Animales del Desierto

The desert flowers attract a large variety of birds and insect life, and we saw some beautiful birds and butterflies as well as the regular desert animals. Our favourite animal was the guanaco, part of the llama family, and our least favourite was a scorpion which we found 2m away from our tent!

Desierto Florido

Every 4-5 years, when there is more than 7mm precipitation, the arid Atacama Desert bursts into bloom. Dormant seeds beneath the sands explode into life and colour in a phenomenon called the Desierto Florido (Flowering Desert). It is impossible to predict the year of the Desierto Florido (it last happened in 2008) and it only occurs between September and November, so it was a special treat for us to see it this year. The first photo shows the contrast between a typical year and a flowering year. Both photos were taken in the same spot in the same week of September.

Below are a selection of our photos taken from the Parque Nacional Llanos de Challe and the mountain road between Huasco and Punta de Choros. Enjoy!

Camping Road Trip

Over the National Day long weekend, we drove north on a 1600km road trip to the start of the Atacama Desert. At the small town of Huasco we turned towards Tres Playitas ('three little beaches') and set up camp on the dunes for two nights. 

The reason for this trip was to see the desert flowers, a spectacular natural phenomenon in the dry desert (see next post!). We also spent one night in Apolillado ('moth-eaten beach'). The trip was a huge success and we spent some quality time with friends, sharing wine around the camp fire and falling asleep to the sound of the waves. 

We drove on dirt tracks through some beautiful mountain passes and enjoyed the vast flower-covered landscapes. This was definitely a great way to explore a new part of Chile!

Salomon K42 Trail Race

On a sunny, spring morning, Daniel joined 500 runners to participate in a trail race in the foothills of the Andes. The event was sponsored by Salomon, and two of the competitors were Salomon athletes who took part in the recent Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (one of the biggest ultra marathon trail races in the world). A helicopter carried a film crew around to film the race, and the race video and more photos will be put up on the race website: http://k42chile.com/. 


Daniel ran in the 42km category in a time of 4:30, finishing in 5th place overall, and 2nd in his age group. Well done! 

Costa Cochagua

The British Embassy in Chile has a seaside "cottage" in Costa Cochagua, a wealthy compound near the coastal town of Maitencillo. We were invited to spend the weekend there with our friends.


We enjoyed long walks along the beach, huge amounts of food and several rounds of pisco sours, after which we planned our retirement home based on the beach houses of Chile's millionaires.

Cerro Santa Lucia

Nestled in the heart of Santiago is a small fort on a small hill, the very spot on which conquistador Pedro de Valdivia founded Santiago in 1541. We spent a lovely morning winding our way up the stone walkways and crumbling narrow staircases to the viewpoints at the top, followed by a well-earned late lunch in Barrio Lastarria, a fashionable, bohemian neighbourhood.

Viña del Mar

Viña del Mar is known as Chile's Ciudad de Jardines. It is located an hour and a half north-west of Santiago and boasts long stretches of white beaches. We caught the bus up Viña for a weekend getaway, where we were spoilt by warm temperatures, sunny skies and blue seas.

We had a picnic lunch in the Plaza José Francisca Vergara, the central square honouring the city's founder, and we also had a look at José's family's Palacio and impressive gardens.

We strolled along the beach front from the Reloj de Flores (Flower Clock), past boutique hotels, amazing seafood restaurants and castles to a sunny spot for sundowners.

Valle Nevado

On Sunday we drove 46km out of the city and climbed to 3000m above sea level to one of Chile's most popular ski resorts. We had a couple of mishaps involving a fall from a surface lift and one lost ski, but we spent a lovely day enjoying the fresh powdery snow and sunny blue skies of the Andes.

Cerro Carbón

From our apartment we have a partial view of Cerro Manquehue, the highest mountain in the valley of Santiago and an extinct volcano. Daniel has summited it a few times on training runs and on Saturday I joined him for a hike. We didn't make it all the way to the top, but we got as far as Cumbre de Cerro Carbón, the summit of the smaller Coal Hill down the ridge.

We saw several new bird species and evidence of hare and small rodent life. Daniel has seen a chilla (grey fox) on one of his runs. The vegetation is surprisingly lush and we chuckled when we saw specks of snow on the cacti on the higher slopes! At the top, we enjoyed playing in the snow (a bit of nostalgia) and seeing the views across the city. After a day of rain the smog had cleared away and we could see the Andes across the valley.

Valparaiso

I went on a day trip with some friends to the port of Valparaiso. Here's a sneak peak of the colourful coastal city. I can't wait to return with Daniel...