Felt like taking a holiday and hadn't been to Chile before but we're certainly glad we chose it. Chile is a vast country, with the Atacama Desert and the Salt Flats to the north and the mountains and glaciers of Patagonia to the south. All braced by the long arm of the Andes mountain range. With our private guides we managed to cram in quite a bit with no less than four internal flights taking us up and down the country from the mid point of the capital city, Santiago.One particular ambition of mine was to see the flamingoes in the Salt Flats. But I also indulged myself with a swim in a hot spring at 4200m up in the Andes. We visited beautiful lagoons, salt mines and rock formations, and were treated the whole time to a wealth of information about the landscape and its remarkable geology. At one point our vehicle, with the ignition off and geared in neutral, was pulled uphill by magnetic minerals in the ground. Patagonia was a little cooler but not too cold in their late spring. The scenery was reminiscent of Norway with ice-capped mountains looming over sapphire blue lakes and windy fjords. Wildlife was in abundance too with no shortage of guanacos, hawks, vultures, rias and cormorants. One disappointment, given that Chile has the clearest skies in the world, was not getting a night sky shot of the Milky Way. Rather unluckily during our visit the Moon polluted the sky with too much light. Not much respite for a holiday it was intense, exhausting and exhilarating. Loved it.
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Santiago with the Andes in the background.
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Sea Lions at Vina Del Mar.
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Just one of thousands of wall artworks in Valparaiso.
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The Andes from the sky.
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Inside a salt cave in the Atacama Desert.
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The Moon valley at sunset.
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Llamas. Of course.
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Flamingoes feeding in lake in the Salt Flats.
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Geysers up in the Andes.
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Alpha Whiskey enjoys a hot spring soak.
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Patagonia.
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Torres Del Paine.
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Guanaco surveys the scenery.
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A retreating glacier.
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An advancing glacier.
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Chilean cowboys.
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Rick KellerDec 24, 2018 03:43 PM
Gorgeous photos, Sharif! It looks like you had a fabulous time.
I would love to explore Chile some day. :)
Alpha Whiskey PhotographyDec 24, 2018 04:03 PM
Many thanks Rick! :)
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