CHILE’S WILD FRONTIERS
Desert, glaciers, soaring peaks — this country’s a natural wonder, says Jenny Coad
CHILE specialises in extremes. At 2,700 miles from north to south, it’s one of the longest countries in the world; it has the driest desert on Earth, the Atacama; and you’ll find piercing blue glaciers at its southern tip. The majestic Andes rear up along almost its entire length and the earth shifts constantly beneath Chileans’ feet.
In the capital, Santiago, there’s here’s a drink called ‘terremoto’, meaning earthquake, a sweet fortified wine and pineapple ice cream concoction that might give you the shakes.
Now that British Airways has as launched direct, 15-hour flights to the capital, you can just about see all its most impressive features in a two-week trip. That means a lot of air travel, but it’s worth it.
You’ll find common ground with the Chileans, who jokingly refer to themselves as the British of South America. They are more e reserved than their Latino no neighbours, and like to thinknk they are islanders, separateded from the rest of the continent. .
We begin in the Atacamama Desert, in the north. The journeyney between the mining city Calama and the backpacker spot San Pedro de Atacama is through dusty, orange nothingness.
Driving here is not without its dangers, and roadside shrines mark the route.
It’s a relief to arrive at the Tierra Atacama Hotel, with its views of the snow-capped Andes, gardens filled with sashaying grass, comfy rooms and a bar serving piquant pisco sours.
Stay here and you can explore like there’s no tomorrow, because excursions are included in the price. Trips are arranged in order of their altitude to allow you to acclimatise. We start with Moon Valley (2,400m), then hike to the Puritama pools (2,800m and above), up slopes with sentinel cactuses and into a palm-filled valley, before arriving at a series of descending thermal pools — a highlight.
Then there are the flamingodotted salt flats at sunset and an extraordinary dawn trip to the El Tatio Geysers (4,300m), which smoke away at sunrise.
‘The geysers claim someone each year,’ says our guide. ‘Do not fall in.’ They pop, bubble, burstbu and fizz at temperaturestu over 100c. But we are wearingw all the clothes we brought because it’s around -2c. It’s challenging to pack for Chile. Imagine you are going hiking in the L Lake District, but allowin ing for a heatwave. It’s au autumn when we are here wit with hot, factor-50 days and chill chilly nights. When it’s cloudless, the stars sparkle in the night skys like a sequined gown. The h hotel offers stargazing with prope proper telescopes, through which we can see star clusters and even patterns on Jupiter. It makes us feel tiny. After flying back to Santiago ( founded 1541; population 7 million), we have one day in bohemian, canine- filled Valparaiso (an hour or so drive from the capital), which is fun for gaudy street art and vertigoinducing streets. Like Rio, it’s built up on the hillsides surrounding the busy port. Then it’s on to Chile’s southern tip, Punta Arenas, the gateway to the Antarctic and the spot from which Ernest Shackleton plottedof ill-fated remote Strangely,the Endurancethe 1914-1916than (successful)it feelsthe crew expedition.even Atacama,after rescuemore the thoughelse entirely.the scenery is something Our hotel, Tierra Patagonia, overlooks the Torres mountain range and a steely lake. Around us, guanacos (Patagonian llamas) and grey, ostrich-like rhea graze. You might also spot a puma — we see a smudge of one through a pair of binoculars. Our first mission is to hike to the base of the Torres, an all-day stomp of nearly 20km (12 miles). For half of that, we’re climbing through forests and across rocky mountainsides with gorges winking below. But we’re lucky: at the top, the sky is clear and the three eerie towers soar above, reflected in the bright blue lagoon beneath. It’s selfie central at the base, and people have brought along mascots such as Elmo. Picnicking on sandwiches and onion soup above the lagoon, we watch and wonder if anyone will fall in. Inevitably, the down is harder than the up, so thank goodnessmassagethatby Our car the legto followingthe back musclesfor Greyat a the heartyday’s Glacier,are hotel. outing grateful sportswhichis is retreatingsome 170 at squarea rate of miles,5 metres but a year. It doesn’t look much from afar, but as the boat approaches, boy, does that ice glint in Dettol blues you wouldn’t believe. A piece shelves off, too. Of course, we all go mad and take a billion photos, then repair to the ship’s bar for another pisco. ‘The best pisco in Patagonia,’ allegedly. In the company of glaciers, it’s really not bad at all.
TRAVEL FACTS
COX & Kings ( coxandkings.
co.uk, 0203 642 0861) has a 13-day/ten-night trip from £5,995 pp, including British Airways flights, domestic flights, transfers, two nights’ B&B in Santiago at the Luciano K, three nights’ all-inclusive at Tierra Atacama and Tierra Patagonia, and two nights’ B&B at the Casa Higueras in Valparaiso.