Chile Off The Beaten Path

  Walk Like a Penguin!
by HispanicYob
 
  • Walk Like a Penguin!
      Walk Like a Penguin!
    by HispanicYob
  • Parinacota and Pomperape Volcanoes Chile/Bolivia
      Parinacota and Pomperape Volcanoes...
    by TooTallFinn24
  • Flamingos on Lake Chungara
      Flamingos on Lake Chungara
    by TooTallFinn24
  • Gunaco By the Side of the Road on Way To Luaca NP
      Gunaco By the Side of the Road on Way To...
    by TooTallFinn24
  • Close Up Parinacota Volcano
      Close Up Parinacota Volcano
    by TooTallFinn24
 

Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Chile

51.

El Tatio geysers   San Pedro de Atacama

El Tatio geysers, San Pedro de Atacama

 6 Reviews  If you ever wondered how Earth looked like in prehistoric times, before massive life forms appeared on the surface of the planet, here’s the answer: it was like El Tatio ("weeping old man" in Kunza... 

 See All 17 Off The Beaten Path in San Pedro de Atacama

52.

Caves   San Pedro de Atacama

Caves, San Pedro de Atacama

 2 Reviews  We left daylight in this hole behind ? and were very lucky in meeting a couple of spanish geologists exploring the caves with professional equipment. They took us down into a long cave system which... 

 See All 17 Off The Beaten Path in San Pedro de Atacama

53.

Moon Valley   San Pedro de Atacama

Moon Valley, San Pedro de Atacama

 1 Review  Beware ! There are a few South American countries with Valle de la luna's (Moon Valley) on their maps. I have to say that the Valle de la luna in Argentina near San Juan is the best. Everyone in San... 

 See All 17 Off The Beaten Path in San Pedro de Atacama

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Stop off in Los Molles

by hannije

As we made our way North to Le Serena, we decided we needed to make a quick stop for luncn. That is when we discovered a small gem called Los Molles. This tiny beach town had water the colour of deep blue and a rocky shore that was refreshingly different from the beaches further South. This town may get busy in the summer, but was quiet during our mid-week stop. What made this such a memorable stop was the location we went for lunch - el Pirata Suiss. It is run by a Gregio, a Suiss that has travelled the world but has been in Chile for at least the last decade. The food was excellent and very filling - there is a menu del dia that includes appetizer, main and dessert for a reasonable 4,500 pesos. Everything was homemade and very fresh. Don't think of asking for a Coke or fries, it is the first thing he will tell you when we sat down. But, the mango piscos looked incredible. :)He can also...

humberstone,a ghost saltpetre city...

by cbeaujean

47km from iquique,on the road to panamerican. FROM JULY 15th,2005 ,part of UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE!!!once upon a time ,james humberstone...the saltpetre's father...built in 1862 this city on a nitrate layer.he brings to perfection the nitrates workings and built train lines to bring raw materials...the city grew up to 5000 inhabitants.today,a ghost city with old buildings falling in ruins.the mine is closed since 30 years.last inhabitant left in 1960.the dry climate has reduced the downfall.the city had all the public services!you 'll see .main square and church,swimming pool (don't even try to take a bath!),a market and its fountain,basket stadium,and a moving theatre....

Tip Photo
The little town of Panguipulli

by xdck83a

This litte town is exactly what I like about Chile. Everyone is very friendly, the food is fantastic, tourism is not a controlling influence, and the beauty rivals anywhere in the world. Only an hour or so from Temuco, Pucon, Osorno, it is convenient to get to on good roads. I stayed at the Hotel Rinimapu both times there so I'm not sure about other accomodations but I'm sure there are others available if the Rinimapu is unavailable.

Tip Photo
Get out on a horse!

by Cloudwlkr

If you want to really feel the outback around San Pedro - get your duff onto the back of a horse. You'll appreciate the quiet and the breathtaking views - away from the hubub of lots of other tourists. Costs about 4k pesos/hour, but it's worth it.

Tip Photo
Boat Trip around Chiloe

by phoebelosophy

In the cosy island town of Chiloe, we stumbled upon a friendly boatsman who offered to give us a 'tour' of the island.We sped around in his cute boat, all decked-out in our bright yellow lifejackets.It was an eyeopening experience, seeing one side of the island packed with dinghy palafito's (houses on stilts), while the other side was clearly the 'rich' area, with gorgeous new houses.

Tip Photo
The Southern Ocean/Drake Passage

by CaptainCaveman

A wonderful - and forboding- part of the world. If you have a chance to travel these seas, look out: The stories are true. These are the worst waters in the world. We were lucky on our way down that we didn't hit the rough waters, but we hit them on the way back.

Tip Photo
Stroll through a dead mine city - Humberstone

by joernme

Just outside Iquique you will find the old mine cities. Those were built mid to end 19th century when the huge masses of salpetre in the Atacama desert were discovered. For gun munition and fertiliser it was used all over the world. So real cities with villas, offices, theatres, schools, hotels etc. were built in the middle of the desert. During WWI synthetical salpetre was discovered and the desert boom came to end. Even in 1940 though still around 3,700 people were living there in the desert. Since they left, too, Humberstone and the other places around it are great ghost towns, styled by the heat, the wind and the youth of Iquique, which is sometimes coming here to have ghost town parties... We did not go into the museum town of Humberstone but right next to it to a wonderfull areal, which we had all for ourselves. The wind had blown out of my brain the spanish words that were written...

Tip Photo
Iquique - City under the dune

by joernme

I could not decide if to call Iquique the city under the dune or the city of fish meal. The latter is being produced here big style and the smell is all over. I heard it has become less now, though, which is a shame as it really gave the city a special aroma. But more specacular is the 300 m high sanddune. At the foot of it at the sea lies Iquique. It's a typical norte town with friendly and warmhearted people. I visited friends of my host family here and we had quite some fun in a discotheque with great music in downtown. The outskirts at the dune are very poor, but you should go closer to the dune to get fascinated by its immense size and connection to the city - really impressive! The drive down to Iquique coming from the Panamericana is full of great views.

Tip Photo
Arica - a good base for excursions

by joernme

Arica is a good base for excursions into the altiplano, e.g. daytrips to the fantastic National Park Lauca (I have an extra page for this one). The city itself is not a real beauty but has its charms, too. There is some beach, although not too inviting. You should climb up the morro, though. A big rock or small mountain, as you like, in the middle of the city. This is a historic battle place, battles between Chile, Peru and Bolivia. The Chileans won the last battle and Bolivia is still without access to the sea. From the Morro you have a spectacular view over the city. You should not climb the hill at dark though as the area below the morro is a pretty dodgy.

Tip Photo
Valle de Elqui to Argentina

by joernme

You need a car here that is either very robust, old or not yours - streets are dirt roads. We just followed our instincts into direction Andes Mountains and Argentina and were told this dirt road would end in Argentina. The scenery quickly turned into one of the most spectacular I have seen so far. And we were completely alone...

Tip Photo

Top 3 Hotels in Chile

Radisson Plaza Santiago Hotel  Santiago

 6 Reviews and 187 Opinions  We stayed in Santiago last Nov, for our first night and our last night (before a morning departure).... 

 Hotels in Santiago

Robinson Crusoe Inn  Valparaíso

 4 Reviews and 30 Opinions  Avoid this hotel at all cost. It was a disaster. We arrived at 8PM. It was the least friendly... 

 Hotels in Valparaíso

Questions and Answers

EzzaK profile photo

Q:  Hi, I am hoping to catch the night bus to Puno from Santiago. My flight leaves gets in at noon and I hear the bus usually... 

Huentetu profile photo

A: You aren't going to Puno if you are going south from Santiago, maybe Pucón? Take an airport bus to one of the bus stations, Terminal Santiago will have the most buses... 

Read 3 Replies

postQuestion_button