…a trip through surreal landscapes, blue and starry skies, deserts, lagoons, geysers, volcanoes, salt flats, the Andes...
Check out our Itinerary in Chile and the many useful practical information and let yourself be inspired to create your own trip!
Our itinerary in Northern Chile:
DAY 1 – international flight: Milan - Santiago del Cile (via Paris)
AIR FRANCE
Milan MXP 18.55 - Paris CGD 20.25
Paris CGD 23.30- Santiago Del Cile 07.45
DAY 2 -Arrival in Santiago del Cile 7.45 am – visit Santiago del Cile (Plaza de Armas) – wine tasting tour to Concha-Toro Winery (half day tour with Civitatis/MTO tour)
Night in Santiago del Cile (Hotel Panamericano)
DAY 3- flight (LATAM) Santiago del Chile 6.05 to Calama 8.10 – 80km arrival in San Pedro de Atacama –Cordillera del Sal & Sunset (half day tour with Civitatis/Atacama Extrema)
Night in San Pedro de Atacama (Nueva Lodge Estacion)
DAY 4---San Pedro de Atacama: Piedras Rojas, altiplanic lagoons, Laguna Chaxa and Salar de Atacama (day tour with Alabalti Atacama)
Night in San Pedro de Atacama (Nueva Lodge Estacion)
DAY 5- San Pedro de Atacama: sunrise at "Geisers del Tatio” (tour with Pukarumi Travel) + astronomical tour to see the Milky Way (tour with Hoyri Atacama )
Night in San Pedro de Atacama (Nueva Lodge Estacion)
DAY 6 – 80km from San Pedro de Atacama to Calama - flight (LATAM) Calama – Santiago del Cile) - visit Santiago del Chile city center
Night in Santiago del Cile (Hotel Panamericano)
DAY 7 –Valparaiso and Vina del Mar (tour GYG/MTO Tour)
Night in Santiago del Cile (Hotel Panamericano)
DAY 8 – Cajon del Maipo (tour GYG/MTO Tour)
Night in Santiago del Cile (Hotel Panamericano)
DAY 9 - flight Santiago del Cile/ Milano MXP (via Paris )
AIR FRANCE
Santiago del Cile 12.55 - ParisCGD 07.40
Paris CGD 10.15 – Milan MXP 11.40 (day +1)
Travel idea: If you have more time, we recommend you consider a 4-day 3-night extension from San Pedro de Atacama to visit the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve and the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia and return to San Pedro de Atacama
To visit the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve and the Salar de Uyuni, given the total isolation of the area and the absence/rough roads, the best way to visit them is an organized 3/4-day 4x4 tour. (We relied on Cordillera Traveller https://cordilleratraveller.com/en/home-cordillera-traveller-english/ and we had a great time (no adv)
The tours start from Uyuni or - as we did - from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile to end in Uyuni in Bolivia or return to San Pedro
For more details, read our article dedicated to Bolivia!
Place by place
SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA
San Pedro de Atacama is the perfect base to explore Atacama Desert and the nearby area
Practical info
To reach San Pedro de Atacama, the nearest airport is Calama (approx. 80 km far); from Calama to San Pedro de Atacama you can take a shared shuttle at costs approx. 15 euro per person (es. https://www.transferpampa.cl/ )
Below the umissable places and experience in this area if you have at least 3 days:
Cordillera del Sal – Vallecito
After a very long journey - that became infinite due to the cancellation of our flight from Paris to Santiago - we finally arrive in San Pedro de Atacama and we start to explore the Norte Grande, where we can observe one of the most spectacular landscape in Northern Chile... Andes, Vulcanoes, deserts, surreal rock formations, lagoons, geysers...
Moreover you can see here guanacos, vicuñas, desert foxes, flamingos and if you are lucky even the puma!
Let's start from the Cordillera del Sal surrounded by the volcanoes, like the Licancàbur Volcan (5912m)
Here is possible to visit Moon Valley, Valle de la Muerte awesome but very touristics or Vallecito beautiful as well but not crowded
The numerous agencies in San Pedro de Atacama (but also Civitatis or Getyourguide) organize various guided tours, usually in the afternoon combining them with a sunset view with an aperitif.
The most beautiful lagoons around San Pedro de Atacama
1-Piedras Rojas, the iconic red lava formations surrounded by the turquoise waters of a lagoon and volcanoes
2 - Miniques and Miscanti lagoons, with a sparkling blue color and nestled between the Andes and the volcanoes
3 - Laguna Chaxa inhabited by flamingos in the Salar de Atacama, an arid landscape characterized by spectacular rock formations and vast salt fields, awesome lagoons inhabited by flamingos and surrounded by the Andes and the volcanoes
All these lagoons can be visited with a day tour that starts from San Pedro and can be booked in local agencies on site or online, but also on civitatis or getyourguide: our choice Alabalti Atacama and it was a memorable day (no adv)
Geyser El Tatio
Departure at 5 am to see the surreal spectacle of the geysers at dawn in one of the highest geothermal field in the world at 4300m!
Dress with very warm clothing because regardless of the time of year the temperature in the early morning is between -5 and -10!
This is an unmissable experience that is worth the early wake-up and the cold
We went there with a tour with Pukarumi Travel and we had a good time (no adv)
Milky Way
Just outside San Pedro de Atacama you can see a wonderful sky with a myriad of stars and the Milky Way.
To live this memorable experience, we recommend taking part to a tour with an astronomer who, in addition to taking you to a place free of light pollution, will explain the various constellations and provide you with a telescope! We took the tour on Getyourguide with Hoyri Atacama (they are great: no adv), but in San Pedro there are many agencies that organize such tour.
SANTIAGO DEL CHILE
Santiago del Chile is a modern city with a colonial heart that can be visited on foot in a day/half day!
Highlights:
-Plaza de Armas and Cathedral
-Mirador Cerro Santa Lucia
-Biblioteca Nacional de Chile
-A typical seafood lunch in Mercado Central
-If you have more time: Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino or La Chascona (Pablo Neruda’s House) or Mirador Cerro San Cristobal (reachable by cablecar)
Around Santiago, perfect for a day trip:
-Valparaiso: a colorful, bohemian town, full of murals overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Since we only had 1 day, we opted for this and went there with a GYG tour and we had a great time (no adv)
- the Cajon del Maipo between magnificent mountain views, characteristic Andean towns and the turquoise lake located at the foot of the Embalse El Yeso dam
-a wine tasting in one of the many wineries in the area
From/to Santiago del Chile Airport to the city center, we suggest you https://www.transvip.cl/ that offered shared shuttle bus or private cars at very honest price
Others Practical info
Entry Requirements Chile
All the information below was valid as of August/September 2024, therefore please check the official website of the Farnesina, https://www.viaggiaresicuri.it/ for any updates or changes
For Italian citizens, a passport is required, with residual validity of at least 6 months upon arrival in the country.
An entry visa is not required for tourist stays of less than 3 months
Be careful not to lose the copy of the immigration slip received upon entry into the country, as it is required to exit Chile. In the event of theft, it must be reported immediately.
Upon entry into the country, you are required to fill out an online form (https://djsimple.sag.gob.cl/) in which you declare that you are not carrying products of plant or animal origin as well as currency exceeding 10,000 USD
When to Go
A good period to visit Northern Chile is August/September, which is the end of the southern winter, so temperatures are cold but not freezing and since it is the dry season, it rarely rains
Internal transports
For internal flights we opted to LATAM for the Santiago de Chile/Calama flight which offers frequent flights at convenient prices (if booked well in advance)
Where to Sleep& Eat
Accomodations are functionals but generally good in the North of Chile but not cheap so to find the best rate it is advisable to book them well in advance
For dinner/lunch out the costs are not very low in Chile (25 euros per person on average), especially in the more touristic areas;
The cuisine is similar to the Mediterranean one, mainly with soups, rice, vegetables, chicken and in Santiago de Chile/ Valparaiso also fish
Here are some restaurants where we ate well at honest prices (no adv)
San Pedro de Atacama
Las Delicias de Carmen: try the Noche menu with typical dishes cooked in a homely way
Restaurant Tierra todo natural: very characteristic place with a fireplace in the center, good soups and very inviting grilled meat
Tara La Pica del Regalon: very local with plastic chairs and checkered tablecloths: perfect for tasting traditional dishes for lunch
Viña del mar
Chinqui del Mar: excellent fish dishes (try the tuna and the Reineta) and a room with an ocean view
Safety & Cleanliness
We found Chile very safe and clean; anyway it is recommended to drink only bottled water as well as consume only well-cooked food.
Internet
When traveling independently we recommend having Internet available on your cell phone.
We opted for an e-sim with unlimited data: Holafly (for 21 days cost about 65 euros)
The alternative is a local sim with a voice and data package
Costs
In Chile the costs for accommodation, meals, excursions, taxis are similar to Europe
Anyway, it is possible to save a bit:
- Surely the highest cost of the trip is for the intercontinental flight, so book it well in advance (at least 6 -8 months before). The same goes for internal flights for which you can find low prices but only by booking them months in advance.
- In general, even for accommodation it is best to book them in advance (4-6 months before) to get the best rates
In Chile, card payments are generally accepted and the exchange rate applied to card payments is the same as that of exchange offices. Sometimes, paying in cash saves you a little in hotels.
Other utilities
The trip in the area surrounding San Pedro de Atacama takes place mostly between 3500 and 5000 m above sea level, but if your hotel is in San Pedro de Atacama (thus approx. at 2500m asl) the altitude sickness is not so frequent.
Always be sure to have a good health insurance against any eventuality.
To discover more about our trip in Chile (North) have a look to our posts and stories dedicated to this country on our Instagram page @2intour dated October - December 2024
Find info about Southern Chile in the article about our trip in Patagonia published on the blog and in the posts/stories on our Instagram page @2intour dated December 2023 - April 2024
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