CHILE - ARGENTINA

Traveling to Chile means exploring an extremely long land, from the Tropics to the southernmost point of South America (Cape Horn in the famous Tierra del Fuego). You'll find infinite spaces and a great veriety of landscapes.
Considering the size of the country, you have to carefully select the travel itinerary according to your preferences. Take a look at the information in this page and at the following trip reports, where you'll find descriptions, lots of photos, recommended destinations, prices and suggestions.

PHOTOS AND TRIP REPORTS

The long travel itinerary in Chile and Argentina is divided in three parts: Atacama, Central Chile and Patagonia. Click on the respective photo to access the photo gallery and the trip report with more travel info.
The Atacama desert
Well, not just desert around San Pedro de Atacama, but also colorful mountains and volcanoes, salt lakes and lagoons, canyons and geysers. Very unique landscapes.

Central Chile Between Santiago and Atacama, Chile boasts beaches on the Pacific ocean, 6000 metre high mountains and verdant valleys. A travel itinerary full of surprises.

Patagonia
In the southern part of Chile and Argentina, this fascinating region offers boundless spaces, rocky peaks and immense glaciers.

INFORMATION AND TRAVEL TIPS FOR CHILE AND ARGENTINE PATAGONIA

Why go? Well, for the landscapes, of course. In fact, once you've seen a few pictures, you should not even ask the question! An itinerary through Chile and Patagonia Argentina is a dream come true, especially for travelers who love driving and hiking through spectacular and unusual nature. Atacama and Patagonia are really unique.
When to go? It really depends on your travel itinerary. The months from December to March (the austral summer) are the most suitable, a good compromise between the different climates of Chile. To be more precise: Atacama is hot and dry all year round (some rainfall may surprise you between January and February on the plateau in the far north of Chile). On the contrary, Patagonia is always cool, wet and windy, but in the austral winter short days and extreme cold make it even more daunting. Chile is much sunnier north of Santiago than south of it.

How? We recommend renting a car to be able to explore the landscapes in freedom. If you are alone it is cheaper to use public transports and local tours, but otherwise sharing a car has many advantages (tours often visit only the most famous places, which are not necessarily the most fascinating or interesting; moreover, in Atacama they tend to visit a location all at the same time, making the most beautiful and uncontaminated nature a crowded playground). A 4x4 is not necessary, although it may be tempting, while it is useful to rent a car with good road clearance in order to drive comfortably on the several dirt roads you'll find everywhere (there are more information on specific roads, rental costs and particular itineraries in the trip reports above). Obviously, it's important to be good drivers, and especially well-awake, because of the long distances.
How much? Prices are relatively low: 10 euros for a dinner at the restaurant and 25 to 50 Euros for a double room with bathroom (unless you are looking for luxury hotels, of course). Petrol comes cheap: about one euro per liter. Nice!
To have an idea of the prices of the hotels in Chile click here to find the best offers for accomodation.
Where? Probably the most amazing places we visited are the surroundings of San Pedro de Atacama: mountains, lagoons, geysers, deserts and canyons. Our travel itinerary led us also to Parque Pan de Azucar, up to the spectacular Nevado de Tres Cruces, through the Elqui Valley, along the coast between Vina del Mar and Valparaiso, at Santiago and the nearby Cajon del Maipo. Patagonia is also amazing, a journey from Punta Arenas to Fitz Roy through Torres del Paine and Perito Moreno is full of memorable experiences. These were the most attractive destinations along our travel itinerary, but there is more... just go there and try, if you can.
Other destinations? Of course, and many of them! Chile and Argentina are full of natural wonders, from Atacama to Patagonia. The list is long: the highlands in the far north of Chile (and from there you might also go to Bolivia), lakes, volcanoes and forests south of Santiago, the Carretera Austral that crosses the Andes and leads to Patagonia.

VIDEO

Please don't miss this video, which is spectacular (for the landscapes), artistic (for the music) and comic (for the main character):

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