Capital: Santiago
Language: Spanish
Currency: Chilean Peso
Do Indians need visa pre-arrival: Yes
Places I Visited:
• Puerto Natales- Gateway to Torres Del Paine (One of the best treks in the world) and walk in the city for some mountain views.
• Valparaiso- Port city in the country, very good street art (one of the best in the world), amazing food and good nightlife.
• Santiago- - Capital and Largest city in the country, comforting nightlife and walking in the downtown, visiting Gran Torre Santiago (tallest building in South America).
• San Pedro de Atacama- Visiting largest dry desert in the world and walk in the city.
VISIT:: 1
I started an early morning journey from Ushuaia (Agentina) to Puerto Natales. I got to Punta Arenas around 7 pm, and my bus to Puerto Natales was for 10 pm.
I met few travelers we wanted to board the same bus, we tour the neighborhood together and later had dinner. We went back to the bus station to get the bus and got to Puerto Natales around 1 am.
I checked into my hostel, but I was not comfortable staying there. So I decided to book another hostel a few blocks away and moved my luggage there.
My plan in the Puerto Natales was to visit Torres del Paine for a day. I had no idea what Torres del Paine was; so, I went to an information session in the center of the city. Before the meeting, I went to a curator and told her I want to visit Torres del Paine in one day then she laughed at me without saying a thing.
Puerto Natelas City
The information session began; I understood that a walk in Torres Del Paine is one of the best treks in the world and one of the toughest.
The most preferred trek was for five days, and it is called W trek. I called my friend who does lot of treks, and I learned that Torres del Paine would be in most of the trekker's bucket list. Then I decided to do the five-day W trek, but I didn’t have any trekking equipment, not even shoes.
The following day, I went to book all the campsites space for my stay during my trek and went shopping for the trek. It took me a whole day to prepare for my trek; I got to the hostel very late that evening.
Finally, my trekking day is here. I took a bus to the national park where everything was set in motion.
I met Swedish and German people within an hour of trekking who accompanied me throughout till it was completed.
My german and Swedish friends
For the first three days, I trekked 60kms, and I saw the best views ever. On the 4th day, after covering many kilometers, I prepared my tent and went to sleep; only God knows how rat came in to destroy my food. I was stranded for two days without food, but I was rescued by other trekkers who shared their food with me.
Views during trek
The last 2 days we were to visit Torres del Paine, we started at 3 am in the morning from the campsite, and after the tough trek we reached the matador by 6 am as I watched the sunrise, it was the best sunrise I ever witnessed. And then I came back to campsite by afternoon and successfully completed the trek. It was the toughest trek i ever did in my life. I walked around 100 km in 5 days with the average elevation of 3000 meters.
In front of torres del paine monuntain
my planned one day stay in Puerto Natales ended in a 7-days trek with a visit to Torres Del Paine. Then I took a bus to El Calafate, Argentina.
VISIT:: 2
After Bariloche I took a bus to Valparaiso in Chile, there was a bus change in the Santiago. I got the bus, got to my destination and I checked in to my hostel. I could not do a thing on the very first day.
The following day, I went for a free walking tour in the city where I saw terrific street arts.
Street arts in Valparaiso
In Valparaiso
When I got to my hostel in the evening, I texted the Chilean guy I met in Brazil; he lives in the next city of Valparaiso, Vina del Mar. He replied me and asked us to meet at a particular point in Vina del Mar.
Next day I took a bus to the location, I met this guy with his brothers, and then from there we went to a bar downtown. After very few drinks we walked down the street where we were picked up by their dad. We drove to their home, and I had a superb dinner with their family and had some fun time. Later his father drove me to the hostel.
with my friends in Vina del mar
with their family
Next day I left for Santiago, I stayed in Santiago for 3 days because I needed to get my Bolivian visa there and a mail from USA. I didn’t do anything in the city other than walk around the town. After I got my visa and the mail, I left for Mendoza, Argentina.
VISIT:: 3
From Salta, I took a bus to the Atacama in Chile. After a day in the Atacama, I did the desert tour, and next day I started the Bolivia 4-day desert tour including visiting Salar de Uyuni.
At Atacama Desert
I got into the car; we were 6 people (3 Dutch, 2 Australian and me). We drove to Chile immigration office we I had an unpleasant experience.
There were no officers we even had breakfast there.
After 3 hours of waiting, the tour operator said that we were not going that day because the government declared a holiday, we had no place to stay, and we went in search of a hostel, and we found one. The six of us stayed in the same hostel so that our movement the following morning would be easier.
That evening, we all went out to get some dinner as it was late already.
We only saw a pizza shop that still opens up, and it was completely crowded. We had a little argument that surfaced between a Chilean family and us because they tried to steal our seats, after a lot of trouble we completed our dinner.
We continued our journey to Bolivia next day.