Hola. I have been travelling South America for the last 6 months, but Chile is providing a few headaches for me where to travel. I am coming from Uyuni into San Pedro de Ademarca this week. I would love to go from San Pedro de Ademarca to Ushuaia in 4 weeks (is this possible this time of year?) visiting all the highlights of Chile. Here is a rough itenary. If anyone has any thoughts or places not to be missed, any suggestions would be greatly welcomed.
San Pedro de Ademarca to Antofagasta. Then onto Vine De Mar/Valparaiso (which is better??) Then onto Santiago. If possibe onto Mendoza and back to Santaigo. From there to Chillian for some skiing. Then onto Lake District (where are the places not to be missed here?? theres plenty for limited time). Then onto Bariloche and El Boslon returning to Puerto Montt for navimag to Puerto Natales and Tores del Paine. Is it better to go onto El Calafete from here or on my return up Argentina from Rio Gallego?? Anyway, from Pto Nateles onto Ushuaia and Pto Williams.
Any suggestions please? From some postings, patagonia is a big no no, right now....but its not to be missed since Im here??
Many thanks.
There is no regular public transportation between Ushuaia and Puerto Williams.
Previous report:
* Patagonia in winter is a seriously awesome thing. Logistically it can be challenging to get out to some places, especially the mountain roads which completely lack public transport in the winter. However, having been all the way to Ushuaia in August ( Mid-winter ) I know just how possible and rewarding it is. First thing is the weather will be cold. Not actually as cold as Bolivia's altiplano, but it will be wet as well and snowy in the highlands. That is great for scenery etc. but it can mean places such as Bariloche getting snowed in. When I went I was going the opposite way. I travelled from Chile into Bariloche - unless you ski your options there are limited and if you do not ski you will be annoyed by the Brazilian ski bunnies who over-run it. That does mean all the usual hostels etc. are open, but Brazilians are culturally, well, a noisy bunch of people so you had better hope you are in it for the skiing! The landscape there looks beautiful in the snow though, and it is a nice little town to be in. There is a great steakhouse at El Boliche de Alberto though that is worth going to Bariloche just to eat in. Oh, and the chocolate of course. The pass from Chile ( Osorno ) into Argentina was hairy - we had to put snow chains on and I think they shut it after I crossed it, and Bariloche was cut off from the rest of Argentina for a few days because of the snow. Fun! I left on the last possible day ( It got snowed in afterwards ) and headed across to the Atlantic Coast ( Loads of buses, most empty! ) to Trelew and from there to Gaiman, a bizarre Welsh village. I actually stayed the night there in a B&B ( Not necessary, but I am a Cymruphile! ) but there were very few tourists around. The tea-shops are all open though ( After 3 as per tradition ) so it is worth a day trip if you like cake or Welsh things, or just want a proper cup of tea and do not want a funny look when you ask for it "with milk" "Con leche." After Gaiman I got the bus to Puerto Madryn ( Again, there are loads of these ) to see the Whales and the Valdes Peninsula. June, July time is just coming into whale season but I would strongly recommend giving the peninsula a miss then because most of the other marine wildlife ( Elephant seals, orcas, penguins etc.) will not be around. The year-round wildlife will be but I have a far better recommendation coming up if you want to see Guanacos, Rhea and Mara etc. Best thing is to head to Puerto Piramides and take a boat trip into the gulf to see the whales, but I could not tell you how active they would be at this time of year ( I went in August, a month after you are planning ). The YHA in town is a great hostel and will be fairly quiet so, again, no troubles with accommodation. I then went down the Atlantic coast to Río Gallegos ( Which I went through three times without stopping! ), an easy if long journey of 18 hours. Because it is coastal there are not often delays on the route and plenty of buses take it, just less than at other times of the year. From Gallegos I did a quick change and caught the first bus I could over to El Calafate ( That was a long journey: from Puerto Madryn to El Calafate was around 23 hours in total ). Perito Moreno is now a year-round destination so there are no problems getting buses, tours, accommodation and food. I then headed down to Ushuaia, via Río Gallegos - yet another killer journey ( I recommend spending a long time in each place ). Ushuaia is another ski place and has other winter sports ( Like dog-sledding! ) so you will have no difficulty finding a place to stay. You can also get a bus to the national park, and it is a wonderful place to be in its element in the winter. From Ushuaia I took buses to Punta Arenas in Chile and then on to Puerto Natales ( My butt hurt after all this incidentally ). Puerto Natales in absolutely dead in winter - a real ghost town but this is the best time of year to see wildlife in Torres del Paine National Park. It can be hard finding somewhere to stay and to get a tour but we saw herds of guanaco, huémel ( very rare Patagonian deer ), condors, rhea, foxes and all sorts! Forget hiking there in winter though. And be careful if you get a bus over the border to Río Turbio - I nearly got stuck there, so I would recommend heading on to El Calafate if you go to Torres del Paine, or if you are feeling flush and have good sealegs you could always get the Navimag. As for the Fitzroy Range - that is the one thing I did not see. I believe it is open and there are sporadic buses up there in the winter but we are talking about three a week, if that. All I can say ( After that huge exposition ) is that if you want to see Patagonia in winter then go. People will think you are mad but they have no idea what they are missing because it is a phenomenal place. Forget Peru and Bolivia - Patagonia is South America at it is most breath-taking and seeing it in winter only adds to its appeal ( Although admittedly I have not been there in the summer).
Jorge Daniel Barchi.
Buenos Aires.
i don't know too much about the north, but Vina del Mar y Valparaiso are just 20 minutes apart, if you are staying in a hostal in Vina del Mar, is easy to take the public transportation "bus" to Valparaiso...i guess you can easily see both cities in 2 days....what to see??? i don't really like Vina del mar, but i know is attractive for touris, and Valparaiso is really cool, bars at night are awesome, a little dangerous though so be carefull, you can see here LA SEBASTIANA (Pablo Neruda's house), what else.....don't remember, but take a look toa LP guide, i'm sure it will help...... i have some realtives in both cities , pm if you want more info..
From Santiago to Chillan, is easy to go, buses depart to Chillan every hours....by the way the ski there is great....
Snatiago to Mendoza is easy by bus too, you also might be able to catch a cheap flight ...but maybe....
I guess your longer distance will be from Chillan to Lake distric, which is a must see, as i posted before is easy to go back and forward between Chile and Argentina in the south, Bariloche and El Bolson are very nice towns, so i guess with what you wrote above as a route, is just perfect............
Valparaiso is my favourite city in Chile, and Vina del Mar is my least favourite (OK maybe Calama is worse). There's nothing to do unless you're enthralled by flowers planted in the shape of a clock, or you love Ricky Martin and are there for the pop festival in February. Valparaiso is a unique gem.
My general impression is that you are packing too much stuff into 4 weeks. I did a similar itinerary to you in more like 2.5 months.
Skip Antofagasta,nothing to see there besides La Portada...you are better off buying a postcard.
In the lakes district not be missed are Valdivia and Puerto Varas. Since youll be taking the boat from Puerto Montt, dont miss Angelmo market...for some great fresh seafood...its only a couple of blocks away from the port.
I strongly support #3... And I'd still spend a few hours in Calama rather than Viña, though it is a close call.
Other comments:
Skip Mendoza - even though the ride across the Andes is beautifull.
Personal favourites in Chile includes:
S. Pedro de Atacama. Wirth a few days' stay. Take the Salar & Valle de la Luna tours. Visit the museum.
Valaparaiso
Valdivia (could be skipped)
Puerto Varas for the Osorno view.
Chiloé - cold, windy..
Torres del Paine (not the right time of the year, I guess...)
If possible, I'd go from P. Natales to El Calafate in Argentina (visiting El Chaltén as well) - from there you can head for Rio Gallegos and fly to Ushuaia
I would also go with the #3, we had to kill three hours in Calama and they
were to long. In general I would head to the south, Valdivia, is one
of my favourite spots in all South America, but most places down to
Puerto Montt are nice and offer great seafood. I would also skip
Mendoza, leave it for another time, you can combine it with some
other destinations in Argentina.
Enjoy your trip!
I forgot Temuco which fascinated me a bit. It's just about the only place in Chile you can see som indigenous life (i.e. Indians). Take the bus out to one of the smaller towns nearby (I went to Chol Chol).
Furthermore, I really enjoyed Patagonia (the Argentian part) - but I was fortunately going there in October and December.
Ushuaia was OK - but IMHO not particularly interesting.
BTW sorry for the typos.
trusted partner
