Chile is a land of staggering contrasts and wild beauty, stretching along the edge of South America from the sun-scorched north to the windswept glaciers of the south. In Patagonia, you’ll find some of the most jaw-dropping scenery on Earth in Torres del Paine National Park. And then there are the Patagonia pumas, whom you can encounter in the park if you are lucky.
Farther north, Chiloe Island offers a completely different kind of wild – an emerald world of moss-draped trees, wooden stilt houses, and drifting sea mists. Here, the dense Valdivian rainforest on Chiloé hides shy creatures like pudu (the world’s smallest deer) and Darwin’s fox, while the island’s long oral tradition comes alive in its Myths and Legends of Chiloe.
Then there’s the otherworldly Atacama Desert, a high-altitude plateau that takes up the northern third of the country. It is a land of otherworldly landscapes, high-altitude geyser fields, jewel-toned altiplano lagoons, flamingos and other unique desert wildlife that has adapted to survive in one of the driest places on Earth.
Like most people, I came to the Atacama Desert to experience its spectacular, often surreal high-altitude landscapes. But I also took every chance I had to see as much Atacama … Read more
I’ve dreamt of seeing Patagonian pumas in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park for years. There are few experiences in the world as humbling and electrifying as locking eyes with … Read more
If there’s one place in Chile’s Atacama Desert that really makes you stop and go, wait… what?, It’s Laguna Chaxa. This bright, shimmering pool of water sits smack in the middle … Read more
Tucked away in the ancient Domeyko Mountains, about 90 kilometres from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, Rainbow Valley (Valle del Arcoíris) is one of the most underrated and visually … Read more
If you’ve ever dreamed of walking through landscapes that look more like Mars than Earth, the Atacama Desert is your gateway to the surreal. This high-altitude desert plateau is so … Read more
Tucked away in Chile’s lush Lake District, Chiloé Island lies about 30 kilometres off the country’s southern coast. It is part of a misty, green archipelago that feels a world … Read more
Lying 30 km off the coast of Chile, but still part of the country’s verdant Lake District, Chiloe Island feels like a world unto itself. Here, colourful wooden houses rise on stilts … Read more
So, you’re thinking about visiting Chile‘s Torres del Paine in winter? First of all, bravo. Most people won’t even consider it. Patagonia in winter does present some logistical challenges, like … Read more
If you are travelling to South America, chances are you will see either a llama, an alpaca, a vicuña, or a guanaco. These fluffy, doe-eyed creatures are everywhere: grazing across … Read more