Squeezed in by mountains, oceans, tundra and the world’s driest desert, Chile is — by far — South America’s most diverse country. After spending a few weeks hiking around volcanos and lakes south of Santiago, we finally arrived in the Chile’s capital city. We were looking forward to easing back into city life, mainly because my legs were ready for a rest.
Founded in 1541 by Spanish adventurer Pedro De Valdivia, Chile’s capital is a place where tree-lined boulevards, picturesque parks, colonial architecture and modern skyscrapers happily come together. The city’s oldest sections center around the Plaza de Armas, a pleasant square studded with palm trees and some of Santiago’s best preserved historic buildings. Newer neighborhoods, including the slick business district of “Sanhattan,” spiral out from downtown.
The vaulted domes of Cathedral Metropolitana
Slightly north of the center, bohemian Bellavista is awash in colorful street art, and Santiago's best bars and cafes. This is where Pablo Naruda, the famous Chilean poet, once lived. A short trek up the nearby San Cristobal Hill reveals the city's stunning urban panorama, framed by mountains on all sides.
Santiago from San Cristobal Hill
We spent about a week in Santiago before catching a 3-hour bus to Valparaiso, a colorful city of hilltop alleys and twisting staircases that continues the capital's bohemian vibe. Perched on steep hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean, this place was once an important port city, at least until the construction of the Panama Canal reduced the need for ships to dock in northern Chile.
Valparaiso
Nowadays, the city is undergoing a renaissance of sorts with cruise ship travelers, while Valpo’s eclectic jumble of buildings are brightly repainted by local artists. Come nightfall, musicians serenade diners in restaurants, cafes and on street corners while the hills above the city twinkle with light.
Valpo's winding alleys and staircases are covered in street art
With over 4,000km of coast, Chile doesn’t lack beach resorts. Just a few minutes from Valparaiso, the coastal resort town of Vina Del Mar has been attracting city-dwellers for decades. Remnants of industrial hardware add an interesting dimension to the sandy beach, though a weathered casino and resort developments feel somewhat contrived, especially when compared with Valparaiso.
Vina Del Mar
Further north along the coastal highway, we arrived in the pretty town of La Serena. With a wide arc of shimmering beach, Chile’s second oldest city now lays claim to being the country’s premier beach resort. Clusters of newly-built condos and restaurants have sprung up along the waterfront, though it’s still possible to find a secluded stretch of sand, with only crashing waves and shrieking gulls for company.
Laidback La Serena
Heading inland, we found ourselves in San Pedro de Atacama, an adobe village at the heart of the world’s driest desert. The town is barely more than a cluster of low buildings hugging a small plaza, but has still found fame as the gateway to northern Chile’s stunning Atacama desert — again worlds away from anything we’d seen in the country so far. We hired bicycles to visit one of the area’s most famous attractions, the Valle de La Luna. From our perch atop a giant sand dune, this ethereal (and aptly-named) valley of salt-dusted rock formations seems to stretch into the horizon.
Valle de La Luna, Atacama
The region’s reddish hue is the result of volcanic activity, which has created some remarkable rock arrangements. The cracked, scaly red rocks of the Piedras Rojas, are also astonishing, especially against the vast cone of the Miniques volcano, the largest of the area’s snowy peaks.
Piedras Rojas
While it seems little could survive this harsh environment, the area is home to some unique animal species. Flamingos wallow in the waters of the Laguna Chaxa, a shallow lagoon surrounded by jagged formations of salt crystals, while vicunas (a species of llama) graze in the nearby hills.
Flamingos on Laguna Chaxa
Meanwhile, clear desert nights and zero light pollution means that, after sun sets, the sky fills with billions of stars. We could see Orion’s Nebula, Alpha Centauri, Jupiter and binary stars through powerful telescopes on a midnight stargazing tour; some constellations, including the Big Dipper, were familiar but backwards in the southern skies. The stargazing seemed a fitting way to wrap up to our travels throughout Chile, a country that somehow manages to surprise and delight at every turn.
Tom Mountford