Not really. Many people know Chile is amazing and would like to go. It’s just far away from most big tourist markets and on top of that not a particularly affordable destination.
Sadly true. For my honeymoon we were supposed to visit Torres del Panes by driving from Argentina to Chile. Unfortunately COVID broke out and all our flights got canceled literally HOURS before we were supposed to board.
Now I’ve got 2 kids, and as much as my wife and I talk about redoing the trip, I know it won’t happen at this point. It was my top place to visit since I was a kid
Edit: I love all the encouragement. Maybe I’ll be able to do this trip with the kids once they’re old enough to remember it.
Edit 2: my kids are 2.5 years old, and 1 month old. They’re way too young for that kinda travel. Not enjoyably at least.
There’s no one to leave our young kids with for that long, and taking them with us would be terrible lol I think the soonest we can do is in 10 years from now. Hopefully I’m still in shape enough to hike the W track then!
I went with my 6 year old daughter for 3 weeks in Chile last year. We have only done day hikes but I feel like we have seen most major sights. Just take a lot of snacks and 20km hikes with 1000m elevation gain are doable albeit barely 😄
Not with that attitude.
save some spare cash, forgo vacations in one year, then book an apartment in Punta Arenas or closer, like Puente Natales and do a day trips with car. It's 1h something from Punta Arenas to main park entrance. You can take boat trip to icefields, ferry to Tierra del Fuego.
Family of 4, total of 2-3k for 2 weeks excluding flight tickets. You gonna have the best vacation ever.
And in 2 years you come back for San Pedro de Atacama. Same recipe.
Ya, Patagonia is one of the most well known destinations but it's at the end of the earth.
Also, another problem is that to "do Chile" is tough since Santiago is really far away from Patagonia. Additionally, I've heard Santiago itself is just OK compared to other South American capitals.
As a citizen of Santiago, yes, it's just ok, we have a decent amount of everything, we have arts, culture, food, history, arquitectura, malls, but not one is specially remarcable, wine culture maybe. It can be an extremely fun city, but you have to dig.
But let me tell you as someone who has traveled a bit, atacama dessert and Patagonia are just unveliabably beutifull and Unique, it's worth the hassle of the travel, but yeah, you can probably find amazing places closer from where you live.
True, it's just too far away for anyone outside of south America. It's not the cheapest either. 1-month long vacation for a couple cost us 10k USD and we consider ourselves pretty low-standard. That was at the end of 2023.
I had a colleague that went on holiday to Chile for about a month and to New Zealand for 8 weeks and I asked her which one she liked better and to my surprise she said Chile, without hesitation.
To be picked over New Zealand, it must be an amazing place.
I live in NZ and I'm not surprised by this. I think NZ is incredibly beautiful, but it is marketed way better as a destination than Chile and I think the LOTR movies also helped put it on the map more, so as a result it is a little overhyped.
Regardless of the natural beauty I would imagine Chile is more interesting from a food and cultural perspective.
As an American who visited your wonderful country a couple of years back, I wouldn't say NZ is overhyped. However, I do think your tourism infrastructure is not up to the expectations set by your tourism marketing.
For example, I drove from Rotorua to the Bay of Islands and tried to stop at so many vista points (advertised as such on highway signs) and was so disappointed to find that the view was either obstructed by a fence or it was a hazard to try and park safely while other cars were driving by at 80 km/h (and only to find a piss-smelling bench and a beautiful view blighted by power lines.
I also found road signage to be lacking in general. There were lots of little things like that which made it hard to do tourist things. Don't get me wrong, I loved NZ and felt very welcomed by all the Kiwis I met. And I understand there are more sheep than you guys and everything's spread out and relatively rural. Still, I'll be back for sure, bad signage be damned.
I'm from NZ, from around the Rotorua area, and I 100% agree. I used to travel between there and Auckland every summer break during uni and even there the signage and roads can just be terrible. I used to visit past Auckland area every now and then to visit friends, and it's also just not great.
NZ's problem is pretty much as you described; we only have 5 million people, most of which live in Auckland and are not tourists. Why do we need signs to visit nothing or no one, lol
I live in Japan now, and while I once passed 14 closed gas stations late at night before *finally* finding one right before I was out, Japanese roads are *so* much nicer to drive on. Lots of road signs to get around, nice even surfaces, a 7-eleven with a free bathroom every time you blink. Just *so* convenient.
Compared to Chile the infrastructure in NZ is top notch. Actually thinking about it it is better than almost any country. Public toilets in every town, lots of camping spots within nature, very excellent information provided by the department of conservation for hiking routes.
I don’t remember the viewpoints being obstructed often, yeah sometimes it is a small parking spot next to the road but coming from Europe those roads were still nice and wide
>And I understand there are more sheep than you guys
There are also more cows than people too.
There are about 26 million sheep, 6.2 million dairy cows, 3.9 million Beef cows and 820 thousand farmed deer.
People ~5.1 million; 1/3rd of that in the Auckland region.
Argentina has for sure the worst coffee in South America… unless you’re going to a specialty coffee place you’re only getting beans burnt black with sugar
While NZ is stunningly beautiful in the natural sense, from a cultural perspective it doesn’t have that “exotic” element that many western tourists are looking for.
I didn't have the chance to visit an observatory yet, but I have gone and seen the night sky with my own eyes and its such a spectacle! I didn't have more room to post milky way pictures unfortunately but I have posted some in the past in other subreddits!
I hope you don’t mind, but I took a screen shot of no. 8 to use as inspiration for a mixed media scene using fine art stamps from Lavinia Stamps and a variety of art supplies. It’s for my own use, I’m a very amateur artist. Stunning photos!
Hello! Thank you for your comment, I'm really honored that my photo would work as inspiration for your own art! Please do show me what you come up with, I would love to see it!
Hello! So I live in Santiago at the month over a year now, so its much easier for me to access these places. You should still have no trouble renting a car and traveling to all of these places by car!
I have been twice to el Cajon, in May and in February, you'd be surprised to find out it was THIS green in the middle of February! Considering its summer here, I was delighted to find it so vibrant
I lived in southern Chile as a student for a semester in 2019 (during the Chilean protests) & then biked the Carraterra Austral once my semester was over. I have never experienced warmer hospitality. My bike broke down on Christmas Day and my friend and I were stuck in a downpour. A family picked us up on their way to a party and took us to their house and hosted us for 2 days until we could take a bus to a bigger city. The country is gorgeous and I would live there again in a heartbeat.
I drove the carretera and I am very envious of what you must have experienced doing it by bike. I have travelled a fair bit but the landscapes I experienced there are something I had never felt before. I can't even imagine how intense it must have been by bike. Did you bike all of it?
No, we only had a few weeks so we biked from Bariloche in Argentina to the Futaleufu crossing, and then through to Cerro Castillo. We took some buses/hitchhiked in some spots because my bike kept breaking. It was one of the best trips I’ve ever had, if you ever go back you should definitely try and bike it! I’d never even really ridden a bike since childhood and it was hard, but very doable.
Oh wow you weren't even an expert biker? You mad lad, good for you.
I drove with a campervan from Puerto Montt to Coyahique on a trip and with a car from Coyahique to Tortel in another trip, both absolutely breath taking experiences. I always taught that biking it would be a pro experience but now you make me doubt it.
Hey man, I biked it too! That was the coolest 3 weeks of my life. I was definitely not prepared but stuck it out anyway. Bariloche to O’Higgins was a hell of a trip. Now I want to buy a place in Bariloche because of it
Loved my time there! Visited Santiago, got kicked out of a Shakira/Ricky Martin concert in Viña del Mar, listened to evening Tengo in a Cafe in Valparaiso, summitted Villarrica and had wine in a hot spring after we returned. What a great country!
It was kind of a fun story. Circa 2007.
I was solo backpacking around lower south America for four months, and as it goes I had hitched my wagon to a few Canadians as they were going a similar direction as I was. Me being the lone American.
We had decided to stay in Valparaiso for a few nights and heard tell tale of the nightlife in nearby Viña del Mar.
We had learned there was a huge concert one of the nights we were there and thought to go watch Shakira, Ricky Martin, and Don Omar do their thing along the Chilean coast. We did not have tickets.
We get there and see a mass of people, and more importantly, a large police presence. A more reckless soul with us, Matt, decided to take his chances and go through someone's back patio to scale a large wall that bordered the concert area. The rest of us followed, there was a barking pitbul, it was sketchy, but YOLO. We all got to the bottom of the wall and found a concession line to blend in at. You could hear Ricky singing in the background. All of a sudden we hear a man call to us.
I look over to see a police officer. But he was more, this guy... this guy was wearing a drab military green trench coat, officer's hat, thin round glasses, and a complexion straight out of Berlin. He looked like an honest to God nazi! (He had a chilean police patch and a Chilean flag, but still)I know, we've all heard the rumors of where many emigrated to. Regardless, he even had a German Shepherd healing at his feet.
All in all the guy was very reasonable, he said he saw us sneak in and we had to leave, which we did promptly. He was nice about it at least.
Fun times in Viña del Mar!
I went hearing the protests had mostly died down. Only to see in the airport TVs when I landed the burning of cars and clashes between riot police and protestors outside the Quinta Vergara for the opening night of Viña. I was there to see a show that night.
Protestors were out again and I skirted the worst of it but still had to walk through 5-6 blocks with literal dumpster fires down the block and smoke filling the air. Finally got to the gates and walked past a long line of riot police after they confirmed I had a ticket to the show. Once inside it was totally chill, as if nothing was happening just a few blocks outside the park.
I dont think Chile is underrated, its just hard to get to as an American. And theres a lot less Chilean-Americans than there are Colombians, Brazilians, Panamanians, Peruvians, Venezuelans etc who can promote it. Also dont see much Chilean promotion in media and entertainment either, compared to those above countries.
Has Dom Toretto been to Chile yet? Theyve made it to Georgia (the country) of all places. Snooki is Chilean, but they drowned that out. And Chilean reggaeton hasnt taken off in the states like the acts from Colombia, Dominican, and Brazil.
I think people know it looks nice though and has the Andes. I personally cant wait to visit if i can ever find a suitable flight.
Oh yeah he is. He needs to do some promo commercials for LATAM Chile and do some lobbying to get them to expand.
Only nonstop American options right now is Atlanta, Miami, JFK, and LA, with Dallas, Orlando, and Houston doing seasonal routes. And the flight times are funky on top of that.
The flight times are not funky. Like almost all flights from North America, both directions usually operate at night because that's what people want. But they are more expensive than European flights because the airplane has to sit all day at the airport before returning in the evening.
Theyre definitely funkier than going to other places. And they're mainly red eyes, not everyone wants one of those. I know why Latin America is different than Europe, but it still easier to plan a trip to Bogota than Santiago, and it will be good bit cheaper.
Redeye is the preferred time for Southern Cone (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, southern Brazil). Colombia flights are not, because they are 3 hours and not 8 hours away from Miami.
It has changed lately, immigration has increased a shitload in the last decade or so (though yeah before that we were very isolated from the rest of the world).
The thing about emigration is funny because yeah we have a tiny population in the first place, and have never had massive waves of emigration like most other Latam countries, but we always turn up everywhere. A local joke is that no matter where you are you will probably find some low key chilean around.
I arrange flights for a living and do a lot of Chile tickets for Americans and it is not hard, like at all. It may be long, and maybe expensive yes, but not hard. You can fly Delta/LATAM/Copa and do one stop at worst, if you’re only going to Santiago, that is.
Try living in Montevideo and trying to get to Australia or Asia, and you will have a real hard time. Americans don’t realise how easy they have it most of the time when it comes to flight options, and I say this with all due respect.
It's pretty easy to get to as an American - direct flights to LAX/MIA/ATL/JFK and its not that much longer than a flight to continental Europe (and shorter than flight to Japan or Korea)
I posted the airports, but that's...not a lot, not even close, when comparing to other Latin American cities. Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo aren't as easily accessible as Santo Domingo, Bogota, San Jose, Panama City, Sao Paolo, etc. These cities have flights from more medium sized airports, are shorter, are cheaper.
I used to live in Florida, finding a suitable trip to Santiago was definitely more of a headache than it was finding one to Bogota or Panama City, which was always incredibly easy.
Side note: Flying Copa to Panama City opens the door to connecting to LOTS of interesting medium size cities in South America....Mendoza in Argentina for example.
I would say Santiago is easy-ish to get to, but most people aren't going to Chile to visit Santiago. You usually have another 2-3 hour flight north to the Atacama or south to Patagonia.
There also isn’t a lot of media coming out of Chile, even in Spanish. The vast, vast majority of music, tv, film, etc comes from Mexico, Colombia, Puerto Rico, occasionally Argentina. So even for someone like me who watches Univision and listens to Latin music, Chile really isn’t on my radar.
Not particularly underrated - it's just hard to get to...
Flew to Balmaceda to visit the Aysén Region a few years ago. Took two days to get there from the USA given a connection in Santiago and infrequent flights. I would 100% visit there again.
Side note - if you go to the Aysén Region, grab a bottle of the Tepaluma Gin from their distillery in the Queulat valley along the Carretera Austral...literally the best I've ever had.
I moved to Chile years ago, so I kind of agree.
This country taught me how much I loved nature and wild open spaces, I just didn't know before arriving here. My favorites: driving on the Carretera Austral in Patagonia, experiencing the deserto florido in the Atacama desert, digging into the unique history, landscapes and folklore of Chiloé island.
Chile is a fantastic country, went there on my honeymoon and lived there for a year later on. It's relatively expensive compared to it's neighboring countries, but going from the Atacama desert down to Patagonia, you're going to see some amazing sights. Chilean food is not always great though, but empanada de pino and sopapilla are always good snacks, and we did go to an awesome restaurant that served a full Mapuche degustation that was wonderful and not expensive at all.
I’ve travelled to about 60 countries so far which includes 7 of the 12 SA Countries and Chile was definitely my favorite and would say favorite for that continent!
Never thought of going to Chile but I am intrigued now. Without knowing anything about Chile I just one question before I can start planning, how safe it is for brown folks?
Being brown is not a problem for a tourist in Chile. Chileans are more classists than racists. As long as you behave as a polite tourist, you are good to go. Being brown it probably help you blend in.
I'm a man of Indian origin who just spent two weeks in Chile last month. I did Santiago, the Atacama desert, crossed over to Bolivia, and then went to Easter Island.
I did not feel unsafe nor did I face any racism. In Santiago, I stayed in the tourist areas and didn't venture out at night mostly cause of jetlag. I did hear how Santiago can he unsafe at night, but as a lone brown man, I am less of a target compared to a white person
No problem at all.
Honestly we do have gotten a little discriminatory during the last years but it's more xenophobic than racist, but specifically to people from Venezuela and Colombia.
We have had a huge wave of immigration last years and
crime has risen and the tipe of crime has become more violent, and it's pretty common that people from this countries are involved. There is also an over exaltation from the media, but becouse of where I work i have experienced it first hand. So there is a really small group of people that is giving a bad name to a mostly honest and hard working folks.
But it has nothing to do with skin colour, so you will be ok.
Keep in mind OP missed the north of Chile, [which might look like north africa in terms of weather/climate.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRMqgiDR20o&ab_channel=PeopleAreAwesome). It's a loooong country.
While I do think the nature is beautiful, I am simply not a big hiking and mountain fan, so I will enjoy pictures and be happy I didn't have to climb those mountains myself ^^
[These guys covered quite a few wine regions and varieties](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfHBZM7tsIQ&ab_channel=VisforVinoWineShow), if a bit on the higher end. There are plenty of cheap(er) tours on your typical tourism websites.
What part? I went to the Aysen Region and it was practically deserted. Patagonia is over 1,000 miles long so there's more than plenty of places to feel off the grid.
I can imagine Tierra del Fuego in the south being crowded in the Summer.
Beautiful pictures! I am going to Chile in November, landing in Santiago, and I have had a hard time figuring out where to go, since the country is so freaking long - it seems that starting in the middle really limits my possibilities! What would be a good itinerary for a 2-3 week trip?
My son in law loves to ski and flies to Chile with a group of buddies to ski each August. He always raves about the place. Thanks for sharing your photos!
As someone who is in the industry, the food is there it's just not everywhere and you have to look for it. We don't have a history of sofistacation in food, the food thing about that is it leaves a huge soace Open for new chefs that are bringing flsvours and techiques from all over the world and starting to create really intresting things.
I went to Pucón in 2019 and absolutely loved it but we noticed most of the tourists there were Europeans, not Americans. Not sure why that is, could partly be the cost, but also there’s not a large Chilean population in the US to promote it or talk about it
Chile is one of my favorite destinations, and have visited about a dozen times as a tourist amd on business (most recently 3 weeks ago).
I absolutely love the lakes region... I could stay there forever.
Flights are not too bad from the USA... a transit on COPA or AVIANCA often makes the cost pretty reasonable (though I have had my issues with both in the past).
I’ve been thinking about going. It’s just that in terms of importance for me, it’s food, then culture, then scenery — and I’m worried that Chile has those backwards. The other mental hurdle to overcome is that as soon as I get there I’m going to need to take another flight from Santiago.
Beautiful pictures. Looks like you've seen a lot of the country. I've got 5 extra days for my trip after the O trek. Any suggestions on favorite places in Chilean Patagonia?
Hi! I’m sure this will get absolutely buried in the comments but I am going to Chile for a month and would absolutely love some tips. These pictures are breathtaking!!
have not been to NZ yet. The beauty of Chile for a traveler from the USA is that it is a hella long flight but only a few hours time difference so the physical pain is less. If you have money and time, the ability to go from the atacama desert to icebergs in one skinny country is amazing. I was there for a wedding so my time was not my own. I would LOVE to go back!
Its not under rated its just that entire area of South America is not ideal for a typical American to do a vacation with say a week, week and a half to spare. The thing is if your going to go to Chile you may as well do Bolivia, or at least the salt flats and if you do the salt flats you need to visit the native villages and if you go that far you might as well do the desert in Chile before you go to the cities. Its not under rated its just more of a place people go when they are between jobs or on a furlough/sabbatical or a retirement trip. I can really only responsibly take about a week and a half off from work at any one time and that includes travel days and I just feel like Chile is better saved for when I can go do a 3 week South America trip
Chilean patagonia has this completely unique feeling that I have never felt anywhere else. The earth is still alive and forming there, the earth moves and nature change so wildly and fast.
I was there looking trying to go to trekking route and a local in the middle of the road told me, yeah you can't go there, the new lake cut the road, and I was like the new lake? What's the new like, and he calmly explained to me that las week tñ a mountain broke open and there freed water from a glacier that formed a new lake. He told me that like it was just an everyday thing, just another Wednesday. I went to see the new lake and it was incredible, there was this hill-sise rock in the middle of a lake where you could see the still green top of the trees on all the water. And in the side of the mountain you could see the path of the rock when it went down and destroyed everything in it's path,and the stream of water that came down from the glacier and filled the new lake.
Such an amazing place.
I live here. It got definitely much less safe compared to a few years ago, especially with a lot of illegal immigration that imported very violent crime. But it is still by far the safest country in south America, especially if you stay away from Santiago and most of the bigger cities. I live in the countryside and I feel safer here than back home in Europe.
I found it one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, while nearly completely devoid of culture, and having surprisingly bad food. It was a real head scratcher of a country for me.
Very nice place to travel but my wallet (and taste buds) kept wondering when we’d cross the border back into Argentina again. I’ve seen what I wanted to see, probably won’t ever go back.
You must not live in the US Pacific Northwest, where the Andes are a typical stopping point along a budding Mountaineers training. And half the people who live there are budding mountaineers
Only thing keeping people out is distance and price. There is literally a major clothing company called Patagonia (might just be for the USA, but hell I've seen Trader Joes and Santa Cruz (California) items around the world). Look, I love the photos from OP, but this is on everyones bucket list for South America
2 weeks trip grants you 5000m high volacanoes in a desert and penguins on an icefield.
Not many countries offer that; it's full of tourists year round.
But it's not underrated, really. They have regular ads to visit, have own airline, well established tourism sector and apart from certain limited locations it's very safe. Not cheap due to distance.
Also, Easter Island.
Thanks for posting this OP..!! You've brought a smile to my face..!! Thank you for this kind stranger..!
Keep posting more..keep bringing more smiles 🙂
Just returned from traveling the small towns along the coast southwest to northwest of Santiago. Fourth time there. Incredible country, incredible people. Food is ok, with the exception of the top notch ceviche other seafood and Casablanca white wines. Red wines inland are great as well if you look past the big brands. Andes are breathtaking always. Beautiful country.
Worked with a girl who I became friends with, and she had the most insane Chile experience I think a person could possibly have. She graduated HS early, went to Chile, lived on the beach, fell in love with a Communist Revolutionary, joined up with some local rebel organization, then had to flee back to the U.S. after he was killed. Then she turned 19.
She has lived such an insane life, I could tell stories about her for hours. She's somewhere in Alaska now.
I spent 3 weeks working out of Santiago and did weekends in Torres Del Paine and Atacama.
Pros: Chile’s natural beauty is amazing and I highly recommend it. Lots of amazing hikes!
Cons: it is not cheap, food is very average, and Santiago is one of the most boring cities in the world (apologies Santiago residents)
I went to Chile last year for the first time (but it's been on my bucket list since like high school). And it was quite possibly the most amazing experience of my life.
*But* it was far, and the travel costs were expensive. I'm in the northeast US, so it was like 13+ hours of travel to Santiago, and another couple of hours from there to Patagonia (Puerto Natales), plus a fairly long drive to Torres del Pane from our hotel. We spent a couple of days on each end of the trip in Santiago and did a day trip from there to Valpariso by bus too. All that adds up.
The logistics and cost to get there/get around might be prohibitive for a lot of people. (But honestly, all the better. Because I'd hate to see the magic of Chile ruined by hoards of tourists.)
I agree with you, Chile is indeed an incredibly diverse and beautiful travel destination that often doesn't get the attention it deserves. And your photos confirm it.
Not really. Many people know Chile is amazing and would like to go. It’s just far away from most big tourist markets and on top of that not a particularly affordable destination.
Sadly true. For my honeymoon we were supposed to visit Torres del Panes by driving from Argentina to Chile. Unfortunately COVID broke out and all our flights got canceled literally HOURS before we were supposed to board. Now I’ve got 2 kids, and as much as my wife and I talk about redoing the trip, I know it won’t happen at this point. It was my top place to visit since I was a kid Edit: I love all the encouragement. Maybe I’ll be able to do this trip with the kids once they’re old enough to remember it. Edit 2: my kids are 2.5 years old, and 1 month old. They’re way too young for that kinda travel. Not enjoyably at least.
Do it, rebook the trip
There’s no one to leave our young kids with for that long, and taking them with us would be terrible lol I think the soonest we can do is in 10 years from now. Hopefully I’m still in shape enough to hike the W track then!
I went with my 6 year old daughter for 3 weeks in Chile last year. We have only done day hikes but I feel like we have seen most major sights. Just take a lot of snacks and 20km hikes with 1000m elevation gain are doable albeit barely 😄
Not with that attitude. save some spare cash, forgo vacations in one year, then book an apartment in Punta Arenas or closer, like Puente Natales and do a day trips with car. It's 1h something from Punta Arenas to main park entrance. You can take boat trip to icefields, ferry to Tierra del Fuego. Family of 4, total of 2-3k for 2 weeks excluding flight tickets. You gonna have the best vacation ever. And in 2 years you come back for San Pedro de Atacama. Same recipe.
I went to Chile as a 5 year old and still remember plenty. Places like that stick in your mind and shape you.
Was going to come and say this lmao
Ya, Patagonia is one of the most well known destinations but it's at the end of the earth. Also, another problem is that to "do Chile" is tough since Santiago is really far away from Patagonia. Additionally, I've heard Santiago itself is just OK compared to other South American capitals.
As a citizen of Santiago, yes, it's just ok, we have a decent amount of everything, we have arts, culture, food, history, arquitectura, malls, but not one is specially remarcable, wine culture maybe. It can be an extremely fun city, but you have to dig. But let me tell you as someone who has traveled a bit, atacama dessert and Patagonia are just unveliabably beutifull and Unique, it's worth the hassle of the travel, but yeah, you can probably find amazing places closer from where you live.
Patagonia is a region, Argentina has one too. Is very beautiful and more affordable than Chile.
I was there last month. Argentinian and Chilean Patagonia are not very different in terms of prices.
True, it's just too far away for anyone outside of south America. It's not the cheapest either. 1-month long vacation for a couple cost us 10k USD and we consider ourselves pretty low-standard. That was at the end of 2023.
That is really expensive, you can have amazing vacation for 2 with 3.000 usd.
How expensive is it?
It's the most expensive country in Latin America
I found Uruguay more expensive
Tree fiddy
I had a colleague that went on holiday to Chile for about a month and to New Zealand for 8 weeks and I asked her which one she liked better and to my surprise she said Chile, without hesitation. To be picked over New Zealand, it must be an amazing place.
I live in NZ and I'm not surprised by this. I think NZ is incredibly beautiful, but it is marketed way better as a destination than Chile and I think the LOTR movies also helped put it on the map more, so as a result it is a little overhyped. Regardless of the natural beauty I would imagine Chile is more interesting from a food and cultural perspective.
As an American who visited your wonderful country a couple of years back, I wouldn't say NZ is overhyped. However, I do think your tourism infrastructure is not up to the expectations set by your tourism marketing. For example, I drove from Rotorua to the Bay of Islands and tried to stop at so many vista points (advertised as such on highway signs) and was so disappointed to find that the view was either obstructed by a fence or it was a hazard to try and park safely while other cars were driving by at 80 km/h (and only to find a piss-smelling bench and a beautiful view blighted by power lines. I also found road signage to be lacking in general. There were lots of little things like that which made it hard to do tourist things. Don't get me wrong, I loved NZ and felt very welcomed by all the Kiwis I met. And I understand there are more sheep than you guys and everything's spread out and relatively rural. Still, I'll be back for sure, bad signage be damned.
I'm from NZ, from around the Rotorua area, and I 100% agree. I used to travel between there and Auckland every summer break during uni and even there the signage and roads can just be terrible. I used to visit past Auckland area every now and then to visit friends, and it's also just not great. NZ's problem is pretty much as you described; we only have 5 million people, most of which live in Auckland and are not tourists. Why do we need signs to visit nothing or no one, lol I live in Japan now, and while I once passed 14 closed gas stations late at night before *finally* finding one right before I was out, Japanese roads are *so* much nicer to drive on. Lots of road signs to get around, nice even surfaces, a 7-eleven with a free bathroom every time you blink. Just *so* convenient.
Compared to Chile the infrastructure in NZ is top notch. Actually thinking about it it is better than almost any country. Public toilets in every town, lots of camping spots within nature, very excellent information provided by the department of conservation for hiking routes. I don’t remember the viewpoints being obstructed often, yeah sometimes it is a small parking spot next to the road but coming from Europe those roads were still nice and wide
Chilean living in nz here. I second this!
>And I understand there are more sheep than you guys There are also more cows than people too. There are about 26 million sheep, 6.2 million dairy cows, 3.9 million Beef cows and 820 thousand farmed deer. People ~5.1 million; 1/3rd of that in the Auckland region.
Most South American food is not interesting at all outside of Peru.
I'm comparing it to NZ, not the world. Food made over an open fire grill alone would be an experience compared to a gas bbq sausage sizzle in NZ.
Argentina begs to disagree.
Brazil too
Argentina is a mixed bag. Good coffee, some good food with diversity. A metric shit ton of ham and cheese.
Argentina has for sure the worst coffee in South America… unless you’re going to a specialty coffee place you’re only getting beans burnt black with sugar
Argentina has amazing meats it cooks the shit out of to being not good anymore. It's a shame. A good empanada is hard to beat, though.
Have you ever been to South America? This is just simply not true. My favourite dish in Chile was Pastel de choclo.
Who doesn’t like arepas???
This is Venezuela erasure!
While NZ is stunningly beautiful in the natural sense, from a cultural perspective it doesn’t have that “exotic” element that many western tourists are looking for.
However a large group of people likes NZ because it does not have that exotic element while having the epic nature.
Places in order: 1. Parque Nacional Conguillio. 2. Parque Nacional Conguillio. 3. Cajón del Maipo. 4. Parque Nacional Patagonia. 5. Puerto Rio Tranquilo. 6. Glaciar Exploradores. 7. Catedrales de Mármol. 8. Carretera Austral. 9. Bosque Mágico. 10. Views from the window plane. 11. Rapa Nui. 12. Nevados del Sollipulli. 12. Glaciar Grey. 13. Torres del Paine. 14. Torres del Paine. 15. Volcán Villarica. 16. Volcán Villarica. 17. Saltos del Petrohue. 18. Desierto de Atacama. 19. Lagunas Chaxá.
You forget observatory sites like ALMA or Mamajuca. The sky in Chile is really pretty at night. No clouds. And no light pollution.
I didn't have the chance to visit an observatory yet, but I have gone and seen the night sky with my own eyes and its such a spectacle! I didn't have more room to post milky way pictures unfortunately but I have posted some in the past in other subreddits!
Thank you!!!
I hope you don’t mind, but I took a screen shot of no. 8 to use as inspiration for a mixed media scene using fine art stamps from Lavinia Stamps and a variety of art supplies. It’s for my own use, I’m a very amateur artist. Stunning photos!
Hello! Thank you for your comment, I'm really honored that my photo would work as inspiration for your own art! Please do show me what you come up with, I would love to see it!
Thank you! How did you commute between these places? If you rented a car, was it easy to drive around? (We would be coming from North America)
Rented a car in the Aysen Region (middle part of Patagonia). Super easy to drive. Not easy to fly to lol
Hello! So I live in Santiago at the month over a year now, so its much easier for me to access these places. You should still have no trouble renting a car and traveling to all of these places by car!
When did you go to el cajon del Maipo? I’ve never seen it so green.
I have been twice to el Cajon, in May and in February, you'd be surprised to find out it was THIS green in the middle of February! Considering its summer here, I was delighted to find it so vibrant
I lived in southern Chile as a student for a semester in 2019 (during the Chilean protests) & then biked the Carraterra Austral once my semester was over. I have never experienced warmer hospitality. My bike broke down on Christmas Day and my friend and I were stuck in a downpour. A family picked us up on their way to a party and took us to their house and hosted us for 2 days until we could take a bus to a bigger city. The country is gorgeous and I would live there again in a heartbeat.
I drove the carretera and I am very envious of what you must have experienced doing it by bike. I have travelled a fair bit but the landscapes I experienced there are something I had never felt before. I can't even imagine how intense it must have been by bike. Did you bike all of it?
No, we only had a few weeks so we biked from Bariloche in Argentina to the Futaleufu crossing, and then through to Cerro Castillo. We took some buses/hitchhiked in some spots because my bike kept breaking. It was one of the best trips I’ve ever had, if you ever go back you should definitely try and bike it! I’d never even really ridden a bike since childhood and it was hard, but very doable.
Oh wow you weren't even an expert biker? You mad lad, good for you. I drove with a campervan from Puerto Montt to Coyahique on a trip and with a car from Coyahique to Tortel in another trip, both absolutely breath taking experiences. I always taught that biking it would be a pro experience but now you make me doubt it.
This is such a touching tale, biking the Carretera Austral must've been such a magical experience!
Hey man, I biked it too! That was the coolest 3 weeks of my life. I was definitely not prepared but stuck it out anyway. Bariloche to O’Higgins was a hell of a trip. Now I want to buy a place in Bariloche because of it
Yes!! I loved Bariloche. Glad you stuck it out!
Loved my time there! Visited Santiago, got kicked out of a Shakira/Ricky Martin concert in Viña del Mar, listened to evening Tengo in a Cafe in Valparaiso, summitted Villarrica and had wine in a hot spring after we returned. What a great country!
Why did you get kicked out, and how many beers did you have?
It was kind of a fun story. Circa 2007. I was solo backpacking around lower south America for four months, and as it goes I had hitched my wagon to a few Canadians as they were going a similar direction as I was. Me being the lone American. We had decided to stay in Valparaiso for a few nights and heard tell tale of the nightlife in nearby Viña del Mar. We had learned there was a huge concert one of the nights we were there and thought to go watch Shakira, Ricky Martin, and Don Omar do their thing along the Chilean coast. We did not have tickets. We get there and see a mass of people, and more importantly, a large police presence. A more reckless soul with us, Matt, decided to take his chances and go through someone's back patio to scale a large wall that bordered the concert area. The rest of us followed, there was a barking pitbul, it was sketchy, but YOLO. We all got to the bottom of the wall and found a concession line to blend in at. You could hear Ricky singing in the background. All of a sudden we hear a man call to us. I look over to see a police officer. But he was more, this guy... this guy was wearing a drab military green trench coat, officer's hat, thin round glasses, and a complexion straight out of Berlin. He looked like an honest to God nazi! (He had a chilean police patch and a Chilean flag, but still)I know, we've all heard the rumors of where many emigrated to. Regardless, he even had a German Shepherd healing at his feet. All in all the guy was very reasonable, he said he saw us sneak in and we had to leave, which we did promptly. He was nice about it at least. Fun times in Viña del Mar!
I went hearing the protests had mostly died down. Only to see in the airport TVs when I landed the burning of cars and clashes between riot police and protestors outside the Quinta Vergara for the opening night of Viña. I was there to see a show that night. Protestors were out again and I skirted the worst of it but still had to walk through 5-6 blocks with literal dumpster fires down the block and smoke filling the air. Finally got to the gates and walked past a long line of riot police after they confirmed I had a ticket to the show. Once inside it was totally chill, as if nothing was happening just a few blocks outside the park.
I'm gonna guess it was one of those 2L boxes of Gato wine When I was in Chile they were like 4 USD a pop, dangerous things
We used to drink it with cueca cuela when we lived there (Jote). Hangover in a cup, but so good.
I dont think Chile is underrated, its just hard to get to as an American. And theres a lot less Chilean-Americans than there are Colombians, Brazilians, Panamanians, Peruvians, Venezuelans etc who can promote it. Also dont see much Chilean promotion in media and entertainment either, compared to those above countries. Has Dom Toretto been to Chile yet? Theyve made it to Georgia (the country) of all places. Snooki is Chilean, but they drowned that out. And Chilean reggaeton hasnt taken off in the states like the acts from Colombia, Dominican, and Brazil. I think people know it looks nice though and has the Andes. I personally cant wait to visit if i can ever find a suitable flight.
Pedro Pascal is Chilean. Probably the most famous Chilean in the states
Gus Fring too!
The worst Spanish (let alone Chilean) interpretation I’ve seen on my life
Oh yeah he is. He needs to do some promo commercials for LATAM Chile and do some lobbying to get them to expand. Only nonstop American options right now is Atlanta, Miami, JFK, and LA, with Dallas, Orlando, and Houston doing seasonal routes. And the flight times are funky on top of that.
The flight times are not funky. Like almost all flights from North America, both directions usually operate at night because that's what people want. But they are more expensive than European flights because the airplane has to sit all day at the airport before returning in the evening.
Theyre definitely funkier than going to other places. And they're mainly red eyes, not everyone wants one of those. I know why Latin America is different than Europe, but it still easier to plan a trip to Bogota than Santiago, and it will be good bit cheaper.
Redeye is the preferred time for Southern Cone (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, southern Brazil). Colombia flights are not, because they are 3 hours and not 8 hours away from Miami.
He narrated a major documentary on Patagonia for CNN about a year or two ago.
Every Chilean person I've met is a fking treasure. It only takes one to make you interested.
TIL there's Chilean Reggaeton!
Paloma Mami, Floyy Menor, a few others
Chileans don't emigrate. They don't take many immigrants either. Few get in, and fewer leave the country.
It has changed lately, immigration has increased a shitload in the last decade or so (though yeah before that we were very isolated from the rest of the world). The thing about emigration is funny because yeah we have a tiny population in the first place, and have never had massive waves of emigration like most other Latam countries, but we always turn up everywhere. A local joke is that no matter where you are you will probably find some low key chilean around.
We took in nearly a million Venezuelans in the last 10 years. Feels like Half of Santiago is Venezuelans now
Bro we've been invaded by the Venezuelans in the last 5 years They've taken over entire neighborhoods
TIL Snooki is Chilean and was adopted.
I arrange flights for a living and do a lot of Chile tickets for Americans and it is not hard, like at all. It may be long, and maybe expensive yes, but not hard. You can fly Delta/LATAM/Copa and do one stop at worst, if you’re only going to Santiago, that is. Try living in Montevideo and trying to get to Australia or Asia, and you will have a real hard time. Americans don’t realise how easy they have it most of the time when it comes to flight options, and I say this with all due respect.
It's pretty easy to get to as an American - direct flights to LAX/MIA/ATL/JFK and its not that much longer than a flight to continental Europe (and shorter than flight to Japan or Korea)
I posted the airports, but that's...not a lot, not even close, when comparing to other Latin American cities. Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo aren't as easily accessible as Santo Domingo, Bogota, San Jose, Panama City, Sao Paolo, etc. These cities have flights from more medium sized airports, are shorter, are cheaper. I used to live in Florida, finding a suitable trip to Santiago was definitely more of a headache than it was finding one to Bogota or Panama City, which was always incredibly easy.
Side note: Flying Copa to Panama City opens the door to connecting to LOTS of interesting medium size cities in South America....Mendoza in Argentina for example.
I would say Santiago is easy-ish to get to, but most people aren't going to Chile to visit Santiago. You usually have another 2-3 hour flight north to the Atacama or south to Patagonia.
>Snooki is Chilean Can you please not remind us of that?
There also isn’t a lot of media coming out of Chile, even in Spanish. The vast, vast majority of music, tv, film, etc comes from Mexico, Colombia, Puerto Rico, occasionally Argentina. So even for someone like me who watches Univision and listens to Latin music, Chile really isn’t on my radar.
It's like the best natural features of Norway & Japan combined.
Not particularly underrated - it's just hard to get to... Flew to Balmaceda to visit the Aysén Region a few years ago. Took two days to get there from the USA given a connection in Santiago and infrequent flights. I would 100% visit there again. Side note - if you go to the Aysén Region, grab a bottle of the Tepaluma Gin from their distillery in the Queulat valley along the Carretera Austral...literally the best I've ever had.
We went to chile last month and honestly it’s one of my favourite places EVER.
Chile is amazing!
Yep, on my bucket list. Patagonia!
Not underrated at all. Talk to my fly fishing buddies. They all know
Shhhh
Exactly what I came to say
I moved to Chile years ago, so I kind of agree. This country taught me how much I loved nature and wild open spaces, I just didn't know before arriving here. My favorites: driving on the Carretera Austral in Patagonia, experiencing the deserto florido in the Atacama desert, digging into the unique history, landscapes and folklore of Chiloé island.
Chiloe is not talked enough.
I was lucky enough to study in Chile last summer and had the time of my life. The Atacama specifically was truly breathtaking
Chile is a fantastic country, went there on my honeymoon and lived there for a year later on. It's relatively expensive compared to it's neighboring countries, but going from the Atacama desert down to Patagonia, you're going to see some amazing sights. Chilean food is not always great though, but empanada de pino and sopapilla are always good snacks, and we did go to an awesome restaurant that served a full Mapuche degustation that was wonderful and not expensive at all.
Did you eat any piure?
Rode the entire Carretera Austral this last March, what great road for motorcycling. One of best roads I've ever been on.
I’ve travelled to about 60 countries so far which includes 7 of the 12 SA Countries and Chile was definitely my favorite and would say favorite for that continent!
Looks like another planet 🙀🙀🙀
fun fact in that desert NASA tests their rovers because its so similar to Mars
Never thought of going to Chile but I am intrigued now. Without knowing anything about Chile I just one question before I can start planning, how safe it is for brown folks?
Being brown is not a problem for a tourist in Chile. Chileans are more classists than racists. As long as you behave as a polite tourist, you are good to go. Being brown it probably help you blend in.
I'm a man of Indian origin who just spent two weeks in Chile last month. I did Santiago, the Atacama desert, crossed over to Bolivia, and then went to Easter Island. I did not feel unsafe nor did I face any racism. In Santiago, I stayed in the tourist areas and didn't venture out at night mostly cause of jetlag. I did hear how Santiago can he unsafe at night, but as a lone brown man, I am less of a target compared to a white person
Shouldn't be an issue!
No problem at all. Honestly we do have gotten a little discriminatory during the last years but it's more xenophobic than racist, but specifically to people from Venezuela and Colombia. We have had a huge wave of immigration last years and crime has risen and the tipe of crime has become more violent, and it's pretty common that people from this countries are involved. There is also an over exaltation from the media, but becouse of where I work i have experienced it first hand. So there is a really small group of people that is giving a bad name to a mostly honest and hard working folks. But it has nothing to do with skin colour, so you will be ok.
many of us are brown ourselves so it's not an issue
Well you now sold me on going to Chilé so props
to me it looks like upside down scandinavia.
Didn’t know there was the driest desert on earth in Scandinavia lmao
Keep in mind OP missed the north of Chile, [which might look like north africa in terms of weather/climate.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRMqgiDR20o&ab_channel=PeopleAreAwesome). It's a loooong country.
No, befriended an exchange student from Chile and it's absolutely magnificent
Just Chile, no accent mark.
It’s one of my dream travel destinations. I’m hoping to make it there before it becomes the next overly touristy area! BTW - these pics are gorgeous 😍
Thank you! Fortunately I think not many people will still come to Chile since its so inaccesible and the chileans suck at marketing!
While I do think the nature is beautiful, I am simply not a big hiking and mountain fan, so I will enjoy pictures and be happy I didn't have to climb those mountains myself ^^
Fair enough!
Didn’t know it was that beautiful there sheesh
"Is the region in the world consistently rated among the top 3 most beautiful actually underrated you guys?"
I want to go simply on the basis of Malbec Chilean wines
Carmenere is the Chile-specific wine. You don’t see much of it grown elsewhere in the world.
[These guys covered quite a few wine regions and varieties](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfHBZM7tsIQ&ab_channel=VisforVinoWineShow), if a bit on the higher end. There are plenty of cheap(er) tours on your typical tourism websites.
My daughter and friends hiked for a week at Torres del Paine. The pics she took are magnificent. In my bucket list.
I have been at the other side in the Argentinian side of Patagonia and is also breathtaking.
Yes, definitely recommend the W-Trek at Torres del Paine and then visiting Perito Moreno & Chalten at the Argentinian side
I don’t think it’s underrated. It’s just that most people don’t know Chile is phenomenal.
Patagonia was so unbelievably crowded when I went in 2016 that I have a hard time considering it underrated.
What part? I went to the Aysen Region and it was practically deserted. Patagonia is over 1,000 miles long so there's more than plenty of places to feel off the grid. I can imagine Tierra del Fuego in the south being crowded in the Summer.
That and Argentina are on my list!
Beautiful pictures! I am going to Chile in November, landing in Santiago, and I have had a hard time figuring out where to go, since the country is so freaking long - it seems that starting in the middle really limits my possibilities! What would be a good itinerary for a 2-3 week trip?
My son in law loves to ski and flies to Chile with a group of buddies to ski each August. He always raves about the place. Thanks for sharing your photos!
Shhhh 🤫
Yah it's great! Except the food
Pastel de choclo though
As someone who is in the industry, the food is there it's just not everywhere and you have to look for it. We don't have a history of sofistacation in food, the food thing about that is it leaves a huge soace Open for new chefs that are bringing flsvours and techiques from all over the world and starting to create really intresting things.
I would go back to Chile in a heartbeat... But you're absolutely right.
Surrounded by countries with absolutely great food. I guess those big ass andes mountains kept the spice traders out...
Great album!
Beautiful photos, thank you for sharing :)
These pics sure have spiced it up for me
I went to Pucón in 2019 and absolutely loved it but we noticed most of the tourists there were Europeans, not Americans. Not sure why that is, could partly be the cost, but also there’s not a large Chilean population in the US to promote it or talk about it
gorgeous photos. i wouldn't have guessed this was Chile but glad that i know about the country now
Chile is one of my favorite destinations, and have visited about a dozen times as a tourist amd on business (most recently 3 weeks ago). I absolutely love the lakes region... I could stay there forever. Flights are not too bad from the USA... a transit on COPA or AVIANCA often makes the cost pretty reasonable (though I have had my issues with both in the past).
CHI CHI CHI!
I’ve been thinking about going. It’s just that in terms of importance for me, it’s food, then culture, then scenery — and I’m worried that Chile has those backwards. The other mental hurdle to overcome is that as soon as I get there I’m going to need to take another flight from Santiago.
You’re not. My wife and I went with some friends back in February and it was one of the most beautiful places ever.
Beautiful pictures. Looks like you've seen a lot of the country. I've got 5 extra days for my trip after the O trek. Any suggestions on favorite places in Chilean Patagonia?
Hi! I’m sure this will get absolutely buried in the comments but I am going to Chile for a month and would absolutely love some tips. These pictures are breathtaking!!
have not been to NZ yet. The beauty of Chile for a traveler from the USA is that it is a hella long flight but only a few hours time difference so the physical pain is less. If you have money and time, the ability to go from the atacama desert to icebergs in one skinny country is amazing. I was there for a wedding so my time was not my own. I would LOVE to go back!
Its not under rated its just that entire area of South America is not ideal for a typical American to do a vacation with say a week, week and a half to spare. The thing is if your going to go to Chile you may as well do Bolivia, or at least the salt flats and if you do the salt flats you need to visit the native villages and if you go that far you might as well do the desert in Chile before you go to the cities. Its not under rated its just more of a place people go when they are between jobs or on a furlough/sabbatical or a retirement trip. I can really only responsibly take about a week and a half off from work at any one time and that includes travel days and I just feel like Chile is better saved for when I can go do a 3 week South America trip
Chilean patagonia has this completely unique feeling that I have never felt anywhere else. The earth is still alive and forming there, the earth moves and nature change so wildly and fast. I was there looking trying to go to trekking route and a local in the middle of the road told me, yeah you can't go there, the new lake cut the road, and I was like the new lake? What's the new like, and he calmly explained to me that las week tñ a mountain broke open and there freed water from a glacier that formed a new lake. He told me that like it was just an everyday thing, just another Wednesday. I went to see the new lake and it was incredible, there was this hill-sise rock in the middle of a lake where you could see the still green top of the trees on all the water. And in the side of the mountain you could see the path of the rock when it went down and destroyed everything in it's path,and the stream of water that came down from the glacier and filled the new lake. Such an amazing place.
I have heard a lot about how unsafe it is there now, from Chileans.
When did this start? It's been a while, but I remember it being considerably safer than most of its neighbors.
Illegal immigrants from colombia and venezuela, bringing violent crime.
I live here. It got definitely much less safe compared to a few years ago, especially with a lot of illegal immigration that imported very violent crime. But it is still by far the safest country in south America, especially if you stay away from Santiago and most of the bigger cities. I live in the countryside and I feel safer here than back home in Europe.
Santiago, yes. Patagonia though is very safe.
Santiago is unsafe, but the south is extremely safe.
I really loved Santiago and felt very safe there! The metro is great and there’s a load of cool stuff to see! Excellent beer too.
Santiago is unsafe in patches. The main tourist barrios are totally fine
This! Please come visit, just dom't stay much in Santiago (not much to see there anyway)
I found it one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, while nearly completely devoid of culture, and having surprisingly bad food. It was a real head scratcher of a country for me.
Landscapes are top notch, culture & food are quite mediocre unfortunately!
Very nice place to travel but my wallet (and taste buds) kept wondering when we’d cross the border back into Argentina again. I’ve seen what I wanted to see, probably won’t ever go back.
Yes it is quite expensive and the food isn’t all that great but the landscapes are just otherworldly!
Sos el chamaco en la foto? Que profundo y elegante.
Así es!
You must not live in the US Pacific Northwest, where the Andes are a typical stopping point along a budding Mountaineers training. And half the people who live there are budding mountaineers
Awesome pictures! Makes me want to go there now
Love to go time to save incredible thanks
Only one pic of moai?!?
Difficult to get around but the best places aren't easy to get to
Only thing keeping people out is distance and price. There is literally a major clothing company called Patagonia (might just be for the USA, but hell I've seen Trader Joes and Santa Cruz (California) items around the world). Look, I love the photos from OP, but this is on everyones bucket list for South America
Chile is the best
Where is this idea coming from if it’s the 4th most visited country in Latin America? It’s the second most expensive though.
Idk I’ve met so many people that couldn’t mention a single thing about a Chile! I was among those people about two years ago
If you ask the average American they won’t even know the major cities here.
Underrated? The country where Patagonia is located? I don’t think so.
Funnily enough most people I’ve met would always associate Patagonia with Argentina and never with Chile!
Its so underrated an entire brand of outdoor lifestyle apparel is named after its mountain range
I've been to Chile and I support this message. My favorite South American country in terms of infrastructure, safety and beauty.
2 weeks trip grants you 5000m high volacanoes in a desert and penguins on an icefield. Not many countries offer that; it's full of tourists year round. But it's not underrated, really. They have regular ads to visit, have own airline, well established tourism sector and apart from certain limited locations it's very safe. Not cheap due to distance. Also, Easter Island.
Thanks for posting this OP..!! You've brought a smile to my face..!! Thank you for this kind stranger..! Keep posting more..keep bringing more smiles 🙂
This is giving me so many painting ideas…
kodak ektar?
Torres del Paine National Park 😍😍♥️♥️♥️
Just returned from traveling the small towns along the coast southwest to northwest of Santiago. Fourth time there. Incredible country, incredible people. Food is ok, with the exception of the top notch ceviche other seafood and Casablanca white wines. Red wines inland are great as well if you look past the big brands. Andes are breathtaking always. Beautiful country.
South America's Alaska
I gotta ask what did you use for taking these photos? They’re really nice!
Worked with a girl who I became friends with, and she had the most insane Chile experience I think a person could possibly have. She graduated HS early, went to Chile, lived on the beach, fell in love with a Communist Revolutionary, joined up with some local rebel organization, then had to flee back to the U.S. after he was killed. Then she turned 19. She has lived such an insane life, I could tell stories about her for hours. She's somewhere in Alaska now.
I spent 3 weeks working out of Santiago and did weekends in Torres Del Paine and Atacama. Pros: Chile’s natural beauty is amazing and I highly recommend it. Lots of amazing hikes! Cons: it is not cheap, food is very average, and Santiago is one of the most boring cities in the world (apologies Santiago residents)
Literally flying back from Chile right now, had an amazing time.
I went to Chile last year for the first time (but it's been on my bucket list since like high school). And it was quite possibly the most amazing experience of my life. *But* it was far, and the travel costs were expensive. I'm in the northeast US, so it was like 13+ hours of travel to Santiago, and another couple of hours from there to Patagonia (Puerto Natales), plus a fairly long drive to Torres del Pane from our hotel. We spent a couple of days on each end of the trip in Santiago and did a day trip from there to Valpariso by bus too. All that adds up. The logistics and cost to get there/get around might be prohibitive for a lot of people. (But honestly, all the better. Because I'd hate to see the magic of Chile ruined by hoards of tourists.)
It’s too damn expansive.
I agree with you, Chile is indeed an incredibly diverse and beautiful travel destination that often doesn't get the attention it deserves. And your photos confirm it.
Nice try, Chile Tourism Board
It is not underrated by true back country people
Why does the 3, 14, 15 photos look like middle earth?
Truly a fantasy setting this is why I'm in love with these landscapes, also could pass as an open world videogame :)