LLN

I have two weeks to spend in Chile in November. I am thinking of flying into Puerto Montt and spending one week in the lake districts of Chile and Argentina, and then either going to Puerto Arenas and spend time at Torres del Paine or flying to Calama and going to San Pedro de Atacama. Any suggestions? I would like to avoid time in Santiago - although I know it is a nice city, I may have an opportunity to spend time there in the future. Any recommendations? What about Chiloe? I am interested in local culture, food, scenery, B&B's rather than hotels, etc. Am planning on renting a car. Any info on interesting places to stay, - farms, small inns, etc. and good local cooking would be appreciated.

kathy

Both the lake district of Chile and Chiloe are super destinations...I went to both of them 2+ years ago. I can't recommend San Pedro because I was ill there (altitude sickness)! I bussed from Puerto Montt to Chiloe. In the lake district I stayed at Puerto Varas (I think), smallish, very nice and did take the boat trip to Argentina.

ellen

If at all possible, be sure to see Torres del Paine National Park and take some of the hikes in the park. Views of the Horns and Towers if not obscured by clouds will take your breath away. I also enjoyed Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina, but best to avoid on a weekend. We hiked in to the climbing camps to see Fitzroy and one other mountain whose name I have forgotten, but they were obscured by clouds, too. A fact of life in Chile and Argentina. Calafate is an interesting small town as is Chalten. Both countries are fascinating. Ellen

Dave

We saw Torres del Paine which I can recommend. Also the lake cruise from Puerto Varas to Bariloche. I believe that Chiloe got some mixed reviews on this site. Do a search for Chiloe.<BR><BR>Are you considering driving from one place to another? Be sure you know how far it is to drive.

LLN

I think we will be flying into Puerto Arenas,and renting a car to see Torres del Paine. Then we will fly to Puerto Montt and rent another car to see Chiloe and the lake district. How many days should I allow for each place, and can anyone recommend places to stay or eat. I have some guidebooks, but personal recommendations are always best. Inns and B&B's would be okay, even interested in farm stays if anyone has done that.

Monica

We did about 5 days each in Puerto Varas & Torres del Paine (note that you need to allow at least a day, if not 2, to get from 1 to the other).<BR>We stayed in the hotel (small so somewhat of an inn) at the end of the main drag right on the lake - it was nice but sorry can't remember the name - in Puerto Varas.<BR>There's not a lot of choice for accommodations around Torres del Paine (which of course means they're relatively expensive). We stayed at the Lady Florence Dixie in Puerto Natales before embarking for the park. It was quite basic, but the owners were really nice & everything was clean & warm. At the park, we stayed at the refugios. They're really basic - several bunks (you need sleeping bags) to a room, they do have showers & flush toilets so they're not exactly "huts." We spent all our time hiking, so it was fine. Quite honestly, for the amount of time to be spent in your lodging, it's not worth it to pay more!

Monica

Sorry, I did leave out 1 important thing. I HIGHLY recommend both the Lake District & Torres del Paine and can't stress enough what wonderful destinations they were! They were fabulous. If you're into hiking at all, Torres del Paine is beyond stupendous. If you're not, it's truly at the end of the world. We also hiked on Volcan Osorno in the Lake District. That was beautiful too (looks alot like Oregon). We spent 1 day on Chiloe and ate so much shellfish we got ill. I think that was the best food on the whole trip though. Overall I found Chilean cuisine to be pretty lame. They apparently export all those fine fruits & vegetables that they grow!

LLN

Any other suggesstions? Even with the negative comments, I think I will include a day or two for Chiloe. Any suggestions on places to stay or eat?

M & J

LLN--we are thinking of the same trip about the same time. We also plan to fly into Santiago and then fly to Punta Arenas.Then rent a car and drive to Torress del Paine. We would appreciate your sharing information with us and give us suggestions. Here is our email <BR>[email protected].<BR>Thanks very much.

helibel

We love chile so much we did 3 2-3 week vacations in 14 months and we haven't even done Punta Arenas and PAINE YET. I loved the lake district and recommend renting a car, eat at the mamiya cafe in Puerto Varas but move around, preferred the town of Frutillar just north but you should really drive even further and see more of the lakes. But I still think San Pedro de Atacama is unbelievably beautiful, such a dream town, a dusty little whitewashed colonial village that is unspoiled except that behind the old wooden doors the village is filled with cute little Restaurants and tour companies and accomadations for every price range. Some days i suffered from altitude ( not in the village but on excursions into the mountains)and other days had no problems at all, one of the many HIGHLIGHTS WAS CROSSING THE bOLIVIAN BORDER a few mile from town and visiting Lago verde surrounded by volcanos at about 150000 ft and seeing the flamingos, breathtaking. Go to the port towns and eat in the local seafood markets, it is true that there is a typical Chilean menu that is somewhat boring But if you like seafood you don't need GOURMET prep the freashness and variety kept us coming back for more.

helibel

we were disappointed in Chiloe after all the hype but that may have been because it was raining and it was just DISMAL though we ate well. we stayed at a dreary hotel in Aisen on the water and didn't see much in the way of good accomadations in the Main town. BTW it will still be quite chilly in the South and COLD in the far south and you may find alot will be closed in November.

Peter Stedman

Hi LLN. I lived in Chile for 5 years. Torres del Paine is number 2 on my "must-see" world list. Take wind-weather gear, and do the onion layer trick.<BR><BR>Negative Chiloe posts? - I can picture it being miserable if its raining all the while, but take your chances and prepare yourself for Ireland, latin-style and with different music. Wonderful wooden churches, great pastoral scenery, houses on stilts, good bird watching, and some of the best sea food in the world.<BR><BR>Spend a few days in Santiago and ignore the posts about the winter smog - it will have passed by November. A previous post regarding must-sees in the capital was right on the mark. Do at least one sea food restaurant and have the corvina (sea bass) with a burnt butter and caper sauce (if not on the menu, just ask for it) with a Miguel Torres sauvignon blanc (if you do wine, that is).<BR><BR>Are you into nature and scenery?. Then on your way to Chiloe, take in the Lake district. England's version pales by comparison. Picture snow-capped volcanoes reflected in indigo lakes and surrounded by the grass green of indigenous forests. Don't like that? - then go horse riding or white-water rafting, or check the Mapuche culture, or see where fuchsias come from.

xxx

For anyone who has been to San Pedro, did you go on your own, or use a tour company to book accomodations, tours, etc.?

Linda

I booked a package to San Pedro out of LaSerena where I was staying. It included air, hotel(can't remember its name) and transfers.

TW

For those of you who have been to Chile- is it feasible to drive from Santiago to the lake district? Is there much to see along the way? Interesting small towns?

Peter

Hi TW,<BR>Driving from Santiago is a very full and stressful day, but yes, it can be done. Permit me to try to guess what your issue is. <BR><BR>1) If you have time but a restricted budget and want to make the most of it, then if you are a party of at least 2 persons, do the rental car thing. If it were me, I would pass by the first 400 kilometres and save my time for the area from Pucon to the south.<BR><BR>If budget is not a major issue, but time utilization is, then rather fly south (Temuco or Puerto Montt) and hire your car there. Your car rental saving will be not offset the flight costs, but there will be more "time-quality".<BR><BR>Hope this helped.

Peter

I too am doing 2 weeks in Chile. I fully intend to do the Lake District and points south. But I had intended to drive from Santiago to Peurto Montt to see some of the inland country. But I'm getting the impression that there's nothing to see from Santiago to Puerto Montt. Is this true?<BR><BR>That means by-passing Rancagua, Santa Cruz, Chillan, Temuco, Villarica, & puerto Octay. Is this the correct move?<BR><BR>Thanks.

nmt

How many days would you suggest for Chiloe and the Lake District? We are renting a car in Puerto Montt. We fly in in the late afternoon. Should we stay in Puerto Montt overnight or move on. Suggestions on where to stay or eat. Also trying to decide whether to squeeze in a quick trip to Torres del Paine.Is it worth it for just a few days, would probably only have one day in park.

nmt

ttt

nmt

We've decided to include Chiloe. Any suggestions for where to stay or where to get the best seafood?