Category: Chile
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Cities, salt flats and deserts: a two-week loop through Argentina, Chile and Bolivia
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If you want to hit a mix of landscapes across three countries in South America then read on. This is a loop from Salta in northern Argentina, into the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, then through the wild landscapes of Bolivia to its famous Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats), then…
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San Pedro de Atacama as a town
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San Pedro de Atacama is the main hub for tours in the Atacama Desert so it’s likely you’ll spend a bit of time here between your excursions. The town has a bit of a Wild West feel, with dusty streets lined with single-storey buildings and Chilean flags hanging from every…
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Atacama Desert tours: which ones to choose and how to book them
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San Pedro de Atacama is the main hub for Atacama Desert tours. Walking through the town you’ll see numerous tour agencies advertising numerous different tours… but which ones should you choose? The main Atacama desert tours The main Atacama Desert tours are: How to book Atacama Desert tours The tours…
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Impressions of… Santiago
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First glimpses of Santiago: a huge sprawling city encircled by Andes; an urban valley glinting beneath a hot, cloudless sky. Santiago’s mountains are desert-coloured, dotted with dark bushes. Higher up and further away are abstract patches of snow; if you look closely through the dusty atmosphere, you can see the…
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The Navimag: travelling by boat through Chilean Patagonia
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After spending two weeks in Patagonia, we travelled northwards through Chilean Patagonia in a rather unusual way: the Navimag ferry. The Navimag sails back and forth between Puerto Natales and Puerto Montt. The journey takes three days and four nights, with passengers boarding the boat in the evening and setting…
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Itinerary: two weeks in Patagonia
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Planning to spend two weeks in Patagonia? Read on. Although Patagonia is known as being at the southern tip of South America, it is in fact an enormous area. Spanning from Tierra del Fuego in the far south all the way up to Bariloche (Argentina) and Puerto Montt (Chile) in…
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Two (or three) days in Punta Arenas, and a history worth knowing
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Punta Arenas is the planet’s southernmost continental city, located on the north side of the Magellan Strait, across the sea from Tierra del Fuego. Not quite at the end of the Earth, it is still very remote. But don’t be fooled into thinking there’s nothing to do there. On the…
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Laguna de los Tres and the Base of the Towers: which hike is easier?
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Argentina’s Laguna de los Tres and Chile’s Base of the Towers are Patagonia’s two best-known hikes. Many people travel to Patagonia specifically to do both and they are rewarded not only with stellar views but also with the simple satisfaction of having completed these famous hikes. Many of those hikers…
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Hiking the Base of the Towers, Torres del Paine
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The Base of the Towers is Torres del Paine’s trademark hike. It’s a 22-kilometre out-and-back hike up to three tall towers stretching to the sky above a glassy turquoise lake, one of the most iconic scenes in Patagonia. I’ve set out some of the practicalities of the Base of the…
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10 things I wish I had known before travelling to Patagonia
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A trip to Patagonia is a trip of a lifetime. But it’s not an easy trip – there’s lots to plan, the weather is changeable, everything gets booked up quickly… so it’s best to be prepared. Here are 10 things I wish I had known before travelling to Patagonia. 1.…