Your Trip to Chile

8–9 Apr 2024: Santiago de Chile (1 night)

• The Ritz-Carlton Santiago

9–13 Apr 2024: San Pedro de Atacama (4 nights)

• Explora Atacama

We've designed some great playlists for you to enjoy during your trip through Chile!

• Chile is a great selection of Chilean artists who are making waves in the music industry.
  
• Campfire Chill is perfect for nights under the stars (especially in the Atacama).
  
• Summer Chill is a great soundtrack for your trip in the sun.

A few fantastic local favourites we love in Chile are:

• Empanadas are one of the most beloved foods in Chile, they are pastries made from fried or baked dough, usually filled with either cheese, seafood or a mixture called pino that consists of ground beef, olive, egg and onion.
  
• Humitas are prepared similarly to a Mexican tamale but they are known for their sweetness, not spice. You’ll find that humitas are often sold at corner stores, though sometimes street vendors will sell them from their coolers.
  
• Mote con huesillos is a syrupy traditional drink made with a mote (a kind of peach nectar), dried peaches and huesillos – husked wheat. Treat yourself to a cold mote con huesillos as you take in the view atop either the San Cristóbal Hill or Santa Lucía Hill in Santiago, which is where this drink is often found.
  
• Completo’s are Chile’s version of the hot dog and are one of the most beloved Chilean foods. A typical completo is served with sausage, chopped tomato, mayonnaise and sauerkraut. The completo Italiano is also quite popular, and comes with chopped tomatoes, mashed avocado and mayonnaise.
  
• Sopaipilla is a traditional fried pumpkin flatbred that can be served with either hot sauce or in a bowl covered with a molasses-style sauce!
  
• Pastel de choclo blends the ingredients for Spanish empanadas and indigenous Andean dish humitas. Pastel de choclo is a sweet and savory corn pudding dish typically cooked and served in a clay bowl.

Chile has a wonderful and celebrated film industry that explores Chilean history and the human connection. A few of our favourites we recommend you watch before you go or during your flight are:

• Machuca, nominated for Best Iberoamerican Film at the Ariel Awards in 2005, explores the human stories behind the dictatorship of General Pinochet. Set in the months leading up to the dictatorship, the movie follows the friendship of two boys from different social classes and how their lives are affected.
  
• No follows the true story of how a marketing campaign helped put an end to the war. This Oscar-nominated film gained a lot of attention around the world when it was released in 2012, in part for the decision to shoot the movie using three-quarter-inch Sony U-matic magnetic tape, adding an authentic 80s’ look to the film.
  
• Gloria follows a woman who finds herself single again at the age of 58 and decided to live big. An actress won the award for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival for her role in this film. An interesting look at the ups and downs of life.

Here are a few of our favourite books by Chilean authors or unique books set in Chile to help get you into the rhythm:

• Curfew by José Donoso, offers an authentic and detailed look at the Chilean military dictatorship in 1985. Set over the course of just 24 hours, starting immediately after the death of Matilde Neruda, the reader is left with a detailed look at life in Santiago during this complicated moment of Chile’s history.
  
• Seeing Red by Lina Meruane, written by one of Chile’s leading female authors, mixes autobiography and fiction to explore the limitations of the body and human relationships with an unsettling exploration of the inner life of a Chilean woman who finds herself going blind in a new city.
  
• Across Patagonia by Lady Florence Dixie is a travel memoir exploring the untamed south of Chile between 1978 and 1979, a time when Patagonia was an almost unexplored wilderness. Tired of life in England, Lady Florence Dixie set sail for South America with her husband and two of her brothers, looking for adventure. We think you’ll particularly enjoy the the segment where Lady Florence Dixie discovers the wild horses, or baguales, of the area. Across Patagonia is a must for Torres del Paine lovers who want to know more about how the area was discovered and what it was like before it became a popular tourist spot.

Arrival at Santiago International Airport. Once you've cleared customs, your host will greet you at the arrivals terminal and you'll be transferred to your hotel.

Included by Scenset.

Commence your Santiago exploration at Santa Lucía Hill, where a historical figure planted a flag in 1541, offering insights into key historical moments and an introduction to Chilean society. Delve into the city's expansion during the New Republic era with a stroll through the vibrant Barrio Yungay, dating back to the 1830s, showcasing beautiful historic buildings, a rich cultural scene, and architectural diversity, including the iconic French Barber Shop and the monument to the Roto Chileno.

Included by Scenset.

A journey to the senses, this wine bar & restaurant offers pairing with all their meals giving its name, “Mouth-nose”. The menu is designed as a map of flavors with each dish perfectly created to bring out the best of its wine pairing. The magazine Wine Spectator has nominated the wine menu as one of the best in the world for six years running. If you’re a wine lover, this one is a must.

Recommended by Scenset.

The Ritz-Carlton Santiago
2x Guest Room King

• Breakfast included

Private transfer to Santiago Airport for your flight to Calama.

Included by Scenset.

You will be greeted at the airport and delivered to your hotel.

Included by Scenset.

Explora Atacama
2x Yali Room

• All Inclusive (drinks, meals, experiences & transfers)

Begin with a brief visit to a small village where you will see a historic church and square established in colonial times. Stop by the home of a family that sells and makes local crafts. Later, continue on to the National Flamingo Reserve in the Atacama salt flat. Along the way, take in the spectacular scenery of snowcapped volcanoes and dry valleys. Once at the Flamingo Reserve, your expert guide will point out the three types of flamingos to be found here. Enjoy refreshments with views of the setting sun over the Andes.

Included by Scenset.

Learn about the indigenous cosmo-vision and the constellations of the llama and the fox, among others from the hotel’s observatory. You will be able to view the rings of Saturn, the craters of the moon, nebulas and supernovas, depending on the phase of the moon.

Included by Scenset.

Explora Atacama
2x Yali Room https://www.explora.com/atacama-explora-lodge/#our+rooms

• All Inclusive (drinks, meals, experiences & transfers)

At dawn, depart the hotel with your expert guide for a once in a lifetime experience: Sunrise at the Tatio Geysers. These incredible natural wonders are located at an altitude of 4,300m/14,190ft. The geothermal field has close links to the volcanic activity in the zone and consists of huge steam columns that reach heights of 12m/40ft. Reach the geysers in time for breakfast as dawn breaks, with rays of sunlight shining through the steam. Walk along the plateau to get different angles of the geysers and to see fascinating mineral formations.

Level: Easy
Duration: 7 hours

Included by Scenset.

Explora Atacama
2x Yali Room

• All Inclusive (drinks, meals, experiences & transfers)

Hike to Devil's Canyon and to the village of Vilama with your expert guide. Depart the hotel by vehicle and head to Devil’s Canyon to start the trek. The altitude here is approx. 2,450m/8,038ft. You’ll hike on flat terrain for about an hour on a dry river bed through formations of limestone which are part of the Salt Mountain Range. Continue along an ancient caravan route, passing by petroglyphs that show the former commercial activity in the area and finish at the old settlement known as Vilama. Return to the hotel by vehicle.

Level: Medium
Duration: 2.5 - 3.5 hours

Included by Scenset.

Explora Atacama
2x Yali Room

• All Inclusive (drinks, meals, experiences & transfers)

Transfer to the Calama airport for your flight to Santiago.

Included by Scenset.