Travelzoo Best Bets: Where to Go in 2026 with Chile Travel

A country this slender shouldn’t hold so much, yet Chile layers entire worlds end to end: a cosmopolitan capital set against the Andes, a desert where the night sky feels close enough to touch, vast Patagonian parks that safeguard wild silence, and a Pacific island where living tradition matters more than spectacle. In episode nine of our 10-part Travelzoo Best Bets Series, Dan and Travelzoo Senior Editor and co-host Gabe Saglie sit down with Jessica Canelo, Marketing Director at Chile Travel, to map a clear, inspiring path for traveling Chile in 2026. From what to see first and how to move smartly between regions to why community-led sustainability underpins every decision, this conversation brings Chile into focus.

We begin in Santiago, a city in the midst of reinvention. Walkable neighborhoods like Barrio Italia invite long meals and late nights, while the historic funicular to Cerro San Cristóbal delivers sweeping views that seamlessly link city and mountains. From the capital, Chile opens outward with ease. Nearby wine valleys Maipo, Colchagua, Casablanca, and Leyda tell a layered wine story, from benchmark cabernets to crisp coastal whites and the revival of heritage grapes like país and cinsault. Carmenere, once mistaken for merlot, now stands proudly as Chile’s signature, perfectly paired with smoky asados and Pacific seafood.

Then the journey stretches in every direction. Head north to the Atacama Desert, where San Pedro’s oasis culture balances cycling routes, sunrise valleys, geothermal wonders, and stargazing so pristine that observatories like ALMA peer deep into the universe. In rare years, the desert bloom transforms arid landscapes into fields of color. Fly west to Rapa Nui, five hours across open ocean, where the moai stand watch and the Tapati festival keeps cultural identity deeply rooted in everyday life. Travel south to Patagonia, where Torres del Paine’s granite towers rise above turquoise lakes and expanding parklands protect fragile ecosystems, continuing the conservation legacy championed by Chris and Douglas Tompkins.

So why 2026? Expanded airlift from North America brings Chile closer than ever, harvest season offers a vibrant winter escape for northern travelers, and September’s Independence celebrations fill the country with music, food, and open-armed hospitality. With communities guiding tourism and protecting what matters most, Chile invites travelers to slow down, go deeper, and feel more.

Join us next Tuesday for the finale of our 10-part Travelzoo Best Bets Series. Become a member at travelzoo.com to access exclusive offers.

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Transcript

Chilean Pride And Identity Shift

Speaker 1 0:03

In Chile we had the feeling that everything that came from abroad was fantastic. And I would say that it is a change, like a culture change, that we feel very proud. Actually, there is a very funny saying here which is um, which is like we're the best Chilean country of Chile. Something very silly, but it shows that now we are proud. We are proud of our music, we're proud of our food, we are very proud of our wine, and we want to show it.

Speaker 3 0:40

Hello everyone, and welcome back to our travel trends, travel zoo best bet series for 2026. This is your host, Dan Christian, and we're on episode nine of our 10 part series, and this is the last destination episode, but we have left. I mean, and Gabe, I mean, I'm sure you're gonna have a vote on this, but potentially the best for last, but one of the most extraordinary destinations, one of the most geographically diverse and naturally spectacular countries on earth, Chile, a country that I had the privilege to travel to for a second time last year for the Adventure Travel and Trade Association conference. I had the most spectacular trip through Patagonia. I cycled for five days with an extraordinary husband and wife team that organizes these tours called Ciclo Astral. It was absolutely extraordinary. And I got such a deeper appreciation for Chile as a country. I've been to Santiago, which is where our guest is today. But I'm thrilled that Chile earned a spot on the best bets list for American travelers. But obviously, it's a global destination that all of our listeners need to know about. But let me welcome in my friend Gabe, who is also, for those of you who have been joining us throughout the series, Chilean American. And so he in particular has been so looking forward to Chile being a part of this. So, Gabe, welcome back to Travel Trends. And please introduce our next special guest.

Gabe’s Return And Chile’s Natural Canvas

Speaker 2 1:59

If you hear that thumping sound, Dan, that's my heart beating. Uh, ever so uh more enthusiastically, because this is in fact my homeland. I was raised in Chile. All of my family's down there in Santiago and Valparaíso, Vinha del Mar. Um, because life got busy, it took me 22 years to go back last year in May, and I took my teenage sons. You know what happens in 22 years, a whole new generation sprouts uh, you know, from the family tree. And so I was meeting my cousins' kids, they were meeting my kids, and it was a fantastic um just from an emotive standpoint uh visit. But then I went back as a more seasoned traveler, and I can say, hey, Chile is one of the best uh and most um just amazing destinations that I've had a chance to to visit over over my own lifetime. Um it is a playground, as you know, Dan, the Atacama Desert to the north, Patagonia and Antarctica to the south, the Andes to the east, you've got the Pacific to the west, amazing food and wine, amazing sustainable sustainability initiatives as well. So I too very thrilled to see Chile on Travels Who's Best Bets list for 2026. And obviously thrilled to welcome direct from Santiago, the capital of Chile, Jessica Canelo, who is marketing director from Cernatur Chile, which stands for Servicio Nacional de Turismo, Chile, uh, to uh shed the spotlight on uh on this beautiful part of the world. Jessica, bienvenida, uh travel trends.

Speaker 1 3:27

Muchas gracias. Thank you very much. Thank you for having us here today. Um, yes, just like you said, I work for Cernador. We are the um Chile promoting agency, and I have the owner of Promote Chile abroad uh in the US, uh, obviously to have uh more and more tourists coming here.

Speaker 3 3:50

Fantastic. I'm thrilled to have you here. I mean, our listeners know how much I love Chile as a destination, and that adventure, travel, and trade association episode, Spotlight, has been one of our favorite episodes we've ever produced on the show, and I think it really did shine a spotlight on how amazing Chile is as a destination. But given most of our listeners may not have heard that episode or may have a limited understanding of Chile, tell us a little bit more about first geographically where you're located, but also for any of those listeners that are looking for a quick cross-reference to understand where Chile is in the world, but also tell us about Cernator as well, about the organization that you belong to and your role there.

Speaker 1 4:30

My role, I'm the marketing director. We have a very big area here with um um several designers and people experts in different markets, and we do several campaigns just to uh seduce people coming here. Um I've been working in this for a long time, so I really feel very honored to promote my country. And uh, well, for us, the US market is very important. Uh, we have been uh we have a long-term uh work doing there with travel agencies and with the final consumers. So we're so happy that you I mean visitors still love coming here and we hope that it's gonna stay like this for a long time.

Meet Sernatur And The U.S. Traveler Focus

Speaker 2 5:13

Well, you know, when we put our list together, Dan, as you know, for our best bets destinations, 10 destinations around the around the world, uh we look at uh things uh like um greater airlift, which uh certainly Chile factors into because just at the end of 2025, American Airlines added uh some uh uh elevated uh airlift to Chile, uh particularly out of out of Florida. Um I got to take an overnight flight with Latam Airlines out of Santiago. There hadn't always been uh nonstop access out of Southern California, so that so that was great. We also looked at things like sustainability efforts, which we'll delve into here in just a little bit, and culinary tourism, which I think Chile uh just deliciously uh fits into that uh uh mold of uh very, very well. But for you, Jessica, uh 2026 specifically, as we're looking now, it's still early in the year, we're making our plans for the rest uh of the year. Um, why what is it about 2026 specifically you think that that Chile it makes sense to have Chile on this list? Are there things upcoming this year that Chile has to offer? The returning traveler, or perhaps that American traveler who's gonna be heading down south for the very first time?

Why 2026 And Chile’s Many Trips In One

Speaker 1 6:19

Well, I think the most important thing, just like you said earlier, um we have a very particular country. We are very long country, very narrow. And in I mean, really, considering the different climates and geography we have, you can have five, six, seven different trips within the country. Even if you come to Santiago, you can have two or three trips which are totally different one from the other. You can go to the mountains, if you come in winter, you can go skiing, then you can go by the seaside, you can just surf, you can swim. Water is a bit cold, we are not gonna lie, but we love Pacific Ocean because it gives us also great uh seafood and fish that we use obviously to indulge ourselves with uh with wine. Also, when you come to Santiago, just you know, an hour trip, you have great uh vineyards that you can visit. So I think the key is now the world and the US in particular is realizing that we are several destinations just in one. You can have the uh the great time in the Atacama Desert, the driest desert on earth, but then you can be in Patagonia, just like um Dan, just bin. So I think uh Chile is not you don't have to rush to come here, you have to take it slowly, you have to choose where you where you want to go and then come back every time. You need a bit of uh Polynesia, for example, if you want to go to Rapanui, a bit of ice, if you want to go to Patagonia, a bit of wine. So it's a great mixture. I think our our contrast is one of um of the main things that this year is actually is is is finally getting in the head of our visitors, and and we're happy, we're quite happy with the results.

Speaker 2 8:11

And that's what I loved about uh my visit there. It was more than just obviously reconnecting with my roots, but it was uh seeing as as someone who's now had a chance to travel uh all over the world, uh luckily, that this is a destination that is a mosaic of experiences. And Jessica, even Santiago, the capital, uh wonderful cosmopolitan city, um, is itself a just a puzzle of different uh neighborhoods. Um I was in Barrio Italia over the course of several days. So this is you know sort of more of an Italian-themed neighborhood, easy to uh very pedestrian-friendly, amazing places to sit and eat and shop. But you have sort of this ethnically inspired series of neighborhoods that that create this one cosmopolitan epicenter that is that is Santiago. So, Jessica, even over the course of several days, you could stay in the capital and and really delve deep into the history and the and the culture there.

Speaker 1 9:06

Definitely. Well, by the way, we are located in Barro Italia. So next time you have to come and say hello.

Speaker 2 9:12

Okay, some great bakeries there, by the way, some wonderful final ideas close to you. Yeah, yeah.

Santiago’s Neighborhoods And New Energy

Speaker 1 9:17

Yeah, well, it's funny because you know that um before people from Santiago used to uh not feel very, you know, uh proud proud of the city. Actually, there is a uh very bad surname, which is Santiasco, which is like you know, something that is not good. But uh I would say after I mean uh 10-15 years ago, something started, you know, this kind of feeling proud of the city. Many neighborhoods have been, you know, being um uh you know trying to be relaunched as a um as a walkable area. We have several um concerts that people do, you know. We have um um theater festivals, we have music festivals, and um also cars and buses have been kind of leaving the streets and more uh giving more space for people to walk. Uh there are plenty, whereas plenty of parks in a way we have been working in order to have a more friendly and more human um kind of city, more than this hectic, very urban place. So Santiago also with all the restaurants, we are the capital, so we have the the a huge amount of restaurants and bars, so nightlife as well, not only cultural uh night um life, but nightlife as well is being you know in a kind of boost. So uh we used to be called before that we were a bit boring because we're not things here, not open all night long, but there is a lot of things to do here in Santiago.

City Life, Culture, And Late Nights

Speaker 2 10:58

But it's a pretty late, late life. Uh as I discovered with my cousins when they'd be getting ready to leave at about 11:30 p.m. And it's like, wait, uh I'm usually sort of like conquering down at that time. So it sometimes activity does go late into the night. If I may, Dan, suggest one thing that people do. If you're in Santiago, even if it's for the day, uh head up to the Cerro San Cristóbal, which is uh this beautiful uh mountaintop uh destination. You go up there by funicula, this very historic cable car um that takes you to the top. And that's just a beautiful way to just visually take in this city, hugged by the snow-capped Andes. So it shows you just the proximity to that beautiful uh mountain uh mountain chain. Um, and then you get to see what what's going on below you, this sort of like urban, uh, you know, exciting uh destination down below. But to me, that was one of the highlights of just get it hanging up there on this on this historic funicular and then just taking in the breadth of the views from there was absolutely uh stunning.

Rapa Nui’s Mystery And Stewardship

Speaker 3 11:58

Gabe, obviously I know how excited you are for this conversation, and given your Chilean history, I mean, this is the conversation that I am I am your co-host in this in this particular episode. But what I wanted to share with Jessica is that there's a real strong kinship uh uh for me, and I would say for other Canadians too, with Chile, and uh geographically we have so much in common. You when you uh uh uh for our listeners, if you might find this interesting, which is why uh you know many destinations always start with a geography, and it's one of the first questions I want to ask you because when you look at a map of Canada and look at a map of Chile, interestingly, the length of Chile is very similar to the width of Canada. So, like when you think about how big Canada is about 7,000 kilometers, Chile is about 5,000. When you look at the range within that, because a city like Santiago is very similar to a city like Toronto where I'm based. You know, you have about 7 million, there's roughly 10 million people in the greater Toronto area. Clearly, there's a similar concentration of people living in a large city. But if people go to Santiago or they go to Toronto, they're not seeing just Chile or Canada. They need to go and see the full country. It's like one of those things that's so to see Chile, even though I've been there twice, I still feel there's so much more to see. And this is where I wanted to make sure that all of our listeners had a true appreciation for the geography from your perspective, because there is you know six major regions. There's the deserts, the mountains, forests, glaciers, you've got two oceans. And uh we were staying on the um, you know, the far end of the world where people were you know leaving to go to the Antarctic, that was you know, that's that's a very unique part of the country, but also so is the whole region of Patagonia that many people have uh people are are at this very moment wearing their Patagonia jackets or sweaters. And so I I would love, if you wouldn't mind, Jessica, um, give us a bit of an overview and please too mention one of the places I'm still desperately keen to go, which was known for a long time as Easter Island, but more properly known as Rappa Nue, which is the um the indigenous name. That's what and some of the people that went on our trip did that as a pre-trip experience. They went to Rapanue and then came to Puerto Um Natales, where we're having the conference. But tell us a little bit more geographically, all the reasons why someone should consider traveling to Chile.

Community-Led Sustainability Across Regions

Speaker 1 14:22

Sure, sure. Well, as you said, we're very long, so you need to be very conscious about distances because Rapanui, um you you need to take the play the plane, obviously, to Santiago, and then it's a five-hour trip to Rapanui. Uh, it's the one is the most isolated point on earth. So around Easter Island is the most isolated point. So uh and you really feel it when you get there. Um Rapanui is an open-air museum. You have the whole island, it's actually a museum, and the um the most um famous uh feature there are this huge moai, which is these rock statues that uh were built by the old the the ancient people living there, which is still is the Rapanui culture, and they were built, created, nobody knows how. There are plenty of histories about that, like they were Martians, or they they still don't know how they how they did it because they are huge, and they were built in order to protect the island, they protect and protect the um uh the people living there. So it's a very it's a mixture of uh very kind of sacred mystic nature. You don't see buildings there, you don't see buses, there's just small carts around people go around with no shoes, horses, bikes. So it's this feeling of something very real, very local. Nothing is done for tourists, it's just real people leaving their island, which is lovely. In February, every February they have a um a very big party in the island called Tapati, and it's very famous, and many people go there then, but they it's funny because the the the actually the all the ceremonies they do, they're not meant to be for tourists. Obviously, tourists are invited, but it's the people you can see kids for from two-year-old dancing with old people that they're you know 85 and they choose queen and they they they have a king, and the king is not the most handsome, is the wiser or the one that carries more bananas, so it's fantastic, really. It's an amazing place. They say that um once you go there, probably you might not like it one day or two if you're not uh very if you are more like an urban person. But I went there once, and next time I had to go there for 15 days because really it's amazing, it's beautiful. If you like diving, um it's it's really an amazing, an amazing place. Obviously, um we are very conscious about how fragile it is as well. So we work a lot with the local authorities and environment authorities because obviously we don't want to promote it and then saturate it, which is to be very conscious because obviously people people live there and they they need to keep their resources for themselves. So uh, but it's I mean, it's something that you have to go. It's a Polynesian island, right five hours from Santiago. So if you want to combine Santiago and other destinations, and then uh fancy going to Polynesia, well, you can just go there five hours and it's fantastic, it's perfect. Great hotels as well, great food.

Cultural Confidence And September Fiestas

Speaker 2 17:53

When I was in in Tahiti in December, it was interesting to hear the locals there speak of Rappa Nui as sort of an extension of their own cultural experience, and I and that that sort of connected the dots for me, and you keep just going a little further, and you get to Chile. So that part of the world quite fascinating to be sure. Interesting balance to strike though, Jessica, to promote, because I think the remoteness, the authenticity, the genuineness of the Rapa Nui experience. You know, you got fewer than 5,000 people who inhabit this island. So there is now increasingly this desire to be able to tap this kind of a of day-to-day experience that we're so unfamiliar with because we're busy and we're tectic and it's crowded where we live. Uh to there is an appeal there, but it's so critical, in fact, to maintain that genuineness intact. Uh, how imp how important is that and how how tough is that to maintain? And I know that extends to other portions of Chile as well. In the south, we have this beautiful lake district, the Patagonia, the desert to the north. When we're talking about the natural wonders that comprise uh Chile, uh how relevant is that? And then how tough is it? What are the challenges that that presents to you as a destination that is obviously trying to get people to come experience these places?

Speaker 1 19:09

Yeah, we work a lot with communities. What we do actually, we don't just promote with no listening to them because obviously they they live there and at the same time they are kind of ambassadors but also guardians of their own land. So we we really work a lot with them. Um we don't want to um overpopulate the places because obviously for them it's not gonna be something it's not gonna be something nice anymore. You know, they wouldn't see tourism as something good for their community, but they will see it as a as a nuisance, as a big problem that don't well, we have we have some examples like that in the in the world right now. So uh communities are key. We want the communities to feel that they can develop their economy with tourism, but without without feeling uh threatened. They know that they they can feel that their their territories are protected, but also they can show it to the world at the end of the day. So I think communities is key. Um also it's key for them to know what they have, what they how lucky they are to have their the to live there in a in a place that people from all over the world want to come wants to come and visit. So we do um uh quite a lot, quite a quite an important work with communities, um training them, also making them feel proud of what they've got, and they are the best um you know, guardians of the place.

Wine Regions, Carmenere, And Harvest Time

Speaker 3 20:45

One of the things I wanted to ask you too, just about the culture of Chile, given obviously it is Gabe's homeland, and you know, no knowing the experience I had, which was quite profound traveling to Chile on this last uh trip in particular, um, is a bit more of the history and the culture of Chile, because as you just highlighted, you know, the Easter Island is a unique unto itself. But when we think about uh Chile, which um one other fact I want to share with our listeners is that like it's about a hundred uh miles wide on average, and this is just like so how narrow the country is. And when we traveled there, it was like four flights and and a bus to get to where we needed to get to. And so even if the route, even if the route is not direct, you have it it's it's a must-visit destination. And so uh but tell us a little bit about the culture because one of the things I got to experience, we were in uh uh Toros del Pene, which is a beautiful national park, that obviously you know, and I encourage everyone listening to this to look it up on uh on Google Maps and see some of the images. And your um CERNA tour was key to bringing this event to Chile, and one of the things that your team had organized, and this is why it's such a thrill to speak to you and have this conversation, but one of the bands you brought in was Las Jivas, and it was the most extraordinary experience for me seeing. All of the Chileans get so excited about this band that they know and love and trying to describe it to others. Is it like the Beatles? Is it like the Grateful Dead? It's like, who are these guys? And I've been listening to them ever since. And I was standing in the front, we got like effectively a private concert from this band that I couldn't believe I had never discovered before. I'm a huge music lover. So tell us a little bit more about that, the cultural experience of Chile. And by all means, I didn't realize you were there. Were you there for that event?

Atacama Desert, Stars, And Desert Bloom

Speaker 1 22:25

Yeah, I was there. Yeah, but there was a lot of people, and I was mainly working. So yeah, but I was there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, you know, it's funny because probably uh Gabe, you might be uh you might feel a bit um or you might agree with what I'm going to say. But I would say 20 years ago, um ever in Chile we had that feeling that everything that came from abroad was fantastic. And when you liked something local, you might feel a bit ashamed because obviously, I mean, if it comes from abroad, even if it is from the North Hemisphere, which is even better, uh it's gonna be better than what we had. And that was in every single aspect food, music, wine, um everything. Uh, and I would say that there is a change, like a culture change that we feel very proud, and we feel very proud. Actually, there is a very funny saying here which is um somos el pe el mejor país de Chile, which is like we're the best uh Chilean country of Chile, something very silly, but it shows that now we are proud, we are proud of our music, we're proud of our food, we are very proud of our wine, and uh and we we don't feel ashamed anymore, and we want to show it, and that is something that I remember we have well in September we have a local um um Independence Day, and it's a huge thing here. And before, when I started in tourism, um every time you were saying uh you were telling somebody to come here, we would say, but don't come in September because it's something very local, you wouldn't like it. And it's something that if you come here in September, I mean the whole country just goes crazy. I mean, you have music everywhere, springtime is starting as well, so the weather is beautiful, you have people eating and drinking everywhere, so it's a lot of fun, and and I think that's a big change. And we want to show everything. We have great music. Los Javes is one of the oldest groups that we have alive, but obviously we have Violeta Parra, we have much others.

Speaker 3 24:44

I'm thrilled that you were there. I can't believe we didn't meet in that particular moment, but uh clearly you were you were busy and we were having the most incredible time. But this is what the reason I wanted to highlight this because you made a comment there, and this is absolutely on point with the connection between Chile and and Canada, which is that you have so much to offer the world. That's very clear to me, and I do want to talk about wine and other things, but culturally, it's one of the reasons that people travel to destinations in 2026 and beyond. They're looking for deeper, more immersive travel, they're looking for transformational travel experience, they want to come back changed. It's something I deeply believe in, and I think Chile is uniquely positioned to offer that experience. And that's that was that was certainly my experience. And there's all these things that I've come back. I've I've almost exclusively drank Chilean wine since I've been back. And um great but but but one of the other things I just wanted to compliment this for those listeners that are trying to wrap their head around traveling to Chile is I had the privilege to uh to meet someone who's very well known there now, she's American, Chris Tompkins, who was married to Douglas Tompkins, who Chris Tompkins was the first CEO of Patagonia. I had a chance to interview her on this episode. Uh her husband, Douglas Sadly, passed away in a kayaking accident about 10 years ago. But he was the founder of North Face, and he became one of the biggest conservationists globally, but focused exclusively on Chile. I know they do work in Argentina as well. But I had a chance to meet her, and what I also then got a much better understanding of was just how important sustainability is to the culture of Chile, to the destinations that you got that you are, as you are bringing in more travelers, you're very conscientious of making sure it's done in a sustainable way and limiting the impact on the environment because the it is so incredibly beautiful that the reaction that you have, and I think why people like Douglas Tompkins and uh Eve Trinard from Patagonia and ultimately Chris moved down there is because Chile had that impact on them. It's an incredible love story you have to watch uh on Netflix. It's on Disney uh Wildlife. It's the uh the story, and it's if you watch that, you'll be booking your next flight to Chile. There's no question in my mind. But I just wanted to share that with our listeners. And but Gabe, please jump back in the conversation because I know you've got so many things you want to ask Jessica.

Airlift, New Parks, And Seasonal Planning

Pisco, Shared Traditions, And Must-Do Moments

Speaker 2 26:54

Well, it when Jessica was mentioning that difference uh over the span of the last couple of decades, that you know, I remember moving as a kid to the U.S., it it was almost like a celebrity send-off because my God, I mean, you know, going to the United States for a Chilean was, you know, the holy grail of of life experiences. And it's been fascinating to see as a as an adult how an appreciation for Chile, not from just abroad, but internally, uh, embracing uh our culture. And I think actually it's it goes hand in hand. I think as the world has wised up as a traveling community, all of a sudden a place like Chile uh becomes uh just that much more uh appealing and attractive, and it uh it does allow the population on the ground to sort of look around them and say, hey, you know what? Maybe something that I sort of discarded as not that important uh didn't make uh that much of an impact. Maybe I should lean into this and embrace it and celebrate it as genuinely my own as as a Chilean. And and going back last year, visiting with my cousins who are grown-ups now and parents uh and multiple generations, that was a tangible difference for me as well. And so when Jessica was mentioning that, it almost uh struck me uh emotionally to really feel like that is uh a shift uh on the ground, and I think travelers today benefit in a great way uh thanks to that. Now you mentioned sustainability, and I have to say, you know, part of the reason that Chile is on the best bets list is that the sustainability efforts that are so part and parcel to life there and to welcoming travelers there. 22% uh of Chile is natural reserve, national parks, and that does extend into the viticulture. More than 80% of all of the wines grown in Chile uh are are come uh produced on uh sustainable vineyards, uh organically uh uh biodynamically uh uh catered uh to vineyards. Uh and I think that viticulture world, as you know, Dan, is a fan of Chilean wines, Chilean wine is where value and quality collide. Uh, I don't think you can get better bang for the buck uh than uh any Chilean wine. And I got a chance to visit Jessica Conchay Toro, uh, which is home to a variety of different labels, but Don Melchor is a wine that the wine savvy community around the world knows this label. In fact, last year a wine spectator named the 2021 Don Melchor the best wine in the world. Uh it is a Cabernet Sauvignon made from grapes that are grown on different parcels of this estate vineyard and then blended to create what is an amazing wine, the Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon. Uh, but let's talk a little bit about viniculture, Jessica, because that in and of itself, as the rest of the world becomes savvier and more finicky about the quality and the provenance of the wines that they drink, Chile has so much to offer in that uh arena. How wine is produced and how on par with the other great wine regions in the world, like Central California, Bordeaux, France, etc., uh it it stands right uh amongst uh those wine-growing regions, to be sure.

Speaker 1 29:55

Yeah, sure. Well, we have um we have been well, the wine has been our ambassadors way longer than tourism was. So, in a way, we have a lot of to thank to the wine industry because in a way put us in the eyes of the world. And um we have a lot to offer for wine tourism as well, even very close to Santiago Conchitoro, you were mentioning, it's just an hour away from the city center.

Speaker 2 30:22

Such an easy drive. Easy drive, yeah.

Resources, Best Bets List, And Closing

Speaker 1 30:24

Very easy, and um uh it's funny also because we have the the classical valleys like Casablanca, Colchawa, Maipo, which are very renowned, and they have a very good offer for tourism as well. You can go there, make your own wine, uh, have uh different uh wine tasting, uh seeing the procedures, you know, like the standard stores, but also uh lately we have been also in this in this same uh kind of shift that we were mentioning before, uh giving a lot of um importance to all um types of of wine and uh um vines.

Speaker 2 31:08

Vines, yeah.

Speaker 1 31:09

All vines that before they used to be uh only for mass, you know, for the for the priest to to drink some or to for the for the church. Uh but then now like pais or sans or other grapes that were a bit, you know, um look like you know not very well, but now we're very proud of them and this and and they're make this kind of natural or very kind of uh uh more kind of countryside wine, and it's a big movement now here, and that you can go and see those places as well and being part of them. You can um work with the with the people there just for the for the harvest time, you can do your own like stomping grapes for the for that. So it's not just drinking it, but also living the culture around wine because it's something that we have been doing here for quite a long time. And also, besides from wine now, we have been we're very much into gin distilleries actually doing in Patagonia. There is one, I don't know if you tried some of the gin we had there, also, and beers. Well, but obviously in Chile, well, pisco as well, but in Chile, wine is the is the king.

Speaker 3 32:23

Uh let's make sure the wine regions, because clearly all of our listeners know Gabe loves wine, he's based in Southern California, and even what he just shared there, he's like he has got a side hustle in the wine business, that's clear. And uh so he knows his wine. I was actually just trying to figure out which ones he was referring to, but I'll I'll ask him later because I definitely need to try some more. But I want to make sure all of our listeners understand the wine regions within Chile because they've seen them on their shelves, but they may not have a understanding of exactly where they're cultivated. They've heard of Malbex and like these big, rich, red, uh, delicious wines. Um, tell and which you know they can have with a delicious steak or uh lamb for that matter. So, like I do want to talk about cuisine, but yeah, tell everyone a little bit more about the wine regions that they should make sure they visit on a trip to Chile.

Speaker 1 33:10

Yeah, well, it it will depend on where you move, because before they were all very focused on the central area, but now because of the climate change as well, we have um uh wineries starting from uh La Serena, which is up north, uh like um I would say uh two seven hours from Santiago, going up north, but then you have all the way down to Patagonia, even very the region just before uh Magallanes, which is deep Patagonia, we have wine there, Pinot Noirs for cool climate, they are doing great there. So the the array of the of the white of the valleys that we used to have, it's much longer now. But obviously, the most uh popular ones are right in the center. Uh Casablanca and Leda for whites because they are close to the coast, and then you have Colchagua and uh well, you have Maipo as well, which are the very famous ones for reds, and our our kind of flag um grape is Carmener, because Carmener um was thought to be um to to have extinct. Extinct, yeah. Yeah, and it was confused for Merlot for many years.

Speaker 2 34:26

They thought it was Merlot until they did some DNA research, yeah.

Speaker 1 34:29

Exactly, exactly, because there was this Philoxeta thing in France and they thought it was dead. But then at some point, Chilean Merlot started to get exported, and then at some point somebody said, Well, this is not Merlot, it's Carmener. So that's why, in a way, it's it's our it's our kind of um signature um grape.

Speaker 2 34:53

Yeah, it's it's what it what what Malbec might be toward the Argentinians, car Carmenere, Carmenere would be uh would be for Chileans. And it's if you like you know those lambs or steaks, Dan, if you're you're accustomed to Bordeaux blends, Carmenere on its own uh out of Chile uh is on par with some of those great Merlots. And and what's cool about the Chilean wine-growing region, Dan, is that uh, and and I cover, as you know, the wine industry here in California. Uh much of the the great wine growing uh in California happens about 34 and a half, 35 degrees north of the equator, and many of these great wine-growing regions in Chile, 34 and a half, 35 degrees south of the equator. So there is that that uh interesting sort of dichotomy there that uh uh speaks to the fact that both of these regions for just geography and topography alone create these wonderful wines. And from an experience standpoint, I was there in May of last year, the tail end of harvest season, but because Chile is in the southern hemisphere, the harvest season is now, it starts February, uh, March into and tapers off in May. So for folks looking to do escape the winter doldrums, uh, Chile becomes a great viticultural destination this time of year because harvest is just getting launched, there's a buzz in the air, you're you're getting into these in these vineyards, and as as uh Jessica mentioned, many of them are a quick half-day trip, day trip out of uh the capital of Santiago, so very easy to fold into uh a trip down to uh to the capital of Chile.

Speaker 3 36:16

And one other thing I wanted to ask you too, Jessica, because I'm very keen to get back to Chile, and some of the people I was traveling with had been to Atacama, the desert beforehand and were raving about northern Chile that I've not experienced. And literally my first trip to Chile was Santiago, a little bit of Patagonia, and that was uh that was it. But I I realized on my last trip I was there for two weeks, and it and there was so much more to explore and to understand, but also there's so much to go back for. And so I want to make sure that for anyone that is considering traveling to Chile in 2026 and beyond, or anyone that's considering going back to Chile like me, that you share with us all the key destinations, or at least the the main ones that we can cover with our time together. I know I've mentioned um we've talked about Rapanui, we've um the um I've mentioned Torres Dal Pagne, which I would love for you to share a little bit more about Patagonia and why people should travel to Patagonia and how the best way to do it, hiking, you know, cycling, as I uh had the great fortune to do. I know it's great for photographers. Um, but then also Atacama, which is such a fascinating part of the world because this is a little factoid for all of our um uh geography fans like me and my son, who uh whenever we get those quiz questions, because it's the driest non-polar desert in the world, because the question from quiz night is like no one realizes that Antarctica is the largest desert in the world. It doesn't seem to make sense, right? So, but uh I would say this is a far more exciting desert. So tell us a little bit more about the yeah, the other key regions that people should make sure that they put into their itinerary traveling to Chile.

Speaker 1 37:51

Sure. Well, let's start from the north, um which is it this will be the first big area, you know, of Chile, just after Peru. We are we have we share boundaries with Peru. And then we have the Atacama Desert. The Atacama Desert is quite big, it's huge. It has uh three almost four different regions, and uh the the the thing is the Atacama Desert has something very particular that happens from time to time in September, which is as you said, the driest desert on earth, but it blooms. It blooms because at some point where there were seeds sleeping, you know, deep sleeping, and sometimes we get this rain, which is very odd, because obviously it's the driest desert on earth, and then when it rains more than you know what is um regular because it would they do get a bit, uh it blooms, but it blooms in a huge amount of um area where you can smell the flowers. This desert that is you know um brown and and and dry, you see everything in different colors. And this is actually now a national park, all the area is huge. You can find different types of flowers there. So it's uh for scientifics, also it's it's fantastic to go there because uh, from the point of view of science, it's something so unique. It's uh it's an event so so particular that you have to go there, and for you to go just like a tourist is fantastic. You didn't need to move that far. You even if you go to the main big road that connects the whole of America, you can see it huge, you know, um carpets of flowers, pink, uh, yellow, and it's beautiful. And and it's it doesn't happen every every year. So you need to be very um, you know, you know, you you need to be very well informed because, for example, this year we had it, but then you don't know how it's gonna be for next year. So that is something that you have to see. And then obviously, the meh the most um uh famous uh area within Atacama Desert is San Pedro Atacama, which is a little town, and it's funny because it's an oasis within this desert. So when you think of a desert which is kind of dry and and with not much life, it's totally the opposite. You have a um uh a little town where even wine is good it's being done there because um San Pedro has a wine has a wine there being produced because it has uh as it is an oasis, it has some water, and you have plenty of birds. It's great for bird watching, for uh animals there. Um also the culture there is it's very it's it's very important. People um kind of live very proud of their of their own culture. So you can see all of that, the colors of the desserts, you know, the the the early mornings, the afternoons, you can do cycling, it's it's it's great for adventure travels. Well, hotels there, the the amount of offer you have in restaurants and all that is fantastic, and it's uh really all year-round destinations because the weather is always fantastic. You have um almost every year it's a sunny day, uh every day is a sunny day, and also the sky is so clear that you even have um observatoires there. One of the most important observatoires in the world is actually an hour away from San Pedro Atacama. It's not a tourist one, it's a scientific one, but you can visit it as well, which is Alma. I don't know if you remember the last great pictures of the universe that they were on the news, it was taken there. So uh it's a it's a great place to enjoy nature as well.

Speaker 2 41:57

What Jessica just mentioned, Dan reminds me that one of the great memories I have um uh growing up, and and definitely when I went back, is that night sky. So, yeah, obviously that observatory up in the Atacama Desert, world renowned. Um but because so much of Chile is natural, wide open space, light pollution in a lot of these areas is is minimal or non-existent. And there is a you you you see the night sky in a way that just it blows your mind, and you see shooting stars. And I've got cousins who are convinced those are actual UFOs, uh, especially when you go to the south. There's a lot of their communities that really sort of uh look at lights moving in the sky that uh, you know, but it it's it opens your mind to uh the the tapestry that is the sky above and the constellations that honestly I had never experienced or seen before had been enveloped by this until I was in these remote, dark, open, natural spaces, uh both in in the desert and certainly in the south, you have these great opportunities. So if you're into dark tourism, if you're looking to get away from light pollution, if you want to really embrace and and take in the awesomeness of the sky above uh uh in the dark of night in a way that you haven't before, I think Chile uh is uh is a tough place to be.

Speaker 3 43:13

Well, one of the things I want to make sure we do cover too, because I could talk about Chile clearly. Um we could do a whole series just on Chile, and I'm so happy to have you back again. But one of the things I want to talk about is why Chile in 2026? Because I know this is on Travel Zoo's best bets destination for U.S. travelers, and that makes total sense because American Airlines has opened up nonstop service from Miami, um, direct to Santiago, but there's clearly more air capacity from Canada, from many global destinations to Chile. Obviously, there's great value uh for money. There's clearly so many extraordinary places to explore, which is what I obviously really wanted to highlight to anyone that's trying to wrap their head around traveling to Chile. But I'm very keen to know, Jessica, from your vantage point, what's particularly special about 2020? In terms of festivals, events, are there certain things that are happening this year that make it worth people making sure they travel to Chile in 2026?

Speaker 1 44:09

Well, besides from connectivity that you just mentioned, that in a way it gets us closer to the US. Well, we have been working, we're still working more and more in sustainability and nature and protection. We have a new, we will have a new park this time. You mentioned Chris Tompkins before. They have been working in in several areas where they belong that they belong to them and they're still trying to work on them to protect them and create new parks. So we're gonna have a new park. Also in Patagonia, there was one of the pre-tours as well for the for the summit. Um so you have to come see it, obviously. Um, and there's some much more other um um seasons uh related to nature that you do the US traveler has to come here this year. One of them is obviously uh visiting this new park, but also uh we have all the events that are coming up. I mean, we have the harvesting season starting just now. In wintertime, we have great ski resorts, and you can have a great mixture of uh wine and and ski, and uh you know, having that feeling that you can be skiing in the morning and visiting the ocean Pacific in the afternoon, being uh in a UNESCO heritage site like Valparaíso is eating seafood and drinking pisco sour. So uh you need to come and try that, uh, even if you don't have enough time, just you know, a week in Santiago, just like we said before, it'll be a great plant, and then it will have a little, you know, taste of what to expect for the next trip.

Speaker 2 45:58

And you know, Jessica glossed over the pisco sour mention there, Dan. But uh I I I love ribbing my Peruvian friends. I think I grew up thinking convinced that Chile invented pisco. I think maybe the Peruvians did, but I'd say that Chile maybe perfected it if I if I may, uh be so bold. Uh and what was neat was visiting uh when we were visiting the these restaurants that that uh the uh pisco is sometimes you know it's piscola and chile, you know, pisco with Coca-Cola, uh pisco sours. But pisco on its own, when you have these higher-end, high uh sort of handcrafted piscos that uh that are sipping piscos was a whole new discovery for me as well in some of these little cafes there in Santiago. So that um that in addition to the wines, I think pisco is is definitely uh worth uh worth discovering there, uh to be sure. So pisco sours. I know the Peruvians love their pisco, some great stuff, but uh I'm gonna I'm partial to the Chilean stuff, Dan.

Speaker 1 46:49

We're neighbors, so there's no problem. It's like wine with Argentinians, yeah.

Speaker 2 46:53

Pisco brings us brings us together, doesn't it? At the end of the day, yeah, definitely.

Speaker 3 46:57

Well, just on that note of having like a uh a Chilean pisco sour or being able to see the sky from the desert, or you know, there's there's so many moments that stood out to me from my trip, but I would love, if you wouldn't mind, as we um prepare to close off. I want to make sure we leave someone, uh leave all of our listeners with uh uh a Chilean moment that you would recommend that they experience when they're there. And then obviously I'm keen to make sure that everyone knows where to find out more information about um uh traveling to Chile and any other recommendations you have. But yeah, leave us if you wouldn't mind, uh Jessica, with what you'd recommend, or you can even share a few with us for that matter of um a Chilean moment that you shouldn't miss.

Speaker 1 47:38

You know, I'm gonna be part of this shift of being proud of our traditions, and I think that you have to come in September for our national independence day and all the we have at least a week of uh music, food, dancing. People are happier in the street, the whole city is just dressed up, you know, and and and it's something so local, so real, not meant to be for tourists. And even people kind of invite you home, you know. Um people normally do barbecues at home, and and everybody's asking you, what are you doing today? Come home and have a wine, have a so it's um uh uh they say that even it it it brings us together more than Christmas here. So I think that you have to come and try that. A full week of happiness.

Speaker 2 48:32

Well, that's September 18th. September 18th, Dan, is is an independence day in Chile, but it is as uh Jessica mentions, it's a week-long uh uh affair and it is a party across the country uh that uh with open arms to be sure.

Speaker 48:45

And it's the same in the whole country from desert Atacama Desert to Patagonia, and so it's great.

Speaker 3 48:50

Well, I still remember what a magical moment it was when we were in Panama at ATWS Adventure Travel World Summit uh the year before when it was announced that Chile was the destination and the flags and the celebration, and I was so excited to be able to go back to Chile. Um, but it truly opened my eyes to what a beautiful uh and an extraordinary destination it is and how wonderful the people are. And just I can't wait. A lot of the friends and colleagues that were on that trip are coming to the ATTA event, which is in Quebec City and Canada this year. So hopefully we might see you there as well. It'd be great to meet you in person. But um, yeah, I want to just finish off, Gabe. I want to make sure that everyone um knows how to find out more information about Chile to plan their trips. Obviously, they can go to the Travel Zoo website if they're looking for any number of deals, become a member to be able to book a trip to Chile through many different tour operators and and different deals that are available. But in terms of people planning out their trip, I would love, if you wouldn't mind, Jessica, sharing with us what are some of the resources that you'd point people towards.

Speaker 1 49:48

Sure. We have just relaunched our website, which different features, you know, much more friendly also to get the information with chile.travel. So the trip has to start in chile.travel. We have plenty of information there, plenty of suggestions. So I think that will be the best.

Speaker 2 50:07

And as you mentioned, Dan on the Travel Zoo website, right on the homepage there, as well as in our blog, uh travelzoo.com/slash blog, uh our 2026 best bets list is there, all 10 destinations. Uh Chile, I'm assuming it's right on top of that list. But uh yeah, you get uh not only some of this insight that we've been uh delving into, but some practical trip planning ideas and just ways to kind of book uh uh book these uh these trips down there. Uh this has been a reminder to me, obviously, that you know, a lot of us think of you know, what's that one bucket list trip I'm gonna plan this particular year? And I think uh Chile might is is is one of those places that whether it's Patagonia, whether it's Rapanui uh Easter Island, uh you know, this is a bucket list sort of destination waiting to happen. So I think that delving into uh the showcase that we have on the Travelers website will help sort of uh folks uh wrap their heads around the breadth of experiences in Chile and uh and more uh sort of acutely plan uh uh a trip uh before the year is up because uh the year's already chugging along, as you know.

Speaker 3 51:10

Absolutely. Well, count me in for September and and definitely I'll look forward to keeping in touch about future travels to uh to Chile. Muchos gracias. I'm still working on my Spanish, but maybe one day we can do this again in Spanish. Duolingo, it's it's it's only so helpful sometimes. I need I need more practice with uh Spanish speakers than um than asking myself where the library is or can I get an apple. So I'm I'm work I'm working on it, but I uh it's it's wonderful uh to have had this conversation with you. Real pleasure to meet you. Thanks again for joining us and and wish you much success promoting Chile this year, and hopefully many people have learned about it from this episode and are keen to go. So thank you again, Jessica.

Speaker 2 51:51

Muchas gracias.

Speaker 1 51:52

Thank you, thank you very much.

Speaker 3 51:54

And Gabe, we finally did it. We went back to your homeland. How incredible was this conversation!

Speaker 2 51:58

So it was so great to just sort of recap uh something that's still so vibrant in my mind, and it's it's great. I went with my sons who are uh 20 and 17, and they we still talk about it. We still talk about you know the memories and wanting to go back. And as you know, I'm already uh I'm pretty set on going back uh in April. So in a couple of months, I'm gonna get to go back uh and um actually do a little broadcast media event around this best bets list and and really shed the spotlight on Chile. I think this whole episode pretty much mapped out what some of these broadcasts uh are gonna look like. Um we'll do them uh for TV stations across the U.S. and further promote uh this beautiful uh land of of mine, of ours, uh to uh to an American audience.

Speaker 3 52:40

Well, and I want all listeners to know too, Gabe, that when I first joined our recording, you were already speaking to Jessica in Spanish, and I just sat there just in delight uh seeing the two of you guys engage. And that's one of the beauties about travel and especially being able to speak a language because it's it's very uh different to utilize a translation tool. And even when I was in Chile most recently, um when two people are speaking broken English to each other, I'm trying to uh with many of the people I met, I was speaking using Google Translate, and I have, as we're recording this, my AirPod 3s, which allow for voice translation. I bought these specifically for that reason because I watch all of this programming in Spanish with English subtitles. I never obviously watched anything that is dubbed uh for all the obvious reasons, and I discourage anybody from doing that, trying to learn the language. But really, seeing someone's passion in their own voice, in their own um language is really meaningful. And so the people I spoke to, we would use Google Translate, and I would be so much more expressive, and they would be with me, and then we would laugh at some of the translations, and it was like it was such a wonderful connection. But for me, it just deepened my desire uh to speak Spanish and be able to have the conversation too with you, Gabe, and with it with Jessica. So that is my commitment to you both, but especially to you, Gabe, because we've been hosting these together. You've kindly, you know, this is episode nine. We have one more to go next week where we're bringing in your colleague, as you know, Susan from the Toronto office and Travel Zoo, head of publishing for Canada, to round out our 10 part series. And so I look forward to obviously speaking to you on that one next episode. Um, so thank you again for being a part of this, and I look forward to get speaking to you again next week.

Speaker 2 54:26

We'll call that's why you call it in Spanish, travel trends, tendencias de viajes, uh, with the with you, Dan. So it's it's a treat. Obviously, this was a particularly fun episode for me. Uh, but I look forward to uh joining you for our last, for closing this beautiful series out next week. Uh, and I look forward to that uh in a big way.

Speaker 3 54:43

Well, this is a perfect way to do it. So yeah, thank you again to Jessica for being here to highlight Chile. Thank you again to you, Gabe, for being such a key part of all of these episodes. And also for all of our listeners, thank you so much for joining us for this conversation for our Travel Zoo, Travel Trends Best Bets series for 2026. We do post clips and highlights on our social channels, which you can find on YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn at Travel Trends Podcast. And as you've heard me say throughout this series, just like all of our team members at Travel Trends, you have to get a Travel Zoo membership, which you can do starting at just one dollar for the first month. So go to travelzoo.com to become a member to take advantage of travel deals to Chile and many of the other amazing destinations we featured on this series and throughout the year. And until next week, safe travels.