Backpacking Chile Travel Guide 2019

Watching all Chile beautiful places and savouring their natural charm and magnificent sights require rational arrangement is required. Let’s find out the hidden secrets of how to turn the planned travel into the journey to another dimension.

Chile beautiful places include wild mysterious paths and mountain pass routes, historical sight and just nice streets. Volcanos, the Atacama Desert with its salt flats and lagoons where flamingo and coots live, Easter Island with its statues, Torres Del Paine National Park, Andean Christ are top destinations in Chile.

This region is full of contrasts – it is wild and mysterious, high-cultured and easy-going simultaneously. There is no either desire or time to boring here – jump into skiing, try mountain climbing or trekking, get a little sun on the Iquique beach or bathe in Seven Lakes. Besides, you can enjoy exotic Chile wine – sparkling, tasty, fragrant, and cheap. Where to hit the road and which facts to learn about the itinerary? – Let’s deal with the following hiking checklist to choose the right way.

The Incredible Hikes and Unique Treks in Chile

Torres Del Paine – the Soul of the Earth

The route extends through the entire Park’s territory, opening all the Chile beautiful places in front of your eyes. You’ll remember forever the most spectacular landscapes of Patagonia that do not have analogs on the planet and are considered to be unbelievable miracles in the natural universe. Glaciation and harsh climatic conditions wore the permeable rocks off and formed astonishing relief – horn-like rocks of Los Cuernos or three rosy granite towers Las Torres.

A great diversity of fauna is one of the main park’s peculiarities – you’ll have a chance to enjoy watching more than 118 bird and 26 mammal species – guanacos, cougars, Andean deer and South American fox. To feel the Torres Del Paine’s magic, hiking is the right choice. It offers plenty of itineraries for day-trips, as well as the famous El Circuito route and 9-days transition through Macizo Paine and a legendary 5-day W Trek along the southern part of Mount Paine.

Traveling down the Santiago Streets

Travel in Chile can be hardly imagined without groping around Santiago. Despite our stereotypes about the majority of metropolises, most of the respectable districts are in the surroundings but not in the center of Santiago. If you want to try the experience of local nightlife, start your way to one of the Chile beautiful places – Bellavista neighborhood and its numerous bars and cafes, fashionable night clubs and casinos. Bright street art, salsa and rumba’s sounds add Bellavista a unique color.

Certainly, you won’t refuse to do shopping in Miraflores, Amunate, Santo Domingo streets. The sellers at the markets and small shops adore bargaining, so, start fighting for the lower price boldly. There are a plethora of local and luxury international hotels and inns in various categories in Santiago. You can make reservation both in the modern building or in the XIX-century mansion with bourgeois interiors.

San Pedro de Atacama – Enjoyable Adventure

Do you think of more cities to visit in Chile? San Pedro de Atacama сan become a jumping-off point for your travel through the salt flats into another wonderful country – Bolivia. Besides, you can book numerous entertainments in this city at the back end of nowhere. Mountain biking is very popular here and it will gift you a new understanding of life. The rainbow valley, geysers, and moon valley are already waiting for you. Hiking and sand boarding are rather affordable and very exciting. You can learn details that are more interesting about your opportunities from Chile travel blogs.

4-Day San Pedro de Atacama Desert Adventure is the best backpack for hiking and travel in Pedro de Atacama to explore the region’s highlights. You’ll be accompanied by the professional guide and provided with all transportation. Moreover, daily hotel pickup and drop-off are at your disposal, so you can get accommodation and meals that meet your needs.

Marble Caves in Patagonia

Cuevas de Marmol is the most beautiful network of caves in the world. It is 6000 years old and it has impressive bright-blue deepens partly surrounded with lakes. One of the deepest lakes is located in Chile Chico. Marble Cathedral is its most popular place – a wonderful labyrinth of underground rooms and galleries.

Those landscapes managed to create a real tourist boom. That’s why plenty of backpacking routes to every taste and budget are developed there to let everybody touch the ancient caves keeping its secrets.

Tips on Backpacking in Chile – a Blueprint for Action

What Language do the People in Chile Speak?

Spanish is the official language in the country but most of the people speak English (more or less). However, if your Chile travel package includes visiting the more remote locations or city seriously sick places, it would be better to learn some Spanish words or to take a phrasebook. The interesting fact is that you can face challenges even in the case of speaking Spanish fluently because Chileans use many unique slang phrases.

How to Escape Diseases?

Unlike Mexico, tap water in the majority of Chile areas is clear enough to be safe but try to avoid drinking it when staying in the low-cost hostels. Small budget street cafes have a decent level of service than in the other South American countries, but you should choose the reviewed eating and drinking places.

What to Eat and Where to Live?

As a rule, vacation packages to Chile do not include meals that’s why you should think of it beforehand. Note that food there is rather expensive, not only in the restaurants but even in the markets. When dealing with food in Santiago, its price reaches the USA or European level. In small towns and villages, you can buy cheaper fruit and vegetables.

So, that means to plan thoroughly and to control this type of expenditure. Be ready to break up with 5.000 – 8.000 CLP for the main meal in a decent restaurant. To eat without hurting your wallet, taste street dishes. Cheese, empanadas de pino, seafood salads and sandwiches are the most popular of them.

To see more Chile beautiful places and to pay less, book a room in a hostel for 6.000 –15.000 CLP. Fortunately, the fully-fitted kitchen is equipped in every hostel allows cooking food you used to eat. If you are not very capricious or squeamish being ready to share your personal space with other tourists, you can rent a very cheap private bedroom in a family home that is usually located in the country or even in the volatile areas. The most low-cost variant of accommodation is to rent a cabin where up to six lodgers live.

How to Stay Safe?

Chile is safe enough for travelers but in some areas, the accidents are possible like in any other countries. For example, somebody can steal your phone or wallet in the metro or in the center of Santiago. In smaller towns and in Patagonia the majority of people are very polite, kind, and easy-going. That’s why you can count on their support and help. However, it will be wise to download any of the backpacking apps to get hints while you are traveling.

Backpacking does not Mean No Transport

Buses are the most widespread kind of transport but they are not very comfortable. If you want to book a one-day bus trip, you’ll have to pay near 20,000 CLP. The buses in Chile are divided into two categories – those with the seats reclining 140˚ and buses with the seats reclining 160˚ that gives more space for your legs and, of course, cost more.

Internal plights are not very expensive and they might come in handy if you are going to backpack throughout some destinations that are far away from each other.

Car rental provides you with the freedom to travel independently and to reach the most of remote or hard-to-reach locations any time you want. However, this pleasure is rather pricey and is available in case of having a solid budget.

Hiking and Trekking – What to Pack?

Your plans should be arranged considering season and weather, the duration of your travel, transport you are going to use and other points. For example, in case of planning hiking on an overnight, book an affordable camping gear. Some of them offer the best backpacking hammocks to sleep comfortable outdoors. You can book a lightweight small tent or a bigger one for some people to sleep in it.

High-quality tents and best survival bracelets can be bought in Santiago. However, purchasing it before coming to Chile is highly recommended because they are rather expensive there – pricier than in the USA or Europe.

If you’ve chosen Torres del Paine for backpacking, three companies can provide you with camping gear - Fantástico Sur, CONAF, and Vertice. Booking your campsites in person in Puerto Natales is also possible. You can make a booking online visiting the travel websites. The procedure usually includes several steps:

Selecting a trek.
Planning a route.
Checking availability.
Making and confirming a reservation.
Printing a paper copy of the reservation.

Now, you are almost ready to watch the new world and to enrich your heart and brains with vivid memories and exclusive impressions.

About the author

David Banes is a creative freelance writer, he offers guest writing, copywriting and blogging services. He is an amateur traveler and hiker. David adores camping and overnight hiking all over the world. He is also a tech and currently working as a web-designer at best online casino.