Best places to go in Chile?

Question

I will be going to Chile for 3 weeks in March with my partner for our honeymoon. We ae looking for about 5 cities from north to south to spend 3/4 dayes each time exploring the area and diverse enough to experince the different aspects of Chile. Please help with any ideas. We are open to anything and any feedback will be appreciated.

Answer 1

I would suggest from north to south:

a) San Pedro de Atacama (very nice village in a oasis, once you get there you can get some tours to Valle de la Luna, geisers del Tatio, Salar... )
b) Santiago (ok, it´s the capital, enjoy the red wines)
c) Pucon in the Lake District (lakes, volcanoes, rafting, hotsprings)
d) Puerto Montt - Angelmo (seafood "curanto" in the "cocinerias") - Chiloe Island (you get there by boat "transbordador", rent a car and drive to Castro, Dalcahue, (Ancud is not so interesting))- Pumalin Park - Ventisquero San Rafael and Puyuhuapi Hotsprings (very beautiful but faraway trip by boat).
e) Punta Arenas (get there by plane from Santiago or Puerto Montt) - Puerto Natales (by bus from Pta Arenas)- Torres del Paine (by bus). Maybe if you don`t have much time, this last recomendation is a bit too much.

Good luck, congratulations for your honeymoon and I hope you enjoy your visit.

Answer 2

Hike up the volcano in Pucon...it takes about five hours, and when you get to the top, the lava you get to see erupt from the ground is life shakingly beautiful. First thing I've ever seen that made me cry immediately. Then, you get to slide on your butt all the way down the moutain. Very, very fun.

See the beach in Puerto Varas. There are two volcanoes you can see across the bay, and as you sit on the beach watching the sun set, you actually get to see it set twice, over the first volcano and then over the second. The second one in the distance, still lit, is an incredible sight against the darkened first.

Also, shoot over the Argentina for a week. Go to Mendoza or Berriloche, both close and well worth the time. If you are going for three weeks to chile, I would make sure to see a little of argintina as well.

If you follow the first suggestion and see San pedro de atacamas in the north, make sure to go across the border to Bolivia and do the three day Salir de Uyuni tour.

Both Bolivia and Argentina require no previous planning to enter from Chile

Good Luck! Don't spend any time in Santiago! If you want to go to a city, go to Valpariso. So cool, only an hour from santiago and on the beach.

Answer 3

I have only been to the fourth and fifth regions but I lived there for quite a while and I've heard many times that Punta Arenas is a must see. Valparaiso is too. That one I can say from experience. You have to take the "O" micro (bus) while you're there. It winds up and down the hills and you'll get a pretty good idea of what the city is like. It'll probably be the scariest bus ride you've had but it's a lot of fun. Other Good places to visit are La Serena and Coquimbo (they're only a few miles away from each other), the Atacama desert, and if you have time, go to a little out of the way place called La Ligua. They are famous for their sweets and handmade sweaters.

Answer 4

Chile is very diverse, from barren desertic areas up in the north, to rainforests in the south. In the north, i would recomend Arica (also go to Tacna, Perú), Iquique, many people like San Pedro de Atacama (I personally don't). For the center of Chile, go to Viña del mar and Valparaiso, a few days in Santiago is also an option, try going to Mendoza (Argentina). The south is just beautiful, full of lakes and volcanos, german-like cuisine (try a kuchen), take a tour to Chiloé. Then go to Torres del Paine (just overwhelmingly beautiful).

Also, to take wine tours is getting very popular (Chilean wines are outstanding)

Some tips: don't expect cheap prices,
Chile is safe, but don't go ballistic
To eat pastel de choclo is a must, same for "empanadas"
Buy the book "how to survive in the Chilean Jungle", wrtitten by an American, it's really useful and very funny.

Answer 5

i could recommend Valparaíso, a extremely massive city, in basic terms hours faraway from the capital of Santiago. it somewhat is Chile's next greatest city, with lots to do etc. And the climate is tremendous, and there is tremendous beaches too.