South America - Chile

funkey_monkey

Hi,

I'm thinking of going back to South America this summer - last year I spent 3 weeks in Peru and loved it.

The travel company who arranged my trip are now undertaking work in Chile and Patagonia.

I've done a bit of looking online but was wondering if there is anyone on here who has been to these places and can offer some advice as to what I can see/do.

Alternatively, what are the other good destinations in South America to visit?


Thanks.

cailinoBAC

Well, don't really have time to go into it all, but we loved patagonia (we were back and forth between Chile and Argentina). Didn't go through a travel company though.

We flew from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, Ushuaia to El Calafate (from where you go to see perito moreno glacier).
Went to El Chalten, back to El Calafate,
Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine
Back to El Calafate, then bus to Bariloche (didn't have the money to fly any more - a lot of people go north by boat from Puerto Natales though)
then after Bariloche we went to San Martin, and bus to Pucon. I think that was the last place we were that was part of Patagonia.
North to Santiago and Valparaiso.
Then from there to Mendoza, Cordoba, Salta in Argentina, on to San Pedro de Atacama in the north of Chile, but I imagine if you're going to Patagonia you won't be going anywhere near those places.

El Chalten and Torres del Paine are both places where your enjoyment might depend on the weather. We had been thinking of doing the W in T del P, but didn't have enough time in the end, but we went for a few days and the weather was fantastic. El Chalten though was cloudy and wet the entire time, though we saw other people had fantastic photos.

Walking in Perito Moreno glacier is expensive but I think it was worth it.
Bariloche is great, very Alpine, just really relaxed.

There are loads of things to do in Ushuaia. If we had more money we'd have gone to Antarctica. Next time maybe!

Sorry, just rereading your post and I see that you're talking about going this summer - you know that's winter there? When we were in Ushuaia in the middle of their summer it was 12 degrees. Bariloche would be great for skiing but I'm not sure about everything else. Maybe somebody else has been there that time of year?

If you're looking for somewhere else to visit, maybe try Bolivia or Colombia?

Coeus

Hey, I have been to Chile twice. Once in our summer when I visited the area around Santiago and went north to the desert, San Pedro de Atacama and on to Bolivia. The second time in our autumn when I arrived over from Bariloche and went south on the boat (Navimag ferry).

As the previous poster says it may not be the best time to go to Patagonia in our summer. It is quite far south so the days will be short and the weather may not be the best. I would have been there in early November (their spring) and it snowed some days in both Torres Del Paine and Fitzroy National Parks. I was still able to do the 'W' circuit in Torres but couldn't do the complete circuit as one of the passes was blocked due to snow.

I didnt use a travel company for either trip. You will be able to get to any of the main tourists towns by bus or plane. From the towns there are buses that will bring you to the main National Parks. Perito Moreno glacier is deffo a must see. I didnt do the glacier walk since I had done one elsewhere but there is park next to the glacier with elevated walkways where the views and sound of it are amazing...

funkey_monkey

I usually tend to go on holidays sometime in late Sept at earliest. How is your level of Spanish?

My Spanish is still not proficient enough for me to travel solo without making use of others to help me along. I also do not like having to arrange accommodation etc as I go along (similar with day trips, activities, etc).

How did you find the people and nightlife in these places? Is it sociable? Did you feel safe?

I sometimes find with solo travel that it is difficult to meet people, but I now have a dislike of large organised groups where you have to go with the majority. That is why I used http://www.perutourism.com for my trip to Peru. It was not cheap, but I got to create a personalised itinerary. The only downside was that I did not get as much interaction with locals as I desired.

Is Chile an activity country or is it mainly sightseeing?

cailinoBAC

My Spanish is better now because I'm living in Spain :-)
Back then though, it wasn't all that great, I had done beginner's Spanish at the instituto cervantes, but wasn't the best student!
You really don't have to have fantastic Spanish in Patagonia, some would help, but tourism is a big industry so there will always be English speakers.
There are a lot of agencies in each town that will help you on your trips.
In the end I went with my boyfriend, but I had planned the trip before I met him and had planned on going on my own, as I assumed I'd meet plenty of people in hostels. We met plenty of people like this, but I think you meet more when you're on your own.

As for activity versus sightseeing. Well, there is a lot of hiking/trekking. I mean, I think to see most of the fantastic places you will need to hike a little. Pucon has a lot of different adventure sports.

zacchaeus

funkey_monkey wrote: »

I usually tend to go on holidays sometime in late Sept at earliest. How is your level of Spanish?

My Spanish is still not proficient enough for me to travel solo without making use of others to help me along. I also do not like having to arrange accommodation etc as I go along (similar with day trips, activities, etc).

How did you find the people and nightlife in these places? Is it sociable? Did you feel safe?

I sometimes find with solo travel that it is difficult to meet people, but I now have a dislike of large organised groups where you have to go with the majority. That is why I used http://www.perutourism.com for my trip to Peru. It was not cheap, but I got to create a personalised itinerary. The only downside was that I did not get as much interaction with locals as I desired.

Is Chile an activity country or is it mainly sightseeing?

You will probably find that with Solo travel in the exterme cone of the continent oportunities to meet other groups are not very common. No way near as much organised tourism down here. As someone who has travel at the peak of winter down here I wouldn't hesitate in doing it again. be prepared though. El chaltean tends to close down completly. I showed up with fellow solo travellers and found the place to be completly shut down, and persuaded a guest house to open and got snowed into the village for a couple of days. Think Siberia! hence buses tended to cancel but it didn't stop the adventure. Hiking was absolutly great.... was a case of two feet of snow one day and the next severe gales with all the snow going in the process. You would have to be flexible with your time down here. be prepared for lots of cancellations however they do prepared well and only in the exterme cases it will all come to a standstill.

September should be a good month for bariloche..however August would be preferred choice.

Nightlife would be limited in the South....El calafate non existiant, and even the coastal towns of patagonia... exception being Commodoro Rividavia but not great. Rio Gallegos - quiet, Usushia - never been.

Also add to you itinenary the Pensulia Valdes and the Welsh settlements around Trelew & Rawson...

Coeus

I have no Spanish and have got on grand travelling on my own in South America. That said I stuck to the main tourist spots so there is nearly always someone around with English.

When I went to Patagonia, I had intended on trekking in the Torres and Fitzroy on my own but I met some people on the Navimag ferry on the way down and did the trek in Torres Del Paine with them. In Fitzroy I met fellow solo travellers in the hostel (Rancho Grande) in El Chalten and trekked with them some days.

I was out maybe 2 nights down South, one night in Bariloche we went to Irish bar called the Wilkenny. Then in Punta Arenas as it was a Saturday night we went to a couple of bars, a nightclub where we were the only non-locals and the Casino to finish off the night. I didnt go out in Ushuaia as it was the middle of the week and there was nobody about but there was a few bars on the main street.

HonalD

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Hi,

I'm thinking of going back to South America this summer - last year I spent 3 weeks in Peru and loved it.

The travel company who arranged my trip are now undertaking work in Chile and Patagonia.

I've done a bit of looking online but was wondering if there is anyone on here who has been to these places and can offer some advice as to what I can see/do.

Alternatively, what are the other good destinations in South America to visit?


Thanks.

Funky, I've never been to a better place in the world - except Santiago (definitely avoid). Spanish is necessary once you are on the road and plenty of sun block!

funkey_monkey

Have you been to Peru or Cuba? They are my top places.