The beauties of the world longest country: Chile
From South to North, from Patagonia to Atacama — Part 2
Hello everybody, and welcome back to this extraordinary trip through Chile! We were at this point in Santiago de Chile after the discovering of the Chilean Patagonia, and we were ready to rent a car and start the journey toward the North!
The first stop was Valparaíso, a colourful and sparkling UNESCO site, situated on the Pacific Ocean’s coasts. This town is really a must-see, with its picturesque houses, astonishing street-arts, Pablo Neruda’s home and the 42 “cerros”, the many hills over which the city has been built. To reach the top of them, don’t hesitate to try the funicular: the view from up there is truly beautiful. The trip then continued to “Pan de Azucar” park, located on the Ocean, where you can enjoy the sun, take photographs of the beautiful animals living there, go on a boat ride, and taste exquisite just caught fish.
After a good night sleep in Antofagasta, a metropolitan city on the shore, we drove our way to San Pedro de Atacama. Etablished in the middle of the Atacama Desert, the aridest in the world (even more than the Death Valley!) where you can also admire “Mano del desierto”, another hand monument located in the middle of it, this small and dusty town is a gem at 2500 metres above the sea level that you don’t really want to lose. Here you will find picturesque small and white houses, San Pedro church, a Chilean national monument, the Gustavo Le Paige archeologic museum, where you can find Incas mummies, and, on the top of it, the Licancabur Volcano in the background, perfectly cone-shaped.
While we were in the Atacama Desert we also visited “Valle de la luna”, in English “moon valley”. A vast expanse of terrain lands, with a series of brown-orange hills; a hot and dry weather, accompanied by a wind and dust. You will only realize you are still on Planet Earth only thanks to the actual moon, which will appear almost every day in the background. I really recommended it!
From San Pedro de Atacama we were also able to travel around, as we visited Puritana term baths (fun fact: being covered in mud is not fun as it seems), El Tatio gayers (exciting to see, awful to smell — have you ever smelled expired eggs?), and the Salar de Atacama, immense salt pans where you can enjoy the view of beautiful flamingos. So here’s a useful information: the geysers and the salt pans are located way high above the sea level, almost 4000 meters. Be sure to make stops during the trip, or you will find yourself throwing up in front of the ranger’s cabin. Remember, height is a b***h.
On our way back to civilization, we stopped to visit the largest open pit copper mine in the world, the Chiquicamata mine; there, we took a guided tour of the mine on board of huge haul tracks. We also stopped in Humberstone, a ghost town in the proximity of the urban city Iquique. This town was a former saltpetre mine (Chile was the largest saltpetre exporter between the 18th and the 19th century), which became completely unpopulated after the collapse of that industry. Everything took place in that town, and people there did not really have many interactions with the external world. It was a really fascinating place to see, with its wooden house, its small schools, its bars and all the ancient mine tools. Visiting it was like going back to a time when cowboys dominated these isolated lands saddling their majestic Criollo horses (the typical South America horse) and I really loved it (yep, I do love the old wild west)!
Our last stop before going back to Santiago de Chile was Arica. This big, sea town is situated very close to the border with Perù and is dominated by the Morro de Arica, a hill that became in the years not only the symbol of the town but also a National Monument. From the top of it, the view of the Ocean and of the city is breath-taking and it is worth the hike. At its foot, there is a big square with monument reminiscing the Pacific War and the following peace. At the time we went there, we also found a really inexpensive and interesting marketing, and if you have time is a very nice place to buy handmade bracelets, frames and other souvenirs.
So here we are now, back to Santiago de Chile, where it all began. Santiago is energetic, chaotic city and it is truly beautiful. Everything you want is there: from the broad selection of foods, with above all ice creams and empanadas (Could I have them every day please?), to a large number of museums (art, history, science and more) and street art all over the town; from the amazing parks, among all Parque Forestal and Quinta Normal Park, to the vibrant salsa clubs. Moreover, be sure to sweat a little bit and reach the top of Cerro San Cristóbal, a hill that dominated the city. From here the scene is spectacular: a 360° view of the city, the Andes in the background and the feeling that you are actually conquering the world.
And now, people, we are at the end of this trip. I recall feeling bittersweet leaving this country: the landscapes, nature, the food, and especially the people, always ready to talk, smile and have a laugh with you, had made this country one of my favourite in the world. I don’t know if I’ll ever go there (unfortunately, money don’t come from trees), but I’ll forever be thankful to my parents to make me live this amazing experience.
I truly hope you also enjoy this trip, and I cherish you will follow me on another one. In the meantime, you can check some more photo here. See you soon!
