12 Days in Chile - San Pedro de Atacama, Puerto Natales, and Torres del Paine National Park
Yours truly taking a selfie moment inside Torres del Paine National Park
For the third country stop in my backward “J” trek around South America I give to you, Chile. As I was planning my backpacking trip, my sister flagged the Magical Andes series on Netflix which got me even more psyched for my upcoming time in the country. Recommend a watch! The longest and narrowest country in the world covers a lot of climates - from the desert to the mountains of Patagonia and beyond to many glaciers - allowing for a lot to be explored. That being said, if you’re on a backpacker's budget, Chile was the most expensive country I visited during my journey. As a lot of the areas I went to are more remote, when you look at the balance of supply and demand, demand is high and so are prices. In my experience, that meant you are paying a lot more money for food that often isn’t… worth it. I don’t mean that rudely, just more speaking to the reality of what’s available in the area concerning goods. So if there is any country to splurge on a space with a kitchen, grocery shopping and “home” cooking in Chile is where it’s at to stretch your Chilean pesos farthest.
My first stop in Chile was the San Pedro De Atacama Desert, where I spent my first four nights. I flew in from Cusco, after my final days spent in Machu Picchu, to Calama, which by the time I got to my hostel, it took me nearly 24 hrs between connections and commute. Since it’s fall in Chile during April, and my flight landed a little before 7 PM, the drive to my hostel in the desert was dark. Whomp whomp for scenic view hopes. For the easiest and most affordable transportation, head to the arrivals section of the airport where you’ll find a lot of companies that drive to Atacama. This costs around $15,000 (CLP) - a little over $15 (USD) if you see those extra zeros and start to panic. Because of when I arrived - both time of day and year - I had the whole bus to myself, yay me!
During my weekend in Cotopaxi, Ecuador, I met some cool new friends who, after realizing we were both heading to the desert at the same time, I coordinated plans with to meet back up in Chile. AKA I found out where they were staying, booked a room, and forced my friendship on them for the extent of my stay. We bunked at the Mamatierra Hostel, a cozy stay with friendly staff, nice outdoor space, and an easy walk into town. There was even the occasional cat-crossing-the-roof viewing, which delighted me to no end. Between walking through town and touring the local area, this part of Chile, and South America as a whole, is a real stunner. I dive deeper into my tips and favorites from my time in San Pedro de Atacama here!
After my time in the desert, I arched my way down to Puerto Natales to visit Patagonia (or at least part of it). From what I heard, if your time is limited, the Chilean side is “prettier” though I’m sure that is highly subjective (and as I only went to the Chilean side, I can neither confirm nor deny an opinion there). My arrival in this small port town came at the very tail end of tourist season. To be honest, I think it’s stretching it to even say that. Like my arrival in Calama, I purchased a bus ticket at the airport for a drop-off at my splurged on Airbnb - let me tell you, at this point during my backpacking journey I was desperate for a few days of space, my own toilet, and a kitchen I didn’t have to juggle with other people. At the Puerto Natales airport, heads up that there is only one, maybe two (though I didn’t notice a second), options for grabbing a bus to your stay. I went in and out a few times before I sorted out what was what, though it really wasn’t that hard (I just was hunting for options that didn’t exist).
I had originally planned to do the “W” trek in Torres del Paine National Park but because of when I was visiting, that time of year required a guide… which my budget could not afford. I spent my time in Puerto Natales walking around the town, going on a full-day trip into Torres del Paine (which I loved and also made up some of my favorite trip photos), and doing my best to recover from my never-ending food poisoning issues. The town of Puerto Natales in and of itself doesn’t hold massive appeal, it seems to serve more as a hub for hikers pre and post-treks in the national park. If you’re not doing a big hike or renting a car to see more of the sights yourself, you could easily spend two to three nights here before heading out.
After spending twelve days in this stunner of a country, here are some tips if you’re planning a visit:
Plan a Larger Portion of Your Budget for Chile - Like I said, Chile ain’t cheap. Comparatively speaking it is considerably more expensive than the other countries I backpacked in South America.
Make Plans to Meet Back Up - Backpacking solo can be incredibly lonely. You’re not always gonna find friends in every stop you make, so take advantage of the connections you do build when you build them. Being able to meet back up with friends in Chile, who I met in Ecuador, made my visit to San Pedro de Atacama so much better and helped rejuvenate me for the next leg of my trip. Not to mention, the one woman was a doctor and with my stomach issues still plaguing me from Ecuador, her guidance was so appreciated.
Tours and Buses are Available but Might I Recommend a Car? - Even though I loved my various tours, I know I would have been able to see more of the sights in a car. When you compare the cost of a rental from the airport in Calama against that of transportation and tour groups… it could end up being more affordable if there are a few of you to split. A car also offers you the ability to stop and peruse where you’d like, versus being at the mercy of a designated schedule. While yes, you do gain valuable insights from guides, sometimes I’d rather explore on my own and Google later (or vice versa).
Chose the Time of Year Wisely - Based on when it worked for me to plan my backpacking adventure, hitting Chile in April (aka fall) was how the cookie crumbled. Now with alllll my wisdom, when I visit again I will go in a “warmer” season which should allow for longer days, more activity options, and better weather.
Don’t Let the Desert Fool You - It gets chilly, even during the day. For any of your Chile plans, be sure to pack warmer layers (or plan to wear every layer you’ve packed… like me) to combat the chill.
Stay Closer Than You’d Expect to Town - Since I splurged on an Airbnb in Puerto Natales, I figured a 10-15 minute walk into town was easy peasy. But, as I was visiting when there were less tourists and I had to bob and weave a little through streets to my stay, I would have felt safer staying closer to town. Especially considering that daylight hours were shorter, which limits your time perusing ahead of nightfall.
Read Hostel Reviews Closely - I mean you should be doing this anyway but just in case… make sure to check multiple sites' most recent reviews to confirm the quality of the stay. For Puerto Natales, I saw multiple mentions of bed bugs, which isn’t necessarily surprising in backpacker territory but still something you want to avoid.
Time of Year Affects Length of Stay - I honestly thought I would be such a rockstar hiker in South America that I set quite a bit of unrealistic expectations for myself. In hindsight, since I wasn’t able to do the “W” trek, I wish I would have shortened my time in the area since without going on an extended trek, a few days stay would have more than sufficed to see the park and town.
Know Your Spanish - Even though both of the areas I visited were more tourist-expected, I noticed especially in Puerto Natales that the chance of anything outside of Spanish (besides guided tours) was pretty much zero. Obviously, you should never go into a country expecting them to speak to you in your language (and not theirs) but be prepared to fumble and mime your way through conversations in these spots, more than some other locations.
Chile really is such a beautiful country and I hope all who travel there enjoy every minute of it!
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