So when we were planning our trip to Africa we went to buy flights, and all of a sudden prices were much higher than when we were just window shopping trips. We decided to look around the world to see what flight destinations had reasonable prices, Santiago, Chile was the winner. Booked! I can’t recall the prices. I’m typing this two years after the trip itself.

We have a tendency to take advantage of layovers to see a new city. We did that for our trip to Africa by spending a day in Frankfurt and London. The flights to Chile were no different. Keep in mind this was before the Americans elected a brain dead “leader” and before that orange turd decided to go off on calling for Canada to become the 51st state. Anyhow, this layover city trip would be Houston, Texas, and by Houston, what we really mean is just the Space Centre. The Space Centre is on the opposite side of the city as the airport so we hopped in an Uber to get to the centre, and back. It was a good time, but we didn’t get to see any of the real facilities as we couldn’t get on their tours. That’s fine, back on a plane and off to Santiago. From there we took a domestic flight to Calama in the Atacama Desert. We no longer travel to ‘Merica.

Part 1: Atacama Desert

We scooped up a rental pickup truck, which was a manual transmission VW Amarok and drove through the desert to San Pedro de Atacama, a tourist hotspot for Atacama focused activities. Our first wildlife sighting was a Guanaco.

Valle de la Luna

On our first full day in the area we visited Valle de la Luna, a natural history park with trails among rocks, and sand dunes. The landscapes were stunning, and on my fuck it was hot as hell! We did choose to come here during their summer. In this place we also saw some cultural history sites. Evidence of mining and habitation. No birds seen.

Andes Mountain Drive

The next day we drove up into the Andes mountains. Way up and up, on a paved highway. higher than we’ve ever been before, while still on the ground.

There were many opportunities to take photos, of mountains, birds, and rocks, and that I did. We found a great place where there was water and greenery. Lots of birds and wildlife sightings. The problem though, I did not foresee or experience before was the lack of oxygen. We drove up to and over the mountains which were over 4800 metres. My camera was in the backseat of the truck so when I saw something I wanted to take a photo of, I had to get out, and go to the back seat and that little task was not easy. One step at a time. Literally, one step was all I could do. We could not walk at a reasonable pace. After many photos of birds and ungulates fucking across the way, we drove some more than got off the beaten track to check out some very interesting rock formations before heading back down off the mountains to San Pedro de Atacama.

• Andean Flamingo
• Crested Duck
• Ochre-naped Ground-Tyrant
• Andean Gull

Del Tatio

The next morning was an early one. Two hours before sunrise, we started driving up to Del Tatio, the high altitude geysers. These well be my first geysers ever! The early morning is because they are more fun to watch in the cool air. More steam, more activity. But holy shit the road up was bumpy. First time driving on the washboards, which we well do again in Africa. A gravel road with minimal maintenance turns into a washboard. Rows and rows of ridges you have to drive over. Speed can cause it to be more smooth, sometimes, or you go really really slow. Either way it shakes the hell out of the vehicle. A bunch of tourist vans left the town at the same time for the two hour drive. We were on the road in pitch black except the lights of the vans. We noticed they were traveling parallel to us but way off to the side, past the ditch space. No real ditches, just a gap. I didn’t know where they were going or what they were doing for a bit, but eventually we realized they were on a smoother track where they could go faster. It was very very dark so we kept to the road as marked since we had no clue of the area.

There were many geysers. Tall ones, rocky ones, colourful ones, splashy ones, and such. A very interesting place. After some time we headed back into town. We had a stop planned at Machuca, a very very small town famous for grilling llama meat for the tourists. We had llama kebabs, and walked around a bit before getting back in the cars. We made several stops for some birds and other wildlife photos. The stops were fantastic for this.

• Crested Duck
• Giant Coot
• Yellow-billed Teal
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Sierra Finch(ash-brested or Plumbeous)
• Andean gull
• Sandpipers sp.
• Andean Negrito
• Puna Teal
• Andean Goose
• Andean Flamingo
• Greenish or Grassland Yellow-finch
• Maybe a Plain-mantled Tit-spinetail
• Rufous-Collared Sparrow
• Cordilleran Canastero

Petroglifos Yerbas Buenas

In the afternoon heat on the same day we went to check out some petroglyphs or ancient rock art at a place called Petroglifos Yerbas Buenas that predates Hispanic cultures.

The petroglyphs was the last stop on our way back to Calama to hop back on a plane and start the second stage of our Chilean travel adventure. I think I forgot to mention the salt flat stop the day before at Laguna Tebinquiche. Another first for me.

When we land, we get another car, pop into a hotel in Santiago. The next day we drove to a winery town of Santa Cruz and stay at a lovely little place called Hotel Terra Viña. On the same day we head for a winery tour at Vina Maquis, where we are taught all the sustainable practices and water conservation techniques. And all about the wine too. We tasted, we liked.

Part 2: Southern Portion of the Trip

Pucón

The next day we had a very long drive from here to Pucón which is a bit of a tourist town. Lots of tours from here up volcanos, hot springs and many other activities. Honestly I can’t recall what all one can do here, but those are the things we did. The next day we hiked up Volcán Villarrica with a tour group. They gave us helmets and special clothing for the long slide back down. I think we had crampons too for the snowy steep bits.

The following day we got a tour operator to drive us to Termas Geometricas so we can sit in very very hot water from the volcanoes. There was a cold pool too, where our ability to endure pain in it seemed to impress some others. What can I say, were Canadian.

Puerto Octay

From here we continued to drive south as our next night would be in Puerto Octay. We stopped to check out a waterfall called Salto Las Cascades. It had a nice trail with many plants and birds along the way followed by the grand finale, of the falls. The falls were nothing crazy, but beautiful still. We aren’t waterfalls people really. We like them, but they are everywhere, in most countries, and at home too. From here back to Puerto Octay for our accommodations in a hostel for the night.

Next up was a quick stop in Parque Nacional Alerce Andino for a hike, and birding on the way to Puerto. We spotted a fox in a field here. We hiked “Sendero Rodal del Alerce” to a beautiful small lake and took in the similar to home vibes. We drove on, with a stop in Puerto Montt, a city at the start of Patagonia I believe we made a quick stop in the mall for a driving break and food stop. Some time later we got the ferry to Chiloé, the very large island on the pacific coast. Ancud was our destination after taking a very short ferry across to the island. The towns and cities on Chiloé are known to have German influences with regards to food, and architecture.

Puñihuil

Next us were the birds in Puñihuil. Two different species of some very northerly penguins, Magellanic, and Humbolt Penguins. We hopped on this very large cart with wheels, that held about a dozen people, as workers pushed it out into the water, keeping our feet dry, but letting us meet the boats that were in the water. No big wharf here, like one would see at home for this purpose. Once in a boat we would motor around a couple island loaded with a diversity of birds. We coun’t understand a word of our guide. He spoke spanish, as did all of the other guests on the boat. But that’s ok, because we still saw plenty of birds like Red-legged Cormorants, Kelp Gulls, Neotropic Cormorant, Blackish Oystercatcher, Kelp Goose, Flightless Steamer Duck and an Black-faced Ibis. Hopefully I got the correct ID on them all. It’s my weak area for sure. Nobody who knew anything about birding ever said I was a good birder. After the boat tour we went for a short walk up a nearby hill where we saw Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures. I think we have some small numbers of Turkey Vultures at home, although I have not seen them.

Quellón

After a long drive, with a quick stop in Castro, we arrived in Quellón, the place where we would get a long ferry to Chaitén. In Quellón we stayed at a place near a beach across the harbour from downtown. this gave us the opportunity for more bird sightings, although light was at a premium.

• Hudsonian Godwit
• Whimbrel
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Southern Lapwing
• Rufous-chested Plover
• Plover sp.
• Imperial Shag
• Shearwater of some sort

Chaitén

I think this is where Northern Patagonia really starts? I’m not sure. But we’re now in the woods, a slightly cooler climate than Santiago, and mountains to the east of us. Our accommodations are inland in a valley between towering Andean mountains. A little cabin, among others, near Rio Michimahuida. A beautiful little spot. As usual, nobody can speak English here. There was considerable confusion about how we were paying for the accommodations here, as we didn’t have it written down for a cash transaction. But, that’s a tomorrow problem. For now we relax at the accommodations and go for a walk on the road.

Volcán Chaitén and Pumalín Douglas Tompkins

The next morning we do a very very steep hike up to the top of a nearby smoking volcano. The views were fantastic. What more can I say? After that short sweaty adventure, back to Chaitén for some food, then to Parque Nacional Pumalín Douglas Tompkins for more hiking and to see a glacier. We didn’t think we were going to get close to one. It is something that is on my list to experience, but we’ll go for a hike in the park for the views anyway.

So the money thing, lets see if I can recall this properly. At breakfast there was discussion about how we were paying, but we could barely understand the conversation. Some other guests assisted in the translation. But something about cash. We didn’t have cash. We though we would be paying with a credit card like normal places. This was a premium accommodation. They asked for USD cash. We’re not American. We don’t travel with USD unless there is a planned reason for it, like our short stop in Zimbabwe when we were in Africa more recently, where it’s their legal currency. We prefer to use local currency. Costs were high for this accommodation, so really, cash only? No wifi. No cell phone service. Back to Chaiten to find a bank machine, even though a guest said the only one was not working. Great. The cabin owns did give us an account number, and we did have cell phone internet service in the town. We’re in the car trying to figure out how to get money in this account. Not an easy thing for Canadians as wire transfers for us are expensive, uncommon, and I think impossible without going into a bank to see a real person. A family member back home told us of an internet service that lets you do this with a credit card for a steep fee. We did that, and print the confirmation. Buddy back at the cabins seemed to want something else, but we didn’t understand and we left it at that. We’re not missing the ferry the next morning, that’s for sure, and there’s only so much we can do with here.

Back on the morning ferry, this one is going to take all day. From dusk to dawn. Chaiten to the larger city of Puerto Montt.

Valdivia

We had a hotel stay in Puerto Montt for a night, the on to our next stop in Vandivia further south. I think we had two nights here. Can’t recall the order of things here but I know we did a long drive, probably before showing up to Valdivia, along some inland waterways to Corral. Lots of stops to take photos of some birds such as the Black-necked Swan, and Peruviab Pelican.

We finished up in the area just in time for another ferry! This time into Valdivia to find our accommodations, and oh oh oh we are staying across the street from a beer bar! Oh what fun it is to drink some beer. Yeah, I’m writing this around Christmas time in 2025. So, back home in Canada, Chilean wine is a big thing. Always one of the main shelf sections in the liquor stores is Chile. We don’t have Chilean beer. The wine on our wine tour many days ago was great and all. They have tons of great wine, but the beer in Chile is fantastic with lots of breweries, and craft beer. The beer scene is something we did not expect in Chile. Although the German influences are here.

We explore the waterfront of the city and also head outside the city to a beach area in the small coastal town of Curiñanco to do some exploring. We notice considerable public transit in rural areas. Something we don’t have at home. Probably a product of car ownership numbers.

At the beach we found some more birds obviously.

• American Oystercatcher (seen above)
• Whimbrel
• Dark-bellied cinclodes
• Andean Gull
• And some unidentified gulls.

Concepción

The next stop is Concepción a few hours north. Our plans are to stop at a national park for some hiking. At some point away from the highway, we drove past a wildfire burning in the ditch, with considerable burnt forest adjacent. We continued on and drove some a long long time until we reached the park, but it was closed. Through a game of broken language tag, we realized the park was closed due to the extremely dry conditions. We continue on to the city and drive through an area with massive burnt forests still smoking, and many smaller fires still burning on the side of the road. Locals seem to be going around with rigged up water trucks doing what they can to clean up. Clearly the worst of the fire has been here and gone. Once in the city we do some looking around. We try to go to a urban forested park, but it’s close due to wildfire risk.

Starting on 30 January 2023, a series of wildfires began in the South American country of Chile. By early February, the fires had developed into a large outbreak of at least 406 individual fires, several dozen of which were classified as “red alert fires”. The fires burned more than 430,000 hectares (1,100,000 acres) and resulted in the loss of 24 lives, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency in multiple regions of the country.

Source: Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Chile_wildfires

There were considerable firefighting aircraft from Europe helping out here. We continued on after exploring the city for a day, driving north again.

Valparaíso

We beeline for Valparaíso where we’ve booked a fancy place made out of shipping containers in one of the hills up from downtown, Called the Winebox Valpariso. We’ve got three nights here to relax in the city. No driving! This hotel has a nice rooftop bar serving lots of good beer!

This city was fascinating. We got a walking tour to see the sights and learn about the history and about many of the artists. The city is loaded with art on almost every surface. It’s a beautiful city with fernaculars, art, and dog shit. Lots and lots of dog shit. The waterfront is also abysmal, but that’s ok. We’re hear to see new places, for good or bad, although this city was mostly good.

I noticed mountain bikes on cars in the parking garage under the hotel. I also noticed people talking on the rooftop bar about bike racing and such. Turns out people were here for the Red Bull Valparaíso Cerro Abajo which is happening very very soon! So I looked up the dates, and I was so disappointed to see the race was on our travel day back to Halifax! So shitty! If were lucky we’ll get to see some practice runs the day before in the morning, when we are supposed to head to Santiago, but we were not that lucky. We only saw signs of the race coming up, as they were putting up barricades and building the course still. So disappointing, as a huge mountain biker myself. We gotta watch out for this type of thing for our future travels.

Like all good things, Valparisio must come to and end.

Santiago

Our last day in Chile is spent exploring Santiago before we head to the airport for our first of three flights on. Nothing exception to note here. We checked out old buildings, markets, trains, and parks before dropping the car off and heading into the airport. Nothing more noteworthy that I can think of.