Torres del Paine from behind the Towers

Patagonia travel triggers visions and feelings of extreme adventure for trekkers around the world.  You’ve seen the pictures on-line and you’ve heard stories about the unpredictable weather, vast glaciers, snow capped Andes mountains and the dramatic reward of hiking in Patagonia.  Are you ready to hike one of the most renowned treks in the world?  Torres del Paine National Park will satisfy that adventure craving.  We share our experience hiking in Patagonia through the Torres del Paine circuit in southern Chile.

A Guide for Hiking in Patagonia

This is a lot of useful information for hiking Torres del Paine, so we have broken up the guide into a series of posts. Be sure to check them all out.

When to Go

In Patagonia, the weather is extremely unpredictable and for most of the year unbearable to hike due to high winds, below freezing temperatures and ice.  The park remains open all year, but unless you are an experienced adventurer with ice hiking skills, you will most likely want to hike in the Summer (Nov-Mar).

High winds blow Aracely's jacket over her head while hiking Torres del Paine

Summer (Nov-Mar) is the peak season for trekking in Torres del Paine National Park, which creates over crowded campsites and trails. It’s warmest in the Summer, averaging 11ºC/ 52ºF, but the Patagonia weather still remains unpredictable with possibilities of rain, snow and high winds, which can disrupt your most anticipated trip to Torres del Paine. Low hanging clouds around the towers and dense fog can also hide the great Patagonia views of amazing landscapes and the three towers.

We arrived to Torres del Paine in mid-March when the crowds had dissipated and the weather is supposedly most stable. I admit, we got very lucky with the weather. Our trek began with 2 days of cold rain and below freezing nights. As the days progressed, the weather improved with sunny warm days and clear skies. As we descended the towers at the end of our 9-day full circuit trek, the clouds moved in, the winds picked up and the rain began. We highly encourage that you pick the time of year carefully.

Torres del Paine Towers at Sunrise

What To Bring

Since we were traveling for a full year when we planned our Patagonia hike, we didn’t have tents, sleeping bags or a camping stove.  We rented all of our equipment from Glacier de la Patagonia in Puerto Natales. They have good quality equipment all from the same manufacturer, Doite. If you are flying down to Patagonia specifically for hiking, bring your own gear from home. The quality of your gear will most likely be better and you will be saving money. Make sure your tent can withstand Patagonia winds and rain.

Hiking over the John Garner Pass on the backside of the full circuit

Sleeping bag

This is Patagonia, it is cold. We opted for the -10 degree Celsius by Doite and we still felt cold on a few nights.

Sleeping Pad

The ground is hard and cold, don’t skimp on the sleeping pad. The ones we rented weren’t very thick. Consider renting 2 if they appear thin and worn.

Tent

We rented a Himalaya Doite Tent which was the smaller one of the two that Glacier de la Patagonia offered.  Another afterthought, we should have opted for the larger tent for more comfort and little additional weight.

Warming food in the rain by our Doite tent in Torres del Paine

Cooking Stove and Pots

Keep it light. One pot and one spoon is enough for 1 person. Be sure to have a multipurpose knife. You can’t fly with the fuel needed to light your stove, but there are many places here to buy them.

Making Tea while Hiking Torres del Paine in Patagonia

Food

This was our biggest mistake. We didn’t bring enough and therefore had to buy some along the way which was very expensive. Even with end of season discounts, the food prices were jacked up.

Water is available from streams in Torres del Paine National Park

Several of the campsites have items to sell such as camping food, snacks, wine and beer. You will be hiking 6-8 hours daily and our bodies require fuel. Identify ways to keep the food weight to a minimum, but make sure you’re getting enough calories and replenishing your energy sources. You can drink water from small streams that cascade down the mountains.

The Best Lunch Picnic in Torres del Paine Patagonia

Clothing

Dress warm and avoid the cotton underwear and shirt. You will be sweating a lot and with few showers those cottons clothes will quickly stink. It will be freezing at night and either freezing during the day, or sunny and clear skies. Just focus on layers instead of big thick jackets that take up too much room. Layers are always recommended for easy taking off and putting on of clothes. Boots are absolutely necessary. We hiked on rocks, through mud and in snow at times. Pack a wind and rain breaker and hats and gloves.

Hiking Torres del Paine National Park in Chile

Other Gear

Walking sticks are optional, but we decided to rent them. I felt as though it was a good decision, but they aren’t absolutely necessary. Bring head lamps or torches, and rope for hanging wet clothes and food in the woods. If you don’t hang your food or secure it incredibly well, mice will get into it. Also bring sunglasses, sunscreen, a map of the park and toilet paper! In the winter the gear completely changes and I am not an expert in in extreme conditions, sorry.

Reading the Maps for Torres del Paine Patagonia

How to Get There

You can fly there, bus it or take the adventurous Navimag vessel through southern Chile’s islands.

The office at the entrance to Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia

You can access Torres del Paine National Park from the gateway town of Puerto Natales. Puerto Natales provides hostels, hotels, restaurants, shopping and anything else you might need for your trek. If you plan to go during high season, be sure to book your hostel ahead of time.

Flights arrive to Punta Arenas, usually with a stopover in Puerto Montt, which lies on the Straights of Magellan. From Punta Arenas you will bus it 3 hours north to Puerto Natales.

You can bus it from Santiago, Chile, but it’s a very long 3100 km trip. If you are visiting Puerto Montt you can also fly to Punta Arenas or bus it to Puerto Natales.

In order to arrive at the entrance of Torres del Paine, catch a bus early in the morning from Puerto Natales. It’s 115 kilometers away and gates open at 8:30am

More Torres del Paine Hiking information to come!

Trapped Smog Over Santiago, Chile

Santiago Chile is the captial and largest city in Chile. Located in the center of the vast country, it’s also known for it’s smog.

Thermal inversion (a meteorological phenomenon whereby a stable layer of warm air holds down colder air close to the ground) causes high levels of smog and air pollution to be trapped and concentrate within the Central Valley during winter months. In the 1990s air pollution fell by about one-third, but there has been little progress since 2000. – Wikipedia

The Church at Parinacota in Northern Chile, Tarapacá Region

This photo was taken during our 3-day 4×4 road trip through Northern Chile’s Altiplano.

“The church was built in the 17th century in the form of a central nave with two side chapels. The walls are made of stone and clay and are supported by exterior arches of stones without mortar. The floor is made of bricks with a central band of stones. Originally there was no choir. A choir without railing was built later on whereas one of the most interesting frescoes of the area, the “Last Judgment” was destroyed. The atrium is surrounded by a clay wall on which are situated several figures made of red stone: A bishop, lilies, phalli and others. The square tower was rebuilt in 1789 and painted with white lime.

Noteworthy are the frescoes in the interior which were painted in water colors by Indians in the Andean baroque of the 17th century. The “Last Judgment” suggests that only women were condemned. The archangel St. Michael weighs a nude woman on a scale and there are trails to get to the purgatory, over clouds to heaven as well as stairs to the mouth of a dragon which leads to hell, where there are several torture instruments. The condemned women walk or are dragged by the hair or are ridden by demons. One of them leads the helpers of evil with a broad smile, not knowing what is expecting her.” – Wikipedia

Puerto natales 1 371 by Adriuu, on Flickr

If you are planning to travel patagonia and visit Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, you will inevitably arrive to Puerto Natales.  Lying next to the cloudy turquoise glacier shores of Seno Ultima Esperanza, extreme wind conditions are common.  It’s a small town with most buildings only a single story with the main street clearly more developed and groomed than the less traveled side streets.  Like many of the towns visited in Patagonia, they have become entirely dependent on tourism, from the backpacker to tour groups of retirees.  Towns centered on tourism mean you will typically find a modern super market, plenty of adventure rental equipment, touristy restaurants and unlimited lodging.

Puerto Natales by darobin, on Flickr

If you are looking for traditions and off the beaten path villages, you won’t find it here, however Puerto Natales has a relaxing charm, with German influence,  that suits the Patagonia landscape well.  And most importantly, Germans make good beer.

Adventure Gear

Most streets are lined with hostels and tour agencies.  If you plan to hike Torres del Paine on your own, you may only need to rent equipment, visit the super market and purchase a bus ride to the park’s entrance.  With new businesses opening often in Puerto Natales, it is best to ask others in your hostel where they rented equipment.  Doite is the most common brand of outdoor equipment offered by outfitters in town.  In comparison to Cusco, Peru, Patagonia outfitters offer much higher quality equipment.  Several hostels offer equipment rental, but be sure to shop around first, prices will vary.

Puerto Natales offers more than a visit or trek to the three towers.  Ice climbing, mountain biking, kayaking and fly fishing are all popular activities that can be booked in town.

Austral Calafate Ale Patagonia Beer

After a long trek in Torres del Paine, be sure to spoil yourself with some cheer and wonderful food from the many choices of restaurants.  We preferred the Austral Calafate Ale, a berry (Calafate) flavored brew and a delicious seafood bowl for dinner.

Read about Hiking Torres del Paine

Budget Travel Tips

Save money by seeking out dorm hostels for $5,000 pesos a night.  We scored this rate by visiting Nancy’s Hostel and staying in their adjacent building with no sign.  The hostel had a warm shower and kitchen, but no refrigerator.  They will still allow you to visit the main hostel, Nancy’s, for wifi, cooking and to keep your food cool.  It is also possible to hitch hike your ride to the park’s entrance, saving $10,000 pesos.

Salar de Surire Natural Monument is a Chilean Natural Monument located in the Andes, in the Arica and Parinacota Region.  It consists mainly of a salt flat and a number of small salt lakes, sheltering several Andean species of wildlife and plants. Arintica volcano towers over the salt flat.

The protected area, along with Lauca National Park and Las Vicuñas National Reserve, were designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1981, which is called Lauca. – Wikipedia

Read about our 3-day adventure road trip.

Flamingos flying Over the Salar de Surire (Salt Flat) Natural Monument in Chile

Northern Chile’s Altiplano is filled with varying landscapes including snow capped volcanoes, desert mountains, small adobe villages, salt flats, flamingos, vicuñas and pre-Inca ruins.  Arica will serve as your base camp for settling into the new country and planning your exploratory 4×4 road trip.

Read about our 3-day adventure road trip.

Reserva National Las Vicuñas, is south of Parque Nacional Lauca in the southeastern most point of the Arica and Parinacota Region.  Here you will find Monumento Natural Salar de Surire, a salt flat which lies furthest from Arica.

Reserva National Las Vicuñas in Northern Chile

Monumento Natural Salar de Surire

Entering Northern Chile from Peru will most likely lead you to the coastal town of Arica.  Check out our article on discovering Arica to find out what adventure lies there, but for this article we are jumping right into Northern Chile’s great Altiplano!

Road Trip

Driving from Arica Chile to Putre on Day 1 of our 4x4 Road Trip

Northern Chile’s Altiplano is filled with varying landscapes including snow capped volcanoes, desert mountains, small adobe villages, salt flats, flamingos, vicuñas and pre-Inca ruins.  Arica will serve as your base camp for settling into the new country and planning your exploratory road trip.  Several vehicle rental companies exist in town with 4×4 vehicles.  Between the cost of your rental truck and all the gas you have to purchase, this adventure will definitely cost you additional money.

Route

Our Nissan 4x4 Rental Truck

The route you choose will also determine your fuel strategy.  There isn’t any places to fuel your vehicle beyond Putre, which is typically the first night’s location.  Some tours out of Arica take you to Parque Nacional Lauca to see Lago Chungara near the Bolivian border for a 12 hour round trip.  Another park, Reserva National Las Vicuñas, is south Parque Nacional Lauca and will require another day to visit.  At the southeastern most point of the Arica and Parinacota Region, you will find Monumento Natural Salar de Surire, a salt flat which lies furthest from Arica.  If you plan on visiting all three of these parks, you can possibly choose a loop route back to Arica.  The roads leading to Lago Chungara are good gravel roads, but beyond the lake it gets challenging.  If it’s been raining, your 4×4 might run into flooded dirt roads that are impassable.  If you are looking for a tremendous adventure, where you sometimes feel lost and wonder if you are going to make it out with enough gas and a running truck then drive the entire loop for 3 days.

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Cactus Candelario Tree

Day 1

Our drive began at Arica, Chile where we rented an older 4×4 Nissan pick-up truck.  We were both excited to have such an independent adventure and to drive a vehicle again.  Typically we ride on buses from town to town.  The drive west on highway Chile 11 was incredibly unique to us.  The views of dessert hills extended for miles inland as we climbed steeply into the high plateau.

The highway is very well marked and mostly used by large trucks transporting goods to and from the Chile-Bolivia border.  A road trip means you have to stop and explore along the way.  One stop was to take a picture and attempt to climb the Cactus Candelario, a tall cactus tree.  Another was at the tiny village of Socoroma.  During our visit the town was having a festival where we enjoyed watching the people, covered in flour, dancing and singing in the roads between houses.

Sunset in Putre, Chile from the Town

After 167 km we arrived to Putre (3,500 meters) our destination for the night at round 4 pm and found a tiny hostel to stay in.  Although, at $28 per night we found it incredibly expensive in comparison to the previous places we’ve stayed at outside of Chile.

Festival in the Town of Socoroma, Chile

If you begin to feel any altitude sickness, be sure to spend an extra day or two acclimating in Putre.  The altitude will only get higher.

You might also enjoy… Discover Adventure in San Pedro de Atacama Chile

Day 2

Driving to Putre from Arica

By 9 am the next morning we were on our way to Lauca National Park and Lake Chungara.  After driving for just under 45mins, we found wild vicuñas and guanacos (camelids) all around the hills.  Although we’ve been in South America for a few months we’ve yet to see these.  Llamas and Alpacas, which are both domesticated have been everywhere, so it was exciting to see these new animals in the wild.  After stopping for pictures we continued our drive.

Reserva Natural Las Vicunas

Next we took an hour break at the town of Parinacota (4,400 meters) to see an old white colonial church that represents the transformation of region in the area.  One and half hours later we arrived at our destination for the day, Lago Chungara (4,500 meters).  The clouds had moved in and the sky was completely white, but it was a beautiful landscape with the twin snow capped volcanoes of Payachatas reflecting in the steaming lake.  We spotted beautiful pink flamingos and tried taking pictures, but they didn’t seem to like us being around them much.  You will need a strong telephoto lens if you expect to get some good pictures.

Condor We Spotted Flying Overhead Near Putre, Chile

On our drive back to Putre Aracely spotted a large condor flying close to the highway and yelled for me to stop the car.  The great bird flew around the top of the hills so gracefully, scanning the landscape repeatedly with only a flap or two of its wings.

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Day 3

Lago Chungara in Parque Nacional Lauca in Chile

This was by far our most exciting day of the road trip.  When we left our hostel in Putre that morning destined for the Salt Flats of Surire, we didn’t know exactly how we would return to Arica.  We had read in Lonely Planet and heard from locals that there was a dirt road from the Salt Flats directly towards Arica that we could take instead of backtracking all the way back to Arica via Putre.  However, this road floods often and we were advised to ask the park rangers for some advice.

During our drive towards the Salt Flats we encountered some rangers and they told us that we should be able to make the journey to the flats if we used the 4×4 and never hit the breaks through the flooded road portions.  Feeling confident after speaking with rangers, we continued on.

Driving Slowly Through Winding Cliff Roads in Chile

Either the rangers underestimated the bad conditions of the road or maybe overestimated the capability of our older 4×4 vehicle.  We arrived at our first flooded area.  I activated the 4×4 capability on the truck and went for it.  Half way through the 20 yard long pond of muddy water we felt the truck slowing down and getting stuck .  At this point we were 2 feet deep.  I revved the engine further and we made it past the second half safely.  It was a great relief.

Driving Through Flooded Roads of Altiplano

Just another few miles later we reached our second and hardest challenge.  I took one look at what was in front of us and thought to myself, “There is no way we are  making it through that, we have to go around.”  But, we couldn’t find an obvious exit from the road leading around the deep, long flooded road in front of us.  I decided to go for it.  I was feeling a bit nervous.  With the throttle to the floor we began to race through as quickly as possible.  Within 15ft of entering the road lake the water was splashing over the hood and the vehicle began to stall.  I quickly steered the vehicle off the road, up over the edge onto the muddy park grounds.  This was unfortunate, but there is no way we would have made it through the 50 yards of flooded roadway.

Flooded Areas in Northern Chile

This was the scariest moment of the trip.  After stopping the car on the higher ground, I realized it still wanted to stall.  I continued to keep my foot on the gas pedal in fear that if the truck stalled, we wouldn’t be able to start it again.  At this point, the severity of the moment began to set in.  I continued on the throttle until the truck finally began to move.  We cheered aloud in excitement.  The kind that would have looked really cheesy had someone been watching.  We were not out of this mess yet.  The area was still muddy and several small rivers had been created from the flooded roadway.  We sped alongside the road as fast as the truck would go bouncing around kicking up what seemed like bricks of mud from under the truck until we found a safe area to reenter the road.  After driving full throttle for 5 minutes the truck was back to good form, except for the extra 50 pounds of mud that caked our chassis.

Monumento Natural Salar de Surire

Flamingos Flying Over Lake Chungara in Northern Chile

Avoiding further flooded roads, we arrived to the Surire Salt Flats and were rewarded with wild scenery including salt lakes, flamingos, vicuñas and snow capped mountains in the distance.  After getting directions from other rangers hanging out at the nearby salt mine we decided to take the direct road from the Salar de Surire to Arica.  The most important advice given to us was, “Look for a sign that reads something Hotel and turn left there.  It’s a small sign and if you miss it, you will get lost.”  I wondered how small was this sign and how risky was the drive.  It would be the most remote off the road drive we have ever experienced.  We were 6 hours from a town that would have fuel for our vehicle.  Driving through the mountains and canyons of the altiplano became the coolest video baja driving game I have ever played.  This was real!

Our Beat Up 4x4 Rental Truck Facing Big Storms Ahead

The road led us down to a gravel river bed.  The water was never more than a foot deep and didn’t pose any threats, but the river bed was wide enough that we couldn’t see where to pick back up the road on the other side.  We slowly drove through, excited of the adventure, but questioning our map reading skills.

We climbed back out of the canyon up to the tops of the high plateaus where wind and endless flat mountain tops dominated the landscapes.  We were driving on top of the world.  A nasty looking storm quickly moved in and darkened the sky, creating fear of flash floods.  We only caught the edge of the storm so the rains weren’t too bad.  Had this storm began before we crossed the river bed, I would guess we wouldn’t have been able to cross it.  That’s a scary thought.  We found the aptly described small sign and turned left with a great sigh of relief.  We were headed back home, or at least back to Arica.

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Proposal

Our Engagement Photo in the Middle of Nowhere

This was also the road trip that would end with Aracely and I engaged.  I felt it was the furthest from civilization that we had ever been, and for us, who were escaping the day to day monotony of our modern busy lives, this seemed perfect.  Sister Golden Hair was playing on the radio, which in itself was peculiar out in this desolate area where only 1 or 2 stations were received.  I pulled off the road where a clear landmark might be remembered 10 years from now.  It was a giant rock on the side of the road.

Jason Proposed to Aracely Here!

We took some unsuspecting pictures and then I turned on the video camera and sat it on the hood.  I returned to the front of our beat up rental truck and knelt down on one knee and proposed.  Aracely said, “Yes.”  We hid a necklace under some rocks near the giant rock and mapped our GPS coordinates.  We will return someday in celebration.

Our weekend included 450 miles of some of the most unique scenery we have ever seen in a 3 day journey.

Endless Dirt Roads in Northern Chile's Altiplano

As we drove back down the sand mountains headed to the Arica coast we felt a sense of accomplishment and excitement.  This adventure wasn’t a physical challenge, but still one filled with fear, panic a sense of being lost and most of all, a sense of complete freedom.

The Desert Hills of Arica, Chile

For Budget Travelers

At $90 USD per day plus $100 for gas, renting a 4×4, believe it or not is the cheaper option.  A 3-day tour that includes a visit to the village of Putre, the National Park Lauca, Lake Chungara, and the Surire Salt flats costs about $300 per person with an organized tour.  When renting the vehicle consider renting from the local companies rather than the global brands that charge twice as much.  But, if you end up with a beat up, old, green Nissan, be worried, because we beat that truck to sh*t.

Courtesy of www.spaceobs.com

Travel in Chile doesn’t always go as planned, as our guest writer Linda Martin discovers…

We’d hoped to visit San Pedro de Atacama on our first trip to Chile, detouring off the main road from Santiago to the border to see what this desert town has to offer.  But while we were in the south of the country, Chile was rocked by the 8.8-grade earthquake that killed more than 500 people and left thousands more homeless; it was a sad time for the country.  The quake caused major damage to roads and highways, and airports and bus stations in several cities were closed for several days.  Even in the south where we were, far from the epicenter, transport came to a complete halt for a couple of days – you couldn’t travel in any direction.

It took us a week to get back to Santiago, partly because of the damage to the roads, and partly because the bus companies weren’t very helpful in re-booking tickets.  During this time, we were overwhelmed by the hospitality offered to us by the family of one of my travel companions – his aunt took us in and was happy to let us stay for as long as we needed to.

We were lucky, but we were a week behind schedule and had to make it to Lima to meet friends on certain date, so San Pedro de Atacama was off the cards.

Luckily, later in our trip we had the chance to finish our salt flats tour either in Bolivia, where it started, or in San Pedro.  It was a great opportunity for Ange (the friend we’d met in Lima) to have her first taste of Chile – and I’m not just talking about food.  We planned to spend two days in the town, and on arrival immediately booked our tickets out again – this time to Argentina.

Expensive Restaurants & Happy Hours

As it turned out, we weren’t actually too enamored with San Pedro de Atacama – it’s expensive and touristy and everyone wanted to speak to us in English (I’m learning Spanish and am always keen to practice).  The only activity we wanted to do was the astronomy tour, which is similarly expensive, but we’d heard that it was worth every penny (sorry, peso).  But sadly, the snowstorm we’d been in as we arrived had left the usually-clear sky cloudy, and the tour was canceled on both nights of our stay.

On the third day, we packed up and headed to the bus station, only to find that the border with Argentina was closed because of snow.  That’s right, snow in the desert.  Sure, it had snowed as we arrived, but the deepest ground cover we’d seen was about one or two inches thick – not enough to stop a bus.  But, apparently it was enough to stop not only our bus, but all traffic through the border crossing.

Courtesy of www.spaceobs.com

We were stuck in San Pedro de Atacama, but there was some good news – the astronomy tour was on!  We booked into a new hostel, bought our tickets, and turned up at 8 o’clock to start the adventure.

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About 20 of us piled into a bus and were driven about 25 minutes into the desert, past the border control station and along an empty road.  We were met by our host, an effervescent Frenchman, and his Chilean wife.  The tours are conducted in English, French, or Spanish, and there didn’t seem to be a fixed schedule as to which language is spoken on which tour – it’s all pretty flexible.

We started inside, in a purpose-built classroom where Alain explained what would happen next, offered us jackets (it was very cold) and took our orders for the drinks we’d get at the end of the tour.  Then he started talking about stars.  It was impossible not be inspired, his passion for all things celestial was evident in the way he spoke – it felt like he would talk all night if only he could.  He jumped from one topic to another, giving us a brief but comprehensive crash-course in astronomy.

The lesson continued outside, as he pointed out stars and constellations of interest with his laser pointer, explaining difficult topics clearly and smoothly.  He welcomed questions, and often answered at length – always with something interesting to say.  After an hour or so we moved over to the telescopes, which his wife had positioned so that they each showed something different – Mars, Saturn, the Jewel Box.  We all split up to look at different views, and she changed the positions of the telescopes to show more constellations.  It was amazing to be able to use such powerful equipment, and to see constellations so clearly.

Courtesy of www.spaceobs.com

After we’d all spent enough time looking at the stars, we went back inside for our hot drinks (the hot chocolate was delicious) and another talk about the stars.  Alain welcomed questions but I think we were all so overwhelmed by the amount of information that we’d ingested that we couldn’t think of any, so he just talked a bit more about his favorite topic before bidding us farewell.

We headed back to San Pedro de Atacama inspired and with a whole new appreciation for the wonders of the cosmos.  The star tour is without a doubt San Pedro’s must-do attraction – don’t wait until you’re trapped by snow to do it.

Lake Chungará is situated in northern Chile, in Tarapacá Region

Lake Chungará is situated in northern Chile, in Tarapacá Region. It is the 29th highest lake in the world (and the 10th highest in South America). It is near the volcanos Parinacota (20,827 feet or 6,348 meters) and Pomerape (20,413 feet or 6,222 meters). It was formed 8000 years ago, when a major collapse of the edifice of Parinacota produced an avalanche of 6km³ of debris which blocked drainage pattern, thus creating the lake.

The situation of this lake is not very stable due to environmental issues nowadays, especially concerning potable water supply to dense population. See the state on August 9, 2008. – Wikipedia

San Pedro de Atacama is a Chilean town and commune in El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region. It is located east of Antofagasta, some 106 km (60 mi) southeast of Calama and the Chuquicamata copper mine, overlooking the Licancabur volcano. There are various activities for tourist and adventurers in the San Pedro de Atacama area: trekking, climbing, archaeological sightings, exploration tours in natural landscapes and even sand boarding in the desert. Because of its altitude, a brief period of acclimatization may be required.

Valle de la Luna (“Valley of the Moon”), a moon-like landscape with ruins of old Chilean salt mines, and worker huts. Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley): a valley where gigantic dunes and rocks abound. – Wikipedia

Discover San Pedro de Atacama

Stack of Rocks Symbolizing Good Luck in San Pedro de Atacama Desert

Torres Del Paine, Chile Circuit Trek

Torres del Paine National Park (Parque Nacional Torres del Paine) is a national park encompassing a mountains, glacier, lake, and river-rich areas in southern Chilean Patagonia. The national park (598.593,02 acres) is a popular hiking destination in Chile. There are clearly marked paths and many refugios which provide shelter and basic services. Views are breathtaking. Hikers can opt for a day trip to see the towers, walk the popular “W” route in about five days, or trek the full circle in 8–9 days. It is a national park and thus hikers are not allowed to stray from the paths. Camping is only allowed at specified campsites and wood fires are prohibited throughout the park. – Wikipedia

Taken During our Drive from Arica to Putre, Chile

Read about our 3-day 4×4 road trip through Northern Chile’s Altiplano

Putre is a Chilean town and commune, capital of the Parinacota Province in the Arica-Parinacota Region. It is located 130 km (78 miles) east of Arica, at an altitude of 3500 metres (11,400 feet). The town is backdropped by Taapaca volcanic complex.
Putre is on the edge of the Lauca National Park, and is popular with visitors to the National Park wishing to acclimatise to the altitude. – Wikipedia

Valle de la Muerte, also known as Death Valley, is easily accessed from the desert of San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. The large sand dunes are ideal for sand boarding, hiking and experiencing sand blasts in the strong desert winds. Be sure to protect your cameras, or you will end up with sand in your lenses like we did.

Discover San Pedro de Atacama

Landscape at Valle de la Muerte Near San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Llamas & Alpacas Crossing The Road in Northern Chile's Altiplano

Llamas, alpacas and vicunas roam Northern Chile’s Altiplano. Most of them are domesticated, except vicunas, which remain wild and often a protected species. These animals produce incredible wool fabrics, especially the vicuna. While traveling in South America, you might also want to taste llama or alpaca steak. This photo was taken during our 3-day road trip throughout Northern Chile’s Altiplano.

Foxglove Flower in Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia Chile

Foxgloves are also called Witches’ Gloves, Dead Men’s Bells, Fairy’s Glove, Gloves of Our Lady, Bloody Fingers, Virgin’s Glove, Fairy Caps, Folk’s Glove, and Fairy Thimbles.  These are biennial plants and are tall, slender perennials at 2-5′ in height and just 1-2′ wide.  It is a very statuesque plant.  It has numerous tubular flowers blooming on a spike, ranging in color from purple to white.  Foxglove flowers appear in the summer months.  The flowers are bell-shaped and tubular, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long, flattened above, inflated beneath, crimson outside above and paler beneath, the lower lip furnished with long hairs inside and marked with numerous dark crimson spots, each surrounded with a white border.  ~ Iflorist.co.uk

Flamingos on Lake Chungara in Northern Chile's Altiplano

During our 4-day excursion through northern Chile’s altiplano, we visited salt flats, small villages and lakes surrounded by mountains. Lake Chungara lies high on the altiplano near volcanoes Parinacota and Pomerape. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day, but the pink flamingos were still around. These flamingos aren’t comfortable around people and any time we got near them, they quickly flew away. Bring a telephoto lens if you want to get up close.

A Blanket of Snow on the Mountains Surrounding Putre, Chile

We woke up to this view one morning while staying in Putre, Chile. It was majestic.

Read about our 3-day 4×4 road trip through Northern Chile’s Altiplano.

We walked by this massive body of ice just before going over the John Garner Pass in Torres del Paine Chile, which is the most feared section of the full circuit trek.  It looked as though it was going to fall on top of us.

Massive Sliding Ice

Chandelier Cactus Tree in Northern Chile's Altiplano

While in Chile, we rented a pick-up truck from Arica and drove through the Northern Chile’s Altiplano for 3 days. During our drive from Arica to Putre we made a few stops to appreciate the view. When we saw this cactus tree we just had to stop to admire it and take pictures.

Read about our 3-day 4×4 road trip through Northern Chile’s Altiplano