I spent 2 and a half months in South America. Let me tell you first and foremost, that isn’t enough time to explore even one country like Brazil or Argentina. It is a massive continent, spanning thousands of miles, with 12 different countries. To cover that amount of land in 2 months would be ludacris, so I concentrated my time on 3 countries: Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. To be honest, I barely touched the surface there. However, I was able to hike and explore Patagonia, practice my Spanish and learn new words and phrases, volunteer at a Chilean winery, taste lots of delicious meats, wines and beers and most of all, met amazing new friends.
This is part 1 of a 2 part series detailing my travels in South America. You can find part 2 which details my time in Argentina here.
Chile Summary
Where do I start when talking about Chile? Chile is a huge country with multiple different regions, 15 to be exact. It isn’t very wide West to East, but running North to South it is a very long. To get from the top portion to the most south portion is over 2,600 miles (4,300 km), which equals multiple days by car. The regions differ by climate, food tastes, natural scenery and even the people. Chileans are some of the friendliest people you’ll meet, but it can be difficult to communicate as they use a lot of slang and have a thick accent when speaking Spanish. The first days I arrived I had immediate culture shock, as I had a difficulty understanding their Spanish and wasn’t used to the bustling energy of the country.
However, don’t let this phase you. In the tourist regions of Chile, many speak English, however knowing at least basic level Spanish is still an advantage.
In the Southern part of Chile, there is the world famous region of Patagonia. Towering snow-capped mountain peaks with huge lakes and ocean side views is a must-see for adventure travelers.
Santiago
I started my travels in Santiago, Chile, and that city was my home base for a lot of the trip. It is a large metropolitan city with millions of people, surrounded by mountains (the Andes). Santiago is a radiant, busy city with lots of Spanish influence. The people I met there were amazing. While it was a nice for a large city, I enjoyed Buenos Aires much more.
Volunteering at Vineyard
I used a website called Workaway to find a volunteer assignment in Chile. I had previously heard on travel podcasts and other travelers about volunteering abroad for room and board, but had never done it. I wanted to try it, so I did so in Chile. I ended up finding an assignment in the Chilean Colchagua Valley, which is known as Chile’s Wine Country. It’s the same equivalent of California’s Napa Valley to the United States.
My position consisted of mostly hard manual labor. My role was to help tie the vines to wire to help them grow properly. I learned much about the wine-making process. There is much effort in the process that I never realized, from growing quality grapes, to picking, to determining what makes a good wine. Since volunteering, I’ve come to appreciate how much work goes into making a bottle of wine.
What I really enjoyed was all the different people I worked with 3 local Chileans, 2 British and 2 Malaysians. I spent a lot of time with all, about 25 hours a week, so I got to know each person fairly well, fairly quickly. I picked up a lot of new Spanish words and Chilean slang from the locals. I also got to visit a local farmers market and see “small-town” Chile.
Not only that, but I got to enjoy amazing wine, which was fresh from harvested grapes at the vineyard! Also, my hosts made some tasty meals that we had each night. This all made my volunteer experience a very fun and memorable one.
San Pedro de Atacama
After my two week volunteer assignment was complete, I flew to the Northern part of Chile to San Pedro de Atacama. Unlike the fertile part of Central Chile, the city is in the middle of a desert. Out of all my travels this year, San Pedro was one of the most unique regions I’ve visited. It has lots of lagoons, sand, mountains, geysers and volcanoes (some active). Not only that, but the area is rich in minerals, including lithium (used for your batteries on your electronics – e.g. smartphone) and salt. Also, it grows lots of plants, including herbs, used for natural healing, used by the natives for hundreds of years.
Not only that, but the area is known for its stargazing. Since SP is far away from major cities, they have very little light pollution. That’s why many observatories are based in this region. During one of my nights there, I participated on a tour and had a fun time using telescopes to see the various constellations in the Southern Hemisphere.
Patagonian Chile: Torres del Paine National Park
This is an area of Chile I wished I would have spent more time in. Torres del Paine is in the heart of Southern Patagonia. This area has the towering peaks that are world famous in representing Patagonia. One of the most photographed mountain peaks in the world is Torres del Paine. “Torres” in Spanish means “Towers” in English and there are 3 on the Torres viewpoint.
There’s more to the park than just the Torres del Paine peak however. You can do multiple day hikes to see many other peaks and mountain vistas. There are many people using the trails, including horses! Horses are used to move gear around the park.
I only had one day to view the Torres peak, however I hope to return in the future to do a multi-day trek. A word for the wise: If you want to do a multi-day hike, book it many months in advance! The spots for the camping grounds and albergues (shelter) fill up quickly. Also, bring your own food into the park, as it is very expensive to eat in the park.
The People of Chile
I’d have to say out of all the people I’ve met traveling this last year, Chileans are definitely the friendliest! It seemed like everywhere I went from supermarkets to tours to restaurants, everyone was so nice and willing to chat. While I did have difficulties at times understanding them (because of their thick accent), however they were very patient with me.
When I visited San Pedro, I met many Chileans in my tour groups and they took meunder their wing. They included me in their conversations, we sung songs together and viewed the sights together. I immediately had new friends right away.
Last, I had two really amazing hosts who let me Couchsurf with them in Santiago, Jorge and Claudio. They showed me around the city, took me to local restaurants and taught me new Spanish words and about Chilean culture. They welcomed me with amazing hospitality and showed me a side of Santiago that most tourists don’t get to see.
While I was not initially a big fan of Chile, the country and its people really grew on me. Chile is a country with warm and friendly people, beautiful natural wonders, rich culture and amazing wine. I hope to return in the future!
Want to read more about my time in Argentina? You can find the post here.