We had read that the journey from Salta to Atacama was breathtaking and it did not disappoint. We chose the early morning start rather than the 1am option (not a hard choice) and sat back ready to take in the stunning scenery. The route reaches an altitude of near 5000m, so we were prepared with our paracetamol, gallons of water and anti-sickness tablets just in case. As it turned out we were actually okay with only slight headaches (a bit like a mild hangover) w...

Valparaiso, a port town which initially boomed in the 19th century due to the American gold rush, is now a Unesco world heritage sight famed for embracing poets, artists and singers. After our short journey from Santiago we arrived for what was originally planned as a day trip but ended up being 3 days, travelling with Chris, Andrew and Becky, friends we had met in Santiago. Once settled in the hostel we set off to do the now obligatory free walking tour (tours...

We had been given mixed reviews about Santiago before we got to the capital of Chile. Lacking the European charm of Buenos Aires, the fun flair of Rio, it is not a top city you hear travellers rave about in South America. We walked away with it being one of our best weeks (which is quite tough!). With the backdrop of the Andean mountains, the city is visually impressive particularly when taking in the views from a height (includes the park Cerro Santa Lucia and t...

Puerto Varas was not part of the original plan,  it was marked as a layover to get to Bariloche. However, after a little more lonely planet reading we realised that it was a picturesque part of Chile, described as the 'lake district' with plenty of outdoor activities on offer. Many centre around the Volcano Osorno. Either hiking up the volcano , cycling down it or taking in the views kayaking on the lake, again cycling or going a bit wild and doing some canyonin...

Fresh from our el chalten trekking adventure we headed to Puerto Natales, a town close to Torres Del Paine national park. From el chalten we had the wonderful experience of the Chilean border crossing which consisted of a long bus journey on a gravel road and a border crossing in the middle of nowhere. The only highlight being frequent beeps from the bus driver to warn off lots of guanco's, basically a Chilean lama. We stayed at the singing lamb hostel which...