We decided, after reading a blog post from some friends who are incredible world travellers, Ian & Nicky Mackenzie, that renting a vehicle and touring Chile and Argentina would be a great idea. So we contacted the same company they had used and secured a 4×4 Suzuki for a 3 week road trip.
We picked up our brand new (78km) Suzuki Jimny in Santiago from Condor Campers and got our training on all of its features.
We utilized an app called iOverlander 2 to help us with finding places to stay. As we headed north from Santiago we were thrilled to see that the number of “Wild Camping” sites were numerous. What is Wild Camping you ask? Basically you stop and set up camp anywhere you are allowed. And in Chile, especially northern Chile, the options are truly endless.
Our first night was a relatively short drive from Santiago. We found a parking lot usually used by beach goers. But at night it was the perfect place to spend our first night.In the morning we found ourselves preparing breakfast in a parking lot. A bit outside our norm, but we are quickly adapting to our new normal.
We had no defined plans on where and when we would be places, just that we were heading north and wanted to cross into Argentina at a border crossing at Jama. We tried to limit our travel to around 250km maximum a day.
Day 2 had us stopping for lunch at Playa Chigualoco. Good facilities, but a bit windy.Whipping up dinner in our fancy kitchen.The view at dinner was pretty good though.At the end of day two we had shot the mileage goal and gone 325km and ended up just outside of La Serena. Great location and nice views at the end of the day.Day 3 took us to Punta de Choros. This area is known for the penguins that reside offshore on the protected islands of Isla Dames and Isla Choros. As we are still in the shoulder season you can see we weren’t particularly challenged for camping spots when we checked into an actual campground. That is our little Jimny near the middle.
Punta Choros was our first tourist stop. We have a soft spot for penguins so we walked over to the pier to see about tours. It was a bit of a casual set up. There was no information readily available, however we found a couple who appeared to be waiting for something and spoke a bit of English. We were informed that if there were 10 people there at 2:00 there would be a tour. Karen and I made 10 so we settled in and waited for the appointed hour.
We got suited up and were ready for our boat ride.Lots of gulls, and as it is apparently the season, lots of gull eggs.The first stop is Isla Damas. There are no penguins there and you have to content yourself with cactus and birds. It was a bit underwhelming but once we headed over to Isla Choros things imoproved dramatically.Red-legged Cormorants. Check out their eyes. This one felt we were getting too close and tried to poop on us. Fortunately he missed.The Sea Lions were plentiful and as always very relaxed.The stars of the show were the Humboldt Penguins. Fortunately there were dozens of them along the shoreline of Island Choros. Tourists are not allowed on Isla Choros so the only way to see them is from a boat.Though I loved the penguins and the birds, the best part of this stop was this dog. We showed him some love when we first arrived and he followed us around the campground non-stop. As we went to bed he curled up outside our tent.When we awoke in the morning, he was still there. How can you not love dogs.
One thing you are warned about and quickly learn is to keep your gas tank topped up at every opportunity. Our iOverlander 2 app told us there was a gas station in this particular town. We looked and looked to no avail. After asking a Bombero where it was he kindly guided us to the spot.
We had driven by here, but somehow hadn’t caught on that this was the gas station we were looking for.However once you knocked on the front door, this kind fellow asked whether you wanted diesel or gas and came out with the amount you requested in plastic jugs. I loved it! Also, the vehicle ran just fine on this fuel.I include this shot simply because this little donkey was just too damn cute.
Our trip north up the coast was fantastic. Part of it was the novelty of Wild Camping and part was being able to soak in the beautiful ruggedness of the Chilean coastline.
Day 4 had us camped just north of the National Park Llanos de Challe. How can you not be carried away by sites such as these? We felt so fortunate to be experiencing this.As someone who loves driving, the roads in Chile are truly something to cherish. Just don’t miss any turns as the penalty is rather severe.We also noticed that a number of gas stations seemed to have resident dogs. Can I just say that we love dogs.Day 5 brought us to Playa Amarilla. All I can say is Wow. A solid 300 metres deep. This beach was simply beautiful.,Walking along the beach here was an exercise in finding your inner peace.
I have to say that the coastline of northern Chile struck a cord with me. It is intensely brutal, but profoundly beautiful.
As sunset approached we just settled in to enjoy.The beaches just kept coming at us.And even if the road turned inland the sights just kept impressing.
As we got toward the point where we needed to turn inland we made the choice to treat ourselves to a hotel room in Antofagasta. Honestly, it looks like a total dump as you approach it as it is a port city that caters to a huge mining industry and it looks like it. However, once you get into the heart of the city it turned out to be quite pleasant. We got showered up and enjoyed a lovely restaurant meal before cutting east toward the heart of the Atacama Desert. Reportable the driest area on the planet.
