A silver lining of quarantine was the opportunity to reflect back on past trips, one of my all-time favorites being to Chile, which I visited years ago with my family. If you are searching for landscapes unlike any you’ve ever seen, delicious food, and the perfect combination of adventure and relaxation, look no further. Here’s what we did:

After arriving in Chile, we first went to one of the homes of famous poet Pablo Neruda, Casa Museo Isla Negra. It is situated on the Pacific Ocean and is stunning, but unfortunately I do not have any photos. We then continued onto our hotel, beginning our time in Chile at the beautiful La Casona Hotel at Matetic Vineyards. The hotel was great for our family, as it has a pool and even a playground, but still has gorgeous grounds and rooms and amazing food. While there, we got to take a tour of the vineyard and go horseback riding.

We then took a short flight to San Pedro de Atacama, to spend time in the Atacama Desert.

While there, we stayed at the Awasi Hotel. This Relais & Chateau hotel was the perfect setting for our time in the desert. We ate all of our meals at the hotel, which were delicious. Dishes ranged from pumpkin and orange soup to homemade pasta to The hotel itself is beautiful as well, and its pool served as a refreshing escape from the heat. Our family had our own private guide for the week, who created a custom itinerary for us. Each day offered a unique experience and a fun “surprise”, especially enjoyed by my brother (10) and me (13). Here’s what we did:

Our first day, we took a hike to explore the Atacama’s amazing topography. Our guide even brought us to mine for some rock salt, present throughout the desert.

That night, we went stargazing, where we saw some of the most beautiful stars we’ve ever seen! We even saw Saturn’s rings and craters on the moon!

The next morning, our guide took us to see ancient petroglyphs, and in the afternoon, we visited a local town and school (with 5 students total). The students even arranged a makeshift store to sell their beautiful arts & crafts, which I still cherish today. We then saw some flamingos and alpacas.

On day three, which was my birthday, we went sand boarding (so much fun!) and visited an alpaca farm in the afternoon. The hotel also did a baking lesson for me when we returned and made milkshakes for my brother and me.

On our last day in the Atacama, we visited a giant, natural sinkhole in the middle of the desert, then went to these beautiful salt flats and a salt lake, amazing!

To conclude our trip, we spent some time in the beautiful Andes Mountains.

That concluded our wonderful vacation to Chile, which my entire family will say was one of the best trips we’ve ever taken. I hope you enjoyed this post! If so, please subscribe to my blog below and check out related posts below: