Sunday, 4 March 2018

Exploring Chile


Greetings! I'm planning a trip to Chile as mentioned in a previous post here. Today I'm writing about what's on my itinerary, and what I hope to see and do in Chile.

What's on my itinerary?

Chile is a long and narrow country on the Pacific Ocean side in South America. The header picture for this post shows the top half of the country and its neighbours. You can click to enlarge the picture. From my travel readings, I gathered that Chile's five main areas to visit, from North to South, include:
  • North and the Atacama Desert
  • The Central Coast where Santiago, the capital of Chile is located
  • Easter Island
  • The South with its lakes and volcanoes
  • Patagonia and Antarctica, with Torres del Paine National Park as the major attraction
Initially I was going to explore just the Central Coast. However, SKY Airline, the local Chilean airline, had a special offer that made a trip to another region affordable. Easter Island is remote and hence fairly expensive. Torres del Paine National Park would require more travel time to reach the park and fully explore it. The South area with its lakes and volcanoes seems nice. The Atacama Desert, described as the driest desert in the world, sounds intriguing with its moon-like landscapes, lagoons, geysers, and salt flats.

It's unlikely that I'll travel to the moon in my lifetime so I decided to visit the Atacama Desert area and the Central Coast of Chile.

What do I hope to see and do?
  • In San Pedro de Atacama (Point A on the map), I hope to take a walking tour to explore the archaeological capital of Chile, a day tour to visit Moon Valley, one of the many lagoons, and salt flats, and a visit to the Tatio geysers if my time and energy allow.
  • In Santiago (Point B on the map), I'd like to do one or two walking tours to explore the capital city.
  • In Valparaiso (Point C on the map), I'd like to do a walking tour to explore the city, known for its steep funiculars and colourful homes. If time allows, I'd also like to visit Vina del Mar, a coastal resort city near Valparaiso.
This itinerary would let me experience a mix of historic archaeological monuments, natural wonders in a desert, and urban sights.

I'm feeling excited about the trip. A new adventure awaits!

Where's your next adventure? Tell me more.
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22 comments:

  1. retirementreflections5 March 2018 at 01:25

    Hi, Natalie - Your itinerary looks great. I can't wait to read about your time there. We are currently on the last day of our Singapore-Cambodia-Singapore trip. One more dinner with friends and family and then the LOOOONG flight home awaits us!

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    1. Natalie5 March 2018 at 18:36

      Thank you, Donna. My flight to Santiago is overnight so I hope to get some sleep. Safe travels!

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  2. Unknown5 March 2018 at 06:59

    No new adventures in the foreseeable future for me, Natalie, however I'm happy to enjoy vicariously through yours. I hope you have a great time. I'll look forward to hearing all about it.

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    1. Natalie5 March 2018 at 18:38

      Thank you, Karen. I'll do a post-trip write up for sure.

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  3. Liesbet6 March 2018 at 17:34

    Hi Natalie! I'm glad you have a chance to add an extra site (spectacular nature!) to your city itinerary. What an exciting trip you have planned.

    We contemplated visiting Easter Island from Tahiti when we were there on our boat, since it was the most affordable way we had ever encountered. But, due to a health issue this never happened, unfortunately. Then, we thought about flying through the island on our way back to the US after our sailing adventure. But, by then, we were too worn out to add any adventure to our lives. Maybe another time as well? :-)

    Have fun!!

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    1. Natalie6 March 2018 at 18:26

      Travel requires stamina so I totally understand how you decided not to add Easter Island on your way back to the US. Thanks, Liesbet, for stopping by.

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  4. Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond6 March 2018 at 17:57

    when I was growing up, Natalie, we had neighbours who were born in the UK but grew up in Chile. It was fascinating hearing about their country. My husband and I would love to visit Chile and Peru but at the moment it is quite expensive to travel from Australia. I will just have to be content looking at your photos.
    Thanks so much for linking up at Midlife Share the Love Party and have a great week! #MLSL

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    1. Natalie6 March 2018 at 18:37

      Thanks, Sue, for hosting the link up. I'll share some photos post-trip for sure. Have a fabulous week!

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  5. Jo ~ Lifestyle Fifty and ZigaZag6 March 2018 at 22:46

    Oh how wonderful Natalie. Enjoy! We visited Valparaiso on a world cruise and absolutely loved it. The colourful houses, the views and the vibe are amazing.

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    1. Natalie7 March 2018 at 06:47

      Great to hear you loved Valparaiso, Jo. I'm looking forward to it. Thank you for dropping by.

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  6. Sue Slaght6 March 2018 at 23:26

    Sounds like you have a fabulous trip in store. A friend has just been to Santiago and she did a post with the amazing street art from the barros. Happy travels!

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    1. Natalie7 March 2018 at 06:49

      Thank you, Sue, for your visit and comment. I'm looking forward to seeing the street art in Santiago.

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  7. csuhpat17 March 2018 at 00:13

    Have a great time and I waiting for your pics when you come back. #MLSTL

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    1. Natalie7 March 2018 at 06:50

      Thank you, Patrick, for dropping by. I'll take pictures to share post-trip.

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  8. Leanne7 March 2018 at 02:20

    You are so adventurous! I was only reading your post on Eruope the other day and now you're heading into deep dark South America. I'll be reading along with this adventure too! Thanks for linking up with us at #MLSTL and I've shared this on my SM xx

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    1. Natalie7 March 2018 at 06:53

      Thank you, Leanne, for hosting the link up. Adventures like this trip keep calling me and I enjoy saying yes :)

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  9. Unknown7 March 2018 at 04:04

    This sounds like a fantastic adventure! I am recently moved from the States to Germany, so my adventures are mostly taking place here in Germany. Everything here is new to me! Once the weather turns a bit more Spring-like we will take Sunday road trips to see castles. I have read that there are more than 20, 000 castles here in Germany!! So, I need to get busy with it!

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    1. Natalie7 March 2018 at 06:54

      Enjoy Germany while you're there, Cherie. It's a great base to explore other European cities, too. Thank you for dropping by.

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  10. Christie Hawkes7 March 2018 at 08:09

    What a great trip! My brother spent two years in the Santiago area on a church mission when he was 19 years old. He loved the people and the opportunity to experience another culture. One funny story: he did get sick while he was there and had to spend a couple of days in the hospital. They sent the bill to my mother, and she didn't realize it was in pesos. You can imagine her shock thinking she had to come up with that many U.S. dollars!

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    1. Natalie7 March 2018 at 17:08

      Thanks, Christie, for sharing your funny story. I'll be watching the currency display and the zeroes. Those two years in Santiago must be wonderful experience for your brother.

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  11. amotheradaughterandlife7 March 2018 at 09:52

    This sounds so exciting. The Atacama Desert sounds so interesting and well worth a visit. Most of us won't make it to the moon so go to the second best place.

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    1. Natalie7 March 2018 at 17:11

      Agreed! Thanks, Victoria, for dropping by.

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