A Wild Journey in Chile

Encircled by snow-capped peaks, Santiago is known for its colonial charm and historic landmarks, but surprises with its fresh air of modernity, with vibrant neighbourhoods buzzing with cutting-edge restaurants and bars. At the heart of the old town lies the grand Plaza de Armas and the presidential palace of La Moneda, both central to Santiago’s story of conquest, dictatorship and revolution. Outside the city limits, vineyards cling to temperate Andean slopes; here, world-class wineries bottle biodynamic and organic vintages, innovating on centuries of tradition.   

Pitted, ochre valleys evoking the surface of barren moons unfurl around San Pedro de Atacama, a high-altitude town of adobe buildings, dirt roads and Colonial-era plazas clustered upon an important oasis. But don’t let this time-warp facade fool you: contemporary comforts await in exquisite hotels and high-end shops showcasing the earthenware crafts of the Indigenous Atacameños. Despite being the driest desert on Earth, the Atacama is teeming with life, from the flamingoes scattered across Chaxa Lagoon in Los Flamencos National Reserve to the endemic camel-like vicuñas spotted en route to the steaming geysers of El Tatio. Bathe in geothermal waters, cycle across otherworldly salt pans and take telescopes deep into the desert at night for unrivalled visions of the firmament above. Adventures in the Atacama are out of this world.  

While the Casablanca Valley to the west of Santiago has the ideal conditions for Sauvignon and Chardonnay, the Maipo Valley to the capital’s south is the place for tasting rich, fruit-driven wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, accompanied by mesmerising views of the snow-capped Andes. 

The Chileans have a word reserved to describe the country’s untamed south: indómita. Nobody can truly claim dominion over Patagonia, they claim – not the rugged gaucho cowboys found in and around the main adventure hub of Puerto Natales nor the hikers that flock to nearby Torres del Paine National Park. Sculpted by violent tectonic forces and the ravages of the last ice age, this is a land of soaring granite spires and fairy tale forests of twisted, lichen-daubed trees.