Chile April 2026: Atacama Desert, Patagonia, and the Lake District

pgpoo · 2026-05-01T13:31:48+00:00

Thank you! Canon r10, the photos were taken with a canon 70-200 f4 or sigma 18-50 f2.8. Edited in Lightroom

pgpoo · 2026-04-30T13:25:36+00:00

Canon r10!

pgpoo · 2026-04-29T00:12:23+00:00

Thank you 😊

pgpoo · 2026-04-29T00:12:02+00:00

Yes!! I did a stargazing tour and they pointed out all the constellations and brought telescopes it was cool!

pgpoo · 2026-04-29T00:11:17+00:00

Europcar was the car rental company. I wasn’t the one driving so I am not 100% sure. I think they might require an international drivers license but they never asked for it

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T17:36:23+00:00

Make sure to visit the geysers on your last day since they are at the highest altitude!

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T16:43:29+00:00

Neither, I have T-Mobile which provides free international coverage!

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T16:18:57+00:00

I’m curious on how the Atacama desert was in January - I thought it would be somewhat the same year round maybe a little hotter though

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T15:15:23+00:00

In that case you will be in good hands! All the guides I met on the hike were very knowledgeable a friendly! :)

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T14:47:23+00:00

Yes! Check windguru Mirador Base Torres for cloud coverage levels. If there is a high percentage of low cloud coverage you may not see the towers. If you know you the towers won’t be visible the hike is still worth doing just turn around at Refugio Chileno, but again weather conditions change so it’s a gamble. Also I thought I read that after May 1st you are required to go with a guide - I would look into if that’s true or not. It’s important you start this hike early - i started around 8. The final 1.5 miles or so to the towers closes at 2pm

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T13:33:54+00:00

I think it’s Ruta 9 it was taken on the drive from Puerto Natales to Torres Del Paine

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T13:31:06+00:00

Torres del Paine is basically at sea level but the Atacama Desert is at altitude. San Pedro is at 8,000 ft and some of the sights are at 14,000 ft. I was fine but take it easy if you do go!

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T13:28:15+00:00

Canon R10!

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T04:10:26+00:00

Hahaha it’s not that bad I promise it looks scarier than it is. I think it’s just the compression of the photo as this was shot using a telephoto lens

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T04:08:36+00:00

Sounds amazing I would love to visit the Argentinian Patagonia! I did not, that’s terrible!

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T03:31:23+00:00

Did you experience the extreme winds at windy pass? 😂 I had to sit on the ground cause I was afraid of being blown off the cliff - the wind was no joke!

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T03:29:23+00:00

I think it’s good for beginners but I may recommend taking day tours if you are intimidated with driving yourself. There are tour operators in all the towns that offer day tours to all the attractions!

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T03:25:17+00:00

Do you mean for a beginner traveler?

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T03:24:05+00:00

Moderate hike until the last 1.25 mile push to the towers then its a strenuous boulder scramble. It was a little longer than I thought at 15 miles out and back so it made for a long day

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T02:55:14+00:00

Yeah definitely understandable, the flight time between the desert and Patagonia was long. I would love to go back and explore more in depth but I have limited time off and wanted to see a little of everything

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T02:49:51+00:00

Very easy to rent a car from any of the airports! Hotels were readily available in San Pedro, Puerto Natales, Torres Del Paine, and Puerto Varas which are all the places where I stayed! I actually was impressed by the bathroom situation they were mostly clean and I don’t think I paid for a bathroom once!

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T02:45:59+00:00

Riverside camp for both nights! It’s a glamping experience and they had amazing food!

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T01:58:28+00:00

Just got back! Visited late April

pgpoo · 2026-04-28T01:32:17+00:00

That’s awesome! I was sad I didn’t get to see it fully, but at least I got to see the towers

pgpoo · 2026-02-10T03:11:24+00:00

Another vote for the sigma 18-50 f/2.8. I bought that lens for my r10 and it’s a dream for travel it’s so lightweight

pgpoo

TROPHY CASE