Day 1 - Santiago, Chile
We arrived in Santiago, Chile early in the morning from Miami. Even though two of our bags were tagged for food items, they passed the second customs scan. Our driver picked us up and took us to the W Hotel, where we were lucky to get an early check-in. After spending some time at the gym, we got ready and had lunch at VOP (Very Organic People). The food was delicious. We got to try the Chilean bean and corn soup too.
In the afternoon, we took a half-day city tour.
Santiago is situated in a basin between the Andes mountain range to the east and the Chilean Coastal to the west. We first visited San Cristobal Hill, went up by cable car, and enjoyed beautiful views of the city, including the tallest building in South America and the financial district. We came down by funicular.
Our guide mentioned that southern terminus of the Inca trail is in Santiago.
On the way, we walked past several streets and the noble laureate Pablo Neruda’s house. Our guide, Maria Pili, explained many things along the way.
We then visited the vegetable market, which reminded us of markets in India. We bought oranges and enjoyed them as we walked. After that, we went to Plaza de Armas and saw the main buildings like the old city hall (which was once a jail), the Museum of Natural History, and the post office. We also saw stone carvings of the Mapuche people and many Jacaranda trees with purple flowers across the city.
Day 2 - Chile
We woke up early and left the hotel by 6:30 AM with our packed breakfast. We reached the airport around 7 AM for our 9:00 AM flight to Puerto Natales. The views of Torres del Paine from the plane were spectacular. We landed a little early and waited for our rental car. The lady explained the contract in Spanish, and Vivek helped translate. Because of the strong winds in the region, we decided to buy extra coverage for windshield damage. She then took us to a gas station to fill the tank and dropped us at Hablemos Coco, a vegan restaurant, where we enjoyed lunch. We tried two soups—pumpkin and pea-mint—and also had a nice Thai curry.
After lunch, we drove to our stay for the night, an amazing geodesic dome built by David. He welcomed us, showed us around, and shared his story. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, he felt at home while ice climbing in Argentina, lived there until the volcanic eruptions in 2018–2019, and later moved to Chile. He bought land from a local resident and built two solar-powered geodesic domes with incredible views of the Andes.
We relaxed for a while, then went to a local supermarket to buy groceries. We noticed that many food packets were labeled with warnings like “high calories,” “high sugar,” and similar alerts. Back at the dome, we enjoyed reading the guest book and added our note to it. We ended the day having dinner while watching the sunset.
Day 3 - Chile
We woke up to beautiful views from our dome in the morning and enjoyed breakfast while taking in the scenery around us. After packing our lunch, we checked out at 11 AM and began the two-hour drive along the scenic route toward Torres del Paine and enjoyed the views. We checked into our apartment at Maravilla and had lunch there.
Later, we headed into Torres del Paine National Park, bought the 3-day permit, and did the Mirador Cóndor hike. The weather was perfect—only a bit windy at the top—but the views were incredible. We even saw condors soaring above us. On the way back, we spotted a few guanacos, or Andean deer.
After the hike, we stopped at a couple of viewpoints and walked across the bridge near Lake Pehoé. We then returned to our apartment and enjoyed a home-cooked dinner.
Day 4 - Chile
We woke up feeling relaxed, had breakfast, and prepared our lunch and dinner. We ate a light lunch and then stopped at the Lake Pehoé viewpoint. We also saw the Salto Grande waterfall from a lookout point. After that, we did the Mirador Cuernos hike, where we saw a waterfall at the start and beautiful glacier views at the end. On the way back, we spotted a couple of guanacos and even had to wait for one to cross the trail.
Later, we took a 2.5-hour boat tour to see the Grey Glacier. We saw three arms of the glacier, along with large icebergs, and even witnessed some calving. The views were amazing.
Day 5 - Chile
We woke up, finished our lunch, and checked out. We took the longer scenic route to Puerto Natales. We also saw few birds along the scenic route. Our first viewpoint gave us a clear view of Rio Serrano area. There, we met a lady from Delhi who now lives in New York, and she kindly took our picture.
At the next view we got a clear view of the Las Torres (3 towers). We then drove to the visitor center and enjoyed the glacier views from Mirador Panorámica. We then went to the Torres welcome center to see if we could get a better view. There we met a lady from Texas who had just completed a multi-day hike. She had missed her bus to the visitor center and asked if we could drop her off so she could catch the 3 PM bus to Puerto Natales. We took a few pictures, cleared some space in the car for her backpacks, and drove her back. On the way, she told us about her W-circuit trek and how she carried her meals, stove, and a small gas cylinder, and hiked 10–12 km every day. She was very grateful for the ride.
We continued our drive and stopped at Cascada Río Paine to see the beautiful waterfall. The stone in the middle of the falls looked like an ancient carving, likely shaped by ice and water over the years. We later stopped to take a photo of the “Ruta del Fin del Mundo” sign, meaning “Route to the End of the World,” since the road leads to the southern end of Chile and South America.
We also did a short hike up Cerro Benítez, where we spotted a few condors. After reaching Puerto Natales, we checked into our hotel, bought groceries, returned the rental car, walked back, cooked dinner, and enjoyed our dinner.
Torres del Paine scenic route pictures
Day 1 - Argentina
We woke up early, had breakfast, made tortilla wraps with cabbage for our packed lunch, and checked out. We walked with our suitcases to the nearby bus station and took the 8 AM bus to El Calafate. Along the way, we stopped at the Chile border for exit immigration and again at the Argentina border for entry clearance. The scenery was nice, and the bus was very comfortable with lay-flat seats. I was lucky to get more than six hours on the bus to finish reading the entire Gita for Gita Jayanti. The bus made a short stop at Esperanza, where we messaged Alejandra, our taxi driver and guide.
When we arrived at the El Calafate bus station, Alejandra was waiting for us. She drove us to our Condor Patagonia apartment and pointed out a grocery store, ATM, and restaurants along the way. After checking in, we walked to the nearby grocery store, DistriSur, and picked up a few items. We cooked dinner at the apartment and arranged for a pickup laundry service to collect our clothes.
Later, we took a walk around town and continued all the way to the lake. The town was filled with beautiful flowers, including roses and lupines, and we also saw a few nice murals. We even noticed some streets named with dates—like “7th December.”
Day 2 - Argentina
We were picked up around 8 AM by our guide and driver, Alejandra, and drove toward the Perito Moreno Glacier. Along the way, she explained the changing vegetation—from semi-desert landscapes to forests closer to the glacier. She mentioned that red foxes are often seen in the forest, though we weren’t lucky to spot one. Perito Moreno is the fourth-largest glacier of the Patagonian Icefield. We walked along the three boardwalk trails to enjoy different views of the glacier beautifully lit by the morning sun. We ate our packed sandwiches while watching the glacier and were lucky to see calving as icebergs broke off. In the afternoon, we took a boat ride to get closer to the glacier and saw its blue tones, along with more calving. On the way back, we stopped at a windy viewpoint where we saw a small dust storm too. Finally, we picked up our laundry on the way back to our apartment and enjoyed dinner at home.
Perito Moreno glacier pictures
Day 3 - Argentina
We checked out of our apartment, and Alejandra dropped us at the El Calafate airport at 6 AM. We had breakfast at the airport and took our flight to Buenos Aires. As we landed at the domestic airport, which is close to the city center, we saw many multi-storied buildings right near the runway. We then took our connecting flight to Iguazu.
At Iguazu airport, our taxi driver from the Iguazu Falls transfer company met us and drove us to our hotel inside Iguazu National Park. After checking in, we had enough time to walk the Lower Circuit to see the falls. On the way, we enjoyed watching toucans flying between the trees. We viewed the falls from several viewpoints and then returned to the hotel for dinner.
Later, we went on our moonlight tour of the falls. We took a taxi to the park entrance and received a welcome drink at the restaurant, where there was live music and a local dance performance. Then we took the train to the Devil’s Throat circuit. Walking along the boardwalk under the full moon we reached the falls. The view and sound of the falls under the full moon was a unique experience. We were getting showered with water the whole time. After spending half an hour at the falls, we walked back to the train and then took a taxi back to the hotel.
Iguazu falls by moonlight pictures
Day 4 - Argentina and Day 1- Brazil
Since we stayed inside the park, we had early access to the falls at 7 AM. We went straight to the Upper Circuit and enjoyed beautiful views of the falls, along with sightings of birds and colorful butterflies. On the way back, we made reservations for the afternoon train to the Devil’s Throat. We returned around 9:30 AM and enjoyed a hearty breakfast—almost a brunch—at the Grand Meliá Hotel, which had a wide variety of options. After breakfast, we relaxed in the outdoor seating area while watching the falls.
Later, we got ready, checked out, and left our bags at the hotel. We took the 12:40 PM train to the Devil’s Throat area, which we had seen the previous night in moonlight. On the train, we met an Argentine couple, Malcolm and Grace, and spent time chatting with them both on the train and at the falls. The views at Devil’s Throat were breathtaking, with an incredible volume of water. We even saw a rainbow and a double rainbow.
We returned to the hotel, had some snacks, and waited for our taxi from Iguazu Falls Travel. After collecting our bags, we took a taxi to the Brazilian side. Although the Brazilian side is only about 1 km away as seen from the falls, it takes about 1.5 hours by road. We cleared exit immigration on the Argentine side and entry immigration on the Brazilian side, finishing all our leftover fruits since Brazil does not allow fresh produce. A taxi from the same company was waiting for us on the Brazilian side and dropped us at the park entrance.
From there, we took the hotel shuttle to the Belmond Hotel, where we received a royal welcome. We were offered their traditional drink, tereré, and a dessert called beijinho, which tasted like Indian milk peda. Thanks to our Amex card, we were upgraded to a room with a falls view and given a late checkout until 4 PM. The view of the falls from our room was beautiful.
In the evening, we went to see the falls from the Brazilian side, which offered stunning panoramic views, especially at sunset. After sunset, we returned to the hotel, ordered room service, and enjoyed a relaxing dinner.
Day 2 - Brazil
Since we had early access to the park, we went in early to enjoy Iguazu Falls. We even saw double rainbows. The panoramic views of the falls and the water splashing on us made it a wonderful experience. We also went up the observation tower and enjoyed the views from the top. Near the tower, we bought a few souvenirs from the gift shop.
We then returned to the hotel and enjoyed a heavy breakfast. After getting ready, we took the shuttle to the park entrance. The driver was kind enough to drop us at the helicopter area. We were lucky there was no wait and were able to take off immediately. Vivek sat next to the pilot and even had a glass floor beneath him, which allowed him to capture amazing videos of the falls. The views from the helicopter were spectacular. It was our first helicopter ride, and we truly enjoyed it.
After the ride, we walked to the Parque das Aves bird sanctuary, where we saw many rare and beautiful birds. We then took the shuttle back to the hotel. Since our falls-view room was already booked for the next guests, we had to change rooms. After moving, we ordered room service, enjoyed our meal, checked out, and then went to our next stay on a sheep farm. There, we had a quick instant meal along with some rice from the restaurant there. We slept early since we had an early morning flight the next day.
Day 3 - Brazil
We woke up early and headed toward the airport, taking a short walk around the sheep farm before leaving to enjoy the greenery. We had breakfast at the airport and took the 10 AM flight to São Paulo, arriving around noon. After reaching our hotel by Uber, we made a simple lunch using instant food packets. Later, we reserved tickets to visit the rooftop of Sesc Paulista building and took an Uber to Paulista Avenue. After a long drive, we enjoyed panoramic city views from the top. We then explored nearby attractions, including Casa das Rosas and Japan House. In the evening, we enjoyed dinner at Camélia Ododó, a vegan restaurant.
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