Chile in 10 Days: The recommended itinerary

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Can you visit Chile in 10 days? It may seem like a short time to visit a whole country, but many times you can’t decide how long your vacation will last. So instead of staying in your comfort zone watching the days go by, we want to show you that everything is possible when the adventurous spirit takes over.

In this article you will find the perfect way to visit Chile in just 10 days, emphasizing what you can’t miss, from the capital Santiago de Chile to Torres del Paine and its trek W. Although we also have a little surprise at the end, in case you have more time to visit this Latin American country. Let’s go there!

Day 1 Santiago de Chile

The gateway to the country is usually the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Santiago de Chile. As the nation’s capital, it is obvious that you should visit it, since its streets are home to the most important historical sites. In addition, there are a large number of museums where you can learn about Chile’s past, as well as the most important artistic pieces from all over the country.

If you have to start with a place, let it be the historic center of the city. The main meeting point in the area is usually the Plaza de Armas, where we find special buildings such as the Metropolitan Cathedral or the National Historical Museum.

Since we are in the center, it is not out of place to visit the Palacio de la Moneda. Although our route through Santiago has been limited to the historic center, it is time to leave it to visit two charming neighborhoods in the city: Lastarria and Bellavista. In the latter we can access the viewpoint of San Cristobal Hill, from where you can have exquisite views of the capital of Chile.

Day 2: Viña del Mar

You may have noticed in your travel guide that Santiago de Chile has no sea. No problem, because just an hour and a half from the capital we can go to the coastal town of Viña del Mar, which has a lot of tourist attractions.

We will approach the coast visiting the Concón dunes, a unique natural phenomenon located north of the city. Very close to them is the Cochoa beach, perfect for our first swim in Pacific waters if the weather is good.

Returning to the center of the city, we cannot miss a visit to the Wulff castle, a British building by the sea dating from 1905, which is now considered a National Historic Monument of Chile.

Then we can take a walk through the Quinta Vergara park, to admire one of the best kept gardens in the country and visit such emblematic places as the Vergara Palace or the amphitheater, where if you are lucky you may see a concert.

In the afternoon we return to the capital, to take the plane to our next destination.

Day 3 and 4: Puerto Montt

That destination is Puerto Montt. And if you visit Chile you cannot miss one of the most spectacular regions of the country, which is also the gateway to the Chilean Patagonia.

This area is called the Lake District, since around Puerto Montt there are large bodies of water that, surrounded by the Andes Mountains, form one of the most beautiful landscapes in Chile.

The most visited is usually the Todos los Santos Lake, framed in the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park. In this park there are also some of the most important volcanoes in Chile, the main one being the Ossorno volcano. Here we will spend the whole day enjoying the most popular activity in the area: hiking.

For our fourth day in Chilean lands we can go to Puerto Varas, which is directly on the shore of Lake Llanquihue, the largest lake in the region. A highly recommended option is to take a tour that gives us a walk around the lake, as it is the best way to enjoy its immensity.
In the afternoon, we will be back at the airport to travel to our next stop in this 10-day visit to Chile.

Day 5: Punta Arenas

Do you want to have the feeling of being in one of the most remote places on the planet? Well, traveling to Punta Arenas is the best way to get it, as we enter the Strait of Magellan, one of the southernmost points of the planet.

A good place to learn about the history of this place is the regional museum of Magallanes. With our adventurous spirit we will visit our next destination, Magdalena Island.

On a 3-hour boat trip, you will be able to admire the most famous inhabitants of the area: the Magellanic penguins. On the way you will also be able to see Sei whales, southern dolphins, sea lions and many more species that only inhabit this remote area of the planet.

Back in Punta Arenas, we will rest and travel the next morning to one of the most interesting points of this route.

Day 6: Puerto Natales

Welcome to Puerto Natales! This city is the gateway to one of the most fascinating places in all of Chile. After the bus trip by route 9 from Punta Arenas (although here we leave you an article with all the ways you have to get to Puerto Natales), we will spend the afternoon visiting a unique natural monument.

This is the Milodon Cave. And it is not just one cave, but you will visit 3. The most important one was named after the mylodon, ancient mammals of enormous dimensions that became extinct more than 12,000 years ago. A replica of the animal at the entrance will give you an idea of what it was like, and you can admire the 30 meters high imposing cave.

Day 7 and 8: Torres del Paine

Only 60 kilometers from our previous destination is the Torres del Paine National Park, a place you must visit if you are in Chile. This place is so impressive that it would be ideal to visit it in its entirety from beginning to end. As we know that in a 10-day trip is impossible, you will have to settle for a shorter visit with the excuse of coming back. We leave you with all the tour options in Torres del Paine that you have.

The first place to go is the base of the Towers, from where you can admire the most famous postcard of the national park, with the 4 huge rocks that look like knives pointing to the sky.

But the list of natural places to visit does not stop there: Lake Pehoé, Nordensjöld, Salto Grande, the Lago Grey viewpoint or the Grey and Campos del Hielo Sur glaciers are some of the products of the Torres del Paine catalog.

Day 9 and 10: Easter Island

Our last destination on this list is one of the most famous Chilean territories worldwide: Easter Island.

This island full of mysteries has as its main attraction the moais, of which there is no need to talk about because you surely know them. There are a total of 887 distributed all over the island, and historians and researchers have not yet found an answer to how the Rapa Nui, the ancient inhabitants of the island, could have transported these great stone masses there.

As in every point of this post, we have compressed the visits to give you time in your 10-day trip, but if you have more time, we recommend a 4-day trip to Easter Island so you can enjoy it completely.

The main natural attractions of the island are the volcanoes. The Rano Raraku, which is located about 20 kilometers from Hanga Roa, the capital of the island. Others such as Rano Kau, Poike or Ma’unga Terevaka complete the curious volcanic ecosystem of the island.

You can also visit several beaches on Easter Island. It is not every day you can swim in one of the most remote places in the Pacific, so visit the beautiful beaches of Anakena and Ovahe to enjoy a different day on the island.

For your next trip

We hope this small itinerary has been useful for you if you want to visit Chile in 10 days. We have left many things out, like San Pedro de Atacama, in the north of Chile, where you can visit the famous Atacama Desert. But this is a place you can visit on another trip along with the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, or if you are going to make a trip to Chile in 15 days, and we’ll leave that for another post!