While traveling through Patagonia these massive birds are difficult to ignore. Usually in groups of three to five they seem to glide effortlessly through the sky barely moving their wings.
Csondors have massive wingspans, and the South American Andean condor boasts a wingspan of 10 to 12 feet, making them the largest flying birds in the world. This wingspan enables them to soar effortlessly for long distances and are a common sight in these skies.
While the Andean condor can be spotted throughout Chile, they are particularly common in the southern regions, especially around areas like Cerro Palomares near Punta Arenas, which hosts the largest condor roost in Chilean Patagonia, hosting near seventy-five birds.
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Street art and graffiti are becoming more and more common the world over but in Chile at least, street art is becoming a recognized art form to be celebrated. In Valparaiso there are entire neighborhoods just filled with buildings dedicated to it.
The district of Cerro Alegre
Valparaíso today is a renowned “open-air art museum” of street art, with its most famous, colorful, and dense murals concentrated in the hilly, districts of Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción. These neighborhoods, along with Cerro Bellavista and Barrio Puerto, feature stunning, often politically-charged, and vibrant murals that cover nearly every surface.
A street artist works on a wall in Cerro Concepción
It’s true that Chile does still suffer from the modern curse of graffiti, but it is significantly outnumbered by street art from Santiago, to Puerto Natale to Valparaíso.
Street art in Puerto Natalie…
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If you were thinking about going to the ends of the Earth, this might actually be very near there. In its defense it happens to be the gateway to Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park with some of the world’s most spectacular scenery. Puerto Natales shares its isolated tip of South America with two other cities; Punta Arenas, Chile on the southeast side of the park and Ushuaia that’s several hundred miles to the southeast in Argentina.
Puerto Natales is either a small city or a large town but its economy is clearly based on tourism. Offering a diverse range of accommodations, including both hotels and hostels, catering to a range of budgets and preferences. As of early 2026, there are approximately 370 properties in the area, which encompass a mix of hotels and hostels.
For those seeking budget-friendly options, there are at least 12 hostels in Puerto Natales, with prices starting as low as US$3 for a dorm bed. Popular choices among travelers include Hostal Camino De Santiago and Hostal Boutique Factoria Patagonia, which are highly rated for their amenities and atmosphere.
Because of the amount of tourists visiting, Puerto Natales has a large selection of excellent restaurants to name just a few:
El Brisket 4.5 stars $$$ at 251 Blanco Encalada
La Disqueria Restaurant 4.8 stars $$ at Hermann Eberhard 299
La cocina criolla 4.9 stars $$ at Manuel Bulnes 242
LA GUANACA entre fuegos 4.6 stars $$$ at Magallanes 167
Café Artimaña 4.7 stars $$ at Carlos Bories 349
Restaurante Los Coigues “Jechef” 4.7 stars $$ at 251· Carlos Bories 221
The major draw is Torres del Paine National Park which is about a little over an hours drive away and most tours will include a visit to the prehistoric Milodon cave in route. It is advised that you pre-purchase admission tickets to avoid delays entering, with one option HERE (many tours will help with admission tickets).
Another recommended option is to book an all inclusive tour which will originate at Puerto Natales. Get Your Guide tour options are found HERE.
There are a number of park admission options that cover a range of days and a very popular park adventure is hiking and back packing for several days.
Taking flights into Puerto Natales (PNT) is the most direct way to reach Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia, with flights primarily from Santiago (SCL). While the local Teniente Julio Gallardo Airport (PNT) offers convenience, travelers can also use Punta Arenas (PUQ) as an alternative airport with frequent bus service to Puerto Natales.
Our Recommendations in Puerto Natales
Restaurant El Asador Patagónico Restaurant 4.7 stars $$ at Arturo Prat 158, 6160000 Puerto Natales, Chile. Noted for its grilled lamb with an excellent wine selection it is a small intimate room so dining after 6:00 we’d suggest reservations.
Hotel One popular choice is the Best Western but if you don’t have a car it is about a mile out of town. Our choice was the Hotel Vendaval right in town and only three blocks from the waterfront. Besides the great location it has rooms that are comfortable, showers are hot and breakfast is included. We also enjoyed the hotel bar where you were entitled to a welcome drink and they’d fix you a grilled sandwich.
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While we photographed them from Chile’s high desert to the foothills of Patagonia I was never sure which species each was. Chile is home to four distinct camelid species, comprising both domesticated and wild species. Regardless, they are all adapted to this countries harsh environment. These include the domesticated Llama and Alpaca (many ave returned to the wild), along with their never domesticated ancestors, the Guanaco and the Vicuña, mostly found in northern Chile’s Atacama Dessert and Patagonia.
Condors
The Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) is a massive South American bird with a wingspan of up to 12 feet and weighing up to 33 lbs, making it the world’s largest flying bird. Found along the Andes mountains and the Atacama desert, these birds are critical to the ecosystem by consuming carrion. They are considered near-threatened due to habitat loss.
Flamingos
Several species of flamingos are common in Chile, particularly the Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis), notable for their striking pale pink plumage and significant size, reaching heights of over four feet. This species is the largest and most prevalent among flamingos in the region, often found in the Atacama Desert in various shallow brackish lakes and lagoonsfeeding on a brine shrimp common in Chile (primarily Artemia franciscana). these brine shrimp thrive hypersaline lagoons and salt pans, such as those in the Atacama Desert. These brine shrimpareextremophile micro-crustaceans that thrive in high-salt environments, serving as a critical food source for flamingos.
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San Lucas is a popular stop traveling between San Pedro de Atacama and the Atacama desert and its various landscapes like the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons.
The Campanario de San Lucas, a historic bell tower in the small village of Toconao, Chile, at daybreak.The bell tower dates back to the 1700s and is constructed of volcanic stone faced with white stucco. It is a central landmark in the oasis village of Toconao, located within the Atacama Desert. The tower is part of the Iglesia de San Lucas complex, known for its traditional adobe architecture.
The small Church of San Lucas (Iglesia de San Lucas) in Toconao features a two dimensional black metal negative space silhouette sculpture of Jesus Christ at its entrance and traditional interior alter.
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Most of the streets are just dirt, it gets hot in the daytime and unusually cold at night and there’s often a wind that’s blowing the dust around…
Exploring theAtacama Dessert from San Pedro, Chile
Welcome to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile’s gateway to the Atacama Dessert. This desert in northern Chile is the world’s driest non-polar desert, a starkly otherworldly plateau situated between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, known for stark landscapes like salt flats, geysers, volcanic peaks, and hosting unique ecosystems and Moon-like terrain. Significant features include the Valley of the Moon, El Tatio Geysers, flamingo-filled lagoons, and high-altitude plains.
Even though the town’s character is mostly adobe one story buildings and dirt streets, San Pedro has become an international travel destination that now receives more than one and a half million tourists annually. The small town, with a local population of less than 2,500, serves as the gateway and main hub for exploring the Atacama Desert.
Because of this growing popularity San Pedro de Atacama offers an incredible range of high-quality hotels and restaurants, blending rustic desert charm with luxury and excellent local cuisine. Top accommodations include luxury lodges like Awasi Atacama, Nayara Alto Atacama, and Explora en Atacama, along with boutique options like Terrantai Lodge along with an assortment of economy hostels.
From a base in San Pedro you can explore incredible desert landscapes, from the lunar formations of Valle de la Luna & Valle de la Muerte (don’t miss seeing a sunset), colorful mountains in Valle del Arcoiris, high-altitude lagoons like Lagunas Miscanti & Miñiques, and surreal salt flats and floating in the salt ponds at Laguna Cejar. Don’t miss the sunrise geysers at El Tatio, ancient petroglyphs at Yerbas Buenas, and unbelievable stargazing into the dark clear heavens, plus hiking, biking, and exploring charming villages like Machuca.
Getting There
The nearest airport to San Pedro de Atacama is El Loa Airport (CJC) in Calama, Chile, located approximately 70 miles northwest of the town.It is the main gateway for visitors to the Atacama Dessert, offering regular, 2-hour flights from Santiago via LATAM, Sky Airline, and JetSMART several times a day. From Calama there are numerous transfer options to San Pedro starting at about US$25 per person. Check out transfers and tours at Get Your GuideHERE.
Dining Options
The town is known for the number of four and five star food in cozy, Adobe-style restaurants, particularly along the main street (Calle Caracoles). Noted for featuring Lickan-antay (Atacameño) cuisine, that includes ingredients like quinoa, chañar, and llama. Also a surprising number of places offer live music, charming, and sometimes romantic settings, often with outdoor seating under the stars.
Key Tips
The Environment: If you’re planning a visit you need to understand that you will be above 10,000 feet most of the time, that the humidity is near zero and the winds can be strong. Sun screen, chap stick and sun glasses are a must and carry water!
Payments: While most places accept credit/debit cards, it is essential to carry Chilean pesos for smaller establishments, tips, and excursions.
Our Recommendations
For our visit we stayed at the Don Raúl Hotel located in the heart of town a half block off Calle Caracoles. The rooms were comfortable, the shower hot and it included a great breakfast in the attached Restaurante Agua Loca (also a good option for dinner). If you are exploring on your own we’d recommend looking into tours available from Get Your Guide (see the link above).
The Don Raul Hotel San Pedro de Atacama
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