March.
Tours
There are some countries we visit that we don’t even consider taking tours because it’s easy enough to do it ourselves. Then there are other countries that we’re happy to pay someone to do the driving and explaining. Chile is one of those countries.
Here are some of the top rated tours we’d consider taking:
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Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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