Blog entries

Chile, one of South America’s safest countries for travelers

Juan Ignacio Bello — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:08:04 +0100

Chile is known across the globe for being a top destination for travelers.

With so much to see in just one country, many visitors choose to backpack between the desert, lakes, beaches and mountains.

What is more, Chile has a reputation for high levels of safety, so much so that the Global Peace Index announced that Chile is among ...

The great landscapes of the Carretera Austral

Juan Ignacio Bello — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:17:44 +0100

In the region of Aysen, the snowy hills of various mountain ranges intermingle with the lush landscape of ancient forests.

On the way you will travel through countless places of great natural, scenic and ecological interest, throughout what is known as the Camino Longitudinal Austral or Carretera Austral.

The beautiful...

A Haven of Chilean History, Visiting Iglesia San Francisco and its Colonial Museum

Juan Ignacio Bello — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:00:00 +0100

Abutting Santiago's bustling artery Alameda, Chile's most historic colonial building the Iglesia San Francisco overlooks the traffic below, a stately structure lost in time.

The San Francisco church and convent trace their roots in the city back to 1540. With superb examples of colonial architecture and art, a dip into Iglesia San Francisco...

Santiago’s Confitería Torres, the oldest cafe in Chile

Juan Ignacio Bello — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:18:49 +0100

Founded in 1879, Confitería Torres has quite some claim to fame. Not only is it a national landmark favored by successions of Chilean presidents, but it claims to be the oldest cafe in Chile.

With so much history behind its swinging wooden doors, it's no surprise there was an uproar in 2002 when the confitería almost clo...

Adventurer cycles across Chile during circumnavigation of the globe

Juan Ignacio Bello — Sun, 19 May 2013 04:00:00 +0100

Earlier this month, Chile.Travel spoke with Welshman Greg Healey, an adventurer who had just crossed the Andes into Chile on a bicycle ride around the world.

Little over a fortnight later and Greg has cycled from Santiago to Arica via La Serena, Copiapó, Caldera, Taltal, Calama, and San Pedro de Atacama. Chile.Travel...

Dissecting the W-Trek Part II: Details about an unforgettable adventure in Chilean Patagonia

Juan Ignacio Bello — Sat, 18 May 2013 04:00:00 +0100

In the second portion of this two part series, Chile Travel will break down the components of the famous W Trek.

Helping future trekkers familiarize themselves with the terrain and where they might camp or lodge along the way. For information about getting to the park and choosing a route visit take a look at P...

Lakeside Theater: Frutillar’s Cultural Gamble

Juan Ignacio Bello — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:00:00 +0100

Frutillar is a lakeside resort with a remarkable German influence, set on the shores of Lake Llanquihue.

It's a 30 minute drive by car from the city of Puerto Montt, the regional capital. A "Music Week" celebration has been going strong for over 44 years in Frutillar, and since January of 2011 the Theater by the Lake has become the official...

Restoring Humberstone, Iquique, Northern Chile

Juan Ignacio Bello — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:35:56 +0100

A "must visit" for many visitors to northern Chile, Humberstone is a ghost town so spectacular that UNESCO has recognised it as a national monument.

Built by British investors in the 1930s, this town in the region of Iquique served as the beating heart of Chile's booming mining industry. A leisure town for workers of the l...

ALMA, the world's largest radio telescope operating in the Atacama Desert

Juan Ignacio Bello — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:30:11 +0100

In recent years northern Chile has become one of the best places in the world in which to watch the sky.

Here can be found the largest number of astronomy projects worldwide and 40% of the planet's astronomical observation activity. Its skies are distinguished by low light pollution and on average there are more than 330 clear days per year.

...

Concha y Toro, a neighborhood full of history

Juan Ignacio Bello — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:52:24 +0100

One of Santiago's most charming "micro barrios" is Concha y Toro, a neighborhood within Barrio Brasil in Downtown.

Made up of medieval-looking 1920s mansions, it was built by a wealthy couple, Enrique Concha y Toro and Teresa Cazotte.

The Concha y Toro family made their fortune in the 1870s economic boom caused by the mini...

Interview: Claudio Soto on protecting southern Chile’s unique Darwin’s Frog

Juan Ignacio Bello — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:41:18 +0100

Some years ago, when asked to pick 10 threatened species that if given the power he would choose to save, David Attenborough raised some eyebrows when he picked a tiny, inconspicuous frog from the forests of southern Chile.

Aside from being impressed by the amphibian's ability for camouflage, the British naturalist's fascination with the Darw...

Torres del Paine’s W-Trek Part I: Details about an unforgettable adventure in Chilean Patagonia

Juan Ignacio Bello — Sun, 12 May 2013 04:00:00 +0100

While Patagonian conditions can be extreme, hiking the W-Trek in Chile's Parque Nacional Torres del Paine is one of the best ways for beginner trekkers to get a feel for the majestic outdoors.

There are few places in the world where you can experience long days filled with rugged wilderness, and then cuddle into a warm bed or scrub do...

Ski touring in the Andes Mountain Range

Juan Ignacio Bello — Sat, 11 May 2013 04:00:00 +0100

Ski touring or cross country skiing is a distinctive way of exploring the landscapes of the Andes Mountains.

In Chile, the pioneers of randonnée were mostly foreigners, who used the technique to get to hard to reach parts of the mountains.

La Parva Ski Center has 4-5 hour programs, based out of their ski school, with a route that goes up to the are...

Big wave surfers to drop-in on Chile for Quiksilver Ceremonial 2013

Juan Ignacio Bello — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:03:02 +0100

The world renowned break at Punta de Lobos is about to host the world's top surfers for this year's Big Wave World Tour: Quiksilver Ceremonial.

Officially classed as riding waves of 10 m or higher, big wave surfing is reserved only for the most skilled professionals. The visual spectacle and danger associated with the sport have been immort...

Santiago’s Barrio Providencia celebrates 116 years with a series of free events

Juan Ignacio Bello — Thu, 09 May 2013 13:35:33 +0100

Throughout the month of May, Barrio Providencia is celebrating 116 years. To mark the occasion, the neighborhood is laying on a range of free activities.

"We must celebrate our 116-year anniversary," Josefa Errázuriz, the mayor of Providencia, told chile.travel. "Besides, marking this special occasion helps us to forge a local identity as a c...

The Gastronomic offerings of Barrio Franklin

Juan Ignacio Bello — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:46:26 +0100

Barrio Franklin is a popular area of the south of Santiago, the Chilean capital.

What began as an exhibition of products and second-hand furniture has been transformed into a neighborhood, full of character, where you can find attractive cuisine from around the world together with good value for money.

One of the main characteristic...

Color in the desert

Juan Ignacio Bello — Tue, 07 May 2013 13:29:28 +0100

The flowering desert is a climatic phenomenon that occurs in the Atacama Desert and nowhere else on earth.

It consists of a great variety of flowers blooming in this barren desert-scape, apparently so inhospitable to life. This can happen in the months of September to November. These native species paint the dry sandy ground w...

Stunning NY Times Magazine photography on display in Chilean capital

Juan Ignacio Bello — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:10:50 +0100

Published in the summer of 1991, Sebastião Salgado's photo essay "The Kuwaiti Inferno" is a virtuosic piece of work, as much a stand alone piece of art as a jarring social document.

The essay centers on the aftermath of the Gulf War when, before retreating from Kuwait, Iraqi occupiers ignited and compromised hundreds of oil wells that s...

Chile first Lat Am country to host World Summit on Arts and Culture

Juan Ignacio Bello — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:00:00 +0100

The 6th World Summit on Arts and Culture is coming to Chile in 2014, and officials from the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA) were in the capital last week to scope out the venue for the federation's biggest global initiative.

Next January, Santiago's Estación Mapocho Cultural Center wil...

Eating in Patagonia, an introduction to cuisine in southern Chile

Juan Ignacio Bello — Sat, 04 May 2013 04:00:00 +0100

When you think of food from Chilean Patagonia, empanadas and barbecued lamb (known as asado) come to mind.

This is good, hearty food: just what you want for conquering hunger built up over long days in the elements.

An asado might also be barbecued beef. And all that is needed is good quality produce and some salt for season...