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 […]
Category Archives: 4 day weekend
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 […]
Torres del Paine
Hiking Torres del Paine with three generations In 2005 when my husband and I lived in Ecuador, we went to Patagonia and hiked the W, Mt. Fitzroy near El Chalten and saw the Perito Moreno glacier. Laughingly, we ate the calafate berry because they say if you eat it you will revisit Patagonia. Not likely, […]
Parque Nacional La Campana and Biosfera Lodge
In less than two hours from Santiago, you can be sleeping in a glamping pod on the very edge of a national biosphere park, surrounded by wildlife, a hip little village and fun activities for the children. I had never heard of Parque Nacional La Campana, but it is so close to Santiago — yet […]
Santa Cruz
In Chile we are truly spoiled for choice when it comes to vineyards. An hour west of Santiago you arrive in Casablanca, nestled between the ocean on the left, mountains to the right, here I am stuck in the middle with a glass of white. But my favourite region is two and a half hours […]
Cerro Castillo
Hiking Cerro Castillo in the Aysen Region is a wonderful alternative to the more famous camping and hiking routes in Chile. It offers spectacular views, interesting trails, varied scenery and it is a quiet trail with not many people. It sounded like the perfect way to celebrate our 20th anniversary! (If you want to check […]
San Pedro de Atacama
San Pedro de Atacama is the best of both worlds — other worldly deserts and canyons, expansive night skies, hot springs and high altitude lakes and the quaint outpost-type town of San Pedro. We went with our three children, a friend and her daughter and we had a wonderful time over the September 18 week […]
Pichilemu
Pichilemu — the town I hate to spell! I always want to add an e rather than i and y rather than u. But once you learn to spell it properly, you are well on your way! Pichilemu — a popular spot for surfers and wanderers — is also a nice place for an extra […]
Valle de Elqui
Valle de Elqui is a perfect very long weekend getaway from the hustle of Santiago and soak up the sun, stars and pisco sours — get on Highway 5 and head north along the coast to La Serena and then head due East through valleys and mountains and soon you will find small towns and […]
