TRAVEL DATES: 30 MAR to 10 APR 2023 // Punta Arenas, Torres del Paine, Chiloé Island After seeing Santiago and Easter Island in December 2022 and then the highlights of Patagonia, Argentina in January 2023 we decided to dive deeper into Patagonia and Chile. Our second adventure to Chile was another epic trip starting from the south and heading north - and this time my mom and dad came along! We saw a wide variety of things from: the king penguins, beautiful Torres del Paine National Park, the stilt homes in Chiloé Island and Atacama desert.

10 DAYS DEEP INTO CHILE DAY BY DAY

DAY ONE - Arrive in Punta Arenas, Chile

DAY TWO - Visit Reserva Pingüino Rey to see King Penguins

DAY THREE - Transfer to Torres del Paine National Park

DAY FOUR - Half day hike in Torres del Paine

DAY FIVE - Full day hike to base of the towers in Torres del Paine

DAY SIX - Half day hike and horseback riding in Torres del Paine

DAY SEVEN - Fly to Puerto Montt and transfer to Castro on Chiolé Island

DAY EIGHT - AM exploring Chiolé Island and PM gastronomic experience

DAY NINE - Hike Muelle de las Almas

DAY TEN - Fly out from Castro

PERSONAL CHILE TRAVEL ADVICE:

Phones: We still have our American phone numbers with T-mobile. They offer free international usage in over 200 countries and it’s such a breeze to be able to land in a new country and instantly use our phones. I believe Verizon has a $15 USD a day rate to travel overseas with your phone.
- If you live in South America, you already know this, but if you are coming from United States - Download WhatsApp. It is free and you use your own cell number. It is the most used form of communication in South America. You can text restaurants, taxis, guides etc.
Money: We never travel with a lot of cash since our ATM cards through USAA work at most ATM’s. Just make sure you choose/find the international option. If you don’t have this option of removing cash on site, every city we visited had a cambio (money exchange). Most places we went to i.e. restaurants and stores accepted credit cards in Chile.

Below is our itinerary which was once again put together by my favorite company, Timbuktu Travel. We had a lot of moving parts and wanted to see as much as possible in 12 days. This company is the best at listening to what you want and creating an epic custom trip that fits within your budget. I seriously cannot stop raving about them as it takes all the stress out of traveling. I really hope these details and photos inspire you to get out there and explore!

31 MAR 23 - ARRIVE IN PUNTA ARENAS FOR PENGUINS

Punta Arenas is a city near the tip of Chile's southernmost Patagonia region. Located on the Strait of Magellan, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, it's often used as base for excursions to the surrounding wilderness and Antarctica.

My mom really wanted to see penguins in the wild so we made Punta Arenas our first stop of the trip. From here you can travel to see many different penguins, however we only had the option of seeing the King Penguins because we were traveling right at the beginning of the off season and the other parks were closed.

Based on all my research, Punta Arenas is one of the bases for getting to Antarctica (However, after visiting this city and Ushuaia in Argentina I found Ushuaia to be a bit more interesting and the landscape way more magical so I would personally pick visiting Ushuaia over this city). Punta Arenas is also one of the two cities you can fly into to get to Torres del Paine. Puerto Natales is your second option.

TRANSPORTATION IN PUNTA ARENAS: Once you get to Punta (about a 25 minute taxi ride from the airport) you can easily walk everywhere.

DRINKING AND EATING IN PUNTA ARENAS: Water is completely safe to drink. We often like to just google map search local restaurants when we arrive somewhere and pick the ones with the best ratings. We found a 5.0 Ramen restaurant, Ippai Ramen, and since we can’t get good ramen in Montevideo, we ate there for lunch and it was delicious! For dinner and breakfast we ate at our hotel, La Yegua Loca, which ended up being one of the highest rated restaurants in Punta Arenas. There is a bar and restaurant on the top floor of the Dream Casino Hotel which looked nice for a cocktail, but it did not open until 7pm and we had dinner plans at our hotel during that time.

Keep in mind this is South America and many places close from 3-7pm and dinner does not open until later like 7 or 8pm. This can be quite an adjustment for those visiting from the United States.

MONEY AND PAYING FOR THINGS: Credit cards were accepted at restaurants and stores.

WHERE TO STAY IN PUNTA ARENA: This, as usual is all about preference. You can find places through Airbnb and Booking.com or other hotel search engines. We usually choose to stay in the city center for walking to restaurants and around town and since Punta Arenas is so small you can walk everywhere so you can’t got wrong with just finding a hotel within your budget.

WHERE WE STAYED: LA YEGUA LOCA

Located on a hill with views of the city and the Strait of Magellan, this relaxed boutique hotel is in a charming building dating from 1929. Its 15 rooms are a tribute to the ancient trades and traditions rooted in Chilean Patagonia: All of the rooms are themed and the hotel is designed creatively with antiques. The staff was extremely friendly and patient with the lack of Spanish my parents could speak. A hearty breakfast is included, but don’t miss out on eating at the hotel restaurant, which is open to the public, for lunch and dinner as the food is delicious.

Punta Arenas is a small town and it’s very easy to access everything by foot. We had a day to explore the town so we walked from our hotel to the Plaza de Armas and down to the waterfront which had the Punta Arenas Letters (I am a huge fan of getting photos in front of these, haha). A lot of places were closed. I have a feeling it was because we were visiting in off season (Nov-Feb is their summer and tourist season), but I don’t know if it is always like this. In my opinion, you definitely don’t need more than a day to explore this little town.

01 APR 23 - KING PENGUINS AT Reserva Pingüino Rey

We got picked up at our hotel early morning for our full day adventure (4+ hours round trip) to go see the KING PENGUINS! We took a two-hour ferry ride to Porvenir and stopped at the local Plaza Selk'nam. Also known as the Onawo or Ona people, the Selk’nam were an indigenous people in the Patagonian region of southern Argentina and Chile, including the islands of Tierra del Fuego. They were one of the last native groups in South America to be encountered by migrant Europeans in the late 19th century, and were known to be very tall and handsome.

At Reserva Pingüino Rey, located on Useless Bay in Tierra del Fuego, we got to observe the King Penguins from a distance. This is a private nature reserve that aims to preserve the small numbers of the ‘Kings’ that visit the area and even remain year-round here, taking advantage of the excellent feeding conditions of the surrounding seas. The colony is over a hundred strong and expected to keep growing! We spent almost an hour just observing them in the wild. Binoculars aided in providing up-close detailed photos.

Seeing penguins outside of a zoo and in their natural habit was pretty incredible! BUT If you want to walk up to them, this is not the place to go, as I know some places allow you to do this in South America. This is a natural reserve that focuses on not disrupting the penguins natural habit. I absolutely loved the experience and getting to learn so much about the penguins while talking to our guide. It was a long travel day round trip (6+ hours) to get here in the car and with a ferry. If you plan on visiting this beautiful reserve make sure you make reservations in advance as some people showed up without tickets and weren’t allowed in since they monitor the amount of people that can visit the reserve in one day.

02 APR 23 - ARRIVE IN TORRES DEL PAINE

Torres del Paine National Park, in Chile’s Patagonia region, is known for its soaring mountains, bright blue icebergs that cleave from glaciers and golden pampas (grasslands) that shelter rare wildlife such as llama-like guanacos. Some of its most iconic sites are the 3 granite towers from which the park takes its name and the horn-shaped peaks called Cuernos del Paine.

I will provide some important details we learned after traveling to Torres del Paine and my own research below. If you want even more details this blog post has a lot of useful information on Torres Del Paine.

WHEN TO VISIT TORRES DEL PAINE: The best time to visit Torres del Paine is from December to February. These are the Spring/Summer months where the days are longer which gives you more daylight time to explore! December and January tend to be the most popular and busiest time to visit. However, you can visit Torres del Paine all year round, but you do need a licensed guide during off-season.

GETTING TO TORRES DEL PAINE: This park is remote, a characteristic that definitely adds to its intrigue, but also contributes to the amount of time it takes to get there. It's easiest to reach Torres del Paine by plane from Santiago, Chile. Keep in mind when traveling and visiting cities in Chile by plane almost all the flights go through Santiago first.

The fastest route is from Santiago to Puerto Natales and from there, to Torres del Paine by car. However, flights are only available during high-season months between these two cities.
Therefore the most used option is flying non-stop from Santiago to Punta Arenas and driving the five hours to the park.
If you are coming from the Argentina side (El Calafate) then the cheapest and fastest way (6 hours) is to take a bus to Puerto Natales which leaves at either 7am or 8am.
Once you get to Puerto Natales or Punta Arenas there are buses that go straight in to Torres del Paine if you don’t want to hire a driver or rent a car.
Some all-inclusive hotels include transfer from Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas airport as well! So you may want to factor this into the price when booking your hotel.
Here is a guide for all the ways to get to Torres del Paine.

After spending five days in the park we discovered it is very remote and if you are not at an all-inclusive, which provides transportation to the different hikes, you would need a personal driver or car to get around. Make sure you check with your lodging to see what they recommend as the best way to access the hikes while you are staying there.

WHERE TO STAY IN TORRES DEL PAINE: There is a large range of accommodation to choose from based on your budget. We took the advice of Timbuktu Travel and chose a luxury all-inclusive lodge so that my parents could enjoy the views and mellow adventures while we got outdoors and did longer more difficult hikes. Since the park is so massive, I would definitely make sure you find a hotel, campsite, glamping etc. inside the park. If you decide to stay outside of the park you are adding another 30-45+ minutes each way to your drive for each daily adventure.

HOW LONG SHOULD YOU STAY IN TORRES DEL PAINE?: There is so much to see and do in this beautiful park and every day is different depending on the weather. I would recommend at least four days.

WHAT TO DO IN TORRES DEL PAINE: This park is famous for the W-Trek which is a four or five day trek with camping through the parks striking locations. There are numerous famous hikes that are part of this trek or outside of it. The most well known are:

Mirador las Torres
French Valley Hike
Grey Glacier
Puma tracking

DON’T FORGET TO PACK: Layers, Layers, Layers! I can’t emphasize this enough as this was our second time traveling to Patagonia and we once again used every single layer because the weather was constantly changing and when the wind picks up it can be quite chilly. Don’t forget:

Bottom layers for warmth. I am a fan of SMART WOOL for this.
Your goto layers (mine is a tank top or t-shirt and smart wool pullover)
Beanie
Scarf or neck/face mask
Gloves (these are required if you hike the Perito Moreno Glacier)
Warm (puffy) jacket
Wind breaker
Rain jacket
Hiking pants
Hiking boots
Trekking Poles if you use them
Hiking backpack (I brought a smaller one just to hold lunch, water and extra clothing)
I always throw a small first aid kit in my backpack (including some cold meds)
Hat for sunny days
Sunscreen
Swimsuit incase your hotel has a spa/pool
Type C plug adapters for charging electronics

WHERE WE STAYED: EXPLORA TORRES DEL PAINE

Located in Torres del Paine National Park, this upscale, remote all-inclusive hotel is perched along the banks of Lake Pehoé at the base of snow-covered granite mountains. Painted entirely white, the box-like lodge appears to float on Lake Pehoe and makes the most of its coveted views. The dining room serves fresh, innovative dishes accompanied by Chilean wines. The Explorer's Bar is where you'll be briefed by the guides where you can choose from a menu of activities to do the next day (hikes, drives, horseback riding). The views differ between room types but most overlook the soaring Macizo del Paine and Lake Pehoe, while some face the shimmering Salto Chico waterfall. All rooms are TV-free. The spa is located 100 meters from the main building. Relax in the pool, the steaming sauna, or an open-air jacuzzis with a view to the Paine River.

Every daily excursion you pick from a “menu” of activities includes a guide and are usually a max of six people. There are AM and PM options as well as full day tours. It is such a wonderful way to see the park and choose what excites you the most. This all-inclusive hotel was perfect for us. My mom and dad could pick easier activities from the excursion packages while Travis and I picked more difficult hikes.

We left Punta Arenas in a shuttle and were driven 5 hours north to our next hotel, Explora Torres del Paine. The landscape changed dramatically from flat coastal town, to wide open plains, to steep jagged mountains. We spent four nights at an all-inclusive hotel where the views from our room were absolutely breathtaking. We enjoyed the views, food, cocktails and choosing a different exploration for each day we were there. At the end of every day, we took advantage of the beautiful spa and hot-tub to soak our muscles after the day’s activities. We even jumped in the freezing glacier fed river!

03 APR 23 - EXPLORE TORRES DEL PAINE

After a long day in the car yesterday, we were eager to get out and start exploring. Our first hike in Torres del Paine was a 5 mile trek across the rolling hills and plains on the eastern side of the park where we kept our eyes peeled for pumas! We started before dawn and as the sun rose, the sky lit on fire with beautiful oranges, reds, and purples. Once the sun came over the horizon, we were treated to a rainbow arching across the mountain Almirante Nieto.

We stopped for coffee in a cave and talked about the culture and life of the indigenous peoples and admired their cave paintings which have been preserved for all these years.

On the way back we searched for pumas in the hills, but only found guanaco bones and beautiful red chested birds.

One of the other main reasons why we decided to stay at an all-inclusive is my parents were able to do easier hikes as they couldn’t do the five miles we did in the morning. While we were off exploring, they were too - with a much easier hike and an overland drive. Their views were incredible too! Patagonia is breathtaking!!

As you can see from our first day exploring - Torres del Paine is absolutely breathtaking!

04 APR 23 - HIKE BASE OF THE TOWERS @ TORRES DEL PAINE

At sunrise we set out on our most anticipated hike to the base of the iconic towers in Torres del Paine. The whole trek is 22 km with 3,000 feet of elevation gain, but we were up for the challenge! At the trailhead, as the sun was peaking over the horizon, we got to see the gauchos herd a large group of beautiful horses right past us. It was one of the most random and magical experiences ever to be standing right in the middle of the horses that trotted past us. We continued on our hike across a small river. On the way up into the mountains, the landscape changed from rocky plains, a windy valley, to lush forest with fall colors.

This hike is rated difficult and it was a challenge to keep a steady pace (especially because I stop to take a lot of photos) in order to make sure we had enough time at the lake. Since we were visiting Patagonia this time in the fall time the sun set much earlier than in the summer when we did the other famous Patagonia hike in El Chalten, Argentina - Laguna de los tres. However, we had the advantage of seeing all the trees changing colors and it was beautiful!

The final push was a brutal, steep, rocky scramble over the ridge, but we finally made it to the top! The alpine lake in front of the towers was a deep turquoise, and the towers themselves stood tall and proud in the background. It was amazing to see this view in real life. One of the nice things about staying with Explora is we had a guide and provided lunches. Our guide even brought some soup along which really hit the spot at the cold, windy lake. We relaxed for a bit before heading back down the mountain.

My favorite thing about hiking in and out on trailheads is that on the way back you get completely different views. We got to see all the things we weren’t looking at on the way up and it was just as beautiful on the way down. When we got back to the Explora van they had snacks and a celebratory drink. On the way back to the hotel we saw some pumas! They were far in the distance, but with the help of a nice camera we were able to get a closeup view. Wow!

While we spent the whole day hiking the famous Mirador las Torres my parents did an overland tour to see more of the park. They even got to see the same pumas we saw! They were in the distance so my mom took a photo of someones nice camera photo. We met many people who work in the park that have yet to see a puma so we felt extra lucky.

05 APR 23 - SMALL HIKE + HORSEBACK RIDING @ TORRES DEL PAINE

We wanted to get a hike in with mom and dad, so our guide took us on a 3-mile loop near our Explora hotel. It was a perfect weather day and we got to see beautiful views the mountain range from a different perspective.

Walking through the high grass we made it to the top of the hill for a quick coffee break and to soak in the views before wrapping back down to the spa area of the hotel to finish up our loop trail. Feeling so lucky to get to have this time in nature with my parents!

In the afternoon, we took a leisurely horseback ride down to one of the lakes while dad walked along the property to see the small waterfall next to the hotel. A perfect end to our trip in Torres del Paine!

06 APR 23 - GOODBYE TORRES DEL PAINE, HELLO LAKE DISTRICT

Torres del Paine blessed us with one of the most beautiful sunrises ever on our departure day. I woke up and looked outside our hotel window to this amazing view. It was a wonderful farewell to an incredible adventure in this national park.

After breakfast and checking out of our hotel we were driven to Puerto Natales and took a flight to Puerto Montt. When we landed we had a driver and guide pick us up and drive us two hours to our next location, Chiloé Island, and we stayed in the small town of Castro.

Castro is a very small town and easy to explore by foot. There is one large hill though if you want to walk away from the waterfront and explore more shops and restaurants, so be prepared for the uphill walk! It was dark by the time we arrived so we checked into our hotel and then walked down to a local restaurant, El Mercadito de Chiloé, which had some fantastic fresh seafood!

07 APR 23 - EXPLORE CHIOLÉ ISLAND

Land of myths, legends, traditions, and unparalleled gastronomy. Chiloé is an island of surprising cultural and natural wealth. Discover its picturesque palafitos, colorful stilt houses built on the water and enjoy the company of its warm population. Explore its mythical territory, colorful wooden churches, 16 of which were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Try the traditional curanto dish that includes seafood and other ingredients such as the Chiloé potato, cooked in a hot stones pit. And if nature is what you are looking for, the island offers you cinematographic landscapes. Tour the several trails and kayak through its marvelous channels. The Chiloé and Tantauco National Parks will captivate you with their evergreen colors.

Although quite different from the remote, massive mountain landscapes in Torres del Paine, Chiolé Island had been on my list to see the picturesque palafitos (colorful stilt houses build on the water) in person. So we decided to add this city to our Deep Into Chile tour. I didn’t know much more about this island, so we left it in the hands of Timbuktu Travel to put together the itinerary for us.

If you want to learn more about Chiloé Island Swoop Patagonia has great information and Tales from the Lens Blog.

WHERE WE STAYED: SIZIGIA HOTEL

Located in one of the buildings oldest on the island, on stilts in the sea. All of their rooms have a view, some of the old fishermen's cove, others of the sea and two of them of the old Pedro Montt street where the railway line that connected Ancud with Castro ran, these two are part of the original house almost 100 years old. Breakfast included.

A strong tide here fills and empties the bay twice a day. In the morning we awoke with the boats in the sand and by evening they were floating on the sea again. I’ve seen this happen in a few different locations around the world, but it still amazes me every time!

We started the morning of our first full day along the coast and shopping at an artisanal market. We stopped to visit some of the island’s iconic wooden churches built by Jesuit missionaries in the 17th and 18th centuries. Unfortunately, since it was Holy Week, they were closed, but we still got to admire the architecture from outside.

Then we walked through Mercado Municipal De Castro Market to find some fresh seafood. We met a vendor selling oysters and ceviche and had some early lunch right there in the stall. We also saw huge mussels, fresh crabmeat, lots of varieties of potatoes, and giant carrots grown especially for horses. We ate lunch along the coast, observing the mussel farms.

We stopped at Mirador Gamboa to get a photo of us with the palafitos in the background. During some afternoon downtime we walked through the city to discover statues of spirits and legends, local color, seaside views and tons of cheese being sold out of a van!

After a little afternoon rest we had one of the best gastronomic experiences ever in Chile. One of the outstanding points of Chiloé island is the quality of food and gastronomic diversity. Chefs take advantage of the variety of seafood, livestock, fresh vegetables and cheeses, and more than 200 varieties of native potatoes to create amazing dishes.

This private gastronomic experience with Chef Mauricio in a small yurt-like kitchen next to his house was unreal, and by far some of the best food we have ever had.

Mauricio treated us to a multi-course meal of traditional salsa with fresh baked bread, an assortment of cheeses, fresh octopus, trout carpaccio, slow roasted pork, ice cream from his very own creamery, and of course plenty of good wine! Everything we ate was locally sourced, and very delicious!

Mauricio was booked up until August of this year, so we were extremely grateful to get to have this experience. This is an experience you don’t want to miss while visiting Chiloé island

08 APR 23 - MUELLE DE LAS ALMAS @ CHIOLÉ ISLAND

Today we did one of the most popular hikes in the area. We got up super early to make sure we would beat the crowds. It was a bit long for mom and dad, but we took our time. A short hike through some trees and we arrived at some ocean views. Hello, Pacific Ocean, I have missed you!

Along the way you will encounter a small hut where you have to pay (1500 CLP per person) to get to this popular location. A local sculptor has paid homage to the legend of the boatman Tempilcahue and his “Bridge of Souls” with a special wooden sculpture. Sometimes you can wait in hours to get a photo at this special spot. Lucky us we only had to wait a few minutes!

After our hike we drove to Parque Nacional de Chiloé (2000 CLP per person to enter) to enjoy a nice viewpoint for lunch and I was amazed by the local flowers, berries and vegetation.

12 APR 23 - RETURN HOME TO MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY

After a wonderful deep dive adventure into Chile we got on a plane early morning and returned to Montevideo.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions OR get more travel inspiration by checking out our Patagonia in 10 Days Argentina Trip!

THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS PROVIDED BASED ON MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OF THE LINKS, HOTELS OR TOURS. THESE ARE MY PERSONAL OPINIONS AND ALL FACTS, DETAILS, INFORMATION ABOVE COULD CHANGE WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF COPYING THIS ITINERARY DOES NOT GO EXACTLY AS PLANNED OUT ABOVE.

CHILE: Patagonia in 10 Days