Stunning diverse landscapes cover Chile all the way from the North to the South. Our 2 week Chile itinerary takes you through four regions: the wild south of Patagonia in Torres Del Paine National Park, the bohemian port city of Valparaiso, the mystical Elqui Valley where mountains are covered in cacti, and lastly to the Atacama Desert, considered one of the best places in the world for stargazing. Your 2 weeks in Chile will be filled with adventure!
Overview: 2 Weeks in Chile
Day 1: Santiago - get settled in after your long flight in Chile's capital Days 2-4: Puerto Natales & Torres del Paine National Park - spend time in the cute port city and hike to the famous Three Towers of Paine in Patagonia Days 5-7: Valparaiso - explore the bohemian and creative city known as the Berlin of Chile Days 8-10: Elqui Valley - drive through the mystical valley with mountains covered in cacti and visit the free-spirited village of Pisco Elqui Days 11-14: Atacama Desert - visit the driest non-polar place on Earth known for its fascninating landscapes and the best stargazing in the world |
Ultimate 2 Week Chile Itinerary
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Day 1: Santiago
We stayed in Santiago for two nights but were underwhelmed by the capital city and recommend saving days for other exciting parts of Chile. Once you arrive in Chile get a good nights rest in a hotel close to the airport to prepare for your flight to Patagonia the next day.
🛌 Book your Santiago Airport hotelDay 2: Puerto Natales
Puerto Natales is the main hub and closest city to Torres Del Paine National Park. It's just a 2 hour drive away from the park entrance. We loved the cute port city and were surprised by the variety of quirky restaurants, bars and cafes in the area. The first day in the city will be your preparation day before going into the park.
To get to Puerto Natales from Santiago, you will have to take a 3-hour flight. Our flight left at 11 AM and we had no problem preparing everything for our trek the next day. Make sure you book your flight far in advance, as it books up fast.
You don't have to do a multi-day hike to see the famous three towers in Torres Del Paine National Park. You can do a day hike and camp or stay at a hotel at the base of the park. You will need to purchase your bus tickets and any hiking snacks in Puerto Natales the day before you leave, as well as pick up your camping equipment if you're renting anything such as a tent, sleeping bags etc.
Where to stay in Puerto Natales
Hostal Treehouse
The hostel was very quiet and they set up breakfast early for those catching the 7 AM bus to Torres Del Paine National Park. We stayed in a private room with a private bathroom and it was spacious and comfortable. Check out rates for Hostal Treehouse
Toore Patagonia
Browse more stays in Puerto Natales
Where to eat in Puerto Natales
Best for lunch: Cafe Artimana
Cafe Artimana offers hearty Chilean cuisine. They have stellar reviews, with a 5-star rating on TripAdvisor. I ordered the homemade vegetable gnocchi and Ari the salmon salad. Both did not disappoint. The environment was warm with a cozy artistic decor and great music.
Best for an intimate dinner: Aldea
Aldea has delicious local food, which changes frequently on their blackboard. The high quality dishes, wine selection and intimate setting make for a fabulous evening. We ordered the ceviche and lamb with a glass of red Chilean wine. The owner had great wine recommendations.
Best value dinner: La Guanaca
If you want something easy to have back your hotel, pick up a delicious wood-fired oven pizza at La Guanaca.
Days 3-4: Torres Del Paine National Park
Today you will arrive in the beautiful and rugged Torres Del Paine National Park, where you can hike up to the famous Three Towers of Paine. Once you ascend 750 m to the Towers Lookout, you are rewarded with spectacular views of the three granite towers behind a blue glacial pool.
Prepare for the weather, as it's extremely windy and you could have a blizzard come through at any moment. The best time to hike in Torres Del Paine is from November-March when it's summertime.
To hike to the Three Towers, there are three ways to go about your itinerary:
Option 1: camp in Torres Del Paine National Park
- Take the 7 AM bus to the Amarga entrance at Torres Del Paine National Park.
- There is a shuttle that leaves from Amarga to Las Torres Hotel where you start your hike.
- Hike up to the Towers Lookout and drop off your camping gear at the Chileno refugio along the way. We rented our gear from Rental Natales.
- Hike back down to Chileno and camp there over night. Chileno has a lodge you can eat at. The total hike for the day is about 13 km with a 750m ascent and 400m descent. It will take you around 7 hours.
- The next day hike the 5 km back down to Los Torres Hotel. From there, take the shuttle to Amarga and the bus back to Puerto Natales for the night.
Option 2: stay in a hotel in Torres Del Paine National Park
- Organize transfer with your hotel to get from Puerto Natales to the hotel.
- Spend the rest of the day relaxing and taking in the views at the hotel.
- Do the day hike to the Towers Lookout early the next morning. Your hotel will shuttle you to the start of the hike. The total hike is about 18km (750 m ascent, 750 m descent) and will take you 8-9 hours.
- Spend another night at your hotel and arrange transfer to the airport the next day.
Option 3: organize a day trip with a guided tour
If you don't want to stress about logistics like transportation or hiking directions, organize a day trip with a guided tour.
GetYourGuide offers a Base of the Towers Day Hike from Puerto Natales starting from $65 USD per person. Hiking pole rentals are included. We like how there is free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance. You will just need to book your own stay in Puerto Natales.Extension options: If you're able to extend your 2 weeks in Chile we recommend doing the 5 day W Trek in Patagonia. Read our comprehensive 5 Day W Trek itinerary for more info.
Days 5-7: Valparaiso
You don't want to miss seeing the less travelled city of Valparaiso. The bohemian city was a thriving port and "Jewel of the Pacific" in the late 19th century, until a massive earthquake struck in 1906 and the Panama Canal was completed in 1914. Wealthy families abandoned the city and it underwent 100 years of decline.
Valparaiso became the Berlin of Chile attracting artists, creatives, writers, and poets. It's filled with street art, contemporary art galleries, fascinating architecture and quirky hillside cafes and bars.
Located an hour west of Santiago, it is an easy drive from the Santiago airport. Renting cars in Chile is easy and the roads are great to drive on.
🚗 Compare rental car rates from Santiago AirportWhere to stay in Valparaiso
Breakfast was included and had a good spread with banana smoothies and avocado toast. We enjoyed sitting in chairs made out of old free-standing bathtubs for breakfast and drinking wine with the owner up on the rooftop patio in the evening. The hotel doesn't accept check in past 10 PM, so plan your flight accordingly!
Browse more stays in ValparaisoFun things to do in Valparaiso
- Take the funicular up the hills and walk down to explore different neighbourhoods
- Explore Concepcion neighbourhood, filled with quirky cafes, restaurants and art galleries. It was our favourite area.
- Walk up Cumming street, starting from the bottom. This is where you can find tons of live music bars and restaurants - pick your choice of music and enjoy! Most restaurants open late in the evening at 8:00 PM.
- Cook your own private dinner on the balcony of your room at the Winebox Hotel
- Have cocktails up on the rooftop of Winebox hotel
Day 8-10: Elqui Valley
Road trip time! If you have a rental car you can either drive 6.5 hours to Pisco, Elqui from Valparaiso or you can drive back to Santiago, take a quick 1 hour flight to La Serena and pick up another rental car for the 1.5 hour drive into the Elqui Valley. We chose the latter to limit our driving time.
The relaxed and sunny drive from La Serena Airport to Pisco Elqui was one of the most beautiful drives we've ever done. We had never seen so many cacti or rather, mountains covered in cacti in our lives. It was exciting driving through the "route of the stars" to the quaint town of Pisco Elqui. The area is famous for its astro tourism and production of Pisco, a type of brandy used to make one of our favourite cocktails, the Pisco Sour.
🚗 Compare rental car rates from La Serena AirportWhere to stay in Pisco Elqui
It's worth splurging for the Aire cabana. It sits at the very top of the hill and has a large terrace overlooking the mountains with sunbeds for star gazing. It felt very private. The cabana is spacious with high ceilings and four large skylights. Service was impeccable and we were welcomed with a refreshing Pisco Sour on arrival. Each morning the hotel staff brought breakfast to our patio outside, which included eggs, fresh fruit juice, cold cuts meats, cheese, bread, avocado, and five different types of sliced fruit!
Pisco is the perfect place for relaxation and introspection. We spent our time admiring the view and stargazing on our terrace, swimming in the pool and cooking on our private BBQ. It was a wonderful place to connect with nature. The town of San Pedro has a couple small grocery stores and a cute market where you can shop for local goodies. I bought a pair of earrings.
Browse more stays in PiscoPisco Tours
When one is in Pisco, one must go on a Pisco tasting tour! We went on a Pisco tour at the Mistral Pisco Distillery, which cost 6,000 CLP per person ($9 USD). It included a tour of their vineyard and how they produce Pisco, two tastings, and a monogramed Pisco glass. We enjoyed drinking Pisco Sours afterwards on their large outdoor terrace and eating fresh ceviche.
Day 11-14: Atacama Desert
The mountainous landscape of the Atacama Desert was like nothing we had ever seen before. It felt like we were on Mars. It was completely barren with not even one tree or cactus. We can see why NASA tests rovers here!
The night sky was what we were the most excited for. The arid desert conditions and altitude make it arguably the best place in the world to see the stars and galaxies. The stars seemed closer, almost like you could touch them, and they were vibrant in colour and brightness.
When we were flying in, we noticed it was raining and thought that was strange since the area only gets 15 mm of rain each year! We soon learned there was a rare flash flood blocking the only road to San Pedro de Atacama and flooding the town! San Pedro de Atacama is the main hub for tourist attractions, so everything was closed for the next week.
Amazing things to do in the Atacama Desert
Visit the Paranal Obervatory to see The Very Large Telescope
We were fortunately still able to visit one of our 'most excited to see' attractions located in the southwest: The Very Large Telescope. We had a childhood dream come true by visiting the Paranal Observatory, home of the largest telescope on earth.
Not only did we get to see the telescope and where the astronomers work, we got to see their famous residence featured in the movie, James Bond Quantum Solace! Even better, the tour is free. Space is limited since they only run tours on Saturdays. Make sure to book well in advance!
Visit The Hand of the Desert at sunset
The Hand of the Desert is a 11 meter high sculpture on the way to the Paranal Observatory and is worth a visit. It was created by the awarded Chilean artist, Mario Irarrázabal in 1992 and is free!
Take day trips from San Pedro De Atacama to see incredible landscapes
We had planned to stay in San Pedro De Atacama for a few nights to visit Valle de la Luna and Laguna Chaxa to see the flamingos, so we hope to come back someday to do so. Although we didn't get to experience these areas, we've heard great things about them and highly recommend seeing them. Even just the pictures blew us away. San Pedro De Atacama is a great hub for exploring the area.Browse fun guided tours in San Pedro De Atacama through Viator or GetYourGuide. We like how most excursions have free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
🛌 Browse places to stay in San Pedro De Atacama
Go on a stargazing tour
Don't forget to add a stargazing tour to your itinerary. We booked a stargazing tour with Atacama Desert Stargazing by Jorge, a LuxuryTravelGuide award winner for Unique Experience of the Year in 2016 that we had to sadly cancel due to the flooding. We were sad to miss out on seeing the night sky with a telescope. Make sure you plan your visit around the new moon, so you have the best view of the stars possible. A lot of stargazing tours don't open during a certain period around the full moon due to the visibility of the stars.
Enjoy an incredible 2 weeks in Chile!
Get started on booking your trip to Chile
- 🌃 Book your accommodation: Booking.com is our go-to for finding places to stay. Sort by top reviewed.
- 🚗 Reserve your car rental: see Rentalcars.com to compare car rental prices across different companies.
- 🤠 Guided tours: browse fun outings through Viator or GetYourGuide.
- 🛫 Book your flight: use Skyscanner to compare flights across different airlines (we recommend booking direct with the airline however).
Planning a trip to South America? Check out our travel guides to Argentina, Peru and Rio De Janeiro!
- Argentina: one week itinerary for the foodie and wine lover
- Brazil: 10 non-touristy things to do in Rio De Janeiro
- Peru: hiking the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu
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