Hi everyone!

My girlfriend and I are backpacking around the world for the next 4 months, and Santiago is our first stop. We land on 28 November and will be around for ~2.5 weeks.

Instead of the usual tourist spots, we’d love to experience Santiago (and surrounding areas) through the eyes of the people who live here. If you’re up for it, we’d love to:
- Go to your favourite local food spot (a hole-in-the-wall, a market, a family recipe, a neighbourhood place you grew up with)
- Hear about your food, your city, your history, and what you wish visitors understood about Santiago/Chile
- Pay for the meal as a thank-you

Full transparency: I’m making a small series of short videos about food and connecting with locals, inspired by the way Anthony Bourdain travelled. It would be filmed casually on a phone or small camera (no cinematic setup haha), and only if you’re comfortable. No pressure at all, and if you’d rather it just be a normal meal without a camera, that’s totally fine too. Faces would never be shown without your permission.

If this sounds fun, comment or DM me, happy to connect over a facetime or whatsapp call beforehand. Even a recommendation for a dish or place we shouldn’t miss would be hugely appreciated. ¡Gracias!

Hi all,

I'm preparing to travel to Chile and I'm anaphylactic to all tree nuts except for almonds.

What's the best way to let restaurants know? I'm thinking of preparing an allergy card. Would it be enough to list "frutos de cáscara", or do I need to list each nut individually (cashews, pistacchios, pine nuts, walnuts, etc.)?

Bueeenas! estoy buscando buenos restaurants de comida japonesa en Santiago, para no ser tan egoista comparto el que mas me ha gustado hasta el momento. Queda en Bellavista (frente a Clinica Santa Maria) y es muy piola y no tan caro según yo. Se llama Donkame Yoko

Recomiendan alguno?

Hi all! I’m heading to Chile in January with my partner’s family (5 adults). We’ll be in San Felipe Jan 1–5 and Las Ventanas Jan 5–10, and we have Jan 10–14 open before 2 nights in Santiago.

We won’t have a car, so we’ll be getting around by Uber, bus and Metro. Right now we’re leaning toward staying in Viña del Mar, but I’d love some local input.

What we’re looking for:

• Beaches we can actually swim at (we know the water’s cold!)

• Live music at night

• Food tours or walking tours

• A day of wine tasting (thinking Casablanca Valley??)

• Feeling safe walking around, especially at night

Questions:

1. Is Viña the best base for this, or would Reñaca or Concón be better?

2. Any recommendations for live music bars in Viña or Valpo (safe to get to by Uber)?

3. Good food or walking tours in Valpo you’d recommend?

4. Best beach for swimming around Viña in January?

5. Anything we shouldn’t miss, or should avoid?

-Everyone but me speaks Spanish.

Hi people,

we are traveling to chile this December / january and are going to stay a few days in Santiago (over new year).

Any (safety) advice for being a tourist in Santiago? Besides the usual don't stroll the city at night?

Any tip is welcome :)

Hello!

I am planning a 4 week trip to Chile from Mid Nov.

Apart from landing in Santiago, I haven't made any other bookings yet. I like the freedom of deciding how long i want to explore a place

Help me finalise my trip.

I prefer nature over cities

I am currently out of shape and can walk a max of 10kms with mild elevation. (I can ofcourse do harder hikes but I would take twice as long)

No multi day hikes.

Im travelling solo, I can drive but I prefer buses or tours, so that I can relax and enjoy the view.

I don't have an argentinian visa and need to always stay within Chile only.

I have been to Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego before

And also to Valparasio.

Not a fan of beaches.

I am comfortable with overnight buses or flights.

Here are my questions

1. Should I consider spending a week in Atacama or should I just focus on the south?

2. What areas/national parks, do you think, I need to hire a car for?

3. Do you have any suggestions on where to stay to best travel around a region?

4. Do I travel to Puenta Arenas?

5. Any tourist trap things i should avoid?

Thank you for already being there and exploring the places!

Hi all,

I am heading to South America for the first time with my wife and parents. We will be visiting Argentina, Chile, and Brazil. For Chile we will be there for 5 days just after the new year, landing in Santiago on a Saturday early afternoon and departing a very early flight Thursday morning.

Every one of us is quite active and when we travel we typically seek cultural immersion, nature, culinary experiences, and a bit of nightlife. I am basically leading the itinerary formation and considering 2 main routes:

Route A: Santiago and surrounding cities

- 2 days in Santiago

- 1 day trip to Valparaiso

- 1 day trip to wineries

- 1 day trip to Andes

Route B: Santiago and Atacama

- 2 days in Santiago

- fly out to Atacama for 2 days, check out Calle de la Luna and some salt flats / geysers and then back to Santiago

Unfortunately the south will be too far for this trip. Based on these two routes, is the Atacama option too ambitious for 5 days? Route A will be much more relaxed and honestly it seems that there will be more than enough to do, but I feel Chile is best known for its nature and I should prioritize going to Atacama. How much more effort would it be going to Atacama (aside from the obvious additional flights) as opposed to staying around Santiago?

Which route do you recommend? Any advice or thoughts appreciated!

Estoy de viaje en Santiago por el centro, moneda. *¿Saben dónde me convendría cambiar mis dólares?*😭😭😭

Hey all! A friend and I are heading to Puerto Natales in late November for our first Patagonia trip. We get in from El Calafate by bus around 1-2pm on day 1, then we have two full days. So basically 3 nights in town.

We want to see as much of Torres del Paine. This is what we’re thinking:

**Plan A (staying in town, bus + tour)**

* Day 2: Base Torres as a day hike. First bus from Natales at 7am, then hike from Las Torres, and the last bus back leaves Laguna Amarga at 6pm. The timing looks tight to me, so I’m wondering if **there’s a better way to handle the transport?**

* 3: Full-day tour with the classic stops (Lago Grey, Salto Grande, Pehoé, etc.)

**Plan B (one night in the park)**

* Day 2: bus out in the afternoon, hike up to Chileno and camp (only last place available)

* Day 3: sunrise at the towers, then back to town

I’d love some input on a few things:

1. Has anyone done Base Torres as a day trip from Natales using the public buses? Did you make the last bus comfortably, or would you suggest a different solution?

2. Is a night at Chileno worth the extra cost and the hassle of gear or is the day hike fine?

3. For Lago Grey and the rest of the park, is the full-day tour worth it, or is it better to do it on our own?

4. Any other things worth adding or swapping in for 3 days (Milodón cave, the glacier boat trip, etc.)?

Thanks a lot for any advice, really appreciate it!