I've been drooling over photos of Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares National Parks in Patagonia for a couple of decades - long before they became hot spots. Both parks are busy now, especially the W Circuit in Chile's Torres del Paine National Park. Fortunately for us the first four days on the O Circuit are quiet, at least in comparison. I feel lucky to have visited both parks - but what a lot of…
The Torres del Paine trek - which include the O and W Circuits are nothing short of spectacular. They aren't easy multi-day hikes, especially with full backpacks but they sure are bucket list worthy. You are in for a treat if you head to this part of Patagonia to trek. It's time consuming researching the Torres del Paine trek - be it the O Circuit or the W circuit. I always had questions I could never…
Chances are high if you're planning a visit to Patagonia that you'll fly from Santiago into Punta Arenas, Chile - a seaside city known as the "end of the world." It certainly has that sense about it. It's both bigger, windier and more colourful than I imagined it to be with an overriding sense of loneliness about it, largely because I hardly saw a soul, except on the boardwalk late in the afternoon. Despite its…
I'm super excited to be heading to Torres del Paine National Park in Chile's Patagonia region in January. It's a real holiday - though I'm sure a few of my armchair readers might think that trekking for 8 - 10 days in conditions that can include gale force winds, rain and possible snow doesn't sound like much fun. However the mountains in Paine are like no other place on the planet - and they've been…
Crossing the Andes from Mendoza to Santiago by bus, or vice versa, is a superb way to see some stunning countryside. It's also a heck of a lot cheaper than flying. It's only going to cost you $US20-25 one way for a reserved seat. Buying Bus Tickets We purchased tickets about five days before our departure when we were in the Tucuman bus station from the Andesmar Bus Company. There are many bus companies to…
Every trip you take teaches you something - whether about yourself, the country you're visiting, the culture or hard topics like the impact of overpopulation or rising food prices. It all depends on what you're open to learning. My recent trip with my husband, John and good friends, Jo and Ted, to northern Chile and Argentina taught me plenty. Here are 8 lessons I learned over 18 days. Interact with the locals whenever possible. Most…
You can do this, it will be easy, just take one step at a time and breathe deeply! So there we were, Ted and Jo, novice hikers, with world class mountain climbers Leigh and John, in the middle of nowhere - ok it was the Chilean Atacama Desert. Hot beyond belief, sunny and arid (it rained 11 months ago for an hour). Hey while we're staying at this 5 star resort (Tierra Atacama) let's go…
Our goal while in Chile and Argentina is to move between the two countries using public transport wherever possible. Not only is is much less expensive but its a great way to absorb some of the local flavour. A few days ago we traveled from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile to the city of Salta in northern Argentina by bus. I was less keen on this ride, mainly because of its length - 10.5…
Chile's Atacama Desert sits in the northern part of the country; it's one of Chile's three main tourist regions - the others being Patagonia and Easter Island. The Atacama Desert is desolate, dry, forbidding, inhospitable and at first glance you're going to wonder how you're going to find comfort in these surroundings. But the Atacama Desert surprises too. What can you do in the Atacama Desert There is a minimum of a week's worth of…
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