Friends,
Since you are thinking about coming for a visit, here is the long promised visitor’s guide. I’m assuming you have a guide book of some sort (I like Moon guides and they have one for Patagonia that also covers Santiago and Buenos Aires) so I’ll concentrate on my experiences.
The obvious points for arrival are Santiago and Buenos Aires.
I spent about a week in Buenos Aires in November, 2006. I was traveling alone (on the way to meeting Alejandra) so my sight seeing involved a lot of walking and not much night life. I stayed in San Telmo, the oldest BA neighborhood and to my mind the most interesting: lots of antique shops, a semi-permanent (but best on Sunday) flea market of antiques and junk, Tango shows and lessons, restaurants, parks and museums. I also enjoyed La Boca, the old port neighborhood and red light district; now very touristy; the Japanese gardens; up scale Palermo; the street markets with asados (BBQ); etc. It’s an interesting city.
A La Boca restaurant
The Japanese Gardens
A Sunday street market…
and the accompanying asado.
From Montevideo or Buenos Aires to Santiago is about 2 hours by plane with a dozens or so flights per day, and there is also bus service (12-14 hours) on luxury buses for a fraction of the airfare. In 2006 I went by bus from Montevideo to Mendoza, Argentina (just over the Andes from Santiago) because I wanted to see some of the country. Unfortunately I could only find over night trips, but we left mid afternoon so I saw a bit of the area. You may be able to arrange to go by day to somewhere in between, spend the night and leave again next AM.
Santiago is the other obvious arrival point. It’s a modern city with no “old city” or especially picturesque neighborhoods, but there’s enough to see to keep you busy for a few days and a week by our pool in mid vacation would be a good way to avoid over doing it on a long trip. Providencia is the modern down town neighborhood and business center, Bellavista, our “bohemian” community, is full of restaurants, shops and night clubs; the nearby Patronato is Santiago’s Korean and Arab garment district; the Mercado Central is a seafood market and restaurant center; across the river is La Vega, Santiago’s labyrinthine public market; and the Pueblo de los Dominicos, is an artisans’ village with some of the best of Chile’s crafts for sale. There are several wineries in Santiago that you can visit and 60 miles south is Santa Cruz, the center of Chile’s wine country with a wine train, vineyard visits, an interesting museum, hotels and restaurants. There is also the Mapuyampay Hostal Gastronomico a lovely (and expensive) hostel with cooking classes and excellent food. Just south of the city is the Cajon de Maypo which takes you up into the Andes, and 30 miles to the west is pottery making village of Pomaire, and of course Valparaiso (funky and picturesque) and Viña del Mar (upscale beaches, shops and restaurants) are an hour away on the coast.
The pool
Valpariso
Viña del Mar
Mendoza, Argentina’s premier wine area, is just over the Andes from Santiago, 6 or 7 hours (sometimes more depending on how crowded the customs port is) by bus or van, and of course an hour or so by air. The road trip, which goes up to over 11,000 feet is worth while for the view. I saw condors at the top.
Mendoza is a very pleasant city of 120,000 or so and you can walk from one end to the other in an hour or so. The town center has a pedestrian mall, and there is a large park to the east of down town. There are lots of hostels and hotels of all classes, wine tours are widely available, and there are lots of good restaurants to complement the wine.
The border crossing
Mendoza town center
Although the cities are interesting The Lakes Region, on both sides of the Chile-Argentina border, is what I think makes a visit worth while. The scenery is magnificent, there’s lots to do, and the German and Swiss immigration (continuing today) and architecture give the area a very European feel.
The place to start is Villarrica, about 500 miles south of Santiago – 10 or 12 hours by bus (there are also flights in summer). I spent about 10 days in and around Villarrica and the nearby Huerquehue National Park in 2005 when I first came to Chile and wrote about it here. It is at the west end of the Lago Villarrica (upper left quadrant of the map below) and Pucón (not on map) is at the east end of the lake, below the volcano. Both are full of hostels, hotels, restaurants, craft shops, and have beaches for swimming, boat rides, etc. plus tours and guides for climbing the volcano. Villarrica is the larger of the two, while Pucón is the more popular tourist destination. Alejandra’s brother German has a time-share apartment there and we have visited several times. I prefer Villarrica; it’s a bit less hectic during the January-February tourist season, and Pucón is only a 30 minute bus ride away.
Click on map to enlarge
Pucón street
View from German’s Pucón apartment in in February
Rural buses (or you can rent a car) go from Villarrica to the surrounding villages, lakes and hot springs. The area is also a center of Mapuche (Chile’s indigenous people) culture and crafts and there are ethno tourism opportunities.
The Argentinean Lakes region is just across the border, and a bus takes you from Pucón to San Martin de los Andes, 150 miles over the Andes through Araucaria forests. Crossing the border is quick and simple (you may not even have to get off the bus).
The border crossing between Pucón and San Martin de los Andes
San Martin is a lovely little city with all the usual Lake District activities: hiking, swimming, boating, trout fishing, tours, and skiing in winter. It is also less crowded, less expensive, and more accessible than Bariloche, Argentina’s prime tourist city, 125 miles south.
A San Martin Hotel
There are two ways to get from San Martin and Bariloche: the normal bus route and by van via the seven lakes road. By all means take the seven lakes route. Here are a few photos:
Blurry lupines from the van window
One of the lakes
Baroiloche from across the lake.
Bariloche is Argentina’s Aspen, drawing skiers and tourists from around the world, winter and summer. It has something for everyone, from 5 star hotels and elegant designer shops to $15 a night hostels and Chinese-made alpine-themed souvenirs, plus dozens of shops selling, chocolate, ski apparel, wine, children’s clothing, etc., etc. I spent a week there in 2005, mostly in bed recovering from a cold, and was grateful to be across the street from a well stocked international delicatessen from which I fed my cold on French cheese, Spanish sausages and Argentinean wine. And Alejandra and I visited for a few days in ’07. I’m glad I went, but would not choose Bariloche as the headquarters for another vacation; we prefer places that are a little less glitzy, like San Martin.)
The obligatory Bariloche rent-a-dog photo.
And a tango show.
But it’s worth going to Bariloche if only to leave again via an all day or two day boat and bus journey to Puerto Montt in Chile. The boat leaves Bariloche and travels the end of Lake Nahuel Huapi, then by bus across the border to Lago Fria, another bus to lake and Todos los Santos, and then on to Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt. It’s expensive, but the views are spectacular. You can also go by bus only for a fraction of the cost.
Crossing Lake Nahuel Huapi
Arriving in Puerto Blest
Mount Tronador
Volcan Osorno
Puerto Montt, the end point of the trip, is the southern terminus of the Pan American Highway Chile Chile
Dalcahue village, Chiloé
Palafitos, houses on pilings in Castro, Chiloe ’s largest city
Interior of Castro's wooden church
Chiloé fishing boats
To go south from Puerto Montt you must fly or travel by boat. On my first visit to Chile
At the other end, Puerto Natales is the access point for Tores del Piane National Park.
The easiest way to see the park is to take a one-day bus tour from Puerto Natales, but there are now hotels and hostels in the park that can serve as a terminus for the 5 day trek around the peaks. Backpacking equipment is available for rent in Puerto Natales.
From Puerto Natales the road south leads to Punta Arenas on the straights of Magellan and across by ferry to Tierra del Fuego and the Argentinean city of Ushuaia Punta Arenas
But north in Argentina
And from there you fly out to Buenos Aires or Santiago
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Ok… you can do it all in a couple of months! Fly to Buenos Aires for a few days and then to Mendoza Mendoza to Santiago Santiago by the pool with a side trip to Valparaiso Andes . Bus and boat to Puerto Montt, and then tour Chiloé via rental car. Back to Puerto Montt and boat to Puerto Natales. Visit Torres del Paine and on to El Califate.
When to Come
December through March should be fine for most locations, though January and February are best for Chiloe and the south. And of course the austral winter is not bad in Santiago with skiing nearby and in the Lake District .
Hotels
We generally stay in hostels or B&Bs in the $50 to $60 a night range or hotels in the same price category. They tend to be clean and comfortable, with small rooms and simple breakfasts. International tourist hotels of 3 stars and up should run from around $80 to as much as you would care to pay, but will have English speaking staff, internet connections, cable TV and a breakfast buffet. At the other end, backpacker hostels are $15 a night per person an up, with shared bath, simple breakfast, and interesting company: backpackers in their 20s from all over the world plus a few older travelers. I frequented backpacker hostels on my 2005 trip and highly recommend it. It was great for a person traveling alone or if you want to meet fellow travelers. And the owners--often German-Swiss immigrants, usually speak English. Note that in Chile foreigners are exempt from the 19% IVA on hotel rooms, though this usually only applies to hotels and not hostels. Ask.
Food
In both Argentina and Chile Chile Argentina Chile they cost from $8 to $12 US, a bit less in Argentina
In Argentina the main focus is on beef and Italian food. The classic parrillada is a mixed grill of beef steaks, innards and sausages and befe de chorizo is the most Argentine steak on the menu. Jugoso is rare, a punto is medium/medium rare. I found most Argentinean restaurant wines too “soft” for my taste, which is evidently what locals prefer. Tell the waiter that you prefer wines with “buen taninos” and you may do better. And although Argentina has faced high inflation, it is still a bargain by US standards, with “long tablecloth” restaurant meals for two at $30 to $50 US.
Cena is “supper,” usually eaten 9:00 to 11:00 in restaurants where the menu will be the same as that for almuerzo. I suppose some people eat both almerzo and cena every day, but we usually have almuerzo and then a sandwich or something light around 7:00.
If you adapt to South American meal times you will eat very well, but if you arrive at a restaurant at noon expecting “lunch,” or at 7:00 expecting dinner, life will be difficult. Restaurants will be empty and they will ask you what you are there for.
Money
ATM machines (cajeros automaticos) are available almost anywhere you go as a tourist, and in Chile they charge a $5 fee for withdrawals. Credit and debit cards (Visa, Master Card) are also accepted most everywhere, but you will pay a 3% foreign exchange fee to your credit card company. (Incidentally I use my credit union debit card in restaurants, stores, etc., as there is no foreign exchange fee.) US dollars are good for emergency cash, but not for every day expenses in either country. Get pesos at the airport ATM.
Transportation
Travel by bus if you have the time. Service and comfort are excellent and it is inexpensive. Flights are expensive, though if you buy local flights using the national--not international--web site (Lan Chile) you may get a better deal. Car rental is also expensive, gas is over $6 a gallon and there are frequent and expensive tolls on major highways. I’d consider renting a car for Santiago-Valparaiso-wine country travel, and for Chiloé, but not for city to city travel.
Visas, etc.
Americans can enter Chile without a visa, but you will need a visa to enter Argentina. Chile requires/recommend that you have an international driver’s license, available from AAA in the US for $15. You can rent a car with only your US license and probably will have no problem if stopped, but you can be fined. See the US state department Chile travel web site. There is also one for Argentina.
Pick pockets are common in both countries and unwatched purses and camera cases disappear from restaurants. In the 4 ½ years I’ve lived here I’ve had my pocket picked once on the metro, lost a bag (containing lunch and a pre-paid cell phone) to thief on a bus, and lost (?) or more likely had my passport stolen checking out of a hotel. And Alejandra never leaves anything visible in a locked car. Bus stations are notorious for thefts—don’t leave your bags alone. But muggings are rare (unless you wander around drunk at 3:00 AM) and you shouldn’t worry about crime—just be careful. And buy a clip-on wallet or a slim belly bag for cash and credit cards. I use a clip-on wallet and no longer worry about pick pockets.
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Write if you have questions.
Write if you have questions.
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