Amy

I'd love for it to be Chile, March or November, luxury, and at least a month, but, well, reality is what it is.

My plans were all in place for going to Australia this July (2010) with a group of friends, but family and financial crises caused them to pull out, so I'm tentatively rescheduling that for next year.

I've always wanted to visit Chile, and since I'm traveling solo this year, I thought now would be a good time. I'll be adding on a visit to a friend in Iquitos, Peru, but that's not a part of the two weeks. Rapa Nui is a must, Santiago and Valparaiso would be good, and, well, dreamer and geography geek that I am, I would love to visit Atacama. (I'd love to visit Torres del Paine, too, but I know that's out of the picture.)

Airfare is, of course, the biggest bite of expense here: not counting Atacama, I did price one route on itasoftware.com at about $2,600 (not awful) via Lan for the flights from home to Santiago, Easter Island, Santiago, Iquitos, and back home again. However, Lan's website isn't terribly cooperative for me for some reason. Any help/airfare tips certainly appreciated!

My travel preferences are history/nature, not at all a nightlife or beach person (good thing since I'm going in July, right?) I'll be 45 and am a walker but not a trekker, if that makes a difference in recommendations.

I'm comfortable with guesthouses and public transportation: any suggestions for lodgings (I do prefer ensuite) in these spots would be lovely.

My main questions, I think, are whether it would be best to stick to Santiago/Valparaiso and Rapa Nui for this trip, and what your best advice would be for making the most of my money.

Huentetu

Let's start with the problem areas. Because a total eclipse will be seen from Easter Island in July 2010, seats on planes have been filled for a while now. I think it is on the 11th, but many people have booked several days around it so lodging, provided you could find a flight, would be difficult. LAN fares are not always bookable from abroad. Some fares are only available in country. I would contact LAN in your country and have a chat. The combined fare you have seen is not bad but you need to see if you can get it. Buying a package (hotel + flight) might work too. So the flight to Easter Island is the first thing to sort. Have a look at the LAN Airpass and see if it helps:
http://www.lan.com/promociones/data/...paf-en-ue.html

You don't say how long you have to spend on your trip. July is the most wintery month but good for skiing and hour and a bit from Santiago. You can get a bus from Santiago to Valparaiso very easily as they leave every 15 minutes or so throughout the day.
There are plenty of ways to cut costs in Chile. After all, people here live on a lot less than tourists. Set menu lunches are very good value. Make that your main meal. Chile is sandwich heaven and some of them are truly huge. One place where prices are just plain high is Easter Island. Everything is either flown in or brought in by ship. But you can still put some tinned food and snacks (and some Chilean wine) in your suitcase and make it a bit more economical. Stay in places with kitchen possibilities to save a bit more.

Amy

Thanks, Huentetu! I knew to avoid the eclipse time (looking into late July/early August, actually) although it surely would be great to be there during that time. But just being there will be wonderful for me: it's one of those places I've always dreamed of seeing.

I have a total of two weeks for Chile; as I said above, not nearly as long as I'd like, but it's what I have. My travel time has to be June, July or August; I won't be skiing, but I don't mind the cold; I'll be sure to layer.

I was looking into some lodgings in Valparaiso and it looks as if I can stay fairly inexpensively; the sandwich idea sounds good, too! I'm sure I'll be back with more specific questions--just doing the mental adjustment right now from having everything set to go to Australia to now planning Chile!

crellston

We spent a few weeks in Chile travelling on a budget and didn't find the costs too bad. We stayed in hostels with kitchen facilities so we could cook ourselves to reduce costs but quite honestly, the food and wine were so good and, comparatively inexpensive(i.e. compared to the UK) that we dined out half the time! Staying in hostels is also a good way to meet other travellers if you are travelling alone. As Huentetu says, the sandwiches are amazing
For accommodation we usually used www.hostelbookers.com and www.hostelworld.com and found them to be excellent. One place in Valaparaiso I would highly recommend is La Nona B&B - http://www.bblanona.com/ the host Rene is excellent and will help you to get the most out of your stay in Valaparaiso

For more info on where we stayed and what we did..
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...ai/1/tpod.html

Entries 65-69 cover our time in Chile.

Huentetu

Crellston, I remember reading your blog before. Did you do that horse ride at the place in Ritoque? There was a thing in the news a couple of days ago that they had had some of their horses stolen. I hope they get them back.
Amy, when you have a set itinerary there are lots of tips for cutting costs. Valparaíso has lots of lodging options and can be done cheaply. June would be better than July if you can manage that. If Easter Island doesn't work then San Pedro de Atacama is possible. Even with EI you could manage a few days in the La Serena/Elqui Valley region. La Serena will be wintery as it is on the coast, but Elqui will have sun and be a lot warmer.

crellston

Huentetu - Yes we did ride out from Ritoque and it was one of the most memorable experiences of our very long trip. Sad to learn that someone has stolen some of their horses. As you sa, lets hope they get them back soon.

tippecanoe

I thought I'd chime in about the Easter Island eclipse, since I've become something of an expert over the past few months.

Eclipse Day is Sunday, July 11. LAN has withdrawn from its website all flights to and from Easter Island for two weeks before and after this date to control crowds. Flights during this period are currently available only through travel agents/tour operators and are extremely expensive.

I just looked at LAN's website and found flights beginning on July 23 to Easter Island starting at $560 plus tax. If your heart is set on Easter Island for this trip, plan your itinerary to fly there no earlier than the 23rd.

Huentetu

tippecanoe, that looks very cheap. What is it with taxes, do you know? If you can find something around 800 return, that is a good fare. BTW, the park entrance fee on EI has been upped to US$60, so factor that in too.

tippecanoe

It looks like taxes are just $23, making the round trip fare $583 for a July 23 departure. I was playing around with some dates and found departures to Easter Island as early as July 12 (the day after the eclipse), but these tickets are over $2,000 and seem to require a 2+ week stay on the island. Probably not what the OP had in mind.

Huentetu

That is a really good price. Highest fares are usually after Christmas to end of February (they usually at least double), but the eclipse will have sent them higher still even off season. There is a lot of local feeling on EI that they are becoming overwhelmed by the numbers visiting and they would like some sort of limit.

Amy

Thanks, everyone!

What would be the biggest advantage of June over July, Huentetu? I'd planned to do all my researching for this trip NEXT year, not this one, so I'm scrambling for answers a bit.

My thoughts were possibly leaving the US around 22 July, going to Valparaiso, Santiago, Easter Island, and somewhere in the Atacama if I could, then leaving Chile about 03 August or so to go to Iquitos. The LanPass looks as if it might work well for me.

So right now (and VERY tentatively

Arrive Santiago 23 July (morning) and perhaps go to Valparaiso to stay--do a day-trip to Santiago? Or split the time between Santiago and Valparaiso? Perhaps fit Elqui in here?
Leave for Easter Island 30 July; return 03 August, fly to Iquitos (via Lima).

Crellston, thanks for the lodging recommendation, and tippecanoe, for all your help as well. I have wanted to visit Chile for so long now, and was hoping to be able to do more, but this would be a beginning, anyway.

Huentetu

No, I was just saying that July is the winter and that makes Santiago and Valparaiso possibly rainy. having said that, we get a lot of sunny days in the winter too, and when you see Santiago ringed by the snow covered Andes.......well, you'll see.
I would give Santiago a day or two and the same for Valparaiso. You can fly to La Serena or take a 7 hour bus ride. From there you can easily get a day trip up to the Elqui Valley and even stay overnight there. Definitely 4 days in EI as rain can affect visiting things. So, 2011? Plenty of planning time then. Try to make one of your days on EI a Sunday and go to Sunday mass even if you are an atheist. The mass is sung in Rapa Nui and is very beautiful. The cheapest lodging option on the island is a room in a home with cooking options in their kitchen. If you are in Chile a few days before, you can go to a supermarket and stock up on some food to take with you. The island has a limited supply of everything and when it runs out it can be a month before they get more. This keeps prices high. Since it is a domestic flight you are not subject to the same food controls as coming into Chile. Take some wine, tinned things for picnics. Some people do the island on their own and rent a car, scooter or bike. Others take a tour. These come in all sizes and you will often find a local with a car who will take you around for the day.
Since you have plenty of time to plan, there is a lot of good info here (being done up at the moment, but look at it when it is back online):
http://www.islandheritage.org/
If you can get a flight to Calama with the air pass, you have time for San Pedro de Atacama too!

Amy

Oh, sorry to be unclear...it was Going to have been (phew, the verb conjugation on that one!) July of 2011, but my friends pulled out of my planned Australia trip for this year so now it's Chile for July of 2010! That's why I'm kind of scrambling for info; usually I read up a lot more by this time of year. Thanks so much again!