TRAVEL DIARY | CHILE

THE CHILEAN COLLECTION
The purpose of our trip to Chile was a family get-together. The previous trip took place ten years before on a beautiful island in Bahia and it was great fun! Despite that, it took us ten years to be able to reunite the troupe again, choose the destination, and put together a plan. We finally choose Chile, which was the perfect scenery for our family gathering.
Above: Santiago de Chile photographed from Sky Costanera
The trip had it's beginning in Santiago, our entrance door. We rented a great Airbnb and where we spent 4 nights. To see the city well, and exercise at the same time, we walked around the entire Santiago. This is how my family operates, once everybody is super pro-health and good at sports - apart from me.
Above: Vineyard in the surroundings of Santiago
Santiago is the biggest city in Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. Located in the central valley between the snow-capped Andes mountains and the Cordillera, exhibits a fascinating landscape. Almost from everywhere in the city, you can see the Andes Mountains. The city outskirts are surrounded by vineyards and Santiago is within an hour of both the mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
Above: Cerro El Plomo
Lonely Planet describes the capital of Chile as "Surprising, cosmopolitan, energetic, sophisticated and worldly, Santiago is a city of syncopated cultural currents, madhouse parties, expansive museums, and top-flight restaurants." So if you were wondering, after reading this you can start dreaming of Chile.
Above: my 3 brothers after first day of winter sports at Valle Nevado
Above: My favourite moment of the day the "après-ski" at Valle Nevado
From there we pre-booked a transfer to go straight to the snowy mountains for 4 days of winter sports. For most of us, it was an experience of a lifetime, so we were quite nervous. My mother in her 60's was skiing for the first time. But my younger brother was a more experienced snowboarder, so his expectations were different. The guy was super excited checking the weather forecast, the conditions of the pistes, and already visualising his jumps.
Above: Cordillera de los Andres Print
Above left: Pink Ride Print, aerial view of San Pedro de Atacama / Above right: Fudge Print, aerial view of Cordillera do los Andes
This part of the trip was even more special. We stayed in one of those all-inclusive hotels, so all we needed to do was meet each other and bond. My favourite moment of the day was the "après-ski"! We would meet up, get loose on the many layers of clothes, and enjoy a nice drink. This place would even count on a hot pool, perfect to get delighted.
Above left: Sugar Valley Print, aerial view of Cordillera de los Andes / Above right: El Tatio geysers in San Pedro de Atacama
Those days at the mountain were a mix of adrenaline and comfy. Comfort due to the delight of staying in a hotel and not having to think about anything besides what pistes to go, being taken care of from the moment we would wake up until the moment we would go to bed. And on the other hand, the pure excitement to roam the mountain's entrails.
Above: Termas Geyser del Tatio, San Pedro de Atacama
Another 4 nights went by, until the moment we had to change the scenery again. This time, the family gathering would include hotter temperatures, beautiful starry skies, salt flats, volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs. You might be thinking: all that in Chile? Yep.
Above: Did I land in the moon? Valle de la Luna
Above left: El Tatio Geysers / Above right: Valle de la Luna
Above: Valle de la Luna Print, Atacama Desert
San Pedro de Atacama was our last destination, which was reached by plane - the high point of the trip due to the spectacular sunset we got to admire from the sky.
The city is cute, offers a wide range of accommodation and restaurants, besides a lot of many tour companies offering excursions to the top sites. We stayed at Hotel La Aldea but it was at Hotel Tierra Atacama that we had a great cocktail at sunset time.
Above: the town San Pedro de Atacama
Above: a family portrait
Above: Goodbye Termas de Puritama with my sis and my bros
The days we spend at San Pedro de Atacama were very windy and funny. At this point, we were all brought closer together, and able to savor each other's company without feeling annoyed. Once there, we found a tour operator to take us to the best spots. The days to follow were full of great surprises. We would wake up super early, enter the van and let the tour guide take us to beautiful nature parks. Salar de Atacama y Toconao, El Tatio Geysers, Valle de la Luna, Cerro Miscanti, and Termas de Puritama are some of the places we visited. Was at the Termas that we had the goodbye drink with pisco and good laughs (that old discussion about who invented it Chile or Peru doesn't fit this topic).
Above: Pink Salar Print, from Atacama Salt Flats Toconao
Above: Chilean Blues Print, Cerro Miscanti
It was the first called family trip without my father. He was a huge fan of those gatherings from this point, together with our mother, we were also playing roles to promote quality time.
In sum, Chile is an amazing country to spend some time traveling. There is so much to see and experience. We couldn't be happier with our next-door-neighbor country.
Hope you enjoyed my travel guide and come to visit one day!
Renata x
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