Chile - Valaparaiso

From Puerto Montt, we flew to Santiago and then took a bus to Valaparaiso, and UNESCO heritage town northwest of Santiago on the coast.  Valaparaiso is know for its steep streets and street art.  The combination of hills, trollies, and fog that doesn't' burn off until 3pm makes it feel a lot like San Franciso.  After 2 weeks of hiking and wilderness it was nice to embark on the final and urban stage of our trip.

From Valaparaiso, we did a day trip inland to Casablanca Valley, one of the wine growing valleys of Chile.  We ended up at an organic vineyard with some time to spare so had a picnic while we waited for the tour to start.  Because of the organic and biodynamic nature of the vineyard, we spent most of the time guarding our wine and food from the growing brood.

On our last day, we bused south along the coast to Quintay, an old whaling town that has since converted the whaling facilities into a museum and scenic lookout over the Pacific coast.   After a scenic seafood lunch, we had to head back to Valparaiso, grab our stuff and head to the airport for the flight back to NYC and the polar vortex.

Chile - Cochamo Valley

After missing our flight, we were able to get a later flight the same day into Puerto Montt (the Lakes Region), but since we weren't landing until 10:30pm, there was no way to get a bus to Cochamo the same night, so I made a last minute hostel booking before we left Punta Areas.  Upon on arriving at said hostel that night, it turned out that they hadn't actually had available beds, but the lady who ran it had already arranged for us to stay across the street at a neighbor's house with a spare room.  We were so happy to have beds after having spent the night before on the cold floor that honestly it didn't really matter where we ended up.  

Bright and early the next morning we caught a bus to Cochamo and then started the hike into Cochamo Valley, also known as the Yosemite of Chile.  After 5 nights camping on the W, we had decided to sleep in bunks at Refugio Cochamo and as we neared the lodge's entrance, had to use the below cart and pulley system to get ourselves across the river.  

The next morning we started a steep 5 hour hike up a peak called Arco Iris, complete with ropes and rock scrambles as the trail was basically cut straight up the mountain.

Last scenic vista for these boots :(

The lodge at Refugio Cochamo.  Highly recommend staying here.  

After Arco Iris, we had to hike back out of the valley to the village of Cochamo, a quaint, tiny lakes region town on the banks of a fjord.  

Sunrise over the peaks from our room before heading back to Puerto Montt for our flight to Santiago