Choosing the best restaurant in Santiago de Chile is an impossible task because there are so many excellent restaurants in the city, not to mention the fact that 'perfect' is different for everyone. Are you looking for something swanky? Something traditional? Or somewhere you can grab a sandwich on the go and get back to your Santiago city tour? With that in mind, we’ve picked out the best restaurants in Santiago for whatever you’re looking for. There’s something on our list for everyone!
Monthly Archives: July 2013
History and Culture in Argentina: The Llullaillaco Mummies
A scientific study published yesterday, the 29th July 2013, has shed new light on the ancient Inca tradition of capacocha – or child sacrifice – by taking a fresh look at three well-preserved mummies found on the border of Argentina with Chile. The mummies, which are named after the Llullaillaco Volcano on which they were found at over 22,100 feet (6,739 metres) above sea level, were preserved by the extremely cold temperatures of the Altiplano region, which spans swathes of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia.
27 Signs You’ve Hiked the Torres del Paine Circuit
Hiking the Torres del Paine Circuit earns you entry into an elite club of those who’ve completed one of the most iconic multi-day treks in the whole of South America. Set deep in Chilean Patagonia the Torres del Paine Circuit trek takes anywhere from a week to nine days and takes in some of the most staggering mountains, lakes and glaciers to be found in the southern hemisphere. But then again, if you’ve hiked the Torres del Paine Circuit, you already know that. Here are 27 more things we think will sound familiar!
Tripadvisor lists EcoCamp in 10 Incredibly Unique Hotels list
EcoCamp has been listed at number 1 in Tripadvisor’s list of 10 incredible unique hotels! As the first geodesic dome hotel in the world (VIDEO), EcoCamp has long since been considered unique within the hotel industry and is thrilled to be officially recognised by Tripadvisor as one of the world’s Top 10 most unique hotels!
Patagonia Wildlife: The Unsung Animals
Patagonia is a great place to see plants and animals in a pristine environment, it’s one of the reasons for its enduring popularity. Everyone knows about the pumas, the condors, the guanacos, the huemuls. This animal wishlist is a combination of the rare and endangered, the top predators and the easily-sighted poster animals of Patagonia. People go on about them all the time. Okay, confession time, we’re guilty of this too! In our defense, all of the previously mentioned animals are really interesting and thrilling to see in the wild. But we do think it’s about time that we took a moment to celebrate some of Patagonia’s lesser known animal inhabitants. Equally exciting, just not so often in the limelight. Here’s our look at some other animals you might see on your Patagonia tour:
Trekking in Patagonia: Hiking for Health!
If you, like so many people, spend most of your waking life chained to a desk and driving between home, work and the grocery store, you might be looking for something entirely different when it comes to choosing a vacation. And there’s another reason to change-up your sedentary lifestyle, your health. It may feel easy enough, but all of that time spent sitting down isn’t doing your physical or mental health any favours. A hiking vacation in Patagonia could be just the break you need to kick-start your new hiking health regime. Here we take a look at the science behind hiking for health!
Chile Foodie Inspiration: The Atacama Desert and Altiplano
If you’re looking for the ultimate unusual foodie travel destination, we’ll forgive you if you’ve never considered the Atacama Desert and the neighbouring Altiplano high plateau. After all, the desert isn’t usually the first place you’d look for a wealth of fresh local produce and original cuisine. Yet take a closer look and you’ll find that some areas of the world’s driest desert are surprisingly green and are home to a quirky array of plants and animals ideally adapted to the parched, volcanic landscape. The unique landscape and the limitations on what can be grown and raised in the region is the crucial factor behind the innovative and distinctive cuisine that you’ll find on your Atacama and Altiplano tour. Let’s take a look at some of the foodie treats you’re in for when you visit the Atacama Desert.
Patagonia’s Big Five
Forget about the Big Five on an African Safari, here come the Patagonian Big Five! The Guanaco, Puma, South Andean Deer, Andean Condor and Ñandú make up 5 of Patagonia's most exciting fauna sightings, with the elusive puma and endangered huemul (South Andean deer) topping the list of the most coveted sightings. Out of Torres […]
Hiking in Patagonia: 31 Easy Ways to Leave No Trace
There’s nowhere on Earth quite like Patagonia. One of the last remaining truly wild places around, even the air feels purer down there. Thousands of visitors take Patagonia tours each year to enjoy this unspoiled gift of nature for themselves, but the cumulative effect of all those hiking feet can put quite a stress on the very thing that makes Patagonia so exceptional; its unrestrained landscape. So what are the steps that each and every one of us can take to ensure that we leave no trace on our Patagonia hiking tour? Here are 31 tips to get you started, but let us know if you think of any more!
Visit Chile in July: La Tirana Festival in Words and Pictures
On the 16th of July each year businesses and shops throughout Chile come to a halt for a public holiday in honour of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. For many, this is a great opportunity for a hiking day trip in the Andes Mountains or a long ski weekend getaway, but if you want to see where the real action is on the 16th of July, you’ll have to head to La Tirana. For just a few days each year, this sleepy town in Chile’s desert north explodes in a carnival of music, dancing, prayer and wild costumes. The Fiesta de la Tirana is one of the biggest and most spectacular religious festivals in Chile, see why with our guide in words and pictures: