Northern Chile Express

Here we are now, less than a 100 km from the Argentinian border (which means next door for Chilean!). Tomorrow is our last day in Chile and we are heading for Salta, Argentina tomorrow.

Chile was a huge country with an average bus ride of 20 hours, and unlike Laos, the average speed is more like 90 km/h than 20 km/h. And even at that speed, we have never been as confortable in a bus as in Chile. They drive safely (the speed is monitored inside the bus by passengers), there is room for shoulder and legs, the seat are confortable (even the most economic ones).

Anyway, here is a quick list of our visited places in Chile:

  • Santiago: we did a great tour by bicycle, check our links & friends for info.
  • Valpareiso: city walks.
  • La Serena: nice city, the Hurtado and El Encanto valleys nearby are really worth it.
  • CopiapĆ³: initially to visit the nearby natural park Nevade de Tres Cruces, but we find out that it was closed in Winter. So in the same day that we arrived, we hopped on a bus to San Pedro de Atacama.
  • San Pedro de Atacama: 4 days intense visits of the region. This place is a good example of mass tourism, but if you manage to find your own mean of transport (foot, bicycle or car) you can easily avoid that and still enjoy the region.

Jean-Christophe & Vera