BudgetTravel

Issaquah, Wash.: We'll be in Santiago, Chile in Feb. 2008, at the end of a cruise that begins in Buenos Aires. It looks like a fascinating place, but I keep reading that it can be unbearably hot down there then. Do you think it's still worthwhile to spend a few days exploring the city, despite the heat? Can you recommend any good mid-priced hotels?

Wayne Bernhardson: Santiago has a dry heat, similar to coastal California, and almost always cools off at night because it's 2000 feet above sea level. Try the Vilafranca B&B in the Providencia neighborhood (www.vilafranca.cl). Santiago is an ideal location for excursions to the mountains, vineyards and coastline (including the World Heritage city of Valparaiso).

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Charlottesville, Va.: Since I lived in Concepcion in the mid '70s, I want to share with my husband the diverse landscapes and joie de vivre of the Chilenos on a 2-3 week trip in the near future. Please provide some helpful Chile websites (Spanish ok) for lodging & winery tours? When is an "affordable time" to visit w/ the reverse seasons? What is indep. travel like during Christmas season & June-August? How far in advance to book all aspects of a trip? I would like to use car & train to travel from Valparaiso to Lake District (Osorno -Llanquihue) w/ possible crossing of the Andes to Argentina. Can you recommend any excursions to see fjords and/or hike in a National Park/reserve in the South?

Any tips regarding my queries are welcome. Ciao, as they say in Chile!

Wayne Bernhardson: Please see the other entry above regarding wine routes. The shoulder seasons of November/December and March/April are more affordable and less crowded than the January and February, when Chileans take their vacations. June to August is best in the northerly Atacama desert, though skiers may find it ideal near Santiago in those months.

I do not recommend train travel, as they are few and slow--buses are faster and the best of them resemble business class on an airplane.

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Titusville, Fla.: Hi Wayne,

My husband and I are taking a 12-day cruise March 6-17, 2008. We are both 60 yrs old and will be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary. The ship will disembark in Chile & we have 5 days in Chile before we fly back to USA. We are looking for accommodations and like to stay & eat with the locals. My husband speaks a little Spanish. We also would like to tour wine country, & other areas of interest, etc. We are not too adventurous, but like to walk. What type of an itinerary would you recommend? How do we find a reputable tour guide company? Recommendations on accommodations, etc. We would like to make the most of our time in Chile. Also, we have cruised/toured parts of Europe and feel comfortable being on our own as long as we are safe.

Thank you.
Judy & Jack

Wayne Bernhardson: I've answered some of your questions at least partially in other entries above. With regard to security, Chile has Latin America's best (and most honest) police force; they can't be everywhere, though, so be aware of your surroundings. That said, I think it's probably also the safest country in Latin America in terms of personal security.

I lack the time to enter names of specific tour operators, but they do appear in my book.

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Brooklyn, N.Y.: How are the Native Chileans treated in terms of their civil & political rights?

Wayne Bernhardson: I presume you're referring to indigenous peoples such as the Mapuche of the south and the Aymara of the north. There is much progressive legislation on the books but it would still be accurate to say that, on the whole, they are socially and economically disadvantaged. Many indigenous people now lives in cities such as Santiago, as well as regional capitals; of Chile's 15 million or so inhabitants, about a million are Mapuche while the numbers of Aymara and others (such as the Rapa Nui of Easter Island) are much fewer.

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San Antonio, TX: Would like to travel by train from Santiago to Ushuaia. Any suggestions? Stops? Scenery? Santiago's air departures always seem to be very, very full (returning cruise passengers, I assume). Any suggestions timewise? (My husband is a retired AA Captain so airplane load factors are of prime importance to us!!) Thanks for any advice you may offer.

Wayne Bernhardson: Chile's only long-distance passenger service runs from Santiago to Puerto Montt via Temuco, but I do not recommend it except for the most dedicated trainspotters--it's far slower, far less frequent, and less comfortable than buses, the best of which resemble business class on airplanes.

Santiago's international airport is probably the best on the continent, and the flagship airline LAN is almost unquestionably the region's best. Flying to Ushuaia, however, is complex--there are several flights daily from Santiago to Punta Arenas, but only about three per week from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia (Argentina). It would be possible to reach Ushuaia via Buenos Aires, but Argentine air services have suffered frequent interruptions since lightning knocked BA's radar in March. It is supposed to be repaired soon, but meanwhile takeoffs and landings are manual, with many delays and backups.

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Wayne Bernhardson: Well, time's almost up. I do list my email address in my book, so if you have any further questions feel free to contact me.