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HOME » Travel Journals » Jenny Explores Chile's Atacama Desert and Torres del Paine
Jenny Explores Chile's Atacama Desert and Torres del Paine
By : Jenny Fiebig
Trip Begins March 18, 2008
Trip Ends March 31, 2008
My husband, Mike, and I excitedly left the US last night for our much anticipated trip to Chile. We decided to fly Lan Chile. Both of us were very impressed with the services we received.
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March 18, 2008
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Flight to Chile on LAN
Santiago, Chile
My husband, Mike, and I excitedly left the US last night for our much anticipated trip to Chile. We decided to fly LAN Chile. Both of us were very impressed with the services we received. I was mostly happy because I could play my own personal games of Tetrus!! I must have played for half the flight down. We arrived to Santiago early in the morning. It was a fairly painless customs process. We paid our Visa Reciprocity fee to enter into the country, and then went off in search of our bags at the baggage claim. We were so happy to see that they arrived. There is a taxi and airport shuttle stand at the end of the baggage claim. We were able to easily arrange a shuttle to the Hotel Orly. It only took about half an hour to arrive to our hotel in downtown Santiago. We LOVED the Hotel Orly. The staff was more than helpful and it was so clean. We could not check in right away, since it was 7:00 AM. So we set our bags down and went to drink coffee in the restaurant next door. They actually served espresso, not instant coffee. We came back to the hotel and checked into our room -- then proceeded to take a much needed nap. About noon, we met our guide to take a tour of Santiago. I highly recommend doing a city tour to give you a good perspective of how to get around town. Our guide was very knowledgeable and funny. That evening, we met some friends for drinks and dinner.
March 19, 2008
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Into the Desert
Calama, chile
Our flight left for Calama today. Hotel Orly graciously arranged a taxi for us, and again, it only took about half an hour to get to the airport. The airport is so clean and easy to get around. I was very impressed with Santiago and how easy the public transportation was to use. LAN Chile again impressed us with the easy automated check in process. We left a bag at the Hotel Orly in storage, and only had carry on luggage. Our flight to Calama took about three hours. We were met at the airport by the Terrantai Lodge, and drove about an hour to get to San Pedro de Atacama. San Pedro is certainly an oasis in the dessert. We did not really know what to expect at the Terrantai Lodge. When we arrived, we were amazed at the beautiful architecture and simple elegance of the place. I could not believe we were able to stay here for three full days. We arrived around 8:00 PM. The staff showed us our room -- again, amazing -- and told us our table was ready for dinner. We sat down to eat some of the best food I have ever eaten in a restaurant. (I like food and was continually impressed with lunch and dinner at the lodge.) We were told to get a good night sleep because we had to get up early for the Geyser excursion in the morning.
March 20, 2008
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Tatio Geysers
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
4:30 AM came much too quickly. I put on really warm clothes because it was freezing outside. The night was clear, and we could see so many stars. We boarded the vans and headed off for a long drive up the desert. We gained elevation -- the highest point was around 14,000 feet. It was strange to be in the desert and so high in elevation. We hiked around the Tatio Geysers as the sun rose over the desert. Mike soaked in the hot sping after the sun had been up a bit. I was still too cold! After a good breakfast and a bit of hiking, we headed back down to town. A wonderful lunch welcomed Mike and I at the lodge! After lunch and a nap, we met around 4 PM to go to the Valley of the Moon. It was so beautiful there. We were able to get a nice hike around the desert for a bit -- and take some great photographs. Working up an appetite, we headed back to the lodge for a great dinner and good night sleep.
March 21, 2008
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Exploring San Pedro
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Mike and I opted to explore the town for a bit today. We walked around San Pedro taking in the culture of the town. I did a bit of shopping in the local market, and we visited the museum. Later that day we went to a friend's house to meet his family. It was nice to be able to get to know them a bit more. That evening, one of the guides was giving a special full moon night hike in Vale de Muerto. Wee felt so lucky to see the full moon rise over the desert that night. As the night progress, Jorge gave a lecture of the southern sky. We saw so many stars that night, as well as shooting stars, and there was hardly any light pollution. It was a special night for us.
March 22, 2008
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Good-bye to Friends at Terrantai Lodge
Santiago, Chile
We sadly have to leave today. We both wanted to spend a least another day in San Pedro, and enjoy the simple elegance of the Terrantai Lodge. We said good bye to our new friends, and headed off to the airport in Calama. Our flight took us back to Santiago, and then to Hotel Orly. That night, we ate dinner with a couple friends in Santiago. They decided to take us to local restaurant that had a local band play one night a week. We were able to watch people tango, salsa, and many other dances that we did not know the names of! Our friends convinced us to dance a little. We certainly were the obvious gringos trying to dance with the locals! All of us were amused. I was worn out, and almost fell asleep in the taxi ride home.
March 23, 2008
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Flight to Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas, Chile
Today, we say goodbye to our friends at the Hotel Orly, and fly to Punta Arenas. It just happens to be Easter Sunday, and hardly anything was open in either city! When we arrived to the airport, we were able to hire a shuttle to take us to our hotel very easily. We stayed at a funky little hostel called the Oro Fueguino. I really enjoyed staying at that hostel. We decided to walk around town. Punta Arenas is very easy to find your way around as it is a much smaller town than Santiago. We only found one place open, and it just happened that there was a soccer game playing on tv. The bar was packed with men totally engaged in the soccer game. We sat down to drink the local beer brewed in Punta Arenas, ate some food, and became immersed in the soccer game as well. Later, we met a friend in a bar to catch up on old times.
March 24, 2008
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Wildlife of Torres del Paine National Park
EcoCamp, Torres del Paine, Chile
Today we were picked up by Cascada to drive to Puerto Natales. In Puerto Natales we met our guide, Rodrigo, for the rest of the tour. We continued on to Torres del Paine. In total, we spent about 5 hours in the car between Punta Arenas and Torres del Paine. The weather coming into the park was absolutely amazing. The light on the towers was stunning. Of course, we asked to get lots of pictures! On our way to Eco Camp, we spotted 5 pumas!! One mama, and 4 kittens. We could not believe our luck. Finally, we arrived to Eco Camp and again, I was completely impressed. We were given a quick tour of the camp, and then shown to our domes. They are so comfortable and warm. Everything is connected by a boardwalk. I checked out the bath rooms, and they were very clean. Eco Camp is well thought, almost completely no impact on the park, and forward thinking. I believe this is where tourism needs to go in the future. We had pico sours and wonderful appetizers waiting for us after we settled in. After that, we had an amazing dinner.
March 25, 2008
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Trekking the Park
Refugio Los Cuernos, Torres del Paine, Chile
The next morning we woke up early for a great breakfast. We packed our bags and prepared for our two night/three day trek across the park. We had one porter that went ahead of us. We were each given a small bag to pack a change of clothes, a towel and extra sheet to be used later. Then we packed everything we would need for the day in our day packs. A great lunch spread was laid before us, and we made our sandwiches for the day. The hiking was easy and on a well marked path. We stopped frequently to talk about the history of the area, and to learn a bit about the wildlife. That night we stayed in beautiful cabins in Los Cuernos. The food at the refugio was ok, not as great as Eco Camp.
March 26, 2008
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Day 2 of our Trek
Refugio Pehoe, Torres del Paine, Chile
Today we woke up early again, ate breakfast and make our way to our next destination. We tried to hike up the French Valley, but got caught by weather and decided to continue onto Refugio Pehoe. We were not as impressed with Pehoe. The food was not great and it felt very commercial. But, we welcomed a hot meal after a long day of hiking.
March 27, 2008
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Pisco Sours on Grey Glacier
EcoCamp, Torres del Paine, Chile
After breakfast, we began making our way to Lago Grey. The wind picked up today -- but for the most part we have had unbelievable weather! It was sunny and fairly warm! We arrived to Lago Grey and hitched a ride on the boat. It took us up close to the Grey Glacier. We were served Pisco Sours and whiskey on Grey Glacier ice! Many pictures were taken as we headed to the opposite end of the lake. Here we were met by the Eco Camp van, and taken back to the camp. Once again, we were met with open arms and more Pisco Sours!! After a wonderful dinner, Mike and I made our way back to the comfort of our dome. The sheets are fleece, with quite a few blankets, topped with Llama fur and plenty of pillows. I could sleep a long time in that bed.
March 28, 2008
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The Tower's Hike
EcoCamp, Torres del Paine, Chile
We woke up for another full day's hike. We had a filling breakfast, made our lunch, and then headed off for the Tower's hike. It was long day, but well worth it. Once again the weather was clear so we could take great photos of the famous towers.
March 29, 2008
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Wildlife and Waterfalls of the Park
EcoCamp, Torres del Paine, Chile
Today, we had an option to either hike or go view the waterfalls. We chose to see wildlife and the waterfalls. It was hard to be in the vehicles for so long, but the waterfalls were well worth it. We made our way back to the camp and had a lamb roast for dinner. That was by far the best lamb meat I have ever eaten. The cook roasted a fresh lamb over a fire for the whole day. I went to bed full and happy that evening.
March 30, 2008
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Good-Bye Torres del Paine: Back to Santiago
Santiago, Chile
We woke up early for breakfast, then packed up to head back to Punta Arenas. We said goodbye to Rodrigo in Puerto Natales at the Cascada office. We made our way back to the Punta Areans for an evening flight into Santiago. We did not arrive until about midnight, but it was easy to arrange a taxi to our hotel. We stayed at the Vilafranca in Santiago this night. I enjoyed our short stay at this cute boutique.
March 31, 2008
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Tour of Valpariso
valpariso, chile
The Vilafranca served a simple but delicious breakfast. The coffee was great! We were picked up for a day tour of Vina del Mar and Valpariso. It took just over an hour to arrive to the coast from Santiago. We had the same guide from our city tour! We were happy to see him again. We toured Valpariso, and artsy town on the coast. I loved this city and wanted to spend more time there. Then we ate a very filling lunch, then headed to Vina del Mar. Both cities are basically one large city, but they are very different from each other. Vina del Mar certainly had a more modern feel to it. We enjoyed dipping our feet into the cold Pacific Ocean before we headed back to the Santiago airport. It was sad to leave Chile -- but we will go back. Chile was a very impressive country. It is very modern and forward thinking, while keeping the old culture very much alive.
My Photo Album: Jenny and Mike in Chile
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