We spent 12 days visiting Chile, starting and finishing in the capital, Santiago. From here, we took a bus trip to the coast at Valparaíso. And also flew to Easter Island to see the iconic moai statues. Below is our itinerary including attractions, accommodation and dining options.
Note: We flew to Chile from Argentina where we had our credit card cloned (twice). This put paid to our original plan to hire a car and explore far more of Chile. Our ‘Plan B’ can be done by public transport, with a couple of taxis thrown in.
Chile 12 Day Itinerary
| Day 1 | Santiago Flight to Santiago Accommodation – La Calma de Rita Dinner at La Calma de Rita |
| Day 2 | Santiago Concha y Toro |
| Day 3 | Valparaíso Bus to Valparaíso Accommodation – Hotel Winebox La Sebastiana Drinks and Dinner at Hotel Winebox |
| Day 4 | Valparaíso Ascensor Espírito Santo Museo a Cielo Abierto Reloj Turri Ascenscor el Peral Palacio Baburizza Plaza Sotomayor Navy Building Monument to the Heroes Train to Viña del Mar Castillo Wulff Drinks and Dinner at Hotel Winebox |
| Day 5 | Valparaíso Parque Cultural Cementerio No 2 Bus to Santiago Accommodation – La Quinta by Wyndham Santiago Aeropuerto |
| Day 6 | Easter Island Flight to Easter Island Accommodation – Hostal Sunset Walk round Hanga Roa Ahu Tahai Dinner at Restaurante Hivamana |
| Day 7 | Easter Island North East Circuit Akahanga Tongariki Rano Rararaku Te Pito Kura Anakena Beach Dinner at Te Moana |
| Day 8 | Easter Island Museo Rapanui Ana Kakenga Dinner from Club Sandwich |
| Day 9 | Easter Island South West Circuit Ana Kai Tanga Rano Kau Orongo Vinapu Puna Pau Ahu Akivi Ana Te Pahu |
| Day 10 | Easter Island to Santiago Flight to Santiago Accommodation |
| Day 11 | Santiago Palacio de la Moneda Plaza de Armas Santiago Cathedral Cerro Santa Lucia |
| Day 12 | Santiago Cerro San Cristóbal – Parque Metropolitano Gran Torre Santiago Sculpture Park |
Chile Day 1 – Santiago
Flight to Santiago
Today, we fly from Argentina to the Chilean capital, Santiago. It’s only a 90 minute flight, from one side of The Andes to the other. I’m not looking forward to it – previous encounters with the Andes have involved way more turbulence than I would like. The captain doesn’t help by announcing; ‘We’re about to fly over The Andes, fasten your seatbelts!’ However, it’s actually quite calm and the view is awesome. White snow and glaciers at the top. Blue lakes surrounded by greenery at the bottom. And it the middle, mountains in every shade of red, yellow, orange and brown.
First up, we are heading to the wine growing region of Pirque, some 20 miles south of Santiago. We opted to stay in Pirque for a couple of nights in order to visit the area’s most famous vineyard, Concha y Toro, although this is also a popular day trip from the capital. Once in Santiago, we must travel a further 33 miles from the airport to our accommodation in Pirque. This involves a shuttle bus, two tubes and then a taxi from the end of the Metro line. It’s a fairly straightforward journey. We take the TurBus airport shuttle bus to Pajaritos then continue by Metro; L1 to Tobalaba, then change onto the L4 to Plaza Puente Alto. Finally, a taxi for the last few miles to the hotel.
Accommodation – La Calma de Rita
We reach our home for the next couple of days; La Calma de Rita; a quirky little place amongst the vineyards. The accommodation is a mixture of wine barrels and Patagonian shepherd carts – we’re in a pink cart. It’s quite remote (a car would have been ideal) but it has a bar, restaurant and pool, so moving isn’t really necessary.
La Calma de Rita is a strange place, balanced precariously between rustic charm and just plain grubby. Our cart is quaint and the bed is really comfortable, but I could have done without the mouldy shower curtain.
Dinner at La Calma de Rita
Once we’ve settled into our cart, we spend the remainder of the day relaxing by the pool before relocating a few metres to the restaurant for a very tasty dinner.
Chile Day 2 – Santiago
After breakfast, a mix of tasty freshly baked bread and nothing else I’d care to eat, we head for Pirque.
Concha y Toro
Our original plan to tour several wineries has been pared down to just one now we are no longer able to hire a car. But it’s the biggie; Concha y Toro – the 5th biggest wine producer in the world.
There are various tour options, including with Santiago pick up. We book the Premium Tour, which includes a glimpse of the founder Don Melchor’s villa and gardens as well as the cellars, with wine tasting at various points along the way. The tour takes a couple of hours and costs CLP 30,000 (about £25).
We start at the villa, then move on to a small vineyard, each row containing a different type of grapes. We’re invited to wander round, trying the different varieties. I’m surprised how different they taste, but then I’m no wine connoisseur. I just like wine…
Our tour permits us to taste three different wines, which are served at various spots around the vineyard. Then, we are given a funky orange box to pack our commemorative wine glass in to take home. In our case, home is five weeks and many thousands of miles away, so I don’t fancy its chances.
The tour concludes in the Casillero del Diablo, where we see thousands of barrels of wine, a fake devil and a sound and light show explaining how the legend of the ‘Devil’s Cellar’ came about.
Afterwards, time for a further wander and to peruse the gift shop for wine related memorabilia. Our hotel is four miles from literally anything, so whilst in Pirque, we stock up on supplies at a local supermarket and return for an afternoon of swimming, lazing by the pool, drinking wine and eating cheese rolls and crisps.
Chile Day 3 – Valparaíso
Today, we head to the Pacific coast. Due to issues with credit cards being cloned, our original plan to spend a few days driving up the coast in a hire car has been changed to two nights in the port of Valparaíso. We receive a message from the hotel warning of a gang that has been targeting hire cars, puncturing a tyre then robbing you while you change the wheel. We tell them not to worry, we were robbed before we reached the hiring of the car stage!
Bus to Valparaiso
We didn’t reserve bus tickets in advance in order to avoid using our last bank card unnecessarily. When we reach the bus station, the first two buses are full and we have to wait 40 minutes. It’s 500 pesos to use the station toilet, so I sit with my legs crossed waiting for our bus to arrive. I’m relieved to discover that the bus is modern, clean and punctual with comfy allocated seating. And a toilet!
Accommodation – Hotel Winebox
Once in Valparaíso, we walk the short distance to our accommodation; Hotel Winebox. It’s built from 25 shipping containers, most of the décor is construction from recycled pallets, bottles, barrels etc. And everywhere is covered in murals. It’s very cool. The hotel sits on a hill overlooking the city with great views both from the balcony and the rooftop bar where they serve their own wine.
Once we’re checked in, we walk up the hill (in Valparaíso it’s all about hills – and steps) to La Sebastiana, stopping several times along the way to admire the prolific street art.
La Sebastiana
La Sebastiana is the home of the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. Neruda had this house built on five levels overlooking the city and bay, designed with a nautical theme.
We take an audio tour of the house, which is very interesting.
Valparaíso is a fascinating place; spreading up a series of hills overlooking the ocean; a mixture of industrial port and colonial buildings mixed with slums – and there are murals everywhere. It’s dirty and chaotic, but also alluring. Neruda sums it up in his ode to the city that he loved:
VALPARAÍSO,
what an absurdity
you are,
how crazy:
a crazy port.
What a head
of disheveled
hills,
that you never finish
combing.
Drinks and dinner at Hotel Winebox
We walk to the supermarket to get some dinner. It’s not far, but it’s all downhill. Which, of course, means it’s all uphill (including 285 steps) with the shopping.
Once we have caught our breath, we spend the evening eating roast chicken and drinking Chilean wine on our balcony overlooking the city, whilst watching the sun set over the bay.
Chile Day 4 – Valparaíso
I wanted to love quirky little hotel WineBox Hotel, but to be honest, shipping containers aren’t very soundproof, so we had a restless night of traffic, barking dogs and plumbing noises. However, they redeem themselves at breakfast with fruit salad, smashed avocado, poached egg and fresh orange juice.
We spend the morning wandering round Valparaíso with no specific plan other than a combination of murals and funicular railways.
Ascensor Espírito Santo
We walk down our hill (Cerro Florida) then take the Ascensor Espírito Santo up the next hill (Cerro Bellavista) to the Museo a Cielo Abierto.
Museo a Cielo Abierto
The Museo a Cielo Abierto (Museum of the Open Sky) is an area which my guidebook says is adorned with colourful murals.
Unfortunately, the museum and Lonely Planet are both in need of some updating. It’s sad to see how dilapidated the area has become, making it both ugly yet somehow beautiful at the same time.
Reloj Turri
We descend once again and pass the Reloj Turri, an iconic 1920s clock on the side of a rather narrow building.
Ascensor el Peral
The short but steep Ascensor el Peral takes you up Cerro Alegre, home to the Palacio Baburizza. The old man, who thinks himself an expert navigator, tries to take us to the base station but somehow manages to navigate to the top. I point out (more than once) that one doesn’t usually climb so many steps to reach the bottom of something. But he is undeterred. We finally reach the top, panting like a couple of steam trains. At least we’ve burned off breakfast (and saved ourselves 8 pence each on the Ascensor fare).
Palacio Baburizza
Palacio Baburizza is an art nouveau chalet built in 1916 for a wealthy businessman. It is now an art gallery.
The Palacio is an interesting building with stained glass, wrought iron and an intriguing marble shower. The building outclasses the art it contains. But, thanks to our epic climb, there is a great view across the city and port to the sea and the neighbouring town of Viña del Mar.
Plaza Sotomayor
We take the Ascensor back down to Plaza Sotomayor. This bustling plaza has souvenir stalls, street musicians etc, all watched over by the Naval building.
Naval Building
The imposing blue Naval Building, or Edificio Armada de Chile, to give it its official title, dominates the Plaza.
Monument to the Heroes
The Monument to the Heroes is another imposing edifice. It honours Chile’s naval heroes.
Train to Viña del Mar
After a brief detour to the port, because the old man loves a boat, we take the train 5 miles along the coast to Viña del Mar. The train is clean and modern and runs every 10 minutes or so along the ocean front. The fare costs 600 CLP (around £0.50) each way each way. It is a pleasant journey which passes tree lined beaches packed with people and pelicans.
We walk along the coast of the resort town of Viña del Mar, past the Castillo Wulff, another house of a wealthy businessman. It was built in 1906 to look like a castle with a bridge to a tower overhanging the rocks beneath.
It is not currently possible to visit the castle, so we have to make do with the city’s other main attraction; a floral clock. It’s surrounded by people dressed as Disney characters, superheroes and a rather scary tree man.
We catch a train back to Valparaíso, buy some empanadas and a bottle of Viñamar wine to commemorate our trip. Then we climb the 285 steps back up to our hotel. Most of me has loved our time in Valparaíso. My calves not included.
Drinks and Dinner at Hotel Winebox
Chile Day 5 – Valparaíso
It’s our last morning in Valparaíso and we decide to walk to the Parque Cultural. according to Lonely Planet it’s the city’s No 2 attraction and, I quote; “has a little bit of everything the thinking traveler could ask for. There are excellent murals in the old exercise yards, rotating arts exhibits, live theater and dance and… other intellectually stimulating events.”
Meanwhile, back in the real world, after a steep 30 minute walk, we find ourselves in a yard surrounded by concrete and filled with stray dogs. We take a wander round looking at some of the art work.
Cementerio No 2
We return, via a shortcut through Cementerio No 2, which isn’t a shortcut because we get lost and end up back where we started. The rich and famous of Valparaiso are buried here and in Cementerio No 1.
Bus to Santiago
Then it’s up Cerro Florida’s 285 stairs for the last time. The park was a bit of an anti climax but at least we got a good workout, and got to admire plenty of street art along the way.
Bus to Santiago
We check out and head for the bus station. This time we only have to wait two minutes for a bus and return to Santiago watching the Baywatch movie. The plot is so simple that even I can follow it with my ever so basic Spanish!
Accommodation – La Quinta by Wyndham Santiago Aeropuerto
Then we catch the airport bus to pick up the shuttle to tonight’s hotel. It’s not a shuttle in the way we imagine a shuttle to be. We walk up and down the shuttle bus rank with no success, then go to the information desk. They ring the hotel, and the ‘shuttle’ is dispatched to collect us.
We check into our hotel; La Quinta by Wyndham Santiago Aeropuerto. It’s a fairly standard airport hotel. We chose it because it has a free airport shuttle and a pool. They ask what time we want to book the shuttle for in the morning. We say 7.30. It’s a trick question as they only run on the hour.
The hotel is on an industrial estate with no shops or restaurants nearby. It has capitalised on this with very expensive food and drink. According to Google Maps, there is a supermarket a 10 minute walk away. We do two rotations (in 35 degree heat) of the alleged location. Some people from a nearby office ask what we’re looking for and confirm the bleeding obvious – there is no supermarket nearby. Undeterred, the old man insists on a third rotation.
We give up and return to the hotel, but he will not accept defeat and pay hotel prices for beer and sets forth again. It’s been 10 hours since breakfast, so I’m getting rather hungry. I decide to go for a swim to take my mind off the fact. Eventually, the old man returns and we have a romantic Valentine’s Day meal of bread, cheese spread and reconstituted ham. Then an early night as we have to be up early for our flight to Hanga Roa.
Chile Day 6 – Easter Island
Flight to Easter Island
Today, we’re flying 2350 miles west to Easter Island; a tiny dot in the South Pacific. It’s an early start as we head for the airport and attempt to check in for our flight. Easter Island belongs to Chile, so we proceed to the domestic departure gate, but are sent away and told to go to the second floor. The second floor appears to be just airline offices. We think we’ve misunderstood, so try to go to the international departure gate. Again, we’re sent to the second floor. So, we descend to the second floor, past a range of offices and storerooms and finally find the Easter Island departure area.
We have to complete a detailed Easter Island arrival form and pass through immigration. We produce our Chilean departure cards, but are told to put them away until we leave Chile. We are then issued with identical cards to present for our non-departure from Chile. It’s all very confusing. We board the plane and I spend the five hour flight watching Bohemian Rhapsody and eating the worst cheese sandwich ever. Meanwhile, the old man is sulking because I won’t let him order food for the woman sleeping next to him and eat it before she wakes up.
We arrive at Easter Island – the runway spans almost the entire width of the island and has cows and horses grazing either side. First, before we are even allowed to enter the terminal building, we have to pay our National Park entry fees of $80 each. As I already mentioned, Easter Island is expensive.
Then, the other 298 passengers are picked up, greeted with flower garlands and taken to their hotels. The airport is locked up (there’s only one flight a day), leaving us standing alone in the empty car park. Our accommodation (also not cheap) included complimentary hotel pick up. We are not happy. After a bit of searching (the airport is closed, after all) we manage to find a taxi to take us to PARAÍSO Sunset Bungalows.
Accommodation – PARAÍSO Sunset Bungalows
The landlady apologises for failing to collect us (she says her friend told her the flight was delayed. She tries to put flowers round our necks in a typical Polynesian welcome, while the old man continues to rant about being abandoned and having to pay $10 for a taxi. He has a point. You can see/hear the daily plane land from from virtually anywhere on this tiny island! To make matters worse, the room is damp and smelly and the WiFi is broken.
If you need WiFi on Easter Island, there are three free WiFi zones; the Tongariki Cultural Center opposite Pea Beach, Ringo Kainga Square in front of the town hall and Tekena Toro Square.
Hanga Roa
Once checked in, we go for a walk round Hanga Roa; the island’s only town. It’s very busy – tonight is the crowning of the island’s king and queen.
Ahu Tahai
We get to see our first moai statues at Ahu Tahai. Here, a group of five moai plus two individual statues on a cliff nearby all stand overlooking the ocean.
Dinner at Restaurante Hivamana
We find a beachside shack for some dinner; Restaurante Hivamana and dine on a verandah overlooking the ocean.
Then, we walk along the coast and back through town, stopping at one of the island’s three WiFi hotspots to contact home.
After a brief interlude to watch the firework display, we retire ready for a full-on Moai onslaught in the morning. Easter Island is very expensive because almost everything (apart from fish and chicken) is imported from thousands of miles away. But they certainly didn’t skimp on the fireworks.
Chile Day 7 – Easter Island
We had a good night’s sleep, until 6.45 am, when the resident cockerels decide it’s dawn. Today, that’s fine because we haven’t adjusted to the time zone. Tomorrow, however I will probably hatch plans to murder cockerels.
North East Circuit
We plan to hire the hostel car to follow the North East Circuit. This takes the island’s only paved road past various archaeological sites, finishing at a beach. The weather forecast for today is hideous, but tomorrow a cruise ship is due at this tiny island with minimal infrastructure. So we are torn between a storm and a massive influx of visitors. We settle for the storm. There are car hire options in Hanga Roa, but PARAÍSO Sunset Bungalows has a Jeep which residents can rent for $60 a day. So, we sett off in the little Jeep, bouncing along the road in search of the island’s main attractions.
Akahanga
First, the ancient settlement of Akahanga where we get caught in a torrential downpour.
Tongariki
Next, Tongariki; a spectacular row of 15 moai on a clifftop. This is the Easter Island of my imagination; this row of huge carved stone statues, staring at you as you try and fathom out how and why…
An added bonus; the combination of the island’s remoteness and the terrible weather means we have this amazing sight to ourselves.
Rano Raraku
Then, on to the quarry at Rano Raraku where the stone for the moai was carved before being moved, probably rolled on tree trunks, to other locations around the island. The site is littered with hundreds of rejected, half carved Moai – it’s quite a sight!
Te Pito Kura
Next on the circuit is Te Pito Kura, where a 10 metre long moai lies face down in the earth.
Anakena Beach
The road ends at Anakena Beach. Here, a group of 7 moai sit on a rock above the beach. It’s not exactly beach weather – the wind is fierce and it has rained intermittently all day. But I am determined to swim in the South Pacific. So, we decide to go for a swim (separately as we needed to bring our passports to access the Park and we don’t want to leave them unattended on the beach).
After our swim, we head for the changing rooms, but they cost $1. I’m not prepared to pay $1 to put on my pants, so we drive back to town still in our swimwear. We return to town, stopping en route (the old man is finding it difficult to drive as he’s accidentally put both legs through one leg hole of his pants).
Once showered and dressed, we set off in search of food. This is not as simple as it seems. Most restaurants are closed and we enter several restaurants which appear to be open, only to be told they’re closed. Next we try some supermarkets; one is closed, the other is open but doesn’t have much food – the shelves are fairly empty unless you include the cats.
Dinner at Te Moana
In the evening, we go for dinner at Te Moana. It’s rather expensive; a fish and chip platter costs £30. But it’s overlooking the ocean and the food is excellent.
Chile Day 8 – Easter Island
We wake up and go for breakfast. Breakfast at PARAÍSO Sunset Bungalows is actually quite good. The eggs are definitely fresh, as there are chickens roaming the hotel grounds. And I love how the butter has been modelled into a moai.
Museo Rapanui
Today, we opt for a quiet day with a walk north along the coast. We cover 8 miles in total, stopping first at the museum; Museo Rapanui to learn about the history of the island and its moais.
Note: The museum is currently closed due to ‘conflicts of claim and compensation over lands usurped by the state of Chile’.
Ana Kakenga
From the museum, we carry on along the coastal trail to Ana Kakenga; a cave in a lava tube with two ‘windows’ overlooking the ocean. The entrance is tiny. I may be descended from a long line of miners, but I don’t do enclosed spaces, so the old man goes in while I stay on the surface.
On the way back, it finally stops raining and we catch our first glimpse of the sun in days. We head into town to see what impact a ship with a capacity of 3800 people has on an island with a population of 6700. The answer is none at all; the shops and restaurants are mostly closed and the cruisers have returned to their ship. The ship doesn’t fit in the tiny harbour; it has moored off the coast and passengers had to be ferried to the island. Apparently, the water was so rough, most passengers opted not to come ashore.
Dinner from Club Sandwich
We find a shop, Club Sandwich, which sells wonderful oven fresh empanadas and head home, followed by a very hopeful dog, to try and dry some of our ever increasing pile of wet clothes.
Chile Day 9 – Easter Island
It’s our final day on Easter Island and our first nice day. Until now, our time here had combined the worst weather of our trip with the worst accommodation; outside has been wet and windy and miserable while inside has been damp and mouldy and miserable. But today the sun is shining and we hire the landlady’s jeep for another outing.
South West Circuit
We’re following the South West Circuit. Basically, the runway runs almost the width of the island and the road forms a figure 8 around the runway. This is the bottom half of the figure 8.
Ana Kai Tanga
Our first stop is Ana Kai Tanga – a cave with petroglyphs.
Rano Kau
Next, we stop to take a walk along the rim of Rano Kau. This is a rather spectacular trail round the crater of a volcano which now contains a reed covered lake overlooking the ocean.
Orongo
Onwards to the ancient ceremonial village of Orongo, where you can see a series of ancient stone houses.
Orongo was the location for the annual birdman competition, where a representative from each of the island’s tribes competed to climb 200 metres down the cliff wall, swim out to the island of Motu Nui, retrieve an egg from the manutara bird, swim back and climb up the cliff again. The first competitor to return with an intact egg was declared the winner and crowned king for a year.
Vinapu
Then, Vinapu, which has a collection of fallen moai, with stone body parts lying scattered across the cliff top.
Puna Pau
We continue with a walk around Puna Pau – a quarry where moai topknots were carved. The rock carved from here has a reddish colour, making the topknot distinct from the main body of the statue. There are still several discarded topknots spread around.
Ahu Akivi
Next stop, Ahu Akivi. Here, seven moai standing facing the sea. These are the only statues facing the sea, all the others face inland.
Ana Te Pahu
And finally, Ana Te Pahu. Here, you can climb down into a lava tube cave.
That completes our tour of Easter Island. We drive back into Hanga Roa through the rush hour…
On our fourth evening, we finally find the proper supermarket and buy some dinner. After we’ve eaten, we return to the shore to watch the sunset. It doesn’t happen; the sun disappears behind a huge bank of clouds instead. And that pretty much sums up our time in Easter Island. Back to the forlorn PARAÍSO Sunset Bungalows to pack for our return to the mainland.
Chile Day 10 – Easter Island to Santiago
We awake to the inevitable sounds of rain and cockerels. It’s been an uneventful night, apart from the old man waking to find a cat on his chest. Today, we are returning to civilisation. Although I have developed a cough and chest infection and am worried someone will notice and deny me boarding. After breakfast, we check out of our hostel. The bill is quoted in dollars then converted to pesos at a very creative exchange rate. The old man stands his ground and eventually she backs down and agrees to use the official exchange rate.
Flight to Santiago
It’s a long day of travelling; a five hour flight backwards through two time zones, the shuttle bus into Santiago, then the metro and a short walk, finally reaching our apartment in Santiago at 8 pm.
Accommodation
It’s such a relief to be somewhere clean and dry, away from the smell of damp mould. We have WiFi, we have a balcony with views across the city to the Andes, a swimming pool and the real highlight – a washing machine!
Note: Unfortunately, our accommodation in Santiago is no longer available to rent.
Chile Day 11 – Santiago
Palacio de la Moneda
Today we’re going sightseeing in Santiago. We’ve passed though it via underground three times so far, but not surfaced yet. We start with a guided tour of the Palacio de la Moneda (the seat of the President).
Once we have had our passports checked and been issued with passes, we are taken on a guided tour of the ground floor; courtyards, the press room, state rooms and the chapel.
Plaza de Armas
Then on to the main square; the Plaza de Armas, a hub of activity amidst its 100 shade-giving palm trees and fountains.
Santiago Cathedral
We take a quick visit to Santiago Cathedral. This 18th Century cathedral is grand and ornate. Although to be honest, after several weeks in South America, they all start to look a bit alike…
Cerro Santa Lucia
Next stop is the Cerro Santa Lucia. Here, you can climb several hundred steps through various gardens to a turreted lookout across the city.
At the summit, we are confronted by the rather surreal scene of a family taking their cat on an outing, while a man plays the soundtrack to Grease on a harmonica.
Then we return to our apartment and have a quiet evening consisting of a swim in the communal pool, followed by drinks on the balcony while the sun sets. It’s such a good view, going out seems counterintuitive.
Chile Day 12 – Santiago
Cerro San Cristóbal
It’s our last day in Chile and we’re going to the Parque Metropolitano on Cerro San Cristóbal; a large urban park on a hill overlooking the city.
First, breakfast from the mini market over the road. The old man buys a cake tossed in a thick coating of icing sugar and coconut. He puts it into a bag, then picks the bag up by the wrong end. The cake falls, he executes a miraculous catch, saving the cake and covering the next lady in the queue in sugar and coconut.
After we’ve finished juggling/eating breakfast, we walk to the southern edge of the park in Bellavista. Here, a funicular railway, which operates from its own castle, takes you 500 metres up the hill for great views over the city.
You can then climb past a series of painted crosses to a 22 metre high statue of the Virgin Mary.
Cable Car
There are a range of activities available on Cerro San Cristóbal; parks, gardens, swimming, a zoo. The must-do activity is to take a cable car across the park, which provides spectacular views of the city.
Japanese Garden
From here, we descend on foot to the Japanese Garden.
The garden is very pretty and also has great views across the city, across to the Gran Torre Santiago – the tallest tower in Latin America.
Gran Torre Santiago
We continue our way down the hill and head for the 62 storey Gran Torre Santiago, where you can take a lift to the top for ‘the best view in Latin America’. Tickets for Sky Costanera cost CLP 18,000 (around £15). Inside the tallest tower in South America you will find one of the largest shopping malls in Latin America. We decide we’ve already enjoyed plenty of views of Santiago, purchase some lunch and walk to the sculpture park.
Sculpture Park
The Sculpture Park isn’t spectacular. But it is free, has some interesting pieces and is a pleasant place to sit and have lunch in the shade.
Then, we walk the final 2.5 miles back our apartment (not my idea). In the evening, we get a takeaway and have dinner on our balcony with a view.
- Trip Taken: February 2019
- Updated: March 2025
I hope you found the above information useful. For guides to more destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full list of Independent Travel Itineraries here.
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