Chile Land of Bounty

by Kurt Kutay

Imagine a two to three week family vacation traversing as much ground and geographic diversity as a route from Cabo San Lucas, Baja to Juneau, Alaska, and you begin to comprehend the variety of adventures you and your kids can discover on one trip in Chile. You can plan your route through an amazing range of latitudes and landscapes in the long, "green bean" country spanning the southern half of the Pacific coast of South America. Following a coastline that stretches 2,666 miles from north to south, and a girth hardly ever more than 111 miles wide, your family vacation in Chile can include a great variety of environments. This diversified country includes everything from the nearly rainless Atacama Desert, to the temperate central valley and coastal habitat. It includes dense forests, lakes, waterfalls, snow-capped volcanoes, and the high peaks of the Andes, which include the spectacular alpine glaciers and fjords that spill from the mountains to the sea in Patagonia. The wild sub-Antarctic region of Tierra del Fuego, which is separated from the rest of the country by the largest ice-cap outside of the north and south poles, contains famous national parks, like Torres del Paine, which offers some of the best hiking and fishing in the world. Last October I set out on a three-week exploratory trip to Chile in search of family adventures. When I arrived in Chile, it was springtime and I was ready to begin my adventure. Santiago and the Central Valley I enjoy exploring big cities and found Santiago to be interesting and great fun. Although plagued by rush-hour traffic jams and air pollution, it's worth spending at least a day in the downtown capital. Between impressive, monumental colonial buildings, you'll find friendly Chilean families relaxing in the many plazas, parks and outdoor cafes. A half-day guided tour is the easiest way to get oriented, leaving time on your own to wander around the Central Market and other local hangouts. If you prefer walking, follow the excellent route described by Lonely Planet author, Wayne Bernhardson, in his guidebook to Chile and Easter Island. It is an easy one-hour flight to Calama, gateway into the Atacama Desert. I was drawn into the incredible beauty and mysticism of this unworldly place. The small, earthen village of San Pedro de Atacama is a placid oasis of adobe houses built together as an "allyu" (native settlement) at the edge of the Salar de Atacama, a vast salt bed from an evaporated lake. The Atacama has been a resting place used for thousands of years by primitive humans migrating back and forth, east and west, for trade and hunting. On day hikes into the hills we saw lots of amazing petroglyphs carved onto rock walls where ancient traders camped and left a record of their story. I hiked through the Valley of the Moon including a late night stroll under the stars and bright full moon. I took a refreshing dip in the Sejar Lagoon, and visited the Flamingos National Reserve, including the breeding grounds of three species of flamingo. My favorite day in Atacama was an outing with local archaeologist, Cecelia Uribe, who led our group through the local museum and into the field. The rainless environment of the Atacama has preserved human remains and artifacts for millennia, in stunning detail, including a child buried in a vase and the mummy of a young woman wrapped in a blanket with skin, hair and fingernails intact. Patagonia Most adventure travelers to this part of the world think "Patagonia," above all else. It takes four hours by air from Santiago to Punta Arenas, and then another five hours drive to reach the famous Torres del Paine National Park. Along the way, I stopped at the Seno Otway Penguin Reserve for a close-up encounter with Antarctic nature. The peaks of Torres del Paine, the freedom of spaciousness across the Patagonian pampa, and the unreal hues of green lakes and blue glaciers below the largest ice cap on Earth, is stunning. Most hiking itineraries, in Torres del Paine National Park, take you up the three principal valleys into the heart of the park: Grey, Francis and Silencio (Torres) valleys. These routes get you up close to the glaciers and peaks of the Paine massif. However, experiencing Paine National Park is much more than hiking up to the base of its peaks, which can easily be enshrouded in clouds. Hiking on trails that are further away from the base of the mountain peaks, along lake-shores and in the grasslands, offer spectacular views of the entire massif, where you will see lots more wildlife. A professional mountain guide makes all the difference. Our guide, Trauko, engaged local people in genuine conversation and laughter wherever we drove, rode, or hiked. That's because most people who live and work in the park consider him family and every encounter is like a family reunion. As Trauko travels throughout the park with his two-way walkie-talkie, he is constantly checking in with all his "relatives" to set up special arrangements for boats, vehicles, horses, and accommodations. On our longest day hike we encountered a snowstorm, so, Trauko called ahead to our lodge to have them bring a few extra horses--which helped immensely in getting us to the end of our arduous journey. There are well-constructed bridges over rivers, and stepping-stones crossing swampy areas, which make hiking much easier for families who enjoy the outdoors. Trails are very muddy in places, so, waterproof boots are a must. The Lakes District After Patagonia, the Lakes District--crossing between Bariloche, Argentina and Puerto Montt, Chile--is one of the most well known regions, among adventure travelers, in Chile. I was anxious to explore the region outside of this popular tourist corridor because so many other activities and accommodations have developed here in recent years. One thing that hasn't changed is the incredible beauty of this fertile, green farmland with vast lakes, surrounded by the spectacular, snow-capped volcanoes of the Andes. Here are the largest temperate rainforest ecosystems on Earth, including the last refuge of the rare giant Alerce tree and the ancient Araucaria forests, Earth's oldest tree species. You can hike through the Alerce Andino National Park (similar to our Redwood forests), raft on the stunningly beautiful and easy Petrohue River, take an easy scenic hike above tree line on the Osorno Volcano (or a technical climb with specialist guides to the summit), or ride horseback up the Calbuco Volcano. Of course, you will want to see the spectacular Petrohue Falls with the Osorno Volcano in the background. Overview My overall impression is that Chile is safe, clean, and easy for family adventure travel with reliable and efficient transportation, delightful accommodations, and delicious food with plenty of fresh, wholesome alternatives for picky palates. Teenagers, in particular, would enjoy a trip to Chile. Teenagers would truly embrace many of the outdoor activities, like mountain biking, horseback riding, rafting, hiking and volcano ascents, and perhaps even learning the fine art of fly-fishing.

Kurt Kutay designs and leads active nature and cultural explorations throughout the world, with his wife and eleven year old son.