Multi-Day Trips From Santiago
Santiago is Chile’s hub, not its destination for a second week, and the country’s best-known landscapes all sit a flight or a long bus ride out from here.
San Pedro de Atacama, the northern desert
A 2-hour flight from SCL to Calama (CJC) on LATAM, SKY, or JetSMART, from USD 40 to 120 one way, connects to a 75-minute shuttle into San Pedro de Atacama at 2,400 meters. Three to five days there covers Valle de la Luna, the El Tatio geysers at 4,320 meters, and the high-altitude salt flats; chile.travel has the current seasonal notes for each site. San Pedro de Atacama multi-day packages are bookable on GetYourGuide . This is real altitude, unlike Santiago itself, so plan an easy first day and drink more water than usual.
Torres del Paine and Chilean Patagonia
A 3.5-hour direct flight from SCL reaches Punta Arenas (PUQ) or, seasonally, Puerto Natales (PNT), the gateway to the W Trek or the full O Circuit in Torres del Paine National Park. Either route needs 4 to 7 days, and the trekking season runs October through April. Compare places to stay in Puerto Natales on Booking.com before booking flights, since refugios and campsites along the trail book out months ahead in peak season.
The Lake District, Puerto Varas and Chiloé
A 1-hour 40-minute flight from SCL to Puerto Montt (PMC) opens up 3 to 4 days around Lake Llanquihue, Osorno Volcano, Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, and the wooden UNESCO churches of Chiloé Island. This is a gentler pace than Patagonia or Atacama, closer to a lakes-and-volcanoes road trip than a trek.
Overland to Mendoza, Argentina
Turbus, Andesmar, and Cata Internacional run a 7 to 8 hour scenic bus from Terminal Alameda, roughly USD 35 to 55 each way, climbing the Caracoles switchbacks of the Paso Internacional Los Libertadores at 3,200 meters, with Mount Aconcagua visible before the descent into Mendoza’s Malbec country. Check current Turbus international schedules before booking, since the pass closes for snow at short notice in winter.
Verdict
Atacama and Mendoza both work as add-ons to a Santiago trip without a domestic flight taking over your itinerary; Patagonia and Chiloé are commitments in their own right and deserve their own week. For single-day options that don’t require an overnight, see the Santiago day trips guide .
Before you go
Book the SCL-Calama or SCL-Punta Arenas flight as early as you can; both routes see fewer daily departures than the domestic trunk routes and prices climb fast inside two weeks of departure.