but food plentiful and community spirit abounds,with nightly gatherings to enjoy a pisco sour,Chile's traditional drink.SKORPIOSThe vessels Skorpios II and III follow threedifferent routes through the channels and fjordsof Chilean Patagonia on cruises lasting betweenthree and five nights. The itineraries visit thefringes of either the Northern or SouthernPatagonian Ice fields between Puerto Montt andPuerto Natales. The boats have a capacity of upto 130 passengers, with well-furnished, modernen suite cabins on a number of decks, and agood menu of local Chilean cuisine. Dailyexcursions by motor launch take you to explorethe mainland, cruise through the dramaticicebergs, or up to the face of huge glaciers.NOCTILUCAA 20 metre motor yacht which can sail intoplaces that the bigger boats cannot, theNoctiluca offers a unique and intimate sailingexperience with personalised itineraries aroundthe beautiful and remote Aisén region. Noctiluca was constructed on Chiloé Island from a unique Patagonian wood that has beenused for centuries by the local mariners, andsleeps four to eight passengers. It has acomfortable lounge area, spacious outer decksand the food and wine is of the highest quality.A truly exclusive experience.CRUCEROSAUSTRALISFinally, to the very tip of the continent. TheBeagle Channel and Cape Horn (weatherpermitting!) are two of the highlights of the'Cruceros Australis' cruises that sail the watersbetween Punta Arenas in Chile and Ushuaia, on Tierra del Fuego in Argentina, on three andfour night voyages. There are daily excursions to see glaciers, elephant seal and penguincolonies, plus lectures from the knowledgeableguides, as well as evening entertainment.Comfortable cabins and plentiful food and drink mean these trips are a fabulous way toexperience some of the remotest parts of thecontinent in a little bit of comfort. The cruisesoperate from September to April, withoccasional sailings in the winter months.Chile's unique ribbon-like shape gives it over4,300 kilometres of coastline stretching downthe west coast of South America. The bottomthird of this coastline is a fragmented landscape,as if this part of Chile was once dropped on thefloor and it shattered into a thousand pieces.This means that there are many fjords, islets,archipelagos and peninsulas to explore, andthere is no better (indeed there is no other)way to explore this fascinating territory than bytaking to the water. This can be done either as a day trip, on a longer journey as a means ofgetting from place to place, or on a relaxingcruise as a key part of your Chile trip.NAVIMAGNavimag operate passenger ferries (carryingbetween 100 and 250 people) between PuertoMontt and Puerto Natales, a journey that isimpossible to complete by road on the mainlanddue to the obstacle of the Southern PatagoniaIce Field. They also operate various other routesin the area which are ideal for travellers, localsand cargo alike. Joining the ferry offers you theunique chance to see the fjords and coastline of southern Chile go by at a leisurely pace,allowing you plenty of time to spot dolphins and whales along the way, as you wind yourway through narrow channels and along the side of spectacular glaciers. The atmosphericjourney takes three nights and leaves you at thegateway of Torres del Paine. Cabins are basicChile by water110Skorpios IINoctiluca

www.audleytravel.com/chile ?01993 838 640 ?Chile111luxurious style considering the remoteness ofthe terrain. There are also other less expensiveoptions for those not staying at the Explora.These trips stay in simpler places with lesscreature comforts, but all use sturdy 4x4s, a pre requisite for the region.The CentreDriving yourself from Santiago down to theChilean Lake District is a wonderfully relaxingfew days along good roads, via some of the bestwine-producing regions in the country. Once inthe Lake District, you will find some of the bestself-driving opportunities in South America, withgood roads that skirt by emerald green lakes,wind around volcanoes and pass through smallpicturesque towns. To the north of the region you will find thetown of Pucón nestled under the VillarricaVolcano and as you travel south from here youenter one of the most indigenous parts of Chile.The Huilo Huilo Nature Reserve lies on theother side of the volcano, and is full of ancientwoodland, remote lakes and a deep sense ofhistory and tradition rooted in the MapucheIndian past. Driving south you enter a regionthat was heavily populated by Germanimmigrants in the 19th century. This is the mostcommonly visited part of the region, focusedaround the town of Puerto Varas. Having a carhere allows you the flexibility to explore theregion at your own pace. Driving over into the Argentinian Lake District is possible, but one of the quirks of the hire carset up is that it can be prohibitively expensive toreturn a hire car to a different country, so wewould recommend looping back into Chile. For the more adventurous there is the option of driving further south, down into the Aisénregion. Mainly on unpaved roads, and with theneed for some ferries, this can be a challengingtrip, but it is through some of the most pristineareas of Chile, much of it national parks. Thereare lodges along the route, which becomesmore rugged as you travel south. Finally, you cango no further, the road stops at the settlementof Villa O'Higgins as the Southern Patagonian IceField proves an impassable barrier.The SouthBelow the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, roadsstart up again, and exploring this end of Chile byroad is all about long journeys across wide openexpanses of Patagonian steppe. Driving yourselfaround Torres del Paine National Park is aninteresting way of seeing the magnificent sceneryat your own pace, giving you a little moreflexibility to explore on your own rather thanbeing in a group.As well as the 4,300 kilometres of coastline,Chile's unique geography also creates somewonderful opportunities for road travel, eitherwith a driver on some of the more challengingterrain, or driving yourself. Independent self-drive in South America as a whole is not alwaysthe easiest thing in the world, even forexperienced independent travellers, because ofundeveloped roads, a lack of 'road etiquette'and sparse road signs. Chile, however, is anexception and offers fantastic opportunities toexplore under your own steam. The romanticnotion of driving from top to bottom of thecountry is actually an impossibility though, as the Southern Patagonia Ice Field bisects thecountry, and the roads cannot cross it.The NorthOne of the most spectacular overland trips inthe world is between southwestern Bolivia andChile's Atacama Desert. This is a trip where youdefinitely need to be a passenger and let anexpert who knows the area do the driving, asmuch of it is off-road amongst the Salar deUyuni salt flats (see page 30), volcanoes andcolourful lagoons. The scenery is breathtaking,from seeing the curvature of the earth whenstanding on the dazzling white salt, to thedescent into the oasis town of San Pedro deAtacama. The Explora hotel (see page 107)arranges a travesía ('journey') from its propertyin San Pedro up through this area, in incrediblyChile by roadTypical road, northern Chile