Chile Travel Forum

Can anyone give me some beautiful easy hikes (about 2-3 hours total incl return) in Torres del Paine from Hosteria Lago Grey, Hosteria Pehoe and Hosteria Las Torres?

Thanks

Hi,

Before we went to Torres del Paine we want to buy some food for our trekking. Does anyone know the supermarket is open on Sunday? If so, what are the openingtimes?

Hi,
My girl friend and I will be in Santiago mid December and would like to do the 3days/2nights Salar de Uyuni tour starting from Uyuni and ending in San Pedro.

The problem is that we only have 5 days starting from / coming back to Santiago (we have to be back in Santiago for a wedding). Is it feasible?
The main question is how to get to the start of the tour in Uyuni quickly enough from Santiago. Our current best guess is to fly to Calama and find a 1 day transport to Uyuni from there but I can’t see any (the only transport I found so far is the 3 days San pedro to Uyuni tour…). Any suggestion?

Alternatively we could start the tour from San Pedro but then would have to find a quick (1 day max) and reliable transport to come back from Uyuni to San Pedro. Suggestions most welcome here again.

Also do we have to book these tours in advance in that period (mid december) to make sure we get one when we arrive (we would like to join a 6 people tour… private tours are just too expensive)… given our time constraint, we can’t really wait for a few days...

Thanks a lot for your help
Fab

If anyone has a reccomendation for a good fun wine tour near Valpariso please let me know

Thanks in advance

Mookie

I have heard there are 2 places called Concepcion in chile The big city of course
but

I AM LOOKING for a smaller Concepcion apparenlty right near Santiago?

Thankyou-gracias!

Mookie

We want to go with the ferry from Chacabuco to Quellon in February 2010. Can you give me a timetable and the price for 1 person, if its necessary we take a cabin for 4 people.

Thanks Dietmar

Does anyone know how to hook up with a local guide for Torres del Paine before the trip (mid-November) or once in Puerto Natales?

If I don't find a local guide, I will trek it alone. Any advise is appreciated for a single traveler.

Thanks

I am going on an antarctic crusies arriving back in Ushuaia on 11 December and then meeting my friend who is flying into Punta Arenas. Please could anyone tell me how I can get to Punta Arenas and whether it is more cost effective to hire a car for a week or so to visit the TDP etc or whether the buses are reliable and economical. Thanks

Hola ,

I’ll be in South America in November and have drafted an impossible itinerary and now I can use all of your help to get it right. I do travel at a fast pace and take countries by storm instead of smelling the roses but transport limits anybody’s options

This is/was my initial plan
7/nov Flight Bxl - Rio
8/nov Rio
9/nov Rio
10/nov Iguazu BR
11/nov Iguazu AR
12/nov Buenos Aires
13/nov Buenos Aires
14/nov BA to PM
15/nov Perito Moreno
16/nov Perito Moreno
17/nov Travel to Atacama
18/nov Atacama Laguna Miscanti y Miniques & Valle de la luna
19/nov Atacama Chuquicamata & El Tatio Geyser
20/nov Atacama Buffer day
21/nov Chile - Bolivia
22/nov Uyuni
23/nov Uyuni
24/nov Uyuni
25/nov Uyuni or La Paz
26/nov La Paz
27/nov Coroico
28/nov Fly La Paz - Rurrenabaque
29/nov Rurrenabaque
30/nov Rurrenabaque
1/dec Rurrenabaque
2/dec Lago Titicaca
3/dec Copacabana & Isla del Sol
4/dec Arequipa
5/dec Colca Canyon
6/dec Colca Canyon
7/dec Cuzco
8/dec Machu Picchu sunset
9/dec Machu Picchu sunrise - fly Cuzco to Lima
10/dec Lima
11/dec Flight Lima - Atlanta
12/dec Atlanta
Flight Atlanta - Brussel
13/dec Back Home


My draft plan is indeed too tightly scheduled as I find out while booking flights/buses/tours..
My original plan was to fly between these destinations :
Rio - Iguazu - Buenos Aires - Perito Moreno - Calama/San Pedro de Atacama
But Perito Moreno is indeed too remote and takes a lot of time and money to reach, then also difficult to continue to Calama as this seems to be a small airport. Besides I prefer nature to cities and as I only planned to spend 2 days in Buenos Aires that is an expensive flight from Iguazu. So in case I skip BA and PM I can continue from Iguazu to Calama, unless the flight from Rio is a lot cheaper but then I should book an all in tour from Rio to Iguazu (return flight + park entrance + hostel).
Do you know by chance if there are any interesting offers ? I did some research on the internet but most sites are in Portuguese, difficult for me.
I'll land in Rio on November 8th , where I will spend 1 or 2 days so I can book a tour to Iguazu starting from November 9th or 10th to spend 2days there as I want to see both the Brazilian as the Argentinian side of the falls and preferably also go as close as possible by boat.
Do you also know which airline proposes a good connection from Rio (or Iguazu) to Calama (Chile) ?

If rio-iguazu-rio is not worthwhile then I might still fly to BA and continue by bus through North Argentina towards Atacama. How many days should I foresee for this, with stops in Mendoza and Salta? Can I include nightbuses to win some time?
Which option would you recommend? 1. Rio - Atacama or 2. Iguazu-BA-Mendoza-Salta-Atacama

I've been told about corrupt customs agents on the CL-BO border, now you tell me it's AR-CL.... it's all part of the fun I guess

Do tour operators offer to visit the nice places in Atacama and also drop you off at Uyuni? Do you have a website or email of the tour operator that can do all this?
Can I book the Salar de Uyuni tour towards La Paz, starting from Uyuni ?
So far I found there are only 2 buses a week from Atacama to Uyuni , but hope that is not true
http://www.sanpedroatacama.com/ingles/ir.htm
Should I also include a buffer day to cross the Bolivia-Peru border?

Is it true that the Salar de Uyuni is flooded by rain in nov-dec? Does that not spoil the scenery? Hopefully I can get to see it at sunrise, the best moment of the day to enjoy nature's beauty.

Can I book an all-in tour from La Paz to Rurrenabaque(flight, safari, accomodation, .. booze?)

Re Machu Picchu I understood so far that the entrance to the site is unlimited, but they only allow 500p/day on the Inca Trail, which I'm not doing due to lack of time. On the other hand I should be very early there to get a ticket for the Huaynu Picchu on the other side so I can enjoy the sunrise from there. Is all this correct?

Sorry for this huge bunch of questions, but I'm looking forward to go to South America for the first time and really want to make the best out of it

feel free to contact me directly on christian.buchheit@gmail.com as I read those emails a few times a day

Muchas gracias para ayudarme
hasta luego,
Christian

Hola ,

I’ll be in South America in November and have drafted an impossible itinerary and now I can use all of your help to get it right. I do travel at a fast pace and take countries by storm instead of smelling the roses but transport limits anybody’s options

This is/was my initial plan
7/nov Flight Bxl - Rio
8/nov Rio
9/nov Rio
10/nov Iguazu BR
11/nov Iguazu AR
12/nov Buenos Aires
13/nov Buenos Aires
14/nov BA to PM
15/nov Perito Moreno
16/nov Perito Moreno
17/nov Travel to Atacama
18/nov Atacama Laguna Miscanti y Miniques & Valle de la luna
19/nov Atacama Chuquicamata & El Tatio Geyser
20/nov Atacama Buffer day
21/nov Chile - Bolivia
22/nov Uyuni
23/nov Uyuni
24/nov Uyuni
25/nov Uyuni or La Paz
26/nov La Paz
27/nov Coroico
28/nov Fly La Paz - Rurrenabaque
29/nov Rurrenabaque
30/nov Rurrenabaque
1/dec Rurrenabaque
2/dec Lago Titicaca
3/dec Copacabana & Isla del Sol
4/dec Arequipa
5/dec Colca Canyon
6/dec Colca Canyon
7/dec Cuzco
8/dec Machu Picchu sunset
9/dec Machu Picchu sunrise - fly Cuzco to Lima
10/dec Lima
11/dec Flight Lima - Atlanta
12/dec Atlanta
Flight Atlanta - Brussel
13/dec Back Home


My draft plan is indeed too tightly scheduled as I find out while booking flights/buses/tours..
My original plan was to fly between these destinations :
Rio - Iguazu - Buenos Aires - Perito Moreno - Calama/San Pedro de Atacama
But Perito Moreno is indeed too remote and takes a lot of time and money to reach, then also difficult to continue to Calama as this seems to be a small airport. Besides I prefer nature to cities and as I only planned to spend 2 days in Buenos Aires that is an expensive flight from Iguazu. So in case I skip BA and PM I can continue from Iguazu to Calama, unless the flight from Rio is a lot cheaper but then I should book an all in tour from Rio to Iguazu (return flight + park entrance + hostel).
Do you know by chance if there are any interesting offers ? I did some research on the internet but most sites are in Portuguese, difficult for me.
I'll land in Rio on November 8th , where I will spend 1 or 2 days so I can book a tour to Iguazu starting from November 9th or 10th to spend 2days there as I want to see both the Brazilian as the Argentinian side of the falls and preferably also go as close as possible by boat.
Do you also know which airline proposes a good connection from Rio (or Iguazu) to Calama (Chile) ?

If rio-iguazu-rio is not worthwhile then I might still fly to BA and continue by bus through North Argentina towards Atacama. How many days should I foresee for this, with stops in Mendoza and Salta? Can I include nightbuses to win some time?
Which option would you recommend? 1. Rio - Atacama or 2. Iguazu-BA-Mendoza-Salta-Atacama

I've been told about corrupt customs agents on the CL-BO border, now you tell me it's AR-CL.... it's all part of the fun I guess

Do tour operators offer to visit the nice places in Atacama and also drop you off at Uyuni? Do you have a website or email of the tour operator that can do all this?
Can I book the Salar de Uyuni tour towards La Paz, starting from Uyuni ?
So far I found there are only 2 buses a week from Atacama to Uyuni , but hope that is not true
http://www.sanpedroatacama.com/ingles/ir.htm
Should I also include a buffer day to cross the Bolivia-Peru border?

Is it true that the Salar de Uyuni is flooded by rain in nov-dec? Does that not spoil the scenery? Hopefully I can get to see it at sunrise, the best moment of the day to enjoy nature's beauty.

Can I book an all-in tour from La Paz to Rurrenabaque(flight, safari, accomodation, .. booze?)

Re Machu Picchu I understood so far that the entrance to the site is unlimited, but they only allow 500p/day on the Inca Trail, which I'm not doing due to lack of time. On the other hand I should be very early there to get a ticket for the Huaynu Picchu on the other side so I can enjoy the sunrise from there. Is all this correct?

Sorry for this huge bunch of questions, but I'm looking forward to go to South America for the first time and really want to make the best out of it

feel free to contact me directly on christian.buchheit@gmail.com as I read those emails a few times a day

Muchas gracias para ayudarme
hasta luego,
Christian

Can anyone give help me get an itinery together. My Husband and I plan to go to Chile June 28th next year for 3 weeks, but we do not know what to do, where to visit etc. Obviously 3 weeks is not long enough to visit the whole of this country. Is is possible to ski/snowboard in July? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks Janice

Hi We will visit your city. how we can go to the cruiseshipat Valparaiso from the air port. take how long and the fare. thanks stanleymang@gmail.com

Hello all,

I am going to Chile & Argentina from Nov 17th to Nov 29th. Can you please give some feedback on my travel plans:

17th to 19th - Santiago & vicinity
19th night - Travel to Puerto Montt by Bus
20th to 23rd - Chiloe island, Puerto Montt, Puerto Varas
23rd - Boat+Bus tour from Puerto Montt to Bariloche, Argentina
(I only know the $170 tourist-y crossing, Does anyone know of anything cheaper?)
25th - Bariloche to Buenos Aires
25th to 28th - Buenos Aires and Montevideo

This is my first trip to Chile (to anywhere) and since I am deaf I will not be able to use phones there to make reservations. I hope to spend less than 700$ in all (including hotels, food, & travel inside Chile & Argentina). Is this feasible?

Thanks!

Hi, Hope someone can tell us which is the best form of transportation to take from the Airport to our Hotel the Radisson on Avenida Vitacura.
Thanks

hallo
can you anyone reccommend a hostel in el chaiten and el calafate
its only for one ore two nights
1 of november I am going to south of chile !!! I am a bit nervous ...travelfever maybe
thanks in advance lara

Hi All,

We are a group of 9 pax (ages between 30-35) that are going to be on a guided hike up to Las Torres del Paine Lookout in January.

Our tour guide has told me that we are probably going to be walking around 20 km for 8 hours.

Has anyone ever done this trek? Is it really difficult? We aren't experienced trekkers, but I've seen pictures of people in there 50's doing the trek so I don't think it's very difficult.

Can anyone who has done this trek give me their opinion on the difficulty level?
Is it a constant walk up the mountain?


Thanks!

Michael

Hi there,

I have a couple of days in Santiago part of a bigger trip and wondered how the best way was to spend these days. Is there anything that people recommend? I was hoping to do some wine tasting however I was wondering whether due to lack of time it may be better to focus on Santiago itself. Any thoughts?

Thank you for your help.

Clare

Hi there,

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced hostel/b&b in Punta Arenas & Puerto Natales. It is for an overnight stay either end of a Patagonia trek. If it has good showers/facilities even better.

Thank you for your help.

Clare

Hi,

I`m a 33 year old austrian and it will be my first time in Chile..arriving on 6th of Jan in Santiago.
My idea was to travel southwards either by plane or bus to Puerto Montt.
I would like to do some trekking/mountainbiking in lake district.
What are the places you would recommend to see for a nature loving backpacker?
Would be nice to make new friends as i travel alone..

My wife and I and another couple will arive in Valpariso in early March of '10 by cruise ship and we want to go over to Santiago for a couple of days before flying back to the US. Can we get a Limo from the pier area that will take us to the hotel area in Santiago? Are rental cars avaliable that we can leave in Santiago? Are there other transportation means?

In Santiago from the main hotel district how long sould we allow for a cab ride to the airport? I hope that we could get a four or five city bus tour are there such things in the city?

Any and all assistance will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Paul

Hi,

Does anyone know at what time the border Control Closes between Argentina & Chile if your're trying to go from El Calafate to Torres del Paine National Park our vice versa?

Thanks!

Michael

Hi,

I will be traveling with a group of 8 PAX's from Portugal to El Calafate, Argentina. We will be arriving on the 11th of January 2010 at 16:00 and departing on the 17th of January 2010 at 12:30 from El Calafate Airport to Buenos Aires. We will be in the region for about 7 days.

During our stay we really want to visit the El Chalten Region (Fitz Roy), El Calafate (Perito Moreno Glacier) and Torres Del Paine National Park. However, we don't know if we are trying to do too much in 5 days. Our planned itinerary is:

11th of January at 16:02 - We land in El Calafate airport and are transported directly to El Chaltén where we spend the night. If we have time we will do a Self-Guided Trek / Tour.

12th of January - We spend the day trekking the Fitz Roy region with a guide. We camp outdoors (we prefer Camping outdoor in Tents or in an Eco-Camp)

13th of January - We spend the day trekking the Fitz Roy region. We return to El Chaltén for the night or camp outdoors (we prefer Camping in Tents or Eco-Camp) or return to El Calafate for the night.

14th of January - We spend the day visiting Perito Moreno Glacier and doing all the tours possible at / around the Glacier. If possible we depart to Torres Del Paine National Park at the end of the Day or very early in the morning the next day.

15 th of January - We spend all day visiting Torres Del Paine National Park. We spend the night in Torres del Paine in a Refugio / Estancia. If possible we would like to stay at Refugio Lago Pehoé or similar.

16 th of January - We spend all day visiting Torres Del Paine National Park. We spend the night in Torres del Paine in a Refugio / Estancia.
If possible we would like to stay at Refugio Lago Pehoé or similar.

17 th of January - We depart to El Calafate Airport very early in the morning and depart on our 12:30 flight to Buenos Aires.

We would be very grateful if someone who has experiened these regions can give us an opinion if we are trying to do too much... or can suggest another strategy.

Also if you think it's too much and you had to pick between Fitz Roy and Torres Del Paine which one would you choose?

Our objective is to see as much as possible in the region because we don't know if we will have the opportunity to go back.

Thanks in Advance!

Michael

I have a friend who will be in Valparaiso for this coming New Year's. He read about cruises from Muelle Prat to watch the fireworks display. I read that tickets should be bought one to two weeks in advance. However, he will not arrive in Chile until 12/24 and in Valparaiso until 12/29. Is there any way for him to secure tickets for this cruise any other way in advance?

Thanks.

hello!
We are planning a tour to the TDP by car and would like to know what you do with petrol, since there isn't a gas station in the park. If anyone travelled in the park with a car i would love to hear about your expirience.
thans, Shoshy

Hi!

What is the best way to go on a daytrip to the Andes from Santiago, is it possible to get a bus in the morning and one back in the evening??

all help is appreciated!

Hello,
Is any transportation from Puerto Montt (chile) to Bariloche (Argentina).
If yes thank in advance for your help
David

Hello,
Transportation from Pucon to Bariloche (Argentina). Is any transportation?
if yes, please your notes.
Thank you in advanced
David

Is anyone interested? The cost is $159/night (is this expensive?) for 3 nights. Here is a few details: Two bedroom two bath apartment fully furnished in a brand-new 24-story Condominium. Beautiful view from Balcony of the Ocean. Walking distance to Mall, Supermarket and Restaurants. There is a 24-hour doorman.

I visited a few years ago and I thought there was a mural with birds by Picasso's father. I would like to verify if this is true.

Does anyone know where I can get a city guide for Santiago? I cant find one anywhere. I dont want to download one, I am looking for a hard copy of a book or pocket guide.
Thanks in advance for your help.