Montevideo is South America showing Europe a slice of its own laid-back, crumbling elegance mixed with a modern feel.
Surrounded by part of the world’s widest river, the Rio de la Plata, there are lots of lovely plazas and city beaches, great for watching the blazing red sunsets.
People here are open and chatty – by day, conversation flows around the country’s famous writers and literature, by night Milongas (dance nights) and Tango bring the city alive.
All of this can by enjoyed alongside Uruguayan BBQs (asados) and Tannat red wines, which more than rival those of Buenos Aires over the water.
Santiago, Chile’s vibrant capital sits in the middle of this thin long country flanked by some of the highest peaks of the Andes.
The city reflects the prosperity of the Chilean economy with a modern architecture particularly in the east of the city.
However there is still plenty for traditionalist to explore in the centre of the city including the Moneda Palace, Cathedral, Central Market with its array of fish restaurants and the pre-Columbian Museum.
There are lots of day trips nearby, from vineyard visits to Valparaiso, making Santiago a great base from which to explore.
Chilean Patagonia is a pristine wilderness of fjords, glaciers, plains, mountains and forests.
Southern Patagonia’s main attraction is the Torres del Paine National park. The granite spires attract many visitors to what some have called the 8th Wonder of the World. The park is a trekkers paradise with two classic treks, the Paine W and the Paine Circuit.
Northern Patagonia, the Aysen region, is one of the least populated parts of the country and is blessed with spectacular countryside.
The main airport is Balmaceda near the city of Coyhaique and must see places include Lake General Carrera and the Marble Caves, The San Rafael Glacier, the Quelat Hanging Glacier as well as driving the Austral Road.
The Futaleufu River is a must for white water enthusiasts.
The region also offers great horseback opportunities as well as kayaking ones. Nature enthusiasts can admire the impressive scenery, imposing glaciers and fascinating wildlife and flora.
The Chilean Lake district is an area of snow capped volcanoes that overlooks pristine lakes surrounded by forests and rolling countryside.
The Northern gateway is Temuco Airport. A short drive is Villarrica Lake overlooked by the volcano of the same name. The monkey puzzle tree is autochthonous to the region and can be found all over particularly in Conguillio National park.
The town of Pucon is a great base from which to explore the nearby National parks, hot springs, Mapuche indigenous settlements and for the more adventurous rafting, canopy, trekking and climbing.
In the middle of the region you will find the private Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve, a protected area of Patagonian cold rain forest.
The Southern sector, whose gateway is Puerto Montt, is dominated by Lake Llanquihue and the conical Osorno Volcano.
A popular base is the town of Puerto Varas on the lake shore from where one can visit the local beauty spots or set off on adventures that include biking, kayak, trekking, rafting and much more.
This area combines very well with the Argentine Lake district and the towns of Bariloche and San Martin de Los Andes.
The Atacama desert covers the northern quarter of Chile.
Said to be the driest in the world it is a melting pot of earthy tones ( red, yellow, purples, browns etc ), amazing rock formations, stunning mountains and volcanoes, flamingo speckled salt flats and some of the clearest skies on the planet.
San Pedro de Atacama is the ideal base to explore the nearby geysers, hot springs, salt flats, lakes, and at night be amazed by the star studded skies.
Those after adventure can pass the time trekking, biking, horse riding and exploring.
For a bit of culture the pre Columbian museum, colonial churches and pre Columbian archaeological sites will keep one fascinated and for the nature enthusiast the scenery, wildlife and environment won’t disappoint.
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W. Kyle, USA. 4-day Inca Trail trek, Cusco and Sacred Valley, April 2025 Food was awesome, at our Cusco hotel and on the Inca trail. There were so many highlights: the way our guide explained in great detail about all the birds, plants (especially all the different orchids), in addition to his knowledge on all the ancient historical sites was quite amazing. It made the trail more like an adventure, instead of a hike. All of the people at the hotel in Cusco were very helpful, especially Kevin, who brought oxygen to my room Saturday morning when I was still having issues adjusting to the high altitude in Cusco. The other tour guides, Eddie on the walking tour of Cusco, and Mateo, who did the Sacred Valley tour were good. Andean Trails was recommended by Responsible Travel, my first contact for this adventure.
W. Kyle » 4-Day Inca Trail Hike To Machu Picchu, Peru
D. Joselow and family, USA. Land-based Galapagos holiday, April 2025 The accommodations were great - clean, comfortable, and well located. The food was good, especially the farm lunches. We also really enjoyed the meals on the boats. The overall organization of the trip was terrific. We were a big group and everything ran as expected. We could not have felt better taken care of. Everyone was very kind and very gracious. Honestly, the entire trip was exceptional. We definitely loved the wild life, on land and on/in the water. Learning the history was also great. The Interpretation Center on St Cristóbal was small but very informative. We also loved our boat trips - Kicker Rock, Española,Tuneles. Guide Maritza is a treasure. She has great energy and a clear passion for the place. She was patient and good humored, exceptionally hard working and incredibly knowledgeable. We were told she was a last minute substitute. We sure got lucky. We didn’t know we were going to have our own private guide for the entire time. That actually made the trip and I would recommend this to anyone traveling to Galapagos. The boat crews on St Cristóbal and Isabela were kind and funny and thoughtful. We had a blast spotting dolphins and whales and other creatures. The crew members were always looking out for us and doing everything they could to make us comfortable. Everything felt very local - the farms and ceviche evening and brewery were all about our hosts. But the boats and buses and hotels and restaurants felt the same. The kids rented surf boards and had a great time talking surf with the owner. We found warmth and kindness everywhere so hopefully we did no harm and showed appropriate respect and appreciation. Honestly we can’t imagine a better trip. We would absolutely recommend the itinerary - and Andean Trails - to anyone. We chose Andean Trails because someone we know used the organization to tour the Galapagos and had a great trip. We wanted to do a land-based trip and couldn’t find another organizer who seemed to have the expertise and offered various land options. This was a pretty unusual trip for us, our first time out of the U.S as a family. We didn’t closely examine other Andean Trails offerings but would certainly recommend the group to others. I have to close by thanking you for all your help. We had lots of different questions and lots of different needs in throughout the planning. You were very patient on all of it. That made us very confident that the trip itself was going to be as wonderful as you were. It was. Thanks so, so much. This was a bucket list adventure. I am not sure how any future trip can compare.
» Galapagos Island Hopping: San Cristóbal, Isabela and Santa Cruz
