November / December 2024
After my stopover in Toronto, I reached the capital Santiago de Chile at the beginning of November 2024. I’ve been to Chile and this city a few times before, so I took it easy. You can find more information about my experiences on previous trips under these links:
2009: Patagonia and Chiloe
2014: Santiago and the north
2017/2018: From the Atacama Desert to Puerto Montt
2022: Santiago and the Atacama Desert
On this trip, I wanted to discover lesser-known places in the center of Chile. Some wine regions were also on my route.
Table of Contents
Santiago de Chile
Cerro Santa Lucía
The 69-metre-high Cerro Santa Lucia hill is located in the middle of the city and is a popular local recreation area. I always enjoy walking in this park.
This fountain can be seen at one of the entrances.
From the top, I enjoy the view over the city.
Restaurant Bocanáriz
One of my favorite restaurants is Bocanáriz în the vicinity of Cerro Santa Lucia on the popular Lastaria road. In addition to the food, the restaurant is characterized by dozens of Chilean wines by the glass from all over the country on offer.
The lunch menu is still a value-for-money winner. The picture shows the passion fruit dessert.
Museum of Pre-Columbian Art (Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino)
I have already been to this excellent museum on a previous trip, which shows art from the indigenous population before the arrival of the Spanish.
I picked up a rental car in Santiago and discovered the center of Chile in 30 days.
Wineries around Casablanca
First, I drove 82 km west to the small town of Casablanca, which is the center of a wine region.
Casa Viñamar
This bodega specializes in sparkling wines.
The estate was picturesque.
The wines were good, but not exceptional.
The store of the winery
Kingston Family Vineyards
This picturesque winery offered a 5-course menu with wine pairing from their own bodega.
The main course was a fillet of beef with roasted red cabbage and interestingly sliced potatoes. It was accompanied by a wine from the Syrah grape that had been aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. Like the whole meal, this course was heavenly.
View of the surrounding vineyards from the restaurant.
Afterwards I was given a guided tour of the production facilities …
… and was able to taste a wine straight from the barrel.
Casas del Bosque winery
This winery was very touristy. Busloads of tourists were unloaded here, so I didn’t take part in a tour or a tasting. I still managed to take some beautiful photos.
The shop
Oak barrels
Winery Orgánica Emiliana
This winery is one of the few in Chile that works organically and even complies with the Demeter standard. Here it is called biodynamic cultivation. Cow horns are buried and the grapes are cut and harvested at full moon.
Insects are also part of biodiversity …
… as well as llamas, whose excrement is used as fertilizer.
The tasting with cheeses and chocolate
The top wine Ge was good, but I liked the Coyam wine best. It is a blend of six different grape varieties. Wines from the Gran Reserva line Novas were also an outstanding experience.
Bodega RE
The winery produces its wines in clay amphorae. The wines did not excite me.
William Cole Vineyards
This winery offered a multi-course lunch with wine pairing at an excellent price. The picture shows the 2nd course, oysters au gratin.
I was then given a tour of the winery.
Viña del Mar
National Botanical Garden Viña del Mar (Jardín Botánico Nacional de Viña del Mar)
As I couldn’t check into my apartment in Viña del Mar yet, the first place I visited was the botanical garden a few kilometers outside. Although it gets good reviews, it seemed run-down to me. The restaurant was closed and hardly any trees or plants were labeled. In addition, it was allowed to drive through the grounds by car.
My apartment overlooking the sea
The coast by the city
I was surprised at how cold it got on the coast after sunset. This is due to the cold Humboldt Current, which flows northwards from Antarctica along the entire west coast of South America. In the morning, the cold temperatures often led to fog, which dissipated around midday. The cold temperatures on the coast are responsible for the desert landscapes inland, as cold air can absorb less moisture.
Francisco Fonck Museum of Archaeology and History
This museum, originally named Museo de Arqueología e Historia Francisco Fonck, is named in honor of the German archaeologist Dr. Francisco Fonck Foveaux, known for his archaeological research on southern Chile. As the Moai statue in front of the museum shows, the museum houses a collection of artifacts from Easter Island, which I visited in 2015 and 2017.
Exhibits from the indigenous peoples of Chile (Atacameños, Mapuches and Diaguitas) are also on display.
Vergara Palace Museum (Museo Palacio Vergara)
This palace is the former residence of the family of Jose Francisco Vergara, the founder of Viña del Mar. The palace was built in 1910 in Venetian-Gothic style after the family lost their home in Valparaiso in the 1906 earthquake. Since 1941, the building has been owned by the city, which turned it into a museum.
Decorative Arts Museum Rioja Palace (Museo de Artes Decorativas Palacio Rioja)
This palace was also commissioned following the earthquake in Valparaiso, by the Spanish businessman Fernando Rioja Medel and is based on French palace buildings from the second half of the 18th century.
Splendid!
Dunes of Concón
A few kilometers north of Viña del Mar are these huge, approximately 1 km long dunes with views of the sea and the adjacent town of Concón.
Zapallar
My destination for the day was the tourist town of Zapallar, around 70 km north of Viña del Mar. A friend drew my attention to this town, which is unknown to international tourists. The small town consists almost exclusively of vacation homes, whose size and sea view indicate the wealth of their owners. I regretted booking only one night here, as there is a long walk along the picturesque coast.
Santuario de la Naturaleza Cerro La Cruz
At one end of the bay rises the protected hill of La Cruz with many interesting plants and sea views.
Evening atmosphere at the bay of the village
It soon got cold and I had to dress warmly in the early hours of the morning too. But I was rewarded with an impressive landscape.
Papudo
On the way to my next destination, I passed the town of Papudo.
The road from Papudo via Pedegua to Tilama is not very busy and uses the route of a former railroad line. I passed some railroad tunnels that could only be driven through on one lane and were not lit.
Solar panels on the way
Salamanca
Salamanca is a small, quiet desert town that I liked at first sight.
The landscape around Salamanca
La Poza Azul waterfall
After a 40-minute drive to La Jarilla, I hiked to this picturesque waterfall in an hour.
Viña Choapa winery
13 km from Salamanca is the only winery in the valley. They were delighted to welcome a foreign guest. The winery produces 13 different wines, some of which are made from less common grape varieties such as Petit Verdot. I was able to taste two wines together with a goat’s cheese/salami platter. I liked the wines.
Christian gave me a sample straight from the steel tank.
The road to my next stop, the small town of Combarbalá, led through a dry hilly landscape.
Combarbalá
This small town was also pleasantly tranquil. Quartz stones are mined nearby and sold in the small town.
The ‘Southern Cross Observatory’ (Observatorio Cruz del sur) is located just a few kilometers away, so some of the streets in the town are named after celestial bodies.
A young couple practicing a local dance for an upcoming festival
The church Iglesia San Francisco de Borja on the main square is old …
… and in need of renovation.
Rincon las Chilcas
On the way from Combarbalá through the Cogotí Valley to my next destination, Tulahuén, I passed a largely unknown but sensational site of 48 boulders with 245 rock carvings from the Molle and Diaguita cultures. These peoples lived more than a thousand years ago. On my journey through the area north of Santiago de Chile, I repeatedly encountered rock carvings from these cultures, but never in this abundance and quality. Despite its importance, the site is located on the private land of goat farmer Gabriel Tapia, who looks after this treasure.
The road to Tulahuen was for 37 km a stone and gravel road that led over a pass. I was worried about my tires because of the poor condition of the road, but fortunately they held up.
The village of Tulahuen was completely off the beaten track due to its remote location. As in the previous places, I was the only foreign tourist. The only restaurant closed at 4pm, so I had to have my dinner by then.
Bosque de Chañar near Tulahuen
From the village, I hiked up a valley to the so-called Forest of Chañar, a small forest in the middle of the desert.
Desert area
The forest consisted of a few trees. Because of a high fence around the forest, I couldn’t take a photo worth seeing. The forest was disappointing, but the journey is the reward.
One of the many parrots in the area
Impressive cacti and landscapes
I continued north via the town of Ovalle to the sea at Tongoy.
Tongoy
The town lies on a large bay with long beaches and several protected wetlands, known as Humedal.
Beach, with the town of Tongoy in the background
This crab is about to bury itself in the protective sand.
Pelicans resting at the harbor of Tongoy.
Hacienda El Tangue
A ranch in the hinterland of Tongoy
Humedal Salinas Chicas
This is one of three wetlands just behind the beach and is an important refuge for birds and amphibians.
On my way north, I made a short stop at the ugly city of Coquimbo. A viewpoint in a green area was littered with garbage.
Punta de Choros
I continued north along the coast. The further I drove, the more deserted it became. 130 km after Coquimbo, I came to the village of Punta de Choros, where the boats leave for the offshore islands, which are part of the Humboldt Penguin National Park (Reserva Nacional Pingüino de Humboldt). But on this afternoon, the small town was deserted. Only one restaurant on the coast was open.
Seagulls circling over the coast
My destination for the day was the village of Caleta Chanaral de Aceituno, 25 km further north, from where boat tours also depart to an island in the same national park.
On the way from Punta de Choros to Caleta Chanaral de Aceituno
Caleta Chanaral de Aceituno
This small village was the northernmost point of my trip. It is already in the province of Atacama.
Two seagulls
Here, too, the coast is rugged and surrounded by desert.
The locals harvest the sea plants that grow near the coast. These are processed into plastic, e.g. for flip-flops, cosmetics and food supplements.
For the first two days of my stay, there was no tour to the offshore island, which is part of the Reserva Nacional Pingüino de Humboldt National Park. On the day of my departure, a large tour group arrived and I was able to join them.
We soon saw whales
Many seals
and Humboldt Penguins.
Now I was on my way back south. My next destination was the town of Vicuña in the Elqui Valley, around 200 km away.
Vicuña in the Elqui Valley
The largest village in the Elqui Valley has a lot to offer tourists. The Guayacan microbrewery brews an excellent stout. A museum presents the life of Gabriela Mistral, the Chilean Nobel Prize winner for literature in 1945, who was born in Vicuña. In addition, the Cobre ice cream store offers excellent ice creams and has been named the best ice cream parlor in Chile.
As the sky is so clear here, there are several astronomical tours on offer. However, I took the best photo without a telescope. The sun was just right, so a few of the many Starlink satellites orbiting the earth were visible.
The area around Vicuña is famous for the pisco produced here.
A wall painting
Aba Pisquera
This pisquera was founded in 1921.
It offers many different varieties. In addition to the pure 40% piscos, they also offer blends with grapefruit, mango or lime, which are ideal as an aperitif with an alcohol content of 12%. I liked the grapefruit mix best.
Mamalluca Observatorio
The Mamalluca Observatory is located on a hill a few kilometers outside Vicuña. It is very touristy. The many visitors were divided into large groups. I had to wait a long time for my turn to take a look at the small celestial bodies, as the telescopes were not particularly powerful.
Pisco Elqui
Cavas Del Valle Winery
On the 40-kilometre journey to my next destination, Pisco Elqui, I passed this excellent organic winery. Although the bodega is small, it offers many different products, even red and white sweet wines. My favorite was the red wine Cavas de Valle Merlot.
Pisquera Fundo los Nichos
This pisco distillery is the oldest still active pisquera in Chile. Founded in 1868, the distillery is now in its fifth generation. After distillation, the piscos have an alcohol content of around 70% and are then diluted with distilled water to 35, 40 or 45%. I even got an English tour here! My favorite was the 35% pisco.
Vinedos de Alcohuez winery
This bodega offers great high-priced wine.
Hike around Pisco Elqui
A path leads to a remote village.
View of Pisco Elqui in the valley
Agriculture can be practiced in the valley thanks to irrigation.
A friendly villager
Cacti
Drive from the Elqui Valley to the Hurtado Valley
The 100 km drive from Pisco Elqui to the valley of the Hurtado River led over a pass that was rarely driven on. The only people on the route were workers repairing the road.
The impressive route led through desert landscapes …
… with countless cacti.
Hurtado Valley
Here I stayed with Meret, a Swiss woman, and her Chilean husband Bernardo, who offer riding tours in the area lasting from one to several days. The breakfast was the best on my trip to Chile. As all the restaurants in the valley were closed, the couple also offered dinner.
The afternoon after my arrival, the couple took me straight to a festival in a small village in the mountains. Traditional dances are part of it. On the left we see my host couple.
The next day we visited Bernardo’s father, who runs a very remote goat farm.
Petroglyphs can also be found here.
A well-camouflaged frog
Another cactus species
Horse riding tour
The next day we went on a day trip into the mountains of the Hurtado Valley. I was given a very obedient horse, so even as a non-rider I was able to ride along without any problems.
View from the saddle
Meret took the lead.
Me on the horse
On the tour, I saw these charred trees in the valley. On August 1, 2024, a tree falling onto a power line caused a large part of the forest in the upper part of the valley to burn. The Haciendo Los Andes also burned to the ground. This estate was the origin of tourism in the valley. Meret used to work there. According to her, the hacienda will not be rebuilt.
Ovalle
Museo del Limari
The museum displays finds from the Diaguita people, who lived in the Ovalle area from 1,000 AD to the 16th century. The picture shows a creatively designed clay jug.
Valle del Encanto
Located 25 km from Ovalle, the valley, which is called the ‘Enchanted Valley’ in English, contains countless petroglyphs from the Molle culture (500 to 700 AD) and other rock carvings dating back 4,000 years. The landscape of the valley is also impressive.
Viña Tabali
On the way back, a few kilometers from the valley, I paid an unannounced visit to this winery. A tasting was not possible, but I bought the Tabali 2019 Transversal Red Blend, awarded 94 out of 100 points, made from 30% Cabernet Franc, 30% Malbec, 25% Syrah and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. I did not regret the purchase.
Fuente Toscana Restaurant
Alongside the ‘Casona Gourmet’, this restaurant was also a good choice. When I left, I was shown the wine cellar.
Hacienda Santa Cristina
On my way back south, I stopped at this hacienda. It is now a luxury hotel.
View of the sea from a highway rest area
Pichidangui
Halfway south, I spent the night in this small town on the coast. I chose it because I found a well-rated AIRBNB house there for one night. It was a lucky find, as there was a long beach just a few minutes’ walk from the house. It was cold and windy in the evenings because of the Humboldt Current, just like everywhere else on the Chilean coast.
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to jog along the beach the next morning. I love jogging on the beach, where the air is clean and the sound of the sea puts me in a meditative state.
Afterwards, I drove south through the capital Santiago de Chile to the Rancagua wine region.
Rancagua
As it turned out, this wine region is hardly prepared for tourists, especially not over the weekend. Although there are over two dozen wineries, most of them turned me down. Either they were closed on the days I preferred, or they only offered tastings for groups of a certain size.
I was still able to visit a few small wineries.
Viña Lagar De Codegua
This boutique winery had good wines. I particularly liked the Lagar Malbec.
And I was delighted with the funny labels.
Magari Restaurant
The Magari restaurant is clearly the best in the city. As the photo shows, they also stocked my favorite Chilean beer, the honey beer Kunstmann Miel.
Viña Tipaume
This small boutique bodega is the dream of a French oenologist and his Chilean wife, who have spent the last 30 years building up this vineyard. They want to influence the vines as little as possible and therefore work biodynamically (with Demeter certification) and do not irrigate, so that the vines develop long roots and thus become resistant and absorb the minerals of the soil. In addition to the traditional production method in steel tanks and barrels, they also use amphorae to make wine. Only 3,000 bottles are produced each year, as the selection of vines is strict. Their wines can be found in the best gourmet restaurants in Chile.
Unfortunately, the husband died a month before my visit.
The cellar with the barrels and steel tanks
In the tasting room in the cellar, the owner opened a bottle of Tipaume from 2019 and we drank a few glasses with cheese, bread and tomatoes. The wine was a blend of Carmére, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Lacrima Cristi and Viognier, with Carmére making up 60%. The flavor was very intense. I was truly enjoying an excellent wine!
During our conversation, this hand-sized beetle Acanthinodera cumingii appeared. It is the largest beetle species in Chile and is only found in central Chile. It felt at home on this organic farm. According to the owner, this was the first time she had seen this beetle species in the wine cellar.
The next day, I traveled back to Santiago de Chile and returned my rental car. After a night in Santiago, I took the bus over the Andes to Mendoza in Argentina.
Although I didn’t visit any tourist hotspots on this trip, I discovered something new and worth seeing in every place. I enjoyed the trip.
This text is an automatic English translation from the German original by deepl.com