Hikers in the Torres del Paine National Park, Southern Patagonia
of Cochrane in Northern Patagonia, the US-operated Patagonia Adventure Expeditions specializes in the Aisén Glacier Trail, to which it has exclusive rights.
Climbing the snowbound Volcán Villarrica Horse and rider,
Club Hipíco
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HORSE RIDING
The riding tradition is strong throughout Chile, and two comfortable lodges, both founded by Germans but with substantial Chilean input, spe- cialize in providing backcoun- try trips. In the high desert, east of Ovalle city, Hacienda Los Andes (see p184) is a Colonial-style lodge that offers guided horse-riding trips across the Andes. East of Puerto Varas, Campo Aventura provides rides into rugged terrain surrounded by dense Valdivian rain forest.
The Mapuche-Austrian opera- tor Kila Leufú organizes day trips and longer rides near Pucón in the Lake District.
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climbers are Sol y Nieve Expediciones, based in Pucón, and Alsur Expeditions, based in Puerto Varas.
For technical climbers, there are more difficult routes up peaks such as Osorno and Villarrica, but there are also other climbs that are challeng- ing in terms of sheer altitude, such as the 22,609-ft (6,893-m) high Volcán Ojos del Salado in the desert north. Among climbs rated for their techni- cal difficulties are the steep granite faces of Torres del Paine in Southern Patagonia.
Antares Patagonia Adventure in Puerto Natales and Azimut 360 in Santiago can arrange more challenging climbs and provide logistic support.
Horse riding over the slopes near Playa El Faro, La Serena Cyclists on the Carretera Austral,
stretching across Patagonia
BIRD-WATCHING
Chile’s diverse ecosystems are home to a variety of birdlife and, for first-time visitors, almost everything is a novelty.
Guides are provided by pro- fessional enterprises such as the Birding Alto Andino, based in Putre, which covers the whole northern region but specializes in bird-rich Parque Nacional Lauca.
Hualamo Birding and Natural History Tours provide pack- ages for central Chile, from the ocean to the Andes, and the Lake District. In Punta Arenas, Natura Patagonia operates in the Strait of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego, and the Patagonian steppe.
DRIVING HOLIDAYS As most seasoned visitors to Chile know, the Carretera Austral is best enjoyed on a driving tour. Spectacularly scenic, this highway is a dis- continuous route that starts in Puerto Montt and, with numer- ous ferry connections, ends just beyond Villa O’Higgins.
The segment from Chaitén north to Parque Pumalín has been closed since the erup- tion of Volcán Chaitén, and is currently under renovation.
The easiest way to explore Carretera Austral is to rent a car in Coyhaique and travel either north or south. The road is mostly gravel, but there are paved segments in both direc- tions from Coyhaique and in the vicinity of Chaitén; 4WDs are rarely necessary.
Also ideal for automobile touring is the Lake District, from Temuco south to Puerto Montt and Chiloé, especially on trunk roads away from the four-lane Pan-American Highway. The bulk of these roads are paved, but there is the occasional gravel route.
While driving in the Atacama desert allows visitors access to remote areas, it can mean great distances and, when moving off the main roads, slow speeds. Operating out of Santiago, Pachamama by Bus offers van services north to San Pedro de Atacama and south to Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt. These hop-on, hop-off services operate with a minimum of just one pas- senger, stop at notable sights en route, and allow travelers to re-board at their conven- ience, with no time limit.
CYCLING AND MOUNTAIN-BIKING Chile is suitable for both local and long-distance cycling and mountain-biking. Most cities and resorts, from the Atacama to the Lake District and beyond, offer rental bikes at reasonable rates. The best destinations are San Pedro de Atacama, Pucón, and Puerto Varas, but given the progress of the Sendero de Chile, the path that is due to cover the length of the country, cycling is possible almost everywhere.
Long-distance cyclists often use the famous Pan-American Highway or Ruta 5 to travel from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but in the Lake District, there are many loop rides that avoid the busy highway. The Carretera Austral is another iconic route for travelers through Patagonia. For those who prefer logistic support, California-based Backroads organizes cycling trips through this part of Chile and certain areas of Argentina.
WHITE-WATER RAFTING The steep-gradient transverse rivers of Chile offer runnable white-water barely an hour from downtown Santiago and well into Patagonia. The most popular destinations for river running are Río Trancura near Pucón, Río Petrohué near Puerto Varas, and the rivers of Cajón del Maipo. However, the gold standard is northern Patagonia’s Río Futaleufú, one of the world’s top-ten white- water experiences.
Day trips are organized by operators such as Santiago’s Cascada Expediciones, which is also ideal for hikes, Pucón’s Politur, and Puerto Varas’
DIVING
In the cool eastern Pacific Ocean, diving is not the pas- time it is in tropical waters such as the Caribbean.
However, Easter Island has two diving companies, Mike Rapu Diving Center and Orca Diving Center.
Underwater exploration off Playa Anakena, Easter Island
White-water rafting on Río Futaleufu
FISHING
Chile attracts trout fishermen from around the world to its placid lakes and clear rivers, from south of Temuco to Aisén and Tierra del Fuego.
Southern Chile Expeditions operates fly-fishing lodges such as Yan Kee Way near Puerto Varas and El Patagón in the more remote Aisén region. It is also possible to make arrangements with local operators and guides in towns including Coyhaique in Northern Patagonia and Pucón in the Lake District.
beaches, some of which are hidden in coves among dramatic headlands, Chile has almost limit- less surfing potential, except in Patagonia.
The most popular stretches for surfers are found along the coast of central Chile, in locales such as Viủa del Mar and its suburbs, the vicinity of Pichilemu, and also in and around the north- ern Chilean cities of Iquique and Arica. While surf- ing is a year-round activity, the most challenging waves occur in winter, when large swells hit the Pacific coast.
The cold Humboldt current makes a wet suit essential for avoiding hypothermia, and some beaches have danger- ous rip currents.
A number of local lodges specialize in surfing, includ- ing the Pichilemu Surf Hostal and Posada Punta de Lobos, which offer classes and rental gear. In most areas where surfing is possible, windsurf- ing is also an alternative.
SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING Chile is one of the few places where skiers and snowboard- ers can hit the slopes between July and September. The tradi- tional choice for most is Ski Portillo (see p134), near the Argentine border, but there is splendid skiing near Santiago, at resorts such as El Colorado and Valle Nevado (see p140).
Farther south, Nevados de Chillán (see p152) is the best choice, but there are good opportunities at Volcán Villarrica (see p198), Volcán Osorno (see p210), and Parque Nacional Puyehue’s Centro de Ski Antillanca (see p204). Santiago’s Skitotal arranges day trips to resorts near the capital. The US- run PowderQuest Ski Tours offers tours to the top areas in both Chile and Argentina.
KoKayak. Some agents, such as Expediciones Chile, Bío Bío Expeditions, and Earth River Expeditions have comfortable camps along the Futaleufú for week-long programs, but they also do day trips.
SEA KAYAKING
Predictably, given the region’s extensive coastline, Chile is a delight for sea kayakers.
However, areas facing the open Pacific may be less appealing than the coves and inland sea around the Chiloé archipelago. On the mainland, Northern Patagonia boasts some truly remote coves, access to which may require major logistic support.
Santiago’s Altué Sea Kayaking, based in the Chiloé town of Dalcahue in summer, is the major operator, but another option in the region is Alsur Expeditions, which also offers climbing expeditions.
SURFING
With a coastline that runs for thousands of miles and hundreds of long sandy
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WHALE-WATCHING In Chile, whale-watching is in its infancy and the logistics can be difficult. Nevertheless, there are blue whales in the Golfo de Corcovado, off Chiloé, and, more notably, accessible humpback feeding grounds in the Strait of Magellan. On Isla Carlos III, near the feeding grounds, Whalesound operates an island eco-camp, with accommodation in dome tents.
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CRUISES
Many large cruise ships round Cape Horn on journeys between Santiago and the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. Smaller, locally run cruise ships permit frequent, and more interesting, land excursions into remote areas on itineraries of 3 to 5 days.
Among the better companies are Cruceros Australis, which shuttles back and forth between Punta Arenas and Ushuaia, in Argentine Tierra del Fuego. Cruceros Marítimos Skorpios covers some spec- tacular territory from Puerto Montt and Puerto Chacabuco to Laguna San Rafael, and from Puerto Natales to the fjords of the Campo de Hielo Sur, but the level of service does not compare with that of Cruceros Australis.
PARAGLIDING
Behind Iquique, the coastal range rises almost vertically, and the offshore westerlies
Cruise ship moored off Punta Arenas in Southern Patagonia
GOLF
Golf is not the phenomenon it is in neighboring Argentina, and Chilean courses are invar- iably private and clubby – it usually takes a member’s invitation to get in. However, some hotels arrange passes are ideal to carry paragliders off the escarpment. Here, the local government has dedicated a takeoff site to encourage paragliding. Local operators take visitors on tan- dem flights that offer bird’s- eye views of the city and its astounding dunes, before landing on sandy beaches.
Experienced para gliders can occasionally ride the breezes as far as Tocopilla, 162 miles (260 km) to the south. The Escuela de Parapente Altazor helps paragliders get started and also provides accommo- dation for its clientele.
ASTRONOMY The skies of the southern hemisphere so differ from those of the north that several major international observato- ries have placed state-of-the- art astronomical facilities in Chile, such as the advanced Cerro Paranal Observatory (see p177). The easiest to visit are Cerro Tololo Inter- American Observatory, near La Serena, and La Silla Paranal Observatory, near Santiago.
Smaller municipal observato- ries include the Cerro Mamalluca Observatory (see p182). Near San Pedro de Atacama, Frenchman Alain Maury’s private San Pedro de Atacama Celestial Explorations is very informative.
Cerro Mamalluca Observatory in the arid Valle de Elqui, Vicuủa
for their guests and the coastal Marbella Resort, at Maitencillo north of Viủa del Mar, has its own course open to guests.
TOUR OPERATORS Many international operators offer tours focusing on differ- ent kinds of outdoor activities and specialist interests. LAN Vacations is the tour branch of Chile’s flagship airline, while US-based Wildland Adventures is highly regarded for its Patagonian trips. In the UK, Journey Latin America special- izes in the region, while Muir’s Tours is a reliable fair-trade operator for Torres del Paine.
The hot-spring resort Termas de Puyehue, near Parque Nacional Puyehue
SPAS AND HOT SPRINGS As part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, Chile’s numerous active volcanoes also mean abundant geysers and hot springs, espe- cially, but not solely, south- ward of Santiago. Many of the sites are open for day trips, ARCHAEOLOGY
The nearly perfect aridity of the Atacama desert, preserv- ing ruins and artifacts over millennia, has made northern Chile a mecca for archaeolog- ical research. The most price- less and conspicous relics of the region are the enormous hillside geoglyphs, linked geographically and historically to the Andean highlands. In addition, pre-Columbian for- tresses and villages still sur- vive throughout the desert, and Arica’s Chinchorro mum- mies (see p161) are a land- mark discovery. Evidence of historical archaeology, which is concerned with ancient societies that used writing, can be seen in ghost towns of the Atacama, such as Santa Laura and Humberstone (see p168).
Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural Trips, based in California, offers excursions
View from Casa Lapostolles at the Clos Apalta winery, Lake District
WINE AND FOOD Chile has numerous wine routes, significantly through the Colchagua and Casablanca valleys, that offer not just wine but also fine cuisine and, in some cases, accom- modation. The Ruta del Vino (see p148) offers the most complete services, and indi- vidual members such as Viủa Casa Silva and the Casablanca valley’s Viủa Matetic combine wine and gourmet food with elite lodging. Santiago Adventures arranges trips to these wineries and to the scenic but lesser-known Aconcagua valley.
to the Atacama, but its specialty is in trips to Easter Island; its guides are globally known scholars on the island’s enigmatic past.
The country’s most notable archaeological site is Monte Verde, located near Puerto Montt in Lake District. Dating from 13,000 BC, this site offers evidence of the earliest human settlement in the Americas. Around 12 miles (18 km) south of downtown Santiago, in the basin of the Río Maipo, is the location of the Cerro Chena site, where ruins of an Incan fortress have been excavated.
notably Termas Geométricas near Pucón, but others are full-scale hotels with spa facilities. The best known are the all-inclusive Termas de Puyehue (see p205) and Northern Patagonia’s Puyuhuapi Lodge & Spa (see p228). Both offer day passes as well.
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HIKING Cascada Expediciones Las Condes, Santiago.
Tel (02) 2329878.
www.cascada.travel Patagonia Adventure Expeditions Cochrane.
Tel (067) 411330.
www.adventure patagonia.com Trekking Chile Talca. Tel (071) 1970096.
www.trekkingchile.com CLIMBING Alsur Expeditions Puerto Varas. Tel (065) 232300. www.
alsurexpeditions.com Antares Patagonia Adventure Puerto Natales.
Tel (061) 414611.
www.antarespatagonia.
travel Azimut 360 General Salvo 159, Providencia, Santiago.
Tel (02) 2351519.
www.azimut360.com Sol y Nieve Expediciones Lincoyan 361, Pucón.
Tel (045) 444761. www.
solynievepucon.com BIRD-WATCHING Birding Alto Andino Putre. Tel (09) 98907291.
www.birdingaltoandino.
com
Hualamo Birding and Natural History Tours
www.hualamo.cl Natura Patagonia www.naturapatagonia.cl HORSE RIDING Campo Aventura San Bernardo 318, Puerto Varas.
Tel (065) 232910. www.
campo-aventura.com
Kila Leufú Tel (09) 8764576.
www.kilaleufu.cl CYCLING AND MOUNTAIN-BIKING Backroads Tel (800) 4622848 (USA).
www.backroads.com DRIVING HOLIDAYS Pachamama by Bus Agustinas 2113, Santiago.
Tel (02) 6888018. www.
pachamamabybus.com SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING PowderQuest Ski Tours
Tel (888) 5657158 (USA).
www.powderquest.com Skitotal
Las Condes. Tel (02) 246 0156. www.skitotal.cl WHITE-WATER RAFTING
Bío Bío Expeditions Tel (800) 2467238 (USA).
www.bbxrafting.com Earth River Expeditions Tel (800) 6432784 (USA).
www.earthriver.com Expediciones Chile Tel (888) 4889082 (USA).
www.exchile.com KoKayak Puerto Varas.
Tel (09) 93105272.
www.kokayak.com Politur
Pucón. Tel (045) 441373.
www.politur.com FISHING Southern Chile Expeditions Tel (866) 8819215 (USA).
www.southernchilexp.
com SURFING Pichilemu Surf Hostal
Tel (072) 842350. www.
pichilemusurfhostal.com
Posada Punta de Lobos Tel (09) 76092846.
www.posadapunta delobos.cl SEA KAYAKING Altué Sea Kayaking Dalcahue. Tel (09) 9419 6809. www.seakayak chile.com DIVING Mike Rapu Diving Center Hanga Roa. Tel (032) 255 1055. www.mikerapu.cl Orca Diving Center Hanga Roa. Tel (032) 255 0375. www.seemorca.cl CRUISES
Cruceros Australis Santiago. Tel (02) 4423 115. www.australis.com Cruceros Marítimos Skorpios
Santiago. Tel (02) 4771 900. www.skorpios.cl WHALE-WATCHING Whalesound Punta Arenas.
Tel (061) 710511.
www.whalesound.com PARAGLIDING Escuela de Parapente Altazor Iquique. Tel (057) 380110. www.altazor.cl GOLF
Marbella Resort Km 35, Camino Concón Zapallar. Tel (032) 2772 020. www.marbella.cl ASTRONOMY Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory La Serena. Tel (051) 205 200. www.ctio.noao.edu La Silla Paranal Observatory Ave. Alonso de Córdova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago.
Tel (055) 435001.
www.eso.org/paranal
San Pedro de Atacama Celestial Explorations San Pedro de Atacama.
Tel (055) 851935.
www.spaceobs.com
ARCHAEOLOGY Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural Trips Tel (800) 5524575 (USA).
www.farhorizons.com
WINE AND FOOD Santiago Adventures Guardia Vieja 255, Oficina 406, Providencia, Santiago. Tel (02) 244 2750; (802) 9046798 (USA). www.santiago adventures.com Viủa Casa Silva Hijuela Norte s/n, San Fernando. Tel (072) 710 180. www.casasilva.cl Viủa Matetic Fundo Rosario, Lagunillas, Casablanca. Tel (02) 232 3134. www.matetic.cl
TOURS OPERATORS Journey Latin America
12/13 Heathfield Terrace, London W4 2JU. Tel (020) 87473108 (UK). www.
journeylatinamerica.co.uk LAN Vacations Tel (877) 2190345 (USA).
www.lanvacations.com Muir’s Tours 97-A Swansea Road, Reading RG1 8HA.
Tel (0119) 9502281 (UK).
www.nkf-mt.org.uk Wildland Adventures 3516 NE 155th Street, Seattle, WA 98155.
Tel (800) 3454453 (USA).
www.journeylatin america.co.uk
DIRECTORY