South America Backpacking Routes: Seven Itineraries for Two Weeks to One Month
South America is a truly unique travel experience, with myriad landscapes and cultures. Many new South American travellers become intimidated by how much there is …
Few countries in South America can even begin to compete with Chile when it comes to epic natural landforms and surreal landscapes.
From the thick, dusty plains of the Atacama Desert – the globe’s driest non-polar desert – in the north, to the rich, fertile vineyards of the Central Valley, the verdant, rolling hills and brightly-painted churches of Chiloé, down to the far reaches of the South American continent in the alluring, secretive depths of Patagonia, Chile is vast, wild and utterly compelling.
Beyond-the-beaten trail travel destinations rubbing shoulder with world-famous national parks such as Torres del Paine National Park and the surreal and fascinating Easter Island.
It’s been my adopted home for the past year – and will be for the next as I research the upcoming Moon Chile guidebook – and I continue to be astounded by the places that I discover on each trip around the country.
If you have any questions about travel in this region then please don’t hesitate to drop me an email at [email protected] and I’ll answer them as best as I can!
Why Chile is 2018’s top adventure travel destination
Travel itineraries for Chile: 10 days to two weeks
The 8 most adventurous places to visit in Chile
Which is the best month for travel in Chile?
What’s it like hitchhiking in Chile?
Chile travel planning service: stuck for inspiration or time to plan your trip?
Northern Chile’s most beautiful – and lesser-visited – spots
My guide to Santiago’s 13 best hotels and hostels for every budget and travel style
Find out what to do with a weekend in Valparaíso, a colourful port city an hour and a half drive from Santiago
Travel itinerary for one and two weeks in Patagonia
Travel itinerary for three and four weeks in Patagonia (and a free e-book itinerary to download)
The ultimate guide to what to pack for a trip to Patagonia (includes a free pdf download of my packing checklist!)
The complete and comprehensive, 15,000 travel guide to Patagonia
Recommendations for the unmissable places you must visit on a trip to Patagonia
Tips for having an incredible adventure travelling in Patagonia
Six unique and barely heard of travel routes you must try in Patagonia
How to hitchhike, drive or bus Patagonia’s greatest road trip, the Carretera Austral
Is the Navimag ferry from Puerto Montt to Puerto Chacabuco worth it?
Is the Navimag ferry from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales worth it?
Hotel Review: Mallin Colorado Ecolodge
The ultimate guide to preparing for and hiking the W Trek independently
A complete guide to booking campsites and refugios on the W trek
Your six options if the campsites on the W are fully booked
Packing guide for hiking the O Circuit
14 essential things to know before hiking the O Circuit
Food to pack for the O Circuit
Activity review: horseriding on the edges of Torres del Paine National Park
South America is a truly unique travel experience, with myriad landscapes and cultures. Many new South American travellers become intimidated by how much there is …
Despite Chile’s reputation as one of the safest and most politically stable countries in South America, on Friday the 18th of October, protests erupted in …
Valparaíso (or Valpo to the locals) is a Chilean city steeped in history. Once known as the “The Jewel of South America”, this city’s bohemian, …
The sky-piercing peaks of Torres del Paine National Park; the dense, milky blue hue of Glacier Perito Moreno; the huge wingspan of an Andean condor …
When I first visited Patagonia in March 2016, I didn’t know what to expect. Sure, I’d read Bruce Chatwin’s “In Patagonia” and heard tales of …
As one of Chilean Patagonia’s top adventure travel destinations, Torres del Paine National Park attracts thousands of hikers each year. But despite its burgeoning popularity, …
Santiago, the buzzing capital of Chile, has much to offer visitors and attracts a diverse crowd, from veteran backpackers to aspiring wine connoisseurs and luxury …
Snow dappled mountains, carved into glistening ridges by the forces of nature over millennia; lush vines heavily laden with juicy grapes for wine and pisco; …
You’re planning on heading south to hike in the wild lands of Patagonia and a trip to Torres del Paine National Park has long been …
It’s fair to say that the W and O Circuit treks through Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia have quickly become some of the continent’s …
With its trademark dramatic mountainous landscapes, national parks that make hikers drool and a wealth of undiscovered corners that remain tantalizingly wild, it should come …
Turquoise lagoons perched beneath sharp, granite pillars and reached only by spellbinding hiking trails; chattering Magellanic and king penguin colonies; slow but magical boat journeys …
Chile is such a long, geographically diverse country that it is difficult to pin down one top time to go. The best time to visit …
Hiking in Torres del Paine National Park is one of the absolute highlights of a visit to Patagonia – I should know, I’ve done it …
With its mysterious, stoic moai watching over the island and craterous, seemingly barren landscapes that hint at a turbid, fascinating history, Easter Island** (aka Isla de …
On my last trip along the Carretera Austral in 2016, I made it as far as the azure waters of Lago General Carrera in the Aysén …
It’s been an awfully long time since I was last on horseback – over twenty years to be precise. But I feel surprisingly in control …
By day three, my long hours of standing at the bow finally pay off. The rain clears suddenly and unexpectedly; the clouds creep away from …
With the piercing peaks of the Andes prominent in the north, glacier-riddled national parks of the south and fertile, wine-growing valleys of the centre, it’s …
It’s no secret that I’m deeply in love with my adopted homeland, Chile. It’s fair to say that few South American countries can compete with …
Say the words “northern Chile” and there’s probably only one place that pops into your head: San Pedro de Atacama. Sure, there’s a reason it’s one …
Packing for any Torres del Paine hike is no walk in the park. One of the easiest ways to make hiking the Torres del Paine …
As the most adventurous part of South America, Patagonia deserves some serious travel time. Previously on the blog, I outlined four Patagonia travel itineraries for one- …
As one of the absolute highlights of my second trip to Patagonia, hiking the Torres del Paine Circuit was an incredible introduction to the fierce …