Chile, from the Atacama Desert to Torres del Paine

Chile is about 4,300 kilometers long and rarely more than 350 wide, which means one country can give you a salt flat, a glacier and a wine harvest on the same trip. In April 2013 I spent nine days walking the full circuit in Torres del Paine, and I've hitchhiked to Chiloé, but there's still a lot of Chile I haven't seen.

Here's how I'd split it up now, from north to south.

The Atacama: desert days and dark skies

A pool with white umbrellas among trees at Awasi Atacama — Awasi Atacama. Photo courtesy of Awasi.

The Atacama is one of the driest places on Earth, and San Pedro de Atacama is the town to base yourself in. Awasi Atacama, a Relais & Châteaux lodge just outside town, has 12 adobe suites, and each one comes with its own guide and 4x4, so your days are shaped around what you want to see rather than a group schedule.

Valle de la Luna has wind-carved salt ridges and dunes, the Salar de Atacama draws flamingos to its shallow lagoons, and an early start gets you to the El Tatio geysers while the steam is still rising. At night, guided tours put serious telescopes under some of the clearest skies on the planet.

The wine valleys

Vik Hotel Chile's curved titanium roof on a hilltop at dusk — Vik, in the Millahue Valley. Photo courtesy of Vik.

Between the desert and Patagonia is Chile's wine country, and this is the part I'd add for anyone who loves a glass of Carménère. Vik sits on a hilltop above the vineyards of the Millahue Valley, under a curved titanium roof, with art-filled suites, an infinity pool and its own winery.

Vineyard rows below the snowy Andes in the Maipo Valley — The Maipo Valley. Photo courtesy of Concha y Toro.

Closer to Santiago, Concha y Toro's 19th-century estate in the Maipo Valley is known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, and its tours end in the Casillero del Diablo cellar. In Santiago itself, book a night at Boragó, where Rodolfo Guzmán's tasting menu is built from ingredients gathered across Chile's very different climates.

Patagonia: Torres del Paine

Explora's long lodge on Lake Pehoé below the Cuernos del Paine — Explora en Torres del Paine. Photo courtesy of Explora.

I walked the circuit with a tent and a heavy pack. If I went back now, I'd stay at Explora, which sits on the shore of Lake Pehoé inside the national park, with the granite towers outside the window. It has its own stables, a catamaran and dozens of guided routes, and it's all-inclusive, so you come back from the trail to dinner and a hot shower.

The trails run from short walks to multi-day circuits, and boats cross Lake Grey past floating icebergs to the face of Grey Glacier. The best season is roughly November to March, the Patagonian summer, when the days are long. Be ready for wind whatever month you go.

How I'd put it together

Fly into Santiago and give the city and the wine valleys three or four days. From Santiago, it's a short flight north to Calama for San Pedro de Atacama, and a longer one south to Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales for Torres del Paine. Ten to fourteen days covers all three without rushing, and Rapa Nui, about five and a half hours west by plane, is an easy add-on if you have more time.

If Chile is on your list, tell me which parts appeal most and when you'd like to go. I'll build the route, match the lodges to your pace, and there's no fee for my planning.