workstotravel

I’m trying to plan a trip to Chile and am having a hard time finding information. I’ve looked through a number of online guides and through various forums but would appreciate any input you can give.

A group of 4 of us are trying to decide on an itinerary. We will probably be traveling in December, likely flying down from the US on a Thursday or Friday and returning to the US by the next Sunday (so a little over a week).

One option we were considering is to fly straight down to Patagonia and spending the entire time down there. We’re trying to keep the trip as low budget as possible (within reason) (I know “low budget” is vague but we’re still figuring out prices and how much we want to spend), and one of the biggest expenses looks like airfare. Flying to Punta Arenas is really pricey, but it seems to be the best place to fly in order to explore Patagonia, right?

It looks like none of us are able to drive a manual car, so will we be able to travel down there without renting a car?

Taking into consideration how much time we have and the fact that we won't be renting a car, does anyone have any recommendations on must-sees? I would love to see some glaciers and penguins and do some day hikes.

Another possible itinerary is to split our trip between Valparaiso and Easter Island. As excited as I am about going to Easter Island, I’m not sure the rest of the group thinks it worth the time and money to fly there to see the statues.

All of us have traveled quite a bit and are looking to see the most unique parts of Chile. Any insights and opinions would be appreciated. Thanks!

sandiej

We flew from Buenos Aires to Ushauia AR and returned after a cruise around Cape Horn to Punta Arenas Chile. Ushauia is interesting and has many tours if you are not driving. Punta Arenas is not very interesting and is an expensive dirty city wtih stray dogs everywhere. I would go to Argentina's side and explore Ushauia and El Calafete. You can book day excursions from these ciites. Check Lan.com for flights from BA which are cheaper than from Santiago. The airfare is about $120-$130 each way. As an aside we are going back to Argentina this year to explore Mendoza and to drive over the Andes the Uspallata pass to Chile. (I drive a standard in the states).

workstotravel

Thanks for the response. I was just in Argentina last year (we went to BA and the NW region) so that's why we were focusing on Chile. But your experience gives us something to think about. Did you explore beyond Punta Arenas, such as day trips or staying in other nearby towns?

thit_cho

I visited Patagonia, specically Punta Arenas and Torre del Paine, many years ago so this may be dated, but we were able to hire a reasonable car and driver to take us from Punta Arenas to Torre del Paine, and then take us on excursions around the park. We stayed at Hosteria Pehoe, a small hotel on a lake island, which is rustic, but was perfect. We considered the Explora, but it was too regimented and didn't seem to offer great value. Torre del Paine is a beautiful spot, with interesting, approachable wildlife, at least close enough to take excellent photos, and you can also walk to, on and in glaciers.

From Punta Arenas, we also visited a penguin colony at Seto Otway, around an hour from Punta Arenas, but you'll need a car to get there.

I also visited Easter Island in May 2008 (I posted photos on this forum that you can find if interested by searching for "easter island", with quotes), and I thought it was absolutely amazing, definitely unique. I rented a motorbike to get around, but with four, I'm sure you could get good prices on local tours (there are plenty of rental cars, but I don't know if they are automatic or manual transmissions). You had better like looking at giant, stone heads if you go to Easter Island -- there's not much else to do. There are some good beaches, but I wouldn't go if spending time on a beach was a priority.

Aside from airfare, Easter Island is very inexpensive (I stayed at Hotel Taura'a and it was very reasonable). I think it will cost more to get around Patagonia.

Chile is a diverse country and you've keyed in on two of the highlights, and you can't go wrong with either.

thit_cho

Also, you may want to go to a bookstore and look at the Lonely Planet to Chile -- it will tell you how to affordably visit Patagonia and will give you more detail than you can likely find on line.

Huentetu

There is no point in going to Punta Arenas unless you are continuing to Torres del Paine national park. Yes, there are some nice things to do in the area of the city and great seafood, but it is not a major destination in itself. You will not see the amazing landscapes of Patagonia from PA, which is a port city. From there you need to move on to Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine. This trip is going to take longer in travel time than Easter Island and needs to be well researched to make the most of your short time. Lodging in the park needs to be booked quite far in advance.
Easter Island, Rapa Nui, is a five hour flight from the mainland, so about the same as flying to PA. The flights are usually full and fares have to be bought a fair while in advance to get a good deal. Again, a bit of research is needed to get the most out of your stay.
Both the places you have targeted are very unique in very different ways.

workstotravel

Thanks for all the responses. It looks like the rest of my group isn't keen on spending that much money to fly to Easter Island, and we're thinking we'd need more time to do Patagonia justice (especially considering how much money it will cost to fly down there). We're going to have to figure out somewhere else to travel to.

Huentetu

Why not go to the lake region of both Chile and Argentina? You can overnight bus (some very comfortable options) down either country quite economically. December is lovely. You can explore both sides with their many national parks, hot springs and lovely scenery. Or you can stick to one side of the Andes and explore more fully. With your time available, it would be a good option.

workstotravel

I thought about the lake region, but people keep describing it as similar to the Swiss Alps, where I've already been. Although it looked beautiful, it doesn't seem like something that's unique to either country?

Huentetu

I would disagree about the similarity to the Alps. There is a much greater feeling of space in the scenery in the lake district (plus all the volcanoes!). The two sides of the Andes are different as well. Most rain falls on Chile first, making it green and quite pastoral. On the Argentine side the landscape is more dramatic.
If lakes are not of interest, what about the Atacama desert?
(I sound like a used car salesman determined to sell you something!)

sandiej

As the Mare Australis cruise ended in Punta Arenas we did not check into any day trips. It seemed the only reason tourists/adventurers were there was to go on to other tours. The airport is closer to Puerto Natales. The airfares in Chile are higher than in Argentina.

mlgb

As Huentutu says, the reason to go to Punta Arenas is a launching point for Torres del Paine.

Have you been to Peru, Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley? That is a good length of time for that trip and airfare is more affordable.

You don't have to hike, you can take the train. And you don't really have to stay in Lima other than perhaps the night of arrival, which you can do at an airport Ramada. I'm mentioning this only because so many Americans seem to fear Peru and Lima in particular. (I don't agree).

workstotravel

I'm not afraid of Peru, that is a trip I definitely want to make, just not during the rainy season (we're going in December). I think we have settled on going to Colombia instead. It seems to be safer now (we of course still need to be careful), it's fairly inexpensive and none of us have been there. There isn't very much information on this site so we'll be using the Lonely Planet site to plan. I will try to post a trip report here when we get back.

And Huentetu- I will definitely be planning a trip to Chile when I have more time to travel (and hopefully more funds as well).

thit_cho

For what its worth, my trip to Peru was at the end of December (Lima, Cuzco and Machu Pichu) and weather was spectacular.

I have also been to Colombia (Bogota and Cartegena) and its very affordable, with lots to see. The LP is great.

mlgb

Mine was the third week in January, also great weather, a few days of PM rain but mostly none.

There are some trip reports from later in the year and it sounds as if they had more rain in the "dry" season.

Although every year is different, and if this in an El Nino year, who knows....