Jim Schroder's Travel

Home
Trips

Select Page

Chile and Easter Island

Valle de la Luna proves aptly named—very much a "Moon Valley" in its extraterrestrial appearance, all cracked earth and unfriendly terrain, pillars of salt torturing the thirsty soil. Valle de la Muerte is also appropriately christened—"Death Valley"

El Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon) is located 8 miles west of San Pedro de Atacama, to the north of Chile in the Cordillera de la Sal, in the Atacama desert. It has various stone and sand formations which have been carved by wind and water. It has an impressive range of color and texture, looking somewhat similar to the surface of the moon. There are also dry lakes where the composition of salt makes a white covering layer of the area. It presents diverse saline outcrops which appear like man-made sculptures

Protest demonstrations in the Plaza de Armas.

Surrounding the square are some historic buildings, including the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago, Central Post Office Building, Palacio de la Real Audiencia de Santiago, and the building that serves as the seat of local government for Santiago, There is always a group protesting something in this Plaza.

Palacio de La Moneda (Palace of the Coin), or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency and General Secretariat of the Government. It occupies an entire block in downtown Santiago,

The changing of the guard in front of the Palacio de La Moneda.

We disembalk on a nearby beach for a walk across sand and rocks to get a better look at Amalia glacier.

The park is mainly popular for its hiking trails, but there are plenty of other activities to be enjoyed like nature walks, wildlife viewing like puma tracking, kayaking, boating, cycling, and more.

This reserve, created in 1990, consists of seven areas located in the town of San Pedro de Atacama. Each one of them has a different geography, flora, fauna and hydrography.

Our guide Marcela in the Atacama and the Petroglifes de Hierbas Buenas explains the location and history of this area.

Rear side of the Palacio de la Moneda.

Streets of the city of Santiago.

Another mural

Every slip of land we've traveled in Chile was once covered by the Patagonian Ice sheet which stretched all the way to the Andes. The remaining southern Patagonian Ice field still sprawls nearly 5,000 square miles.

Los Flamencos National Reserve is a nature reserve located in the commune of San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta Region of northern Chile. The reserve covers a total area of 180,000 acres in the Central Andean dry puna eco region and consists of seven separate sections.

I loved this promotion for Puerto Natales on a sign walking around town.

If you’re looking to get some exercise while you enjoy the vistas of Santiago, you can hike to the top of Cerro San Cristóbal. The hike takes an average of 45 minutes up the mountain and about 30 minutes back down. When you enter the park, from Bellavista, walk up the sidewalk on the left of the road for about 5-10 minutes until you see the trail head across the road on your right. The first part of the trail is pretty steep but it starts to level out after the first turn. Follow the signs to La Virgen, and after the second and third turn it’s quite an easy walk up to the top of the trail.

There are many different spots to view the city, so take some time to wander around and enjoy them all. Make sure to check out the statue of La Virgen, and the memorial for Pope John Paul II.

[Show slideshow]

◄ 1 ... 11 12 13 ... 30 ►

© 2025 Jim Schroder