Here’s Why You Need To Book A Flight To Chile
Chile is a world hidden gem with its sand, people, and heat. Not only is it a location of beauty, but the colors and lights of the landscapes are breathtaking. The sky at night is extremely cool in the winter, where you can experience the stars miles away. When I traveled to the South America country, I still hadn’t experienced a better place than the Desierto de Atacama, which I always recommend whenever I’m talking to someone about traveling. Anyone who suffers from wanderlust as much as me, gets me. Follow me along the journey as I take you through a virtual tour guide of Chile.
Loïc Mermilliod
Visiting Valparaíso and Viña del Mar
Before going to San Pedro de Atacama, I visited Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, which are two coastal cities two hours from the capital. Trust us, they are worth visiting. Viña del Mar, the urban city is a mix of breathtaking graffiti and vibrant attractions. If you enjoy taking photos, get ready to be amazed. And if you’re anything like us, you’ll fall for Valparaiso’s city vibe. The location is full of colorful hillsides and street art full of pure history, accompanied by the ocean.
Even Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet-diplomat and politician, Pablo Neruda decided that he no longer wanted to live in Santiago, claiming that he “felt the tiredness” of the city, and wanted to “find a little house in Valparaiso to live and write quietly.” Neruda even wrote an ode to Valparaiso, where he praises the city for its resilience. In Valparaiso, he says, “están tatuadas la Lucha la Esperanza, la Solidaridad y la alegría.” He named the house La Sebastiana when it was finally built in 1961. Today the legendary poet’s home is a tourist attraction museum open to the public.
Viña del Mar is about fifteen minutes from the Northeast of Valparaiso, is usually a summer destination for Santiaguinos because of its tropical vibes and activities. If you’re traveling during the winter, be prepared to experience the restaurants and vineyards rather than the beach.
Calling all foodies! Chilean cuisine, especially in Viña, has a variety of unique plates of seafood to try that will have your mouth watering. The Machas a la parmesana, which is pink clams, cheese, and white wine sauce is a popular dish in the coast and originated in Viña. This meal was created by Italian immigrants and chefs, Edoardo Melotti Ferrari and Adelfo Garuti at a restaurant called San Marco. Even if you don’t like seafood, the Chilean cuisine is so diverse to choose from.
Chile is known for being one of the world’s largest producers of wine, therefore making a trip to the vineyard a must. There are many properties in the region, but our favorite is Casas del Bosque, in Casablanca. The International Wine & Spirits Competition honored Casas as the “Chilean wine producer of the year” in both 2013 and 2014. The vineyard has a restaurant called Tanino, which has delicious meals and garden-like scenery.
Dreaming Deserts
The beautiful thing about this place is how clear the sky is. Since the desert is home to one of the largest and highest observatories in the world, Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, ALMS it’s above 1640 above sea level and has 66 antennas. While the observatory is not open to the public, San Pedro has many stargazing tours and observatories nearby.
While San Pedro offers a lot of tours, we opted out for renting a car. It helps to be more flexible and decide where you’d like to visit and length of stay. Nonetheless, San Pedro has tour guides available to the Lagunas, salt flats, hot springs, and villages. Our first day, we went to Geysers del Tatio, which is an hour north of San Pedro. At Geysers del Tatio, you will experience abrupt discharges of water and steam from the ground. It’s such a life changing experience as it only exists in a few parts of the world where there is volcanic activity. To see El Tatio, which means oven in Kunza, we had to leave the hotel at 4 a.m. As the geysers are most noticeable in the early hours of the day. El Tatio is home to a hot spring, and near a Machuca village, where you can try llama skewers and empanadas.
While we didn’t get to swim in the hot springs because of how crowded it was, we experienced the Laguna de Piedras. Like the Dead Sea, this lagoon has high salinity, which means that you can float. It is also incredibly cold, but don’t pass on the opportunity, especially in the summer. It is recommended that children under the age of 6 and pregnant woman to avoid swimming in the lagoon, and no one should swim for more than 45 minutes.
The desert is full of hundreds of beautiful and vibrant pink flamingos. One of the best places to see them are in the Laguna Chaxa and the Atacama salt flats. The reserve is near small villages, where we ate Patasca, a common soup of the Atacama with meat, potato, corn, and onions.
Remember to visit the valleys, especially the Valle de la Luna and the Valle de la Muerte. Spending a day hiking through both location will give you a new found love for nature. Both valleys are stunning, but another hike to take is the Death Valley. Though the name is a little bit misleading; there’s nothing utterly dangerous about it. There is still a mystery behind the name, but many compare the location to the Death Valley in California. Also, there are those who believe and argue that when Europeans first came to the desert, they compared the valley to Marte or Mars. And rightfully so. The red dunes make you feel like you are in a completely different world.
In our last day, we decided to stay in and walk around San Pedro. In San Pedro, a municipality of about 4,000 people, you can still see the legacy of the atacameños in the museums, the artisan shops, the structure of the buildings and restaurants.
Final tips and travel advisory
The Atacama desert is one of the driest and highest places in the world. San Pedro has an altitude of 2,400 meters, but many other places go well over 4,000. Make sure to drink a lot of water, and to either bring medicine or try the coca leaves – they are usually offered in hotels. Altitude sickness symptoms can be fatigue, dizziness, insomnia, and shortness of breath. Especially if you choose to drive by yourself, always carry water, coca leaves, food, and blanket – remember that it is very cold at night.
Finally stay present and live in the moment.