Early in 2026 we flew back to South America for a more in-depth exploration of Patagonia sparked by our brief introduction back in 2023. This time around, our four-week itinerary included multiple national parks and reserves across two countries.

In preparation, good friends recommended we watch Wild Life, a 2023 documentary chronicling the decades that Kris and Douglas Tompkins invested into protecting ~ 14.8 million acres of parklands in Chile and Argentina. It’s an inspiring and informative 93 minutes. And it set us up to deeply appreciate experiencing Patagonia first hand.

NOTE: This post is an overview of our 4 weeks exploring Patagonia and Atacama. The other posts cover Patagonia National Park, Torres del Paine National Park, El Chaltén and Atacama, in more detail. Altogether, the five posts are a very long read – more than 26,000 words with an estimated reading time of about two hours 20 minutes. This post is the longest. If you prefer, Mr GeoK has created a video covering the entire trip and it’s watchable through this unlisted YouTube link.

Getting There

We got so lucky! The day before we departed Calgary, Toronto airport was pretty much shut down after a major winter storm caused the cancellation of almost all flights in and out of YYZ. We monitored the news all that day. Promisingly, the plane for our first flight was on the ground in Calgary the afternoon before our scheduled departure.

Ground crews worked hard in Toronto, and by the morning of our departure, operations resumed. Our YYC to YYZ flight departed and landed on time.

We had a several hour layover in Toronto, with our flight to Santiago scheduled to depart just after midnight. After talking it over, we decided to eat supper at the airport and use our time aboard our second flight to try to sleep. Other passengers had been stuck at the Toronto airport for 30 hours or more due to the record snowfall. In the end, our decision to eat at the airport proved to be a good one. Weather delayed our second flight by about an hour. I tried to sleep ASAP after takeoff and arrived in Santiago relatively well-rested. Mr GeoK never sleeps well on planes and spent most of the night watching movies. 😉

Arrival in Chile

The Santiago airport was quiet when we landed, and it took little time to clear customs. As seems to happen more often than randomly, Mr GeoK’s suitcase was selected for additional inspection. But soon enough, we exited customs with our PDIs (proof of legal, maximum 90-day tourist visit) in hand.

Our “Welcome to Santiago” party consisted of José, who would be our driver every time we were in Santiago, and Claudio, who likewise would guide us every time we were in Santiago. Conversation on the drive from the airport to central Santiago consisted of how our flights went, a general overview of what to expect and a bit of “getting to know you” chit chat. Between our almost non-existent Spanish and José’s limited English, we mostly spoke with Claudio, who is fluent in English.

Out and About in Santiago – Part 1

José and Claudio gave us an hour to freshen up at our hotel. Then we were off on a guided half-day driving/walking exploration of Santiago.

San Cristóbal Hill

To begin, we visited Santiago’s famous 300m hill in the city centre – home to a park, a zoo and a Virgin Mary statue. We aren’t used to heat. So we appreciated avoiding an uphill hike and instead enjoyed a cable car ride to the top. Originally built in 1980, the cable car re-opened in 2016 folloiwng a 9-year closure and restoration project.

From the top station, we visited the Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception. Built in 1908, this tiny church welcomed Pope John Paul II in 1987. A statue of the Virgin Mary towers above the little church. It’s a copy of Poletti’s “Virgin of Rome” and was commissioned by France as a gift to Chile to mark the 50th anniversary of the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception, proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854.

After climbing the stairs to visit the church and taking several photographs, we were game for a cold drink. At Claudio’s suggestion, we tried a traditional Chilean summer drink: Mote con huesillos. This is a non-alcoholic drink consisting of a sweet, clear, nectar-like liquid made by cooking dried peaches in water with sugar and cinnamon. Once cooled, the rehydrated peaches and a scoop of freshly cooked husked wheat berries are served in a tall glass of the nectar. We decided it must be an acquired taste, as it was definitely too sweet for us. But we didn’t take one sip and leave the rest…it was too hot not to appreciate the cold refreshment!

We descended San Cristóbal Hill via a restored 1925 funicular.

Exploring on Foot

Then, we headed off on foot to explore some public art while Claudio shared some of Chile’s recent history, notably the 1973 coup d’etat that saw the military, let by General Augusto Pinochet, overthrow democratically elected socialist President Salvador Allende. We learned most of that walking around the Palacio de La Moneda, the neoclassical building dating from 1805. Since Pinochet was ousted in 1990, the building has been restored and once again houses Presidential and Cabinet offices.

La Moneda Cultural Centre

Street / Public Art

Another stop was at il Maestrale for gelato. Mr GeoK opted for mango while I was more adventurous and tried the local lacuma flavour – a subtropical fruit native to Andean valleys. Its unique flavour is a mash-up of butterscotch, maple and sweet potato.

We entered Iglesia de la Veracruz, completed in 1857 and designated a Historical Monument in 1983. During the 2019 social uprising (high unemployment, poor future prospects, etc.), protestors lit a fire that severely damaged the interior.

After José dropped us back at our hotel, we walked to Liguria, just around the corner from our hotel. Liguria is a Santiago landmark with a 30+ year history serving traditional, hearty Chilean cuisine. We really enjoyed our first meal in Chile!

Cerro Castillo National Park

We woke early the next morning to head to the airport to fly south to Balmaceda, the largest airport in Chile’s Aysén Region.

Once we collected our bags, we met our driver/guide for the next two days, Poncho. I wrote extensively about our travels in this region in this blog post. This is a recap.

Alto Castillo Lodge

Situated within 65 hectares of private land just outside Cerro Castillo National Park, Alto Castillo Lodge is accessed via a 3.5 km 4×4 only road. With only four rooms, it’s a passion project of owners Carolina and Adrián, who fell in love with the area back in the 1990s. The property overlooks the Río Ibáñez valley and offers traditional Chilean meals in the small dining area in the main building.

Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo

Designated a national reserve in 1970, Cerro Castillo was recategorized as a National Park thanks to the 2018 agreement between the government of Chile and Tompkins Conservation. It’s named for Cerro Castillo, a beautiful mountain with multiple hanging glaciers that have formed intensely turquoise lagoons.

We opted for an afternoon of vehicle-based sightseeing. Pancho took us to Paredón de Las Manos (Wall of Hands) to check out the more than 100 hand prints dating back as much as 10,000 years.

From there, we visited the nearby School Museum, housed in School No. 9, constructed in 1955. Exhibits describe how 24 families of pioneers banded together to build the school and then send their children to classes from March through December. Other displays cover the early human history of the valley and 20th century colonization of the region.

Next, we had the opportunity to stretch our legs on a short hike to a viewpoint overlooking a lake that has no name on either Google Maps or Open Street Maps. Highlights from our walk included widely varied birdsong and a small herd of “wild” horses.

On this first hike, we learned the hard way to recognize the plants that grow little prickly seeds that cling to your socks and pants if you so much as walk near them! I can’t tell you how many times over our almost 3 weeks in Patagonia we had to pick them off our pants, socks and shoes!

Our final stop was at Salto del Río Ibáñez, a waterfall that formed in 1991 after the eruption of Cerro Hudson (most active volcano in the Southern Volcanic Zone of the Andes Mountains).

Kayaking Lago General Carerra

Kayaking to the Marble Caves on Lago General Carerra was one of the first things on our “must experience” list after we started researching Patagonia. So the next morning, after an early breakfast, Pancho drove us on the (mostly) gravel road to Puerto Rio Tranquillo for a two hour kayaking excursion. Sunlight reflected off the water to shimmer on the cave walls and beautifully compensated for the the time and effort to reach this unique spot.

While out paddling, we learned that one of our guides, Pedro, is the first person to solo circumnavigate Lago General Carerra in a kayak! His successful 23-day expedition took place in April 2022. His journey required paddling 535 km (332 miles).

Lago General Carerra is also where Douglas Tompkins died in a kayaking accident in 2015.

We stayed in Puerto Rio Tranquilo for a delicious lunch and then drove another 2.5 hours on gravel roads to reach Patagonia National Park.

Parque Nacional Patagonia

A 2018 three-way agreement between the governments of Chile and Argentina and Tompkins Conservation created this National Park. It’s the largest conservation project between Chile and Argentina and one of Chile’s most important eco-restoration and rewilding projects.

We stayed at Explora’s Lodge – a small property, with just 12 rooms, a main lodge, a small shop, the visitors’ center for the Parque and several outbuildings. Over the next three days we went river kayaking, hiking, mountain biking and birding. I cover all the details here. What follows is a summary.

Cochrane River Kayak and Hike

It was HOT and sunny our first full day in Patagonia National Park. So we appreciated the opportunity to go kayaking on the Cochrane River – our first ever time river kayaking! And we really welcomed the chance to plunge into a river pool after we finished paddling.

We dried off and warmed up fast, due to unrelenting heat. After hiking to a viewpoint overlooking Lago Pueyrredon, we retreated to the shady forest for a picnic lunch before hiking back to the town of Cochrane.

The afternoon’s highlight = spotting a pair of (endangered) Andean deer. The current population of 1500-2000 represents about 1% of the original population. We were so lucky to see this pair in the wild. They are the only Andean deer we spotted over our three weeks in Patagonia.

Lago Chico Hike

The fact that it took 90 minutes to make the circuitous drive to a trailhead just 10 km from the lodge should give you some idea what the roads are like in this part of the world. Our group of five hikers plus guide hit the trail about 11:30. The Lago Chico trail is well-established and traverses lenga, ñire and coigüe forests as well as open meadows while roughly skirting Lago Chico. A viewpoint overlooks Lago Pueyrredon (Argentinian side) and Lake Cochrane (Chilean side). Our final stop was at the Douglas Tompkins Lookout. This trail was one of his favourites.

Chacabuco Valley Biking

The Chacabuco River is a classic example of a gravel bed river system: the channel moves over time, and subsurface water and nutrients may nurture vegetation far away from the visible flow of the water. This half-day excursion had us pedaling through grassy fields where small herds of guanaco grazed. We paused several times to photograph birds, including an eagle, American kestrels and long-tailed meadowlarks.

Our turnaround point = a new suspension bridge over the Chacabuco River. This bridge is featured in the Douglas and Kris Tompkins documentary, “Wild Life.”

Pedaling back to the lodge, we saw a black-chested buzzard-eagle in flight and then watched it land on some rocks. We also spotted three American kestrels in flight above the valley wall.

Parque Nacional Patagonia Visitors’ Centre

This standalone building on Explora’s property attracts large weekend crowds of locals, who come to learn about the Park’s geology, history, flora and fauna.

Nearby, there’s a small private cemetery which includes the grave of Douglas Tompkins. We paid our respects and gave thanks for the opportunity to visit a few of the many parks created by his vision and Kris’ hard work.

Birding

We enjoyed a low key final afternoon in this remote park by heading out in search of birds at three lagoons. We spotted lots of grebes in the far distance, as well as some songbirds. At one point, Merlin Bird ID picked up an austral pygmy owl, but we had no luck spotting it. I’d say it was an underwhelming birding outing, but the landscape was beautiful.

Transfer to Torres del Paine National Park

We ended up exploring the town of Cochrane for a couple of hours our last morning in this part of Patagonia. We didn’t plan for this. But our charter flight from Cochrane to Puerto Natales ended up delayed on account of bad weather at its point of origin so we took the opportunity to explore the town on foot. Highlights included a pair of “Mate houses” and a Hollywood-style “Cochrane” sign.

Our Beechcraft King Air 100 carried 4 passengers plus 3 crew. We knew we were seeing something special when even the pilot got out his phone to photograph “The Towers” as we approached Puerto Natales. One of the crew told us it’s visible about once every three months and they make the flight twice/week!

Torres del Paine National Park

Torres del Paine is one of the largest and most visited national parks in Chile, attracting more than 250,000 visitors each year. That number would no doubt be higher but for the remoteness of this remarkable area and its short four-to-five-month tourist season.

Over our 5 days here, we came to understand why every blog site we read during our trip planning mentioned the wind in Torres del Paine National Park. We also came to appreciate the beauty and biodiversity of the region.

I did an in-depth write-up of our adventures in Torres del Paine in this blog post. For those who prefer the TLDR version, here’s a recap.

Tierra Patagonia and Lago Sarmiento

We stayed at the beautiful 40-room Tierra Patagonia Lodge on Lago Sarmiento. The architectural beauty and views from the lodge met or exceeded our expectations. But during our stay, we came to realize that we should have placed a higher priority on location. More specifically, we learned that the Tierra’s location put it an hour+ (on mostly gravel roads) from the trails that were high on our list for this part of Patagonia – Base of the Towers and French Valley, two of three main legs of the famed “W” route. As a result, we did not do all the hikes we’d aspired to complete in this region of Patagonia.

Lago Sarmiento has a high saline content and a pH of about 9 – about as alkaline as baking soda and phosphate detergents. As a result, the shore region is populated with white thrombolite formations – masses of calcium carbonate covered by a thin surface layer of living cyanobacteria.

Across Lago Sarmiento stands Torres del Paine and Los Cuernos, the world-famous mountain peaks in this region.

Base of the Towers Hike

Guide Alfonso set a challenging pace for the three of us in his group. Despite many short breaks for water and to catch our breath, we covered the 10 km with 970 meters elevation gain to the lagoon at the Base of the Towers in 3.5 hours!

We had an hour break for lunch, photography and a geology lesson covering the formation of the Massif Paine.

Then we joined up with another group from Tierra and our much larger group started back down. We soon split up, since the rule is that those going down must give way to those coming up. And by 12:30, the swell of hikers was reaching its peak. It was an every person for themselves kind of scenario.

We reformed our larger group at the rest area just below the “don’t proceed if you reach this point after 1500” sign. From there, the trail was a bit wider, so two-way flow of people was easier.

We stopped for another rest break, snacks and to use the bathrooms at Refugio El Chileno. This is one of the campsites used by backpackers tackling the entire “W” or “O” routes, and perhaps by those wishing to reach the Mirador for sunrise.

We reached the parking lot 4 hours and 15 minutes after we departed the lake shore – a slower pace than our hike up! Everyone was delighted to see the table of snacks and cooler of drinks waiting as a reward for our efforts!

Serendipity

That evening, we bumped into another couple from Calgary. Actually, he introduced himself to Mr GeoK, and recognized Mr GeoK’s name IRL. We dined with them a couple of times during our stay and we’ve since met up with them a couple of times back home. Making new friends is one of the things we most like about expedition cruising / guided activities.

Puma Tracking

Pumas are one of the most widespread of terrestrial land mammals in the Western hemisphere, native from Alaska in the north to Patagonia in the south.Pumas are ambush predators. In Patagonia, their primary prey is guanacos, although they also hunt hares and Darwin’s rheas.

From what we’d read, Torres del Paine is definitely the best place in Patagonia to spot pumas, as they live in open areas with plenty of food and a protected habitat, particularly around Laguna Amarga and Laguna Azul. 

We spent a long morning/early afternoon in the company of a driver/guide from Magellania, a local operator specializing in puma tracking on Estancia Laguna Amarga.

We scouted the south zone of the estancia for a few hours, spotting a wide variety of birds, some horses, an Andean fox and plenty of guanacos. But no pumas! ☹

Fortunately, our driver/guide was just one member of a larger team that included experienced trackers who’d been out on the estancia for hours. Around mid-morning we received a call that the head tracker had spotted Petaka – one of the most observed pumas on the estancia and one habituated to and relaxed around respectful humans.

We spent about three hours in the company of Petaka plus four other photographers and a total of four guides. We did our best to photograph and videograph this mature female as she rested, traversed grassy fields, stalked up ridge lines, circled back to a carcass that still had meat on its bones and eventually traversed a ridge with the famous Torres del Paine in the background.

D’Agostini Pass Day Hike

Our third full day in Torres del Paine we hiked D’Agostini Pass (aka Lago Verde). We joined four other guests on this hike. This being a point-to-point hike, our driver dropped us off on Estancia Lazo, at the Laguna Verde end of the trail. The east-to-west direction made for a slow, easy climb and then a hard descent at the Weber Bridge end of the trail. As a result, I’d rate the overall hike as moderate, mainly due to distance (14.9 km / 9.3 mi) and final challenging descent.

Highlights included spotting a late season orchid in full bloom and the viewpoint overlooking Lago Toro.

Kayaking Lago Grey and Glacier Tour on the Grey III

After days of nothing but whitecaps on Lago Sarmiento, we were (I think understandably) nervous about kayaking on Lago Grey. But we had a Plan B (short hike) if necessary, so we left the lodge at 07:30 for the hour and 45 minute drive to the parking area at Lago Grey. From there, we battled the strong wind and uneven surface of rounded large stones to make the 2.5 km (1.5 mi) walk to the embarkation point for the Grey III glacier tour.

Hotel Lago Grey operates the Grey III, a custom-built naval steel catamaran. The multiple times/day ~ 3-hour glacier tours offer passengers views of the receding turquoise blue terminus faces of Grey Glacier. We disembarked after about an hour on board, at Grey Refuge – a possible start/end point for the “O” and “W” treks. From there it was a few minutes walk to Bigfoot base camp where we met our kayaking guides.

We were so fortunate. The wind abated a fair bit by the time we arrived. Our guides’ assessment was that it was okay to gear up and get out on the water. So we did! Our kayaking experience lasted about 2 hours. We covered 6.7 km (4.1 mi) on the water, paddling past a waterfall, the first suspension bridge on the Bridges leg of the W and parallel to one of three tongues of Glaciar Grey.

We enjoyed the rest of the Grey III circumnavigation of Lago Grey on the return trip.

Cuernos Half Day Hike

After an early breakfast, we joined at least another dozen or more guests for our 07:30 departure to the Cuernos trailhead. We could tell from the parking lot it was going to be our windiest hike yet. One elderly couple turned back less than a hundred meters along the trail.

Our first stop was at the Salto Grande viewpoint – the great waterfall on the Paine River.

The trail provided beautiful views of The Horns (Cuernos) and the highest peak in the Massif Paine, Cerro Paine Grande.

At the end of the trail, there’s a magnificent view of Los Cuernos across the green water of Nordenskjöld Lake. 

We had about a half hour rest here, where our guide, Tanya, provided a repeat lesson on the geology of the Massif Paine. We enjoyed snacks, chatting and photography before it was time to head back.

Baguales

We did not know when we arrived in Patagonia that it’s a globally renowned Cretaceous-era fossil destination. Sierra Baguales, located just north of Torres del Paine, is a where we headed for the afternoon, in the company of another half dozen guests and our guide.

We had the opportunity to fossick beside the road, uncovering lots of tree and shell fossils.

Our group also enjoyed a 45 minute walk on Estancia R3, skirting a large pond with a good variety of birds.

At our pickup point on the Estancia, a gaucho was busy re-shoeing horses. After a snack break, we re-boarded the van and headed back to the lodge.

Transfer to El Chaltén

We enjoyed a subdued sunrise and a light breakfast before making a final sweep of our room to confirm we’d left nothing behind. Then we headed to the lodge entrance to wait for our driver. He was late. As a result, we enjoyed a final chat with thehead guide and the privilege of watching a pair of South American grey foxes carry breakfast back to their den.

We reached our third and final destination in Patagonia after a 540 km, 9-hour two stage drive. Stage one was a private transfer from Tierra Patagonia across the border and along Ruta 40 to the El Calafate airport.

From there, we reconnected with the Explora network and traveled in one of their vans to Explora El Chaltén (which is actually located in a natural reserve area at the end of a 16 km gravel road, outside the town of El Chaltén).

We spotted some of our new friends from Parque Nacional Patagonia in the dining room. They’d arrived a couple of days before us. They’d had some overlapping days with us in Torres del Paine but had (wisely) opted to stay with Explora there so we hadn’t crossed paths there. Anyhow, we ended up sharing a table with them, catching up on each others’ respective adventures.

Los Glaciares National Park

Parque Nacional Los Glaciares is Argentina’s largest national park, preserving a vast area of the South Patagonian Icefield, southern forest and Patagonian steppe. The landscape incorporates glaciers, meltwater lagoons and rivers, lakes, and imposing peaks such as Aguja Poincenot, Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. Our primary hope for our time here = leave Explora El Chaltén with at least one photo of Mount Fitz Roy in the clear!

Lagunas Azul, Verde and del Diablo Hike (aka Huemules)

Our first full day was spent hiking in the rain and drizzle, in the company of American sisters and our guide. Highlights included spotting a family of Magellanic woodpeckers, a pair of Torrent ducks and a dry spot for lunch.

Our total hiking distance was 15.5 km, with 640 meters total elevation, 246 meters net. I wrote in detail about this hike and the rest of our time in El Chaltén in this blog post.

Laguna Torre Full Day Hike

This hike is quite busy, mainly because it’s relatively easy with the potential for excellent views of Cerro Torre. But also because the trailhead is basically right in town, so is easily accessed. That is, unless you stay with Explora El Chaltén and have to endure at 16 km drive on rough gravel to get there! 😉

It’s mostly an out and back trail through varied terrain and vegetation – everything from native grass-covered steppe, to forest, to barren glacial moraine.

We spent about 75 minutes huddled in a driftwood shelter at the head of Laguna Torre. The scenery was all the more beautiful thanks to the overnight snow on the mountain peaks – the first snow of the season! However, Cerro Torre remained elusive and was not visible at all.

Shortly after leaving the Laguna we encountered a lone Magellanic woodpecker and then a Caracara.

Our total hiking distance was 18.9 km, with 630 meters total elevation, 266 meters net. Back in town, we stopped for ice cream at Domo Blanco.

Traveling the gravel road back to the lodge, our driver pulled off and stopped at one point because Fitz Roy was mostly visible – our best viewing opportunity in three days!

Laguna de los Tres Full Day Hike

Laguna de los Tres turned out to be the most challenging hike we did during our four weeks of travel, clocking in at 23 km with 990 meters total elevation gain. It was mostly a point-to-point hike, with the addition of an up and back final stretch to the lagoon. While the point-to-point was fairly easy, the 4 km return up and back to the lagoon was an absolute grind, gaining almost 500 meters over the 2 km ascent. The grade was sometimes as steep as 40%, so it took us about an hour and 20 minutes to cover just 2 km.

We patiently waited for 2 hours at the top, hoping to get a view of Fitz Roy, but it eluded us again!

Once we were back down the steep part, we veered right instead of left (the way we’d come from), and headed towards El Chaltén.

It was a long walk back, mostly flat-ish until we were relatively close to town. We moved at a good pace, covering the final 8 km to El Chaltén in two hours. One of my feet was really feeling the cumulative effect of three days of hiking (almost 60 km with 2300 meters total elevation gain). I was extremely grateful when we spotted the Explora van. Our driver waited with snacks and fresh strawberry juice – what a treat!

Glaciar Huemul Half Day Hike

Our final full day in the El Chaltén region started with a half-day hike to a viewpoint looking across to Glaciar Huemul. We enjoyed a couple of pretty waterfalls on the way up. And joy of joys – unobstructed views of Fitz Roy!

Our turnaround point was a glacial moraine ridge overlooking Laguna Huemul and across to Glaciar Huemul.

We saw just 10 other hikers on this trail – absolutely quiet compared to the previous two days.

Pack Rafting on Rio de Las Vueltas

We spent our final afternoon pack rafting on Rio de Las Vueltas, an extra cost excursion that turned out to be worth every peso!

A driver dropped us off about 10 minutes from the lodge, and we all loaded up with equipment to be carried the ~ 2 km to the launching point.

Our guides set about getting everything ready to go and we helped as and when we could.

We enjoyed an amazing 2 hours floating down river. I discovered it’s much harder to steer a pack raft than an inflatable kayak. I also learned that there was no stopping no matter how hard I tried! It was pretty much impossible to hold the raft steady so that Mr GeoK could frame a shot. Even so, he came away with our best photos of Fitz Roy over the 5 days.

Heart of the Reserve Walk

We spent our final morning doing a self-guided walk in La Reserva.The trail took us to a number of viewpoints, past some wetlands, and we saw plenty of wildflowers and birds.

We had enough time to freshen up and enjoy lunch before a driver came to transport us to the airport in El Calafate, about three hours away.

Return to Santiago

We returned to Santiago for a two-night stopover before continuing to the Atacama desert.

While our flight into the city was uneventful, customs and immigration were jam-packed on the Friday night of Valentine’s weekend. We endured a 90-minute wait before being cleared through, which meant José and Claudio didn’t drop us at our hotel until about 22:30. So we were glad for a slightly later start the next morning.

Out and About in Santiago – Part 2

La Chascona

After breakfast at the hotel, José drove us to the tiny street just outside Pablo Neruda’s house in Santiago, where Claudio led us through the somewhat eccentric home. To begin, it’s worth knowing that Pablo Neruda was a legendary Chilean poet, diplomat and one of two Nobel laureates from Chile. La Chascona (The Shaggy-Haired Girl) was a secret lover’s hideaway where his mistress Matilde (who eventually became Neruda’s third wife) lived. The boat-like house featured many hidden passages and doors to allow Neruda to slip away if his then-wife ever showed up! For the same reason, the windows were placed to prevent observation from the street.

The house was decorated with novel built-ins and gifts from artists and diplomats. Photography was not permitted inside, to prevent congestion and preserve the artwork and other contents.

National Museum of Fine Art

Our next stop was the National Museum of Fine Art, the oldest gallery in Latin America (1800) with more than 5,000 items in its collection. The building was designed by Franco-Chilean architect Émile Jecquier. The structure pays homage to Petit Palais in Paris and features a 155,000 kg glass dome in the main hall.

The National Museum is free of charge and features both European & South American fine art spanning colonial through to contemporary times. We really enjoyed some of it, found other works really not “our thing” and wondered about the point of others. Isn’t that the case with pretty much any museum, anywhere?

Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral (GAM)

Constructed in 1972 for government offices, a 2006 fire prompted this building’s transformation into a cultural centre housing 10 performance halls, a library, cafes, shops & gathering spaces. Many of the spaces were closed, but we did see some of the public spaces.

Claudio explained the political significance of the colorful wall murals just outside. Chile has a long history of successful workers’ unions.

We chose a local bean-to-bar chocolatier for our final stop and came away with a rainbow of chocolate bars, including some infused with Chilean flavour notes!

After that, we had the rest of the day to relax, process photos and do laundry in our hotel room’s sink.

We returned to Liguria for supper, but both the service and food were not as good as our first time around. Maybe the fact it was Valentine’s Day had something to do with that?

Valparaíso

Shortly before leaving Canada, we made a tweak to our itinerary, replacing a “day at leisure” in Santiago with a day of guided photography in Valparaíso. Greater Valparaíso is the second-most populous metro area in Chile, has been the Chilean Navy headquarters since 1817 and experienced rapid growth during its golden age as a magnet for European immigrants. The city was a major stopover for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans via the Straits of Magellan. With the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, many wealthy families abandoned the city.

Between 2000 and 2015, the city recovered, attracting artists, tourists and cultural entrepreneurs attracted by the city’s hillside historic districts. Valparaíso was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003 and many thousands of people visit each month. The port continues to be a major centre for container traffic, copper and fruit exports and is an increasingly popular stop for cruise ships.

Getting There

We had an uneventful 100 km drive in slightly over any hour, with José at the wheel and in the company of Claudio and Costanza (photography guide). Our experience shifted once we reach the city – Red Bull was running a premier urban downhill mountain bike race resulting in many road closures and larger than expected crowds!

Sights of Valparaíso

Valparaíso is Instagram-famous for 1) its multicolored metal houses made of repurposed scrap tin from cargo ships, painted every colour of the rainbow; 2) its funiculars (30 at peak, with 6 operational today and others undergoing restoration; and 3) its street art. The city has attracted graffiti artists from around the globe and is considered to have the best street art in the world.

We toured the port area and then rode a funicular to enjoy elevated views and wander the streets.

We were surprised at the number of overhead lines on the utility poles. We’ve since learned that Valparaíso was an early electricity adopter. As a result, the city grid has been subject to numerous upgrades. Since it’s built on solid granite, burying cables is prohibitively expense so each generation of electrical wires has been strung overhead. The same thing has happened with telecom cables.

Since being awarded UNESCO status in 2003, the city has prioritized funding of funicular restoration over removing unused wires. Chile now has a law to force companies to clean up “aerial trash” but progress has been slow.

Lunch Break

We had a quiet lunch break on our own, turning to Google reviews to find La Bruschetta, a nearby pizza place. We welcomed the break from the sun the chance to relax with a cold drink.

Street Art

After lunch, we enjoyed a comprehensive tour of Valparaíso’s street art scene, led by street artist Eddie Ramirez, aka “Dammit, Eddie.” Eddie is passionate about his craft and shared insights on the informal rules governing the art, how it’s planned, types of tools (sharpies, spray cans, paint pens), as well as back stories of key artists.

To round out this experience, we were offered the opportunity to do our own street art. Mr GeoK declined, but I figured it was a once in a lifetime chance and went for it!

Despite the heat (and feeling self-conscious about my lack of artistic talent), we thoroughly enjoyed our time with Eddie.

Return to Santiago

Unfortunately, our return drive to Santiago was nothing like our morning drive to Valparaíso. Not only were all the Red Bull day trippers on the road, but so were many locals returning home after a week of summer holidays. What took an hour in the morning took more than two hours that evening. It reminded us of how backed up the TransCanada highway between Banff and Calgary gets every summer weekend afternoon / evening.

Atacama Desert

We finished off our travels through Chile and Argentina with a five-night stay in San Pedro de Atacama. With a permanent population of about 11,000, San Pedro serves as the primary base camp for exploring the surrounding landscape. Los Flamencos National Reserve covers roughly 740 square kilometers and includes several distinct sectors including Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley), several high-altitude lagoons, salt flats and more.

Los Flamencos National Reserve is home to all three flamingo species found in Chile, as well as vicuñas and foxes. Because the Atacama Desert is the oldest, driest non-polar desert on earth, vegetation is highly adapted to the conditions.

San Pedro sits at nearly 2,400 meters (8,000 feet) above sea level and some of our excursions took us above 4,000 meters.

Getting There

We departed Santiago early the next morning, with a flight to Calama, an industrial city that has developed as “home” for everyone working in world’s largest open-pit copper mine, located just outside the city limits.

Our friends, Keith and Ali, greeted us at our boarding gate. We met them our 23-day Antaractica, South Georgia and Falkand Islands/Malvinas expedition cruise back in 2023. This wasn’t a surprise. We expected to meet them there, since we discovered about a year before our trip that they’d be in Patagonia / Atacama at around the same time and we each tweaked our itineraries so we’d have a couple of days of overlap in San Pedro de Atacama.

After landing in Calama, a Tierra Atacama driver took us the lodge, a one hour 15 minute drive from the airport. The Tierra Atacama lodge has 32 guest rooms. Amenities include a pool, spa, bar, shop and extensive outdoor spaces including an astrophotography deck. They also have a full slate of guided activities.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner with our friends. They stayed elsewhere in San Pedro de Atacama, so we had to get the manager’s approval to invite them to join us. Not only did we rehash memories from our Antarctica and Svalbard expedition cruises, we compared notes about our respective adventures in Patagonia. We’d be joining them the next day for an afternoon excursion to Rainbow Valley.

Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride

A driver picked us up at 05:30 to head out into the desert for a sunrise hot air balloon ride. We enjoyed our first breakfast of the day while a 3-person support crew and our pilot handled the logistics of readying the balloon for flight.

Sunrise was quite muted, but the views were spectacular – ancient farming villages around natural oases, Moon Valley, a river with red-brown water flowing and lots of shrubs including Rica Rica.

Less than two hours after lift-off, we braced for landing, which is not an especially controlled experience. After climbing out of the basket we enjoyed our second  breakfast of the day while the crew deflated and packed up the balloon. I really enjoyed the hot air balloon ride and would consider doing another one in an equally special location.

For more photos and details from our hot air balloon ride – and the rest of our Atacama adventures – click through to this blog post.

(Canceled) Rainbow Valley Excursion

A third-party driver picked us up and then circled around to pick up our friends, Keith and Ali. From their hotel, we headed northwest from San Pedro, towards Rainbow Valley, 90 km away. From what I’ve read,Rainbow Valley is somewhat similar to Artist’s Palette in Death Valley National Park.

Unfortunately, we never got the chance to see for ourselves. About a half hour along the road, we learned what rainy season is like in the Atacama Desert. It absolutely poured! And there was lightning and thunder all around us. The only way to try to record it for posterity was to shoot video. Mr GeoK extracted a few stills from the video clips, which give a general idea of what it was like.

In the interest of safety, we unanimously voted to turn around. Then it was time for refreshing drinks at Keith and Ali’s hotel.

El Tatio Geysers, Mirador de Machuca, Cactus Walk

This full day excursion with Keith and Ali covered a lot of ground. Our driver/guide started by driving us to El Tatio, the third largest geyser field in the world. Aside from the obvious (geysers and hot springs), highlights included spotting a viscacha. Mountain viscachas live high in the Andes and resemble long-tailed rabbits.

By the time we left El Tatio Geysers, the parking lot was almost empty. So were our stomachs, so we appreciated that our next stop would be for breakfast! After a short drive along the secondary highway, our guide turned right and drove down a cut to a very windy spot that looked across a valley-bottom wetland. While we ate, we watched a herd of vicuñas and a wide variety of birds.

We made a couple of brief photography stops as we made our way to the Machuca wetlands.

We were blessed to see all three species of flamingos found in Chile at this high-altitude oasis fed by an underground aquifer.

Our final stop was at a place called Cactus Valley. Its terrain and microclimate are well suited for growing giant cacti that can reach up to 7 meters in height.

BBQ and Live Music

Back at the lodge, we enjoyed a fantastic BBQ dinner with smoked chicken, steak and pork. Dessert options were also great.

After dinner, a small band played some of the songs we’d heard over the course of our travels.

Once again, it poured down rain, with a beautiful double-rainbow afterwards.

High Altitude Photography Excursion

The next day we headed out with a driver and photographer to several high altitude destinations.

At sunrise, we were at a pullout overlooking a salt flat with a couple of active lithium mines.

Then we had the chance to photograph a 17th century church.

Once our driver received word that the road was in good shape and he was cleared to proceed, we headed to Piedras Rojas – intensely red rock formations that contrasted vibrantly against the stark white of the surrounding Talar salt flat and snow-capped volcanos, brilliant blue sky overhead and bright turquoise of seasonal lagoons.

Less than five km further along from the Piedras Rojas parking lot is a small roadside parking area and a 150 meter trail leading to a viewpoint overlooking the salt flats.

Another 8 km along we stopped near Laguna Tuyajto. This is another salt lake, with a maximum depth of 0.6 meters (2 feet). It was a quiet and crowd-free location because it is just far enough from Piedras Rojas that most tourists don’t make it that far.

Then it was time to turn back towards San Pedro de Atacama. Along the way, we stopped at Lagunas Miscanti and Miñiques. At one time, these Altiplanic Lagoons were one enormous body of water. But then a lava flow from the Miñiques volcano formed a wall creating the larger Laguna Miscanti and the much smaller Laguna Miñiques.

Our penultimate stop was just off the highway, among some faded red rock formations. We kept a sharp eye on the weather during lunch, as thunderheads were developing around us.

We spent just a few minutes at our final stop – the spot where the Tropic of Capricorn intersects the ancient Inca Highway network, known as Qhapaq Ñan.

Garganta del Diablo Half-Day Hike

We began our final full day in San Pedro de Atacama with the half-day Devil’s Canyon hike. We were a small group – the two of us, US expats Micki and Phillip, and our guide, Pablo. The most notable thing about the trail was the geology. In the winding canyon, we spotted petroglyphs and some rock formations that reminded us of “The Treasury” in Petra.

Back at the lodge, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch and then headed to the pool again. We enjoyed this outdoor pool a few times during our stay. We also carved out a bit of time for relaxing massages in the spa. Nature presented another beautiful double rainbow to end our day.

Astrophotography

Another amenity we used was the astrophotography platform at the back of the property. Each day that we didn’t have an early pick-up, Mr GeoK headed out to hone his astrophotography skills. I joined him twice.

Scenic Route Back to Calama

On our final partial day in Atacama, we took the scenic route back to Calama, beginning with a walking tour of central San Pedro. We came away impressed by the Iglesia San Pedro de Atacama, a Catholic church constructed during the Spanish colonial period and reportedly the 2nd oldest church in Chile. The structure is constructed entirely of local materials, featuring thick adobe walls, a ceiling made of cactus wood and no nails, as beams were lashed together with strips of llama leather.

Our next stop was Moon Valley, about 13 km west of San Pedro. Some of the main features are the Duna Mayor (a short hike to a viewpoint), the Amphitheater and Tres Marias.

Finally, we stopped at the Yerbas Buenas Petroglyphs, which include more than a thousand carvings in extremely hard ash-flow tuff. These date back from 2,000 to 10,000 years, and include evidence that the site served as an important stop on ancient trade routes connecting the Amazon, the Andes and the Pacific Ocean.

We’d hoped to continue on to Rainbow Valley from here, but the road had been washed out during the storm a couple of days prior, and would remain closed for several days.

Our driver left us at the Calama airport for our flight back to Santiago, where we stayed overnight at an airport hotel.

Homeward Bound

Our journey back home was uneventful – one flight from Santiago to Montreal, another from Montreal to Calgary. All those hours gave us time to reflect on the highlights of our four weeks exploring Patagonia and Atacama.

Final Thoughts

This was a fantastic and unforgettable trip, significantly enhanced by outstanding guides everywhere we went. Everyone we encountered in Chile and Argentina (drivers, lodge staff, shop staff and strangers) were universally kind, helpful and friendly.

Sharing our experiences with old friends (Keith & Ali), as well as new (Sam & Hope, Martha & Curtis, Steve & Deb), made us appreciate everything just a little bit more.

We understand why everyone goes for the hiking / climbing. We found the hiking to be exceptional and the most difficult ones were also the most memorable: The Towers, Laguna Torres and Laguana de los Tres.

Atacama was an unexpected highlight of the trip for its stunning natural beauty, a delightful hot air balloon ride and amazing astrophotography.

We were also blessed to experience wildlife in their natural habitat and even laid eyes on hard to spot Andean deer, Spectacled and Torrent ducks as well as the fantastic puma tracking experience.

This was truly a once in a lifetime trip.