One of the advantages of being a long, skinny country stretching down between the Pacific and the ribs of the Andes, is that Chile has a Pacific coastline of 4,270 km // 2,653 mi. That's as long as driving from Vancouver to Ottawa! With a width of only 90 km in some places (and a …
Shop Local
We have been in stages of quarantine and lockdown since mid-March. It’s only now, in the first week of October, that things seem more semi-normal with our neighbourhood allowing us out on the weekends with shops and outdoor cafe’s opening up. But when we couldn’t leave our house at all, and in the midst of …
Moving to Chile with a child with special needs
Moving to Santiago, Chile as an English speaking family with a child with learning difficulties was not for the faint of heart! It took a lot of effort and persistence, but once here, it has been a wonderful experience for us. We moved to Santiago, Chile in 2017 with our three children. Our middle son …
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10 tips to get kids hiking
My husband and I have spent most of our holidays hiking and camping. When our children came along it was an important family activity. Our middle child was born with Down's Syndrome and our youngest was born with hydrocephalus and a weaker left side. We really thought our hiking days as a family would be …
Entertaining children in lockdown
It's September and we are currently experiencing a lifting of the lockdown in Santiago. Where we live, we can leave our houses Monday to Friday, but we can't leave on the weekend and we can't leave the city at all. We have completed 23 weeks of online home learning (as our school year runs March …
Yerba Loca
It's September and almost Fiestas Patrias here in Chile. We may be missing out on the fondas, and big BBQs with friends, but we have some fabulous hikes in nature located within the city of Santiago! (Information accurate for first week of September 2020.) You follow this amazing blue river most of the way. From …
Day hikes in Santiago
One of the best activities to do in Santiago (when there isn’t a quarantine) is to get out and go for a hike on the hills. There are better experts than I, but I try to get out once a week and here are some of my favourites. (For how to get your children to …
Marble Caves
In Chile’s Patagonia the Marble Caves (Capillas de Marmol) offer a once in a lifetime experience. Hugging the coastline of General Carrera Lake, the waves have been shaping these caverns, tunnels and pillars for over 6,000 years creating dimples, nooks and crannies in the rock. The caves are intense stained-glass colours of turquoise, aquamarine, seafoam …
Parque Patagonia
Parque Patagonia is one of our favourite national parks with its sweeping views, wonderful hikes and pretty luxurious camping facilities. Originally a Douglas Tompkins park, it’s easy to see why Tompkins made his second home here. In 2020 the park was in the process of being transferred from the Tompkins Trust to Conaf (Chile’s park …
Jeinimeni
One of the jewels in the Chilean national parks is Parque Patagonia and the Jeinimeni section of the park. Jeinimeni, until recently its own national park, was joined with Parque Patagonia in 2019 to create one huge park. (Edit: We did not travel during Covid or quarantine, we took this trip January 2020.) We were …
Come From Away 