On an early Sunday morning I took my backpack and started off in southern direction. After a 3-hours flight I arrived in Punta Arenas, Chile’s most southern city. The air was crisp and cool and the sun was shining from a light blue sky. From the airport I took a bus to the city centre, which I wanted to explore before heading to the national park. Of course I visited the main sight in Punta Arenas, the cemetery, where tombstones from the early 20th century tell stories about Patagonia’s eventful immigrant history.
After buying lots of provisions for my hiking adventure I caught my bus to Puerto Natales where I spent the night.

On the following morning at 7:30 a.m. I got on the bus to the national park. Soon we could see the giant Paine massif in the distance and the panorama became more impressive with every kilometer. Around noon we arrived at the landing stage Pudeto, where I wanted to take the catamaran at 12:00 a.m. Before the departure I had time to run over to the Salto Grande waterfall, where the strong winds almost knocked me over. After crossing the Pehoe Lake and enjoying the wonderful views on the Cuernos peaks (“horns”) and the Paine Grande massif I reached the refuge Paine Grande.

A big forest fire had destroyed parts of the national park at the beginning of the year and had severely affected the area around my refuge. Strangely, the camping ground around the refuge burned down completely but the building itself was not damaged at all. The vegetation of scrubs and low woods had been burned in great parts of the area and offered a sad sight. It will be interesting to see how much time nature will need to recover.

After a quiet night in the 6-bed dorm I was ready to tackle my first hike to the French Valley. The distance to the French Valley and back to my refuge was about 28 km and I was not sure if I would be able to walk that far. I told myself I was going to try with the option of turning back whenever I felt like it. With the sun beaming down from the sky and a merciless wind sweeping the hills I started off. Behind me a rainbow already announced the upcoming rain.

After about 2 hours the rain had reached me and the wind blew it straight into my face. Fortunately it was not heavy enough to soak me. I walked uphill into the valley, through the woods and crossing small rivers. To my left I saw two huge glaciers clinging to the mountain slopes. In spite of the rain the view was amazing.
Several other hikes told me afterwards, that they had only walked up to the first viewpoint because of the bad weather. I was hoping that the visibility would improve over the day and so I decided to keep walking towards the end of the trail. I continued over moraines and through the gnarled woods, where I barely noted the rain. Shortly after midday I reached the Mirador Britanico (British viewpoint) at the end of the trail. From this point you usually have a great view of the surrounding peaks and the valley. I could barely see anything, but as I was so proud and happy about having arrived that it almost did not matter.

On my way back the sky cleared up a little bit and the visibility improved. Every few steps I stopped and turned around to see if I could make out something at the end of the valley but it remained hidden in clouds.
When I reached the valley the sun was shining and accompanied me, now with somewhat sore feet, back towards the refuge, where I arrived at around 5:30 p.m. After an icy cold shower (due to the fire there was temporarily no hot water) I only wanted to eat and sleep. Pure bliss!

My plan for Wednesday was to hike 22 km up to the Grey Glacier and back to the refuge. After my departure around 9:00 a.m. I was alone on the trail for at least 2 hours. Only the nature, the wind and I – very impressive! I passed the Laguna de los Patos (Ducks’ Lagoon) and marvelled at the Grey Lake with its ice bergs. And then suddenly the Grey Glacier came into sight. A breathtaking view!

During the next 2 hours I walked towards the glacier, partly though burned ground and partly though beautiful forests. Around noon I reached a rocky peninsula situated right in front of the eastern glacier tongue. While enjoying my peanut butter sandwich and the great view, I waited for the glacier to calve. Nothing happened but when I turned around to go back I suddenly heard the ice break with a thundering crash. Of course I could not see anything…
On my way back, in the warm light of the afternoon, I looked back on the glacier again and again as it seemed more impressive with every step.

Back at Lake Pehoe I boarded the catamaran and then took the bus to the other end of the park, the Torres sector, where I spent the night at a refuge.

On my last hiking day I wanted to do the most famous trek of the park: Base Las Torres, the trail to the glacial lake at the foot of the Torres peaks. Many travellers rave about this trail, which is said to be everything but a Sunday stroll. With 19 km this hike is not extremely long but in many parts it is pretty steep.
There were much more tourists in this part of the national park and all of them were doing the same hike. Of course, it was nice to meet acquaintances from the refuge on the trail but overall it was a little too crowded.

During the first 90 minutes I had to climb steeply but was rewarded by ever-improving views of the Patagonian landscape. Afterwards (how annoying!) the trail descended along the side of the valley, where the strong wind nearly knocked me off my feet. After passing the Refugio Chileno, I continued slightly uphill through the woods.
The lush forest here had not been affected by the forest fire and only few rays of light fell through the dense canopy. The final part of the trail was a tiring, steep climb over a moraine towards the lake. The view however made me forget all strains. The three jagged Torres peaks with the glacier and the blue lake at their feet were an unforgettable sight. While enjoying my lunch I could observe how a crazy hiker bathed in the icy cold water. Very entertaining!

I took my time on the way back, lay in the grass on the side of the river and enjoyed the sun on my skin. The clouds seemed to be so close! In the late afternoon I returned to the refuge and spent my last night in the national park.

On the following day I had to take my transfer at 2:00 p.m. in order to catch my flight at Punta Arenas airport around midnight. I used my free morning to walk around the massif in north-eastern direction, following the trail towards Camping Serón. I was alone on the trail and had a great view over the hills and lakes. When I reached the highest point of the trail, from where I could make out Laguna Azul in the eastern part of the national park, I turned around and walked back.

The transfer took me back to Puerto Natales, where I enjoyed a delicious pizza at a restaurant on the main plaza. Afterwards I got on the bus towards Punta Arenas that dropped me off at the airport, where I, tired but happy, boarded my flight back to Santiago.

My recommendation for visitors to the Torres del Paine National Park: If possible, try to include at least one hike in your itinerary. It will give you a much more profound impression of the unique landscape and allow for an interesting insight into the local flora.

The distance between Chile’s northern border with Peru and the Strait of Magellan is similar to that between Spain and Norway – with the corresponding climatic differences compounded by deserts, high mountains, and the Westerlies of the far southern latitudes. The central valley, where Santiago and the primary wine-producing regions lie, enjoys a Mediterranean climate; on the other hand, the dramatic Atacama Desert in the north endures hot days and frigid nights, and while during the summer months (that is, December through April) the south is relatively temperate, strong winds and stormy weather are always a possibility.

travelArt has assembled a helpful 2-page packing list to serve as a basic guide for customers unfamiliar with travel to Chile. No list is ever exhaustive (and packing light is a virtue!), but we hope that our checklist will provide a good idea of what clothing and equipment are suitable, as well as helping to ensure that commonly-overlooked items are not left behind. Read the packing list on our website under the following link.

https://www.facebook.com/english.travelArt.Chile

https://www.facebook.com/english.travelArt.Chile

I had the chance to go on a little city tour by myself and started off with my map, camera and the little video-Flip camera at hand. I was asked to have a look at some museums, the cemetery and a park in order to broaden my knowledge of Santiago and Chile.

My initial plan was to have lunch at the “La Vega” – a market with everything you could possibly need. You can get fruit, vegetables, clothes and all kind of other things. But in the morning, when we had a coffee, there were a lot of students on the streets, who were about to demonstrate for a reduction of tuition fees. The waiter recommended us to change the itinerary to avoid the demonstrations. I was curious about the demonstrations, but my cousin insisted on visiting the La Vega market another day.

The students in Chile demonstrate in the streets because of the expensive tuition fees. In Germany we complain about 500 Euros for one semester, in Chile they have to pay this much in one month! As Santiago is such a big city and there is so much more to see, I decided to skip the hustle and bustle on the market and the “shopping-district” Patronato and come back on another day.

First, I went to the museum “Museo de Bellas Artes”, located in the beautiful district named after it. In this museum, mostly Chilean artists exhibit their works, paintings and sculptures. Throughout the year, it regularly features special exhibitions. The building was constructed in neo-classical style and is surrounded by a little park. It looks beautiful and magnificent from outside and from inside. The sun was shining through the glass ceiling when I entered and the atmosphere was beautiful and serene. In the main hall many students were sitting in front of the classical sculptures and were trying to draw them. I started my tour in one of the side rooms with paintings. It contained old paintings whereas in the next room I found modern ones with themes of violence and suffering.

My next stop was the “Cementerio General” (general cemetery). On this cemetery, which is located close to the city centre, more than 2 million people are buried, among them famous personalities of the national history and most of Chile´s presidents. The metro stop is right in front of the cemetery so you can easily find the entrance. I passed the entrance gate and the first structures that caught my eye, were some kind of temples, which are graves in fact. I had never seen such a cemetery. Guided tours are available during day and night – how scary! I went down the alley, passed a little kiosk, and saw more of the big “grave-temples”. Some of them looked a bit like a temple in Greece, another one like a building from Egypt. One of them even reminded me of a “Maya-Temple”, because it was hidden behind a curtain of green plants. Besides the mausoleums, there are many walls with little box graves which are closed and decorated from outside.

After shooting some video clips and photos I stopped because I felt that taking pictures on a cemetery was inappropriate. But there were cars driving around and you could buy sweets, so maybe I just thought too much about it.  Some streets further on, an old man was sweeping the sidewalk. He had a little radio in his pocket which played some classical, dramatic music – how fitting! He was whistling to the music and picked up the leaves.  On the other side of the street a young man sat next to a grave and played a “Hallelujah” on his guitar and sang. Even though a cemetery is a place of silence and peace, I enjoyed the atmosphere and the fact that it was not too quiet. And even though it was a “Hallelujah” it sounded cheerful.

A bit later I got off the metro at “Quinta Normal”, named after a big park right next to the metro stop. It´s a beautiful park in which I spend a lot of time. I passed some trick fountains and saw some girls playing in the water.  I passed a pond, a little lagoon, where I saw a sign that said that you shouldn´t swim in the pond. I would not have thought of doing so anyway!

So I went further on and came to a museum, the “Museo Nacional de Historia Natural”. Unfortunately it will be closed until May. But the front of the building really impressed me so I did not mind that it was closed. When it is open you can see a mummy of a 12-year old Inca-child, which was found in the year 1954 at the Cerro Plomo near Santiago in about 5000 meters altitude. Apart from that you can see bones of whales and of primordial animals. After a long walk through the park and a little stop in the sun, I went to the “Museo de la Memoria y de los Derechos Humanos”, the museum of memory and civil rights. It is a big modern building with water fountains, wide stairs and a big square in front of the entrance. At the reception, a young woman welcomed me and gave me some information in English before I started my tour through the museum. There were lots of pictures on a big wall with the topic civil rights all over the world. Below were little boards which explained the topic civil rights in Africa, South America and the Asian continent with pictures and some text. What a pity that all the texts in the museum were in Spanish, so I had to try to interpret the pictures myself. But I think they say more than thousand words.

I watched a short movie about an orphanage, and I felt a bit weird. A reporter asked the children what they would like to have for Christmas. Most of them answered they would like a car, a bike or a doll. Just one little boy said he only wanted enough to eat. Life at the orphanage didn´t look sad at all. The kids were playing and celebrating Christmas. Each one of them got a little present and a bottle of lemonade. It´s crazy how special this still is for some kids on the world. Sure, the movie was a bit older, but there are so many places in the world where the life circumstances for children are still difficult.

Afterwards, I went back to the first room where you could watch a movie about the attack of the presidential palace “La Moneda” on September 11th in the year 1973. Some of the pictures reminded me of the topics that we dealt with in history class at school and which are still present today.

On the second floor of the museum, you can visit something similar to a pulpit made of glass. Standing in there, you can see on the big wall in front of you hundreds of pictures of people who were killed by the regime or just “disappeared” during this difficult time. About 3.200 Chileans disappeared during the dictatorship, many young people, too. Electric candles on the ground of the pulpit commemorate the victims.

When I left of the museum the sun was shining outside and on the street everything was taking its normal course. It is a strange feeling when you know what is displayed inside. Even if I didn´t understand everything, this visit was really worthwhile. Because of its amazing exterior front, this museum is worth visiting and the exhibition helps to learn about the Chilean past. I will never understand what happened in those days, but after I read a bit about it, I’m at least informed.

An eventful day went by and I´m really happy that I could do this different city tour!

The Hangaroa Eco Village & Spa is currently in its ‘soft opening’ stage, from April through July, 32 rooms will be open, along with the swimming pool and Manavai spa, which will offer a wide range of relaxing therapies, massages and treatments. From August onward, the number of guest rooms will more than double to a total of 69, with both single and double rooms plus 6 exclusive suites. The resort’s Poerava Restaurant and Kaloa Bistro, which will combine international trends with local specialties, will be in limited operation during the soft opening, with complete meal service available beginning in April.

The hotel is not yet completely open to the public but already accepts bookings for later this year. For further information about the resort, please contact your travelArt sales executive. It would be a pleasure for our team to offer you advice.

A new project now brings this concept much closer to the Chilean capital, more precisely to the Cajón de Maipo valley, which winds into the Andes just to the south of Santiago. For years, Jaime Zaror and his company “Los Baqueanos” have offered popular horseback-riding excursions in this beautiful spot; soon visitors will be able to better-appreciate the valley’s natural attractions with an overnight stay in a comfortable dome tent. The guest tents will be equipped with futons, solar heating and ergonomic chairs, while an already-installed 6-meter-wide central tent will be used for serving breakfast and professionally-prepared gourmet dinners. Of course, during the day, guests will want to take advantage of the wide range of horseback riding excursions.

If you would like to learn more about this project, please contact your travelArt sales executive.

Today travelArt sent me on a city tour with one of our groups from Germany. We met at the hotel “Galerias” to start the city tour with our travelArt guide Nelson. He showed us the oldest church of the city, the “San Francisco church” and the inside of the church with the altar really impressed me as the dome window put the altar in really beautiful light. On our way to the main square “Plaza de Armas” one of the many stray dogs of Santiago followed us and waited as we entered another church.

There was a lot to see at the Plaza de Armas – the old post office, the cathedral, the Casa Colonial and the Palacio de la Real Audiencia. As well as the church before, the cathedral was really impressive, from the inside and the outside.You can see that between the two towers on top of the building there must have been some kind of sculpture and Nelson told us that were destroyed during the big earthquake in 2010. After some photos we went to the government district with the big presidential palace “La Moneda”. In the past coins were produced in this building which explains the origin of its name “La Moneda” (“the coin”). Around the palace you could see a lot of big buildings and years ago, one of them used to be the best hotel in Santiago. Later on it has been sold to the government and now houses the Ministry of the Exterior. Around “La Moneda”, you can discover the court house and the city council building. What really impresses me is the contrast between old and new architecture. It’s incredible how an old and beautiful building is located right between the modern skyscrapers as if it did not belong to the present time. In my opinion these contrasts and beautiful differences characterize Santiago.

On the way to our bus we passed the guards of the Palace which fascinated me. They stand there the whole day long, not allowed to move. They are not exactly like the guards at the Buckingham Palace in England, but very similar and I think they are doing a great job. Again there was time for taking some pictures before we drove by bus to the Cerro San Cristóbal, a hill in the city and the highest point of Santiago. Nelson told us interesting things about the city and answered lots of questions. He also told us that the skyscraper “Costanera Tower” is the highest building of South America. So far…you never know how long this title is going to last, because nobody knows in which city or in which county there are already planning to build a higher one.

Before we reached the top of the hill, we stopped at a view point, where we had a great view over Santiago. It was really a pity that there was smog over the city and so we could hardly make out the Andes. On the top of the hill, we climbed up the stairs to the statue of the Virgin Mary who watches over the city of Santiago. The panorama is really amazing. You could see the whole city from the viewpoint and marvel at its size.

On the way to the parking lot I tried a “Mote con huesillo” at the kiosk. This is very Chilean:  Peach juice with a half of a peach and some kind of grain in it. You can drink it just as refreshment or as a snack. I really liked it!

Afterwards, we got on our bus and drove back to the city through the modern business districts Las Condes and Providencia. Those who wanted to try a king crab went to the fish and seafood marked “Mercado Central” with Nelson. The others got back to the hotel where the great city tour ended.

One of travelArt’s themed tours is “Santiago 3C – Comprar, Cocinar y Comer,” or Buy, Cook and Eat. This tour starts with a walk through Santiago’s old city centre to the booming produce market of La Vega. Wandering amongst a profusion of wonderful aromas and colourful sights, you and your guide will have your pick of the country’s freshest fruits, vegetables, and spices. From La Vega, you will continue on to the Mercado Central, Santiago’s main fish and seafood market; and then, using your just-purchased ingredients, your guide will help you to prepare a classic Chilean meal, which you can enjoy with a bottle of outstanding local wine. Additionally, you’ll have a chance to sample different olive oils, and will even learn how to prepare Chile’s national drink – the legendary Pisco Sour.

Are you more interested in the humanities? If so, our “Art and Culture” city tour might be the right one for you. Or, for history fans, we offer a tour focused on “History and Human Rights,” which will introduce you to Santiago’s past and present via a multivisual video bus excursion. And for visitors who prefer something more active, we offer several city bike tours.

If you would like to learn more about our special thematic city tours of Santiago, please contact your travelArt sales executive.