Category: Latin America

At first glance, the difference between La Paz and sprawling Santiago is their scale. The compact size of the Bolivian capital is dictated by its geography; its dense position within dramatic canyon walls makes it seem far smaller than its 182 square miles. The metro area of Chile’s capital, on the other hand, spreads out over 5,947 square miles in a vast valley in the shadow of soaring Andean peaks. One-and-a-half million people call La Paz home, while there are five times as many Santiaguinos.

Visiting them both on one trip—as we do during our new Natural Wonders of Bolivia & Chile small group
tour—provides an enlightening glimpse of how two cultural centers have adapted to and been influenced
by their Andean locales. From arts and leisurely urban pursuits to cuisine and dress, here’s how these two remarkable cities compare.

The low-down on high altitude

• • La Paz: Your 12,000-foot elevation may require a cup of maté tea to combat altitude sickness.
  • Santiago: At an average of 1,700 feet, Santiago lies in the center of a massive basin encircled
    by mountains.

Bird’s eye views

• • La Paz: Ride the Mi Teleférico cable cars, the world’s highest and longest aerial public transit.
  • Santiago: Ascend San Cristóbal Hill and share the view with a stunning statue of the Virgin Mary. 

Unique, culture-rich shopping and browsing 

• • La Paz: El Mercado de Hechiceria, or the Witches’ Market, boasts a curious collection of potions, talismans, and more.
  • Santiago: The bustling Mercado Central, a confluence of fishmongers, butchers, and green grocers, invites wide-eyed wandering.

A snack break 

• • La Paz: Tuck into a delicious salteña, a meat-filled pastry.
  • Santiago: Go for a savory, cheese-filled empanada de queso.

A locally inspired cocktail 

• • La Paz: Try a yungueño, a mixed drink of local brandy, simple syrup,
    and orange juice created in the valleys.
  • Santiago: Sip a pisco sour, a blend of brandy and tart pica lime juice.

Wine from nearby vineyards

• • La Paz: Sample Singani, distilled from white Muscat of Alexandria grapes in the high valleys.
  • Santiago: You’re in Chilean wine country, so uncork your favorite wine from any of numerous wineries. 

The skinny on fashion 

• • La Paz: Try on traditional alpaca knitwear and bowler hats.
  • Santiago: Find 21^st-century chic and sophistication at boutique clothiers in Bellavista.

Fascinating people-watching 

• • La Paz: Meander the cobbled streets around the San Francisco Cathedral.
  • Santiago: Grab a bench by the Simon Bolivar fountain in the Plaza de Armas.

Distinctive neighborhoods 

• • La Paz: Explore Jaen Street, the remarkably restored colonial district home to notable museums.
  • Santiago: Wander among the boutiques and avant-garde galleries of bohemian Bellavista.

Souvenirs and take-homes

• • La Paz: You’ll find ample offerings of coffee, alpaca sweaters and scarves, and silver.
  • Santiago: Duck into a bookstore for poetry by native Pablo Neruda,
    or find copper trinkets in local markets.

Perhaps no other city in Chile casts a spell as mesmerizing as salty Valparaiso. Certainly, it strikes a dramatic pose, nestled on a thin strip of land between the Pacific Ocean and 43 steep, rolling hills. You might think it’s a wonder that settlers built a city on this terrain at all! But as you stroll its narrow, labyrinthine streets—among mansions that cling to their once-grandiose days, stunning ocean views, and hard-working porteños taking a break over cafecitos (small black coffees) in cafés—you will be very glad they did.

Indeed, Valparaiso—or Valpo to those in the know—is nothing if not authentic and romantic. Chilean native and Nobel prize winning poet Pablo Neruda regaled the city in his works Canto General and I Confess that I Have Lived. In return, proud locals honored him on his 100^th birthday by “composing” the world’s largest poem, an epic collection of contributions from Chileans that scrolled 65 feet long and three feet wide. Other artists have been similarly inspired: the city’s rich street art—huge colorful and beautifully wrought paintings that cover the sides of buildings—appears at every turn. And a host of world-class museums dot the cityscape.

Founded in 1536 by a Spanish conquistador, Valparaiso is a UNESCO World Heritage Site celebrated for its improvised urban design of late 19^th century hillside structures and seaport architecture. The most glorious buildings were constructed during its heyday, when it was a major stopover for ships sailing between the Atlantic and Pacific. Immigrants from Britain, Germany, and Italy poured into the city during this boom, each bringing its distinctive culture and architectural styles into its own hillside neighborhood. When the Panama Canal opened in 1914, the ships and the people stopped coming, but the city remains Chile’s second most important port and today is affectionately known as “Little San Francisco” for its many hills.

Its historic center is a maze of winding cobbled streets, all of it overlooked by towering cliffs crowned with richly textured suburbs. These hilltop residences are linked to the barrios below by steep stairways or by ascensores, or funiculars. No matter how you decide to ascend, you’ll marvel at spectacular vistas, but riding the funicular is rightly heralded as Valparaiso’s most distinctive and thrilling experiences.

Though they are traditionally called elevators, only one of the city’s renowned funiculars runs in a true vertical direction. The rest carry visitors and locals alike up angled tracks. The original ascensores, introduced in the 1880s, ran on steam. As many as 28 have operated since and about a dozen still operate. Fifteen have been declared National Historical Monuments as local organizations work to ensure that they continue to play an active role in the city’s rich heritage.

You’ll fall under the spell of Valparaiso during our new Natural Wonders of Bolivia & Chile small group tour. Join us!

Chile’s Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on earth. Yet it is teeming with beauty and plenty of surprises. Our Discovery Tours small group takes you to its fascinating heart, where you’ll gain remarkable insight into its wildness, its history, and its culture. Here’s what we find most fascinating about this mysterious place. We look forward to sharing it with you during our new Natural Wonders of Bolivia & Chile small group tour.

• This vast desertscape stretches for some 49,000 square miles between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean.
• Scientists believe the Atacama saw no significant rainfall from 1570 to 1971. Further, they call it the oldest desert on earth—at least three million years old!
• The landscape has been compared to that found on Mars, so much so that movie crews have used it to stand in for the Red Planet and NASA has tested out some of their Mars rovers on its terrain.
• The metallic-blue lakes of Miñiques and Miscanti were once one large lake, until lava flow from an eruption of the Miñiques volcano separated the two. Today, they occupy a starkly beautiful landscape that is home to flora and fauna found nowhere else.
• Remarkably, about a million people call the Atacama Desert home. The vast majority of them live along the coast. But inland, people still eke out a living in tiny villages such as Socaire, Machuca, and Toconao. The latter boasts a welcoming market of textiles made from alpaca and other handicrafts, as well as a striking bell tower that is pure Atacama in its architectural style. 
• With its clear skies, high elevation, and freedom from light pollution, the Atacama is one of the world’s best spots for stargazing. As conditions permit, you’ll visit an observatory and turn your gaze skyward with an astronomer.
• At the desert’s edge, a 12^th-century pre-Inca fortress provides remarkable insight into an ancient civilization while the site of Tulor, with its circular dwellings, lets you imagine life here as long as 2,000 years ago.
• Geysers, hot springs, mud pools, and fumaroles steam and bubble and burst forth from the earth at the Atacama’s El Tatio geyser field, the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and the third largest in the world.
• Wind and time have sculpted the jagged contours of Moon Valley and Death Valley, a pair of geological wonders rich in vast breathtaking landscapes and colors.