The Best of Chile

A 2 hour nonstop flight from Santiago, followed by a 90 minute drive to San Pedro de Atacama (where the hotels are located), the Atacama Desert is a must-see in Chile. Go to see lunar-esque landscapes, flamingo-dotted salt flats and towering peaks. There are simply few places on earth with scenery as stunning as the Atacama Desert. 

Because of its remote location and extraordinary nature, the Atacama Desert makes an unforgettable backdrop for stargazing.

Puerto Montt airport is a nonstop 1.5 hours flight from Santiago and is the gateway to many of the lodges in northern Patagonia. The driving distance from the airport to your hotel will depend on where you’re headed (and can be as short as an hour to Puerto Varas). If you’re headed inland to Vira Vira near the Argentine border, the Temuco airport is lifesaver during high season with fewer flights and much shorter drives to your final destination.

Being in Central Chile, the Lake District has a comfortable Mediterranean climate. During the summer months, go for the hiking, biking, kayaking and rafting down rivers, and during the winter months, go skiing or snowboarding down volcanoes. Chile’s Lake District surrounded by the Andes mountains is a more rugged version of Switzerland’s Alps.

Many travelers also use the Lake District as a connection point between Chile and Argentina if combining the two countries and crossing over to Bariloche. Also, little south of the Lake District is the famous Chilean archipelago island of Chiloé.

Most flights land in Punta Arenas (3.5 hours flying from Santiago, also with connections from Puerto Montt). All lodges in the ChileanPatagonia are a long drive following your arrival, anywhere from two to five hours driving. There are occasional flights into Puerto Natales, which cuts about two hours off your driving, but these are few and far between, and often canceled. 

To visit Patagonia is simply epic. For adventurers, wilderness lovers, activity fiends, there’s no place as appealing as the remote Patagonian fjords, glaciers, mountains and valleys, specifically Torres del Paine National Park. 

Spend at least a day in the capital city of Santiago between flying in and out of the city. Most people don’t give more than a night or two to the capital city. There are some good restaurants, cute shops, and neighborhoods to explore, but Santiago doesn’t have the draw of some more internationally acclaimed cities.

Save at least a day to drive two hours out of the city towards the wine country for the verdant landscape of vineyards and enjoy local Chilean wine known as Carmenere.

The vineyards throw harvest festivals during Vendimia season from late-February to early May to celebrate the new year’s grape harvests. Though these wine festivals make it a popular time for visitors, it is worth the endurance.