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Tag: patagonia

  • How to Tackle Chile in a Week

    How to Tackle Chile in a Week

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When we jumped on the $200 error fare to Santiago, I’ll be honest, I had NO idea what we were going to do for a week (okay, eight days) in Chile. I assumed we’d have to stick to a bunch of day trips from Santiago (which, upon my research, really wouldn’t have been such a bad trip at all!) and that getting down to Patagonia was going to cost an arm and a leg.

    Luckily, once I put my travel research hat on I realized that wouldn’t have to be the case at all.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”876″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If you’re not one for action-packed trips and like a more leisurely pace, this itinerary may not be for you, but hopefully anyone reading gets some good tips and ideas out of here anyway![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Day 1: Arrive in Santiago. It probably depends where you are flying from, but we took an 8-hour redeye flight from Mexico City. We’re both lucky enough that we sleep relatively well on planes, and always try to hit the ground running after an overnight flight. We spent the afternoon exploring Santiago – eating, drinking, and taking it all in.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Day 2: Day trip to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. We were flying out early the next morning so an overnight trip wasn’t an option for us – it made for a pretty long day but I knew we wanted to fit in a trip to the graffitied city. This happened to be on a Sunday, and if that happens to you be forewarned that many restaurants will be closed, but we found a hilltop spot and then enjoyed wandering around the streets and checking out all of the art. We also weren’t sure when we would want to head back to Santiago so did not buy a bus ticket in advance – typically not an issue but at the end of the weekend everyone else was heading back to Santiago as well – we opted to take an Uber home rather than a bus that would have gotten us in after midnight. You live and you learn, right?[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Day 3: Travel to Puerto Natales in Patagonia. Be prepared for a long day. This involved a 3-hour flight south to Punta Arenas (hello, 600-miles from Antartica!) and then another 2 1/2 hour bus ride north to Puerto Natales. We opted to fly their budget airlines, SKY Airlines, which got us there safe and sound, and then Bus Sur for the comfortable bus ride. Tip: You can buy your tickets online beforehand and choose your seats. Once we arrived, we settled into our hotel and then took a taxi over to The Singular Hotel for a relaxing late afternoon bottle of Chilean wine and snacks.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Day 4: Today’s the day! You’re going to spend the entire day exploring Torres del Paine. Obviously, due to our time constraints, we did not have time to do any of the 5-day treks, so we opted for a full-day tour allowing us to check out many amazing sites along the way and go for short walks and hikes as well.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Day 5: After your full day in Torres, followed by another delicious dinner in Puerto Natales (seriously – head over to our blog about Patagonia to check out where we ate!) you’re back on the bus and headed to the airport. While another long day, we were scheduled to arrive back in Santiago around 5pm, giving us a bit of time to relax before dinner. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed for a few hours so we didn’t end up arriving in Santiago until 8pm. Luckily I had made dinner reservations a block from our hotel and they still seated us an hour after our reservation time![/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Day 6: Back at the airport. Yeah, I know! But there are no direct flights from Punta Arenas to Calamia so we were stuck with an overnight in Santiago. There are a couple of flights a day to Calamia but we chose to take the earliest one to maximize our time in San Pedro de Atacama. The flight was much shorter (under 2 hours) but make sure to maximize anytime you have to nap! Once we arrived in Atacama we dropped our stuff, headed to the hot springs, and then Valle de La Luna.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Day 7: Exploring Atacama. We had rented a car which gave us the flexibility to sleep in a little bit later than if we had booked a tour. We spent the day driving around, basically following the tour route that looked the most interesting to us, while avoiding all of the tourists. Want to learn more about what we did? Read more here![/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Day 8: It’s time to start the long journey home. It’s still dark out when we leave our hotel – we’re catching the earlier flight to avoid any potential delays that could force us to miss our flight back home. When we arrive in Santiago we still have about 8 hours to kill so we head to the fish market, the yarn street, the historic center, and pretty much just walk the city until we’re in need of pisco sours, Chilean wine, and snacks to get us through. The sun sets and we are on another redeye back to Mexico City.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Once I started researching Chile I realized there was so much greatness all over the country – while we saw A LOT we barely scratched the surface of mountains, lakes, and wine country to see!

    Where should we go the next time we make it down to Chile?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • A Taste of Patagonia

    A Taste of Patagonia

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When we spur of the moment bought plane tickets to Santiago, Chile (thanks again Orbitz and your error fare!) I had no intention of going to Patagonia. Between cost and the limited amount of time we had, it didn’t seem like it was even an option.

    After I did a little bit of research I quickly realized it was 100% possible (the fact that our flights from Los Angeles to Santiago were only $200 were definitely helping the budget factor).[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”773″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We booked flights on SKY Airline – a budget airline in Chile that didn’t seem all that different from Spirit – but got the job done. We took an early morning flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas, grabbed some lunch at the airport and then set off on a two-and-a-half hour bus we had prebooked with the bus company, Bus Sur.

    I know what you’re thinking. That’s A LOT of travel already. And it was. But the plane and bus both make great spots for extra naps (I can pretty much sleep anywhere) and the scenery was pretty great on the bus ride as well. Alternatively, you could rent a car, but the option for sleeping, gazing at the scenery, and a $10 bus ride appealed to me more.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

    Where to Stay

    If you’re not doing one of the Torres del Paine treks it’s pretty expensive to stay within the gates of the national park. Most people stay in the town of Puerto Natales, about an hour and a half from the park. We opted to stay at a hotel right outside of town (about a $3 taxi ride) called Altiplanico Sur (thanks, Chase Sapphire Reserve points!). Every room had a beautiful view of the mountains and water, the bathroom had heated floors and a heated towel rack (some personal home dreams of mine), a standard breakfast was included, and all of the staff was overwhelmingly nice. I definitely recommend![/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”761″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

    Where to Eat & Drink

    Afrigonia – A yummy fusion restaurant located right in town. A mixture of Chilean and African food. Definitely on the pricier side but everything we had (including a bottle of Camenere) was delicious.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Singular Patagonia – While located slightly farther outside of town than our own hotel, I feel like this is a must do, even if it’s just for a drink. It’s an old meat refrigeration plant that was converted into an amazing hotel a few years ago. They have a gorgeous restaurant and bar area with beautiful views. We went for a few sunset drinks and charcuterie board, relaxed, and enjoyed the views.[/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ gap=”10″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1491529732101-5de53121-ccda-4″ include=”762,763″][vc_single_image image=”764″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Santolla – can you say King Crab? Our hotel recommended this place and we were not disappointed! Located in Hotel IF in Puerto Natales, the restaurant is actually made out of shipping containers that have been constructed together. But, in addition to the aesthetically cool factor, the food was delicious (plus some more wine, of course!).[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”765″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Baguales Brewery – if you find yourself needing a break from wine and Pisco Sours, head here. Fun little microbrewery that seemed to be the popular place to hang out in town.[/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ gap=”10″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1491530279666-930d589d-f07d-1″ include=”766,767″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

    Torres del Paine

    Of course, one of the main reasons you probably flew down to Punta Arenas, and definitely the main reason you’re hanging out in Puerto Natales, is to go to Torres del Paine National Park. Many people opt to do one of the multi-day treks but with our limited amount of time, one day was all we could manage.

    Although we typically try to avoid tours at all costs, this was one time where it seemed to be the easiest way to see the most sites in our limited amount of time. We went with Patagonia Adventure. Being outside of town we were the last pick up around 9am. We made a stop at a little country store on the border of Argentina to pick up snacks, lunch, coffee, and make a bathroom stop and off we went. We made it back to the hotel around 7pm. While we had incredibly wonderful weather, the scenery was magnificent regardless. I’ll let the photos below do the rest of the talking.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”771″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][vc_single_image image=”775″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width=”6″ gap=”10″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1491530567205-dff2746e-15fa-10″ include=”768,769″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”770″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][/vc_column][/vc_row]