Still glowing from three unforgettable weeks in Chile, our expert Lou is back with stories, tips and inspiration for anyone dreaming of exploring this incredible (long!) country.
Travelling alongside Gabby from our marketing team, Lou journeyed the full length of Chile. From the dramatic peaks of Torres del Paine in the far south to the otherworldly salt flats and flamingo-filled lagoons of the Atacama Desert in the north.In her own words, here’s Lou’s account of her time in Chile. With everything from puma tracking and gaucho rides to bar hopping in Santiago, soaking in natural hot springs, it's not tough to see why this long, thin slice of South America has captured her heart.
We spent three weeks in Chile, exploring the incredible highlights of the country, from its extreme south all the way to the north. We discovered quirky coastal towns, wineries and hip capital city neighbourhoods in the Central Valley. We hired a car ('Chunky Cherry' was her name!) and set off on a self-drive journey through the pretty alpine Lakes District and Chiloé Island, driving among volcanoes, Araucaria forests, and islands. Next, we journeyed to the spectacular Patagonia region to explore Torres del Paine in the far south with its wildlife, glaciers, granite peaks and working gaucho ranches. To finish, we flew up to the driest desert in the world, the Atacama, with lunar-like landscapes, even more volcanoes, salt flats and lakes full of flamingos. A couple of nights in the buzzing city of Santiago was the perfect way to round off an action-packed Chile trip.
Lou in Patagonia
There are so many experiences that I could share, but some of my highlights would include:
- Finding out more about the traditional Mapuche culture in Pucon.
- Discovering how the incredible and intricate street art is created in Valparaiso’s hills with a local artist.
- Seeing a huge pod of dolphins jumping out of the ocean by zodiac off Chiloé Island.
- The dolphin sighting was only topped by a distant but still clear sighting of a magnificent puma in Torres del Paine, followed by a very close condor fly-past!
- Riding with local gauchos and learning about the rituals of drinking mate.
- We did so much beautiful hiking in forests, through desert canyons and enjoyed some incredible natural hot spring soaks.
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Lou and Gabby's Chilean adventures (and smiles!)
On this trip to Chile, I really wanted to go beyond the usual and explore a little deeper. On a bar-hopping tour in Santiago, we found some local districts of the city that I didn’t know about, such as Barrio Italia, as well as some real gems for live music and great empanadas!The area of Puerto Natales outside of Torres del Paine National Park isn’t just a gateway to the park but also has some wonderful spots of its own that are generally much quieter, such as an amazing local estancia where you can ride with the local gaucho family.Chiloe Island was also an amazing revelation as it's so easy to reach via drive-on car ferry from the mainland and has so many wonderful little towns, villages and pretty churches to explore via the Circuito de Iglesias – it's more than worthy of a bit of extra time here if you have it!
Lou heading off on a cycling tour around the streets of Santiago
Chile is known for its incredible food and wine and we had many chances to taste plenty of local specialities throughout the trip, such as locos (not for me but the locals love them!), sopaipillas (a different recipe in each region), empanadas, moto con huesillas in Santiago, the biggest mussels I have ever seen in Chiloe, guanaco carpaccio in Patagonia, and a huge amount of Patagonian lamb. I adore fish ceviche, and it's absolutely the best quality here, thanks to LOTS of coast.The Carménère red wine is very delicious – Chile's unique grape. Carménère has such a great story... it was thought to be extinct after France’s 19th-century phylloxera outbreak, only to be rediscovered years later thriving among Merlot vines in Chile’s Central Valley. It’s now one of the country’s signature reds – rich, smooth and absolutely delicious. I also really recommend a Pisco Sour (we sampled our fair share!), which could have all sorts of flavours depending on where you find yourself. Rica Rica flavour in the north (also a great tea herb for altitude), spiced in a chic capital city bar or with Calafate berries in the south – legend says you will return, if you eat these berries! Gabby was eating as many as she could get her hands on.Perhaps my favourite meal was the steaming bowl of Ajiaco we were served at Cerro Guido. It's proper Chilean comfort food, usually consisting of beef, potatoes and veg in a delicious broth, followed by a stunning chocolate and chilli dessert – one of many memorable meals!After three weeks in Chile sampling all of the delicious food and wine, you can bet we were both rolling home!
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Just some of the incredible dishes Lou sampled over three weeks in Chile
Over our three weeks in Chile, we were lucky enough to stay at some truly remarkable places and properties. For sheer luxury and service as well as location, though, I think these are the standouts for me.Refugia Chiloe, just outside of Castro, looks out over neighbouring islands and the sea, with a background of volcanoes on a clear day. We were lucky enough to head out on their private boat for a day of adventures. When Gabby kayaked, I took a zodiac boat ride and a huge pod of dolphins come to greet us. A highlight of the trip for me for sure!
Lou raising a glass to her adventures at Refugia Chiloe
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Boat day adventures on the Williche, Refugia's private traditional boat.
Another favourite – as I find it impossible to choose between them – is the very special Tierra Atacama in the Atacama Desert. I've been lucky enough to stay here before, but a complete transformation of the property, finished earlier this year, has made it absolutely spectacular. The staff, ambience, food and guides are all brilliant. I especially loved the stargazing at night, wrapped up in a beautiful alpaca poncho, and our soak in the natural river canyon hotsprings.
The stunning volcano-view poolside at Tierra
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Desert adventures with Tierra Atacama
Oh, and then there's the working ranch in southern Patagonia, Estancia Cerro Guido, where we learned more about their incredible Conservation Foundation, and I saw my first puma. You see, it is very hard to choose!
A view over Torres Del Paine at sunset, from the beautiful Estancia Cerro Guido
I think my most meaningful conversation – me in a bit of pidgin Spanish and her peppering the conversation with Mapudungun words as well! – was with Nicadella at her home in the Mapuche community of Quetroleufu, just outside of Pucón. The Mapuche culture is one where the chief female leader takes one of spiritual guidance to the community. She is not chosen but decides over time that she's the person who has that calling and then naturally takes her place when the previous female leader passes away.It's a fascinating culture of tolerance, patience and respect for and harmony with nature. They would never take more food from the garden than they need or kill animals for food without using it all. I took away many lessons from her.Also, the authentic and wonderful connection we made with our brilliant guide Scarlett needs a mention here. After a day of adventures together, she wanted to show us her beautiful home and community. After which, we all enjoyed a lovely dinner in Pucon town together.
The wonderful Nicadella at her home in the Mapuche community of Quetroleufu
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I'm extremely passionate about wildlife and conservation, so I have to talk about the puma we saw in southern Patagonia, of course! I also had a dream that I'd see a puma finally in this part of the world, and on this trip to Chile, it came true!Sightings have become more common in the Torres del Paine area, where the cats are now protected. However, outside the park, pressures of farming and livestock preservation mean they are still being killed in significant numbers. We arrived at Estancia Cerro Guido on the edge of Torres del Paine park and were keen to learn more about their Conservation Foundation (funded by us lodge guests) and see a puma, of course!Cerro Guido's project is monitoring these magnificent creatures, tagging and studying them to gain more insight into their patterns and behaviour and also trialling new initiatives to help farmers, livestock and wild cats live in harmony without the need for killing puma.On our first morning here, we had the chance to head out with tracker Diego to see if we could see, without disturbing, one of these elusive animals. After a couple of hours and a hike through very prickly black bush and scrub, we finally managed to see a female pop her head up several times through the bush to check us out. We were on foot and perhaps 50 metres away – and it was an absolutely riveting moment etched in my memory. We then left quietly, leaving her alone to her rest. Magic.As if that wasn't enough for the morning, whilst having breakfast at the top of a viewpoint, a condor appeared out of nowhere, swooping towards us as if coming into land. Then it swooped to the right and flew below us! Looking down on a condor is a very rare privilege; our guide Pablo was beside himself!
A very happy Lou having a post-puma-spot lunch with our guide, Pablo
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An unforgettable morning with Estancia Cerro Guido
I was able to really see how easy it is still to explore certain parts of Chile by yourself, with your own vehicle, if you have a sense of adventure and a willingness to learn a few bits of Spanish.The Lakes District is a particularly good example, and we have lots of useful tips on what to do when you get to the petrol station or what it's like to cross by car ferry from the mainland to Chiloe Island.The Chilean character is also more akin to ours than perhaps other more lively Latino nations, with their generally diffident, friendly and kind demeanour (this even extends to the driving behaviour!), their political and historically turbulent past and their gentle pride in their traditional roots and customs. Geography has also had a huge part to play in this, as they feel somehow different to their neighbours, cut off by the Andes to the North and East.All this makes it such a fascinating and exciting country to visit, with some dramatic landscapes and cultural contrasts, all alongside comforting elements of the familiar. Spending three weeks in Chile is something I'd recommend to everyone!
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Driving our trusty steed around the Chilean Lakes
Torres del Paine is just completely and utterly breathtaking, and it's the country’s most iconic national park for very good reason. Anyone who loves scenery, wildlife (puma, condor, rheas, guanaco, fox, armadillo, Patagonian hare and more), outdoor pursuits from riding to hiking and glaciers and mountains will be very happy to be here. You don’t need to stay in the park itself, and there are some of my favourite lodges on its outskirts, but you certainly should take some time to hike, ride or join a 4x4 driving safari to see this simply beautiful landscape. The photos will NEVER do justice to this amazing place.
Lou and Gabby in Torres del Paine National Park
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Adventures in Torres del Paine
It's really useful to have a local E-SIM card so you always have access to internet outside of hotels. This really comes into its own if you decide to self-drive in any areas, as using Google Maps is usually the easiest way to navigate when driving. We can arrange one for you in advance, as a part of your itinerary, for ease. I would also recommend buying a Bip! Card in Santiago if you plan on using the Metro system to get around the city by yourselves, similar to the Oyster card system used in London.
Lou exploring the Chilean winelands
In order to be able to visit all regions from north to south, it's generally best to plan your Chile holiday to avoid the austral winter from June to September.High summer is December to February, which is the peak holidays for locals and the capital city and desert are very hot, with parks and roads at their most crowded. So, while this is a good time to go in terms of weather, I think we can do better!My personal favourite times to visit Chile are in the shoulder seasons in spring or autumn (October to November or March to April) as these months offer better value, it’s quieter in most places, and generally you'll still get mostly great weather. (Although you absolutely have to expect four seasons in a day in Patagonia – at any time of year! We had bright sunshine, rain and snow all within two hours!)
After three weeks in Chile, having the most incredible time on the road, Lou’s come home with a head full of stories, a camera roll packed with inspiration, and plenty of ideas for how to help you experience Chile at its best. From puma tracking in Patagonia to island-hopping around Chiloe and stargazing in the Atacama, her travels have given her an even deeper understanding of what makes this country so special, and how to make your holiday unforgettable to match.
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