Chile - Take two!

South America » Chile » Antofagasta Region » San Pedro de Atacama
February 8th 2018

Published: February 16th 2018

Having become avid hikers over the past year, we were really looking forward to Patagonia's iconic and most famous hiking route - the W trek: a hiking trail that covers a distance of 80km through the most spectacular parts of the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, including the Base de las Torres, French Valley and Glacier Grey. Unfortunately we had the wind knocked out of our sails when w... Read Full Entry

Photos are below

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A 24.5km return hike to the Glacier Grey lookout...

...and we only managed 5 minutes there for fear we would be blown off! Apologies for the unfocused picture.....the wind was so strong that it was impossible to hold the camera steady!

The remote town of Puerto Natales, the gateway to the TDP National Park

Somehow Mau still managed to find a Chocolate cafe!

Views from the waterfront in Puerto Natales

The town is completely dependent on hikers who use it as a base for their visits to the TDP National Park

The landscape from Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas

Our flight from Punta Arenas was the most southerly point we reached in South America and anywhere on our trip!

The charming streets of San Pedro

The Church in San Pedro is one of the oldest in Chile

Adobe (dried mud) walls. Adobe is made from straw, clay and water.

The rainy season wreaking havoc in the streets of San Pedro!

And we thought there would be no rain in the desert!

Licancabur volcano provides an incredible backdrop to the town of San Pedro

The summit at 5920m was usually covered in cloud but we were lucky to catch a glimpse on our last day!

Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley)

The dusting of salt give the area a "white-ish" glow giving a moon-like look!

Duna Mayor in Moon Valley

The "Colosseum" in Moon Valley

Named as this natural rock formation resembles a massive amphitheater

Mau on the Moon

Valle de la Muerte

Today this is known as Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley). It was originally called Valle de la Marte (Mars Valley) as it resembled what we think the surface of Mars looks like. Over time people mispronounced the name!

Mars or Earth?!

Scientists have used the Atacama Desert to trial equipment for planet Mars due to close resemblance between the two places!

Chile is one of South America's most stable and prosperous countries.

The exception was the 17-year rule of General Augusto Pinochet, whose 1973 coup was one of the bloodiest in 20th-century Latin America and whose dictatorship left more than 3,000 people dead and missing. Whilst in Santiago we visited the Musuem of Memory and Human Rights. Learning a little about the history of the countries is definitely one of the highlights of travelling for us.

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Chile - Take two!

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