Feedback on two-week Chile trip (Atacama + Lake District) for anniversary
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Original post
IC
Hi there, I’m planning a trip with my partner (no kids this time—thanks, Grandma!) for two weeks to celebrate her 40th birthday. I’ve been thinking about Chile. We’re looking at leaving around September 18, 2027, starting in the south and returning in early April. Here’s what I had in mind:

8 nights in a van in the Lake District and the start of the Carretera Austral (up to the Chaitén area). We’re set to arrive in Puerto Montt around 2:00 PM. We don’t want to go too far south since we’re planning to explore the heart of Patagonia (Chile and Argentina) with the kids when they’re older. The idea is to spend 3 nights discovering the lakes (up to Cochamó) and 3 nights in Pumalín Park. I’ve also added two transition nights. 7 nights in the Atacama to experience another side of Chile (San Pedro), taking a domestic flight from Puerto Montt to Calama in the early afternoon. We’ll depart for France in the early evening from Santiago.

What do you think? Thanks,
SO Songsam Veteran ·
Hi, The Chilean Lake District deserves more than just the two short hops I’d planned, so I wouldn’t spread myself too thin by also heading north during such a short trip.

in the Lake District and the start of the Carretera Austral (up to the Chaitén area)

For info, Chaitén is also part of the Región de Los Lagos.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5a/56/a3/5a56a37fcd2fae2ee30e4f0404b92ced.jpg

by taking a domestic flight from Puerto Montt to Calama

Currently, there are no direct flights.
AT Attila Globetrotter ·
Hi there,

I agree with the advice not to spread yourself too thin over 15 days in such a vast country.

It’s going to be exhausting, especially since the international flight is already never-ending...

There’s more than enough to do in either the north or the south.

If you’re sensitive to altitude sickness, it’s best to avoid the north.
Édifices religieux : concours de photos amical d'août 2026 Rubrique Jeux Voyages C'est le moment de poster vos meilleurs clichés !
IC Ichijooo Regular ·
Hi there,

Thanks for the feedback. All our international flights are scheduled at night to be less tiring, even though you never really sleep well on a plane...

How can you tell if you're prone to altitude sickness?
IC Ichijooo Regular ·
FYI, Chaitén is also part of the Los Lagos Region.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5a/56/a3/5a56a37fcd2fae2ee30e4f0404b92ced.jpg .

Perfect, we won’t go any further!
AT Attila Globetrotter ·
You can't know until you've tried.

For most people, nothing happens below 2,500-3,000m, and the discomfort really starts to kick in around 4,000m.

And just because you handled it once doesn’t mean it’ll be the same next time.

Sleeping in San Pedro at night shouldn’t cause any issues, and it’s easy to descend quickly for day trips. You should plan the highest-altitude excursions for the end.

But if you’re spending nights at 4,000m or higher, things can go wrong.
Édifices religieux : concours de photos amical d'août 2026 Rubrique Jeux Voyages C'est le moment de poster vos meilleurs clichés !
IC Ichijooo Regular ·
Okay, thanks. The plan is to spend the nights in San Pedro anyway, to settle in after 8 nights on the move. Even though I get that combining the north and the south won’t be a walk in the park. I found a flight from Puerto Montt to Calama at 2:00 PM, arriving in Calama in the late afternoon, so early evening in San Pedro (with a layover in Santiago, obviously).
AT Attila Globetrotter ·
7 nights in San Pedro seems like a lot to me.

I also recommend renting a car.

I have a travel journal on my blog about northern Chile (2024 trip).

The planned trip still relies on a smooth sequence of flights.

The more you multiply them, the higher the risk of delays or cancellations. (Be careful, domestic flights may have their schedules changed based on occupancy, especially if booked very far in advance.)

And if you have separate flights, it's better to spend the last night in Santiago.
Édifices religieux : concours de photos amical d'août 2026 Rubrique Jeux Voyages C'est le moment de poster vos meilleurs clichés !
IC Ichijooo Regular ·
Our plan: - Outbound: Paris > Puerto Montt flight with Iberia/LATAM - Return: Calama > Paris with LATAM/Iberia

We’d book the domestic flight separately.

Not sure if 7 nights is too much (maybe 6?), and if so, we’d shift that night to the south.
AT Attila Globetrotter ·
It’s perfect to book international flights directly to your final destinations!

The airline will handle any necessary arrangements.

6 nights seem like enough for San Pedro.
Édifices religieux : concours de photos amical d'août 2026 Rubrique Jeux Voyages C'est le moment de poster vos meilleurs clichés !
IC Ichijooo Regular ·
In that case, the "saved" night can be moved further south. Where exactly?
AT Attila Globetrotter ·
Hmm, I don’t know about that—I only know the north.
Édifices religieux : concours de photos amical d'août 2026 Rubrique Jeux Voyages C'est le moment de poster vos meilleurs clichés !
MO Montagnard74 Globetrotter ·
8 nights in a van in the Lake District and the start of the Carretera Austral (up to the Chaitén area). Thanks,

Hi there, I’m in planning mode for a similar trip—did you already contact a provider for the van? I’d love the info!
"Le véritable voyage de découverte ne consiste pas à chercher de nouveaux paysages, mais à avoir de nouveaux yeux." Marcel Proust
IC Ichijooo Regular ·
8 nights in a van in the Lake District and the start of the Carretera Austral (up to the Chaitén area). Thanks,

Hi, I’m in planning mode for a similar trip—have you already contacted a van rental company? I’d love the info....

I’ve contacted 180 Sur Campers so far.
IC Ichijooo Regular ·
I don’t know about that—I’ve only been to the north.

Why would 6 nights be better than 7? Are we at risk of getting bored? For the 4,000m excursions, we’ll do them after 2 or 3 nights in San Pedro.
MO Montagnard74 Globetrotter ·
8 nights in a van in the Lake District and the start of the Carretera Austral (up to the Chaitén area). Thanks,

Hi, I’m in planning mode for a similar trip—have you already contacted a provider for the van? I’d love the info....

I’ve contacted 180 Sur Campers so far.

Sorry for my ignorance, but is Campers a website? An app? And is 180 a local business?
"Le véritable voyage de découverte ne consiste pas à chercher de nouveaux paysages, mais à avoir de nouveaux yeux." Marcel Proust
AT Attila Globetrotter ·
San Pedro de Atacama and its region are *very* touristy. (Mainly because the village’s altitude helps most people avoid altitude sickness, which isn’t always the case in areas that are just as—if not more—beautiful and much quieter.)

You can stay as long as you want and do *all* the excursions.

But you can easily cover the highlights in 3-4 full days.
Édifices religieux : concours de photos amical d'août 2026 Rubrique Jeux Voyages C'est le moment de poster vos meilleurs clichés !
IC Ichijooo Regular ·
8 nights in a van in the Lake District and the start of the Carretera Austral (up to the Chaitén area). Thanks,

Hi there, I’m in planning mode for a similar trip—have you already contacted a van rental provider? I’d love the info....

I’ve contacted Campers 180 so far.

Sorry for the newbie question, but is Campers a website? An app? And is 180 a local company?

No, it’s called "Campers 180", and it’s based in Puerto Varas.
IC Ichijooo Regular ·
San Pedro de Atacama and its region are very, very touristy. (Precisely because the village's altitude helps most people avoid altitude sickness, which isn't necessarily the case in areas that are just as—if not more—beautiful and much quieter.)

You can stay there as long as you want and do all, *all* the excursions.

But the main highlights can easily be covered in 3-4 full days.

Okay, thanks. Do you recommend staying somewhere else? As a complement (so two accommodations) or for the whole trip?
SO Songsam Veteran ·
Hello,

Sorry for my ignorance, but is "campers" a site? An app? And is 180 a local place?

No, it’s called "Campers sur 180,"

For those who didn’t quite get Ichijooo’s enlightening explanation, here’s a hypothesis:

- "Campers" = English for "campeurs" (campers) - "sur" = Spanish for "south" - 180 = 180°, the azimuth for due south With a capital "Sur" and put in the right order, it might well be the name of the company 180 Sur Campers: https://180surcampers.com/
AT Attila Globetrotter ·
Distances are pretty long in northern Chile, and you’ll quickly find yourself on dirt roads.

You’ve either got too many days or not enough...

Most people take advantage of their stay in San Pedro de Atacama to do an organized tour to southern Lipez (Bolivia). But that means nights at very high altitudes with no comfort and in the cold.

I haven’t been there myself, but others on this forum have. If the tour goes all the way to the Salar de Uyuni, you’d need about 8 nights instead.
Édifices religieux : concours de photos amical d'août 2026 Rubrique Jeux Voyages C'est le moment de poster vos meilleurs clichés !
IC Ichijooo Regular ·
Thanks.

I don’t wanna sacrifice a night in the south just to do a day trip to Bolivia. Even though I’m sure it’d be amazing!

If we keep it to 6 or 7 nights, maybe we can check out some more off-the-beaten-path spots?
AT Attila Globetrotter ·
Most excursions from San Pedro involve covering a lot of kilometers with a return to the village. (For example, 300 km round trip for Piedras Rojas)

It’s generally recommended to schedule the Tatio Geysers with an end in Calama.

The rest of northern Chile is too far for the planned duration.

There might be programs that don’t go all the way to the Salar de Uyuni—just the Bolivian lagoons over 2 days/1 night.
Édifices religieux : concours de photos amical d'août 2026 Rubrique Jeux Voyages C'est le moment de poster vos meilleurs clichés !
IC Ichijooo Regular ·
Yeah, I’ve seen 3-day / 2-night tours, but isn’t that a bit tight?

Here: https://travelestrelladelsur.com/tours-al-salar-de-uyuni Also, why are there so many different excursions?
AT Attila Globetrotter ·
I was thinking more of a tour that wouldn’t go all the way to the Salar.

One that would just cover the lagoons past the border with a single night there. The border isn’t very far.

I don’t know if that exists. Probably as a custom private tour.

For tours, it’s like everywhere—one does this, another doesn’t. Comfort level matters too. And there are TGV-style tours, and others where you take your time a bit more.

3 out of 6 days doesn’t leave much time for the rest, and it might end up being a TGV-style rush.
Édifices religieux : concours de photos amical d'août 2026 Rubrique Jeux Voyages C'est le moment de poster vos meilleurs clichés !
IC Ichijooo Regular ·
Yeah, you’d need at least 7 nights (or even 8) to do a 3-day, 2-night excursion to the Salar... that’d leave 5 nights around San Pedro.
TH Thierry6789 Veteran ·
7 nights in the Atacama to discover another side of Chile (San Pedro), taking an internal flight from Puerto Montt to Calama in the early afternoon. Departure back to France in the early evening from Santiago.

Hello,

As one of the contributors mentioned, there are currently no direct flights between Calama and Puerto Montt, in either direction. You’ll need to dedicate almost an entire day to this trip.

To avoid any unpleasant surprises, make sure when checking your luggage in PMC or CJC that you don’t have to pick it up and recheck it in Santiago.

Also, stay alert—as another member pointed out—to possible schedule changes (or cancellations) for flights booked well in advance (thanks, LATAM).

Altitude sickness is quite relative and usually kicks in above 3,500 meters. A few tips: avoid sudden movements and excesses of any kind before heading up to those heights, protect yourself from the cold *and* the sun, and always carry water with you.

I disagree with some of the other comments, though: in 15 days, I think it’s possible to explore the San Pedro area *and* the northern Carretera Austral circuit without rushing too much. That’d be 6 days in San Pedro, one transition day, and the rest in the south.

Just my personal opinion, of course.

Have a great trip.
Thierry Swysen
IC Ichijooo Regular ·
Bonjour,

J'ai un dilemme pour le vol retour, car Latam ne propose pas des solutions économiques...

Est-ce que cette option peut être viable pour le sud ? Jour 1 (arrivée PMC via Air France et Sky même réservation) : Récupération du van et route directe vers Hornopirén (~2h30 à 3h00 de route depuis Puerto Montt, en incluant le ferry Caleta La Arena/Puelche). Nuit à Hornopirén pour le ferry du lendemain. Jours 2 à 4 (3 nuits à Chaitén/Pumalín) : Traversée le matin à 10h00. 3 nuits sur place pour explorer le parc Pumalín. Jour 5 (Retour vers Cochamo) :Ferry dans l'autre sens à 12h30. Route vers Cochamó pour une arrivée en soirée. Jour 6 : Rando dans le secteur de Cochamo, et retour du van dans l'après midi, puis location d'une voiture citadine classique pour rayonner autour des lacs. Jours 6 à 8 (3 nuits dans les Lacs) : Base à Puerto Varas. Visite du volcan Osorno, les chutes de Petrohué et Frutillar. Jour 9 : Vol vers Calama vers 14h00. Arrivée dans la soirée à San Pedro. Jour 9 à 14 : 6 nuits à San Pedro Jour 15 : Vol vers Santiago. Récupération d'une voiture pour visite Valapaiso. Nuit sur place Jour 16 : Visite du secteur et retour vers l'aeroport pour nuit proche. Jour 17 : Vol direct avec Air France à 10h00.

Pourquoi ce changement ? Cela laisse 8 nuits dans le sud Cela me met 6 nuits en Atacama Et je voudrais ajouter deux nuits pour Valparaiso car j'ai un vol le lendemain à 10h00 et au lieu de dormir la veille proche de l'aéroport de Santiago, cela permet d'optimiser une visite sur la côte.

Bon, ça fait pas mal de changement sur 16 nuits cette fois ci ! Mais je trouve que l'itinéraire est cohérent.

Merci,

PS : cette nouvelle mouture fait suite à mes difficultés de trouver des vols pas trop onéreux, et c'est pour optimiser mes nuits à la place de rester proche de l'aéroport à ne rien faire... et c'est bien compliqué...

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