Chile - Chile - Chile -

Chill in Chile

No big feet here! Lol!

Chile is basically a choose-your-own-adventure. The Andes handle the drama, the Pacific handles the mood, and the wine handles the rest.









Santiago is your launchpad, a city that looks serious until you notice it’s casually parked under giant mountains. Start by going up Cerro San Cristóbal in Parque Metropolitano, either on the historic funicular or the Teleférico cable car and let the skyline do its thing while the Andes photobomb every view.



Once again, I want to honor the journey. A path marked by serious injuries shifted our flow, but the vision remained. These distant captures were made possible by our backup’s swift action, proving that even when the body must rest, the energy of the work carries on.









Then switch to a totally different kind of wow at Sky Costanera, the observation deck in the Gran Torre Santiago. Up there, the city looks so clean and glassy you’ll whisper wow even if you’re not the whispering type.

















When you want a calm reset that still feels a little fancy, slip over to Parque Bicentenario in Vitacura. It’s one of those modern parks that makes you think, I could absolutely pass as a local who casually jogs here. Expect big green lawns, easy walking paths, lagoons, and birds everywhere including black-necked swans.











For local flavor, head into Recoleta, where Santiago gets wonderfully chaotic in the best way. Mercado Central brings loud energy, La Vega Central is pure sensory overload, Patronato is perfect for bargain hunting and global snacks, and Cementerio General is unexpectedly beautiful and quietly powerful like a history museum that forgot to build walls.

















When the city starts feeling a little too responsible, escape to the coast. Valparaíso is the artsy hillside labyrinth where staircases are transportation and walls are canvases. Head up into Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción for the best street-art wandering, here the streets feel like an open-air gallery and your camera roll fills up faster than your legs complain. The celebrity stop is the Escalera de Piano on Pasaje Beethoven, a piano-key staircase that convinces everyone they’re artistic for five minutes while posing on it.

































Viña del Mar is Valparaíso’s tidier, sunnier cousin who still knows how to have fun but also insists you wash your hands before dinner. It’s the Garden City vibe with a coastal promenade, manicured parks, and the Pacific doing its dramatic thing right on cue plus easy icons like the Flower Clock and seaside viewpoints that make “just a walk” feel like an activity.

















Casablanca Valley is the best kind of detour, sitting perfectly between Santiago and the coast. It’s like a plot twist you’re genuinely happy the story took. It’s cool and ocean-influenced, known for bright Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, plus Pinot Noir that feels polished and effortless, with tastings that have very real vacation-within-a-vacation energy.











The charm is the weather mood swing: misty, crisp mornings that turn into sunny afternoons, which means you’ll wear a light jacket, carry sunglasses, and somehow be right both times. Go in expecting lively, zippy pours, vineyard walks with sea air in the background, and food pairings that turn “one quick tasting” into “how is it already late afternoon?”









Once you’ve had your fill of Santiago’s city buzz, the coast’s color, and Casablanca’s vineyards, it’s not over yet. Point yourself south to Patagonia, where Chile turns raw and epic, with jagged peaks, massive glaciers, and winds that make you feel wonderfully alive. It’s the kind of place that resets your brain, upgrades your photos, and leaves you thinking, why did I not come here sooner.

Click here for the Chilean Patagonia picture blog, where your screen gets colder and your wanderlust gets louder.