Recommend May 2012 - (Page 21)

with sea views come with a small balcony. Public areas include a small breakfast room, library and roof deck; WiFi is complimentary. Rates start at $116. Chiloe is one of those destinations best organized by a good tour operator, either on site or through a U.S. South America specialist. Tops for us is U.S.-born Britt Lewis, director of Austral Adventures, which conducts multi-day hikes along the island’s wild northwest coast as well as sea kayak trips. Additionally, the travel company now offers its clients exclusive use of The Tower, the most fanciful, one-of-a-kind seaview B&B ever, which has its own kitchen and includes a breakfast in its $80 rate. Recommend clients indulge in curanto, the justly famous Chilote meal, traditionally prepared in a hole in the ground into which mussels, clams, beef, pork, chicken, sausage and potatoes are layered over hot rocks, covered with earth and steamed for hours— similar to a New England clambake. From Castro, clients should head to the morning Feria Artesanal held in the village of Dalcahue (Thursday and Sunday), a picturesque port on the eastern side of Chiloe, backed by a misty landscape of rolling green hills, weathered shingled houses and beautiful churches. Artisans come from nearby islands to sell their goods: baskets, rugs, ponchos, socks, and mittens but especially thick, handknit wool sweaters. From there, travelers should take the ferry ride to Quinchao Island, visiting the ﬁnely preserved antique houses in Curacao de Velez, eating oysters and continuing to Achao to see the region’s oldest church. A few things to do in Chiloe include kayaking along the Puntra River, hiking in the Chiloe National Park, horseback riding on the Rilan Peninsula and boating out to Punihuil Island, one of the only places in the world where Humboldt and Magellanic penguin habitats overlap. It’s also an important playground for seabirds and marine otters. Austral Adventures’ specialty, however, is exploration of the archipelago’s inner waters and points south via the 50-ft. motor yacht Cahuella, whose exterior resembles a traditional Chilote ﬁshing boat but whose interior offers contemporary comforts. Two U.S. tour operators, Adventure Life and Latin American Escapes, each offers a 5-night package that includes a ﬁrst night on Chiloe Island for touring and visiting the Penihuil penguin colony, followed by a 4-night cruise aboard the Cahuella, sailing among the islands and fjords of the archipelago, visiting small ﬁshing villages, as well as hiking, birdwatching and bathing in the hot springs of Pumalin Park. Both tour offerings are priced at $1,775 pp dbl, starting and ending in either Puerto Montt or Puerto Varas and including double cabin accommodations, all meals (with beer and wine) and snacks, excursions, expert guides, taxes and limited liability insurance. the atacama desert Travelers return to Santiago for LAN Airlines’ 2-hour ﬂight to Calama, gateway to the 700-mile-long Atacama Desert region, a stark and magical desert landscape dotted with salt lakes and geysers, archaeological sites, volcanoes and timeless oasis villages. This is an all-seasons frontier that is high, dry and ripe for adventure travel. Atacama is about as off the beaten path as one can get, or rather it used to be before a bevy of stylish new hotels and lodges brought the good life to a very remote place. Bordered by the Paciﬁc Ocean and the majestic Andes, the Atacama is the world’s driest desert. There are expanses where indeed nothing grows, yet occasional rains trigger blooms popping up from seemingly nowhere. The myriad colors, forms and textures of its unusual landscapes take your breath away: go for sunset in Valle de may 2012 21

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend May 2012

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk: Salamander Hotels & Resorts
Tour Talk: Worldwide Traveler
Viking Longships Invade European Waters
In Chile: Going to Extremes
India Travel Planner 2012
Devon & Cornwall: England's Peerless Destinations
Israel & Jordan: The Wellspring of Spirituality
Top Golf Resorts: North America
Top Golf Resorts: Caribbean & Bermuda
Top Golf Resorts: Mexico

Recommend May 2012