Obtaining Cuban Visa from Cuban Consulate in Cancun, Mexico

We obtained ours from the Cuban Consulate in Cancun. It took around a couple hours, including travel from the Hotel Zone.

Before Traveling : First reach out to the Consulate via Email providing details of your trip –Link. Provide details of your visit, like where and when are you entering and exiting etc. They will respond to you within a day or so, asking you to share with them copies of your Hotel Reservation,  Roundtrip flight tickets, Bank Statments/Credit Card and Passport. Then a day or two before the flight you can visit them (9 am to 1pm, Monday to Friday) to receive your visa. Carry the same as hardcopies with you and couple of Passport Photographs.

During the Visit : The Cuban consulate can be located on Google maps and is best reached via a Taxi. Ring the bell and state your purpose so that they’ll let you in. Once in, there is just a waiting room and a counter. Approach the counter window and they will provide you a form to fill. Complete the form, return it to them with Photograph and Passport in original. If they have trouble locating your documents sent earlier by mail, handover the hardcopies. After 15-20 minutes, they will give you the Visa, upon which you have to make the payment in Mexican Pesos (~365 MXPs then pp, changes as per FX). That’s it! You get the same Tarjet de Turista Card, with your details typed in and an Official Seal of the Consulate.

Obtaining Cuban Visa from Cuban Embassy in New Delhi, India

If you are planning to fly in to Cuba from India, then you must obtain the same Visa from the Cuban Embassy in New Delhi. I do not have experience, but basis my email exchange with the Embassy ( the process was explained as follows :

The passengers require a visa before they arrive to Cuba.They should process the visa from one month to one week before the date you will be traveling.Our requirements to apply for a tourist visa are:

• Valid passport
• Visa application form duly filled and a passport photo.
• Reservation confirmed of hotel or house authorized for rent at least per 3 days.
• Roundtrip e-ticket. Going from India and coming back to India

For citizen from India, Bangladesh and Nepal also it is necessary to present:

• Notarized affidavit in which the person declares that only visit Cuba for tourism purposes and not for other activities
• Bank statement showing that the person has enough money to spend inCuba.

Cash payment of 8400.00 rupees if the person uses an agency for the visa processing or 6400.00 rupees if the person comes in. If you apply one day the next day you will have the visa, only if all the documents are correct

To find out the requirements of business visas, work, events, diplomats, journalists you should call to 9821495450

If you need any travel agency to send us documents from anywhere in India you may contact Mr. Nilesh Dhamelia whose contact details are as follows:

Rohan Travels, 501, Competent House, F-Block, Middle Circle, Connaught Place, New Delhi-01.(M)+91-9811-52-9464 or +91-9350-059446

It is advised you check with the Consulate for the exact process before planning the trip. Above is purely based on our experience in Jan 2017.

Even if you have the above visa, you might be stopped at the Immigration and questioned. This is normal. They will ask you why are you here, for how long, where are you staying, where are you going next etc. But once they get these answers and see that you have the visa from the consulate, they will let you enter with a smile

Please do post a comment below if you have any Questions.

Cienfuegos

After a long drive through highway, we reached the small town of Cienfuegos. Located in the southern coast of Cuba, Cienfuegos is an old settlement originally started by French Immigrants in 19th century. It still retains its French classical charm and is listed as one of UNSECO World Heritage sites.

On the Road

We left Cienfuegos and continued on through winding scenic country roads to our next destination. Here are some pictures from the journey.

Trinidad

Finally we reached our next destination – Trinidad – the oldest town in Cuba, dating back to 1500s. This is another UNESCO World Hertiage site, because of the beautifully maintained Spanish Colonial architecture.

The Historic area of the town is purely pedestrian, except for cars of few locals who reside inside. The moment you step inside you are greeted with pastel coloured colonial houses with wrought iron grills and cobblestone paths.

The historic area can be covered in foot in an hour or two. After the tour, our guides dropped us at our B&B – a beautiful colonial house facing the main square in the historic centre itself!

A walk around the town after the guided tour is a must. This gives you enough time to observe the people and architecture and of course, take photos in peace!

Way back…

After spending the night in Trinidad, next day we returned in the morning to Havana. One thing we noticed on the highway were the propaganda hoardings. Here are few of them

We swam in a few simple Cenotes in Coba, after climbing the Pyramid (Read here).  But many of them are openings to vast cave systems that go deep underground. Some of them have been well-explored and mapped by experienced divers, so that lesser experienced divers can visit them safely. These flooded caves and caverns present a unique environment – cave formations, crystal clear still water and sunlight effects – presents truly an out of the world experience for those who are brave enough to venture in.

Open Water vs. Cavern vs. Cave Diving

First it is important to differentiate between diving in an Open Water, Cavern and Cave.

Open Water divers always have air to surface in emergency, like in open sea. But in Cavern and Cave diving, there is an overhead, preventing the diver from ascending for air in case of emergency. However in Cavern diving, there is always a fast exit to the Open water environment and surface light is available at all points. The dive path is clearly marked with a guide line and you don’t require specialised dive equipment. This kind of dive can be attempted if you have an Open Water Certification and there is a Cave Diving instructor to guide you. When you dive Caverns, you’ll come across the entrances to caves, and must never venture there. Cave diving is the most dangerous of them all and require specialised training and equipment. Most deaths are when people don’t follow instructions (See this Video)

Diving Dos Ojos Cenote Caverns

I signed up with CenotXperience Team in Playa del Carmen for a day of Cenote diving. They picked me up from the Hotel in the morning and drove to their office in town. After finishing the formalities, we drove to the dive sites. This was the first time I was going to the dive site on land, usually it’s via boat !

The Original plan was to dive in a cenote called Chac-Mool. But when we reached there, the authorities requested submission of additional documents as Government had made rules more strict due to a recent death of diver! Not encouraging moment for first time cavern diver! So our guide took us to Dos Ojos, where all the papers where in order for him.

Dos Ojos means Two Eyes in Spanish. This is because of the shape of the Cenote. There are two eyes or caves that provide access to the system. From here, there are two established routes – Barbie Line and Bat Cave. Barbie line is named so, because at the end of the line where you turn back, there is a barbie doll figure, and Bat Cave, because there is cave full of bats en route!

We first did the Bat Cave Line, followed by Barbie Line. It was a surreal experience. Initially it started a bit scary, with no air above to surface and near dark situation! However, within a few minutes, I got used to it. All I had to do was relax and follow the dive master. Here is the video summarising my experience.

Diving in freshwater, that too underground was a entirely different experience vs diving in the sea! First thing that you realise is that your buoyancy is completely different in freshwater, requiring less weights. Then, the water is extremely clear. At Certain point you feel as if you are floating in air. The hand signals used for underwater communication do not apply here as the team is swimming in a line, in forward direction. So the signalling is done with help of your flashlight. Which is brings me to the next point – you need a light source to navigate and observe the environment. Although you can spot the surface light almost everywhere, it is not enough. The most thrilling (and scary) fact is that there is an overhead. It is like diving inside the wreck of a ship. You can’t immediately surface in case of an emergency! You always follow the Dive Master and in a preassigned order – not deviating from the line at any point of time.

What made this dive memorable was the incredible sights it offered – floating past intricate geological formations that took thousands of years to form, in crystal clear waters, with sunlight seeping through creating emerald beams of light, all with the adrenaline rush of going through a submerged maze! There was risk, but if you ask me it was well worth taking it!

After visiting Coba and swimming in the cenotes, we continued northwards, toward the city of Valladolid. The old Mayan city of Chichén Itzá is located just outside the city limits. We checked in to our Hotel – Hacienda Chichèn – and rested for the night. This property was once an old colonial Spanish estate. This property shared a wall with the archaeological site and had a private backdoor access! We chose this Hotel specially for this reason, so that we could start our visit of the site early in the morning, just before the arrival of the fleet of tour buses from Cancun. You can find more about the hotel towards the end, in the “Where to Stay” section.

Visiting Chichén Itzá

Since this is an important and large historical site, we decided to avail the services of a tour guide to take us through the complex. It was 900 MXN for two of us, for a 2 hours tour, which was sufficient to cover all the major buildings.  By the time we were done with breakfast next day morning, the guide was waiting at the lobby, and the hotel receptionist had arranged entry tickets for us!

We entered the site through the Private entrance reserved only for the guests of the Hotel! As we walked through the small path through the jungle, stone ruins started appearing, just like out of an Indiana Jones’ movie!

As we delved deeper into the complex, we could appreciate why this is more popular than the other ruins. All the buildings are of a different scale altogether, and the carvings are well preserved and intricate!

Our guide gave us a brief introduction to the Mayan mythology and the way of life when this was once a sprawling city! As any urban settlement this city had houses, noble residences, observatories, royal residences, playing fields and much more. When the Spanish found this site, it was in an abandoned state, with no records! They named different buildings they found here after places back home in Spain, basis their resemblances! For example the building below was named ‘The Nunnery’ because the arched windows reminded them of the convents in Europe! But they were government or civic buildings. Another building with meshes was named ‘The Church’ because the mesh represented confession rooms in a Church.

As you can see from the map below, we started from the small backdoor private entrance to the site at the bottom, covering first the ‘Nunnery’ first and working our way towards the north side.

The next building is the Observatory. Every town seemed to have one, circular as usual.

Another area referred to as just Temple of Deer – because they found a painting of deer inside.

Next was a miniature version of the Temple of Kukulkan. This was made more like a scale model, before the construction began on the main pyramid – sort of trial construction. A taste of what was yet to come!

Finally we reached the pièce de résistance – The Temple of Kukulkan or El Castillo (The Castle)! And what a majestic sight that was. When we reached, there were hardly any tourists! Mission accomplished – we got the pyramid for ourselves for a few minutes!

This Pyramid is constructed as a series of square terraces, diminishing in dimension as one moves upwards. It is an architectural marvel because of many reasons. Firstly, during the two Equinoxes of the year, when the Sun shines directly over the equator, the terraces cast a series of triangular shadows on the stairs that join them, giving an illusion of a snake crawling down the stair wall. This was intentional and meant to represent the deity Kukulkan, who was believed have the form of a serpent with feathers!

Secondly, the altar at the top is acoustically engineered to amplify sounds emanating from the base, to produce a chirping sound. This resembles the chirping of the Quetzal bird, sacred to the Mayans. Our guide stood at the base of the Pyramid and clapped his hands twice to give us a demonstration. In a fraction of a second, the sound of a bird echoed back from the altar -something like ‘Pau Pau’! When the temple was functional, instead of claps, drums were used to create this sound, and the drummers synced the beats and echoes with the ‘crawl’ of the snake during the Equinox, to create a mystical atmosphere!

This Pyramid was so beautiful, we maximised our opportunity to click some pics before it got crowded!

The drummers were positioned in three big platforms facing the pyramid. Each platform was richly decorated with stone sculptures.

Next Area was the Ball court. This Ballcourt was so huge, almost 10 times that of Coba!

The guide gave us more background on the Mayan Ball game. This was played on special ceremonial occasions, by the best athletes in the city. The winner got the opportunity to get his head chopped off!!! Yes! The loser got the opportunity to cut the head of the winner! Apparently, it was considered a great honour to sacrifice oneself this way, and a shame to be the loser who decapitates the winner. Strange rituals! This is depicted in carvings on the sides of the court!

The next and last section was the Group of Thousand pillars. As the name sounds, it is a grand construction with many pillars standing upright.

On top of the raised platform, is a ‘Chacmool’ statue. It resembles a man in a reclining position, with a bowl over his stomach. Believed to be representing slain warriers, with bowl for placing offering to Gods!

That was the last section. With that the tour of Chichen Itza was complete and our guide left us so that we can do some exploring on our own. But it was getting hot and after clicking few more pictures, we decided to bid farewell.  On the way out, there were many souvenir shops offering interesting items.

We traced our way back to the hotel, this time from the main entrance. After enjoying a relaxing swim in the pool, we checked out and continued our journey to the final Mayan ruin in our tour – Ek’ Balam.

Visiting Ek’ Balam

Ek’ Balam is a small but interesting Mayan ruin that lies between Chichén Itzá and Playa del Carmen, which was our next destination. We dropped by for a quick visit.

Here the thatched roofs are reconstructed like the olden times and gives you an insight into how the buildings would have looked when they were in use! The main structure in this complex is the Acropolis, believed to contain the tomb of a King that ruled this place once.

Here you can climb the structures (much easier than Coba). Another important feature of this site is the well preserved plaster and carvings that gives an insight into the culture of Mayans!

Upon reaching the top, you get beautiful view of Mayan structures jutting out of the jungle!

With that, we ended our tour of the Mayan ruins and continued our drive to Playa del Carmen on the coast.

Where to Stay

Hacienda Chichen is a wonderful hotel to be based out of, to explore Chichén Itzá! The Hotel as we mentioned earlier is located right next to the complex and has a private entrance. It was an old Spanish Colonial villa or Hacienda, recently refurbished into a hotel. The rooms are spacious and cozy! There is also a large pool in the complex, with tall tropical trees on one side and beautiful lawn on the other! Perfect for a relaxing dip after the visit to the site. The Hotel room rate was ~Rs 13K per night, but we got it almost for free after utilising one of our Free Nights from Hotels.com! The Hotel staff will help arrange a guide for you at standard rate and buy tickets from the counter, just inform on the day before your visit.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands are located off the eastern coast of India in the Bay of Bengal. I had visited the islands in 2012 with my friends already. That’s when I first got exposed to the underwater world and my passion for diving sparked. It was a Discover Scuba program, wherein you are accompanied by a guide and limited to very shallow waters for safety.  Now that I have a Basic certification, I can do the Advanced Open Water diver course followed by some fun diving of the beautiful dive sites there. Advanced Open Water course lets you dive deeper sites – as deep as 30m below the surface! The course also makes you more familiar with the Scuba equipment, dive science, underwater conditions and navigation.

I chose Dive India in Havelock for this trip – the first and most experienced Dive Centre in Havelock – with whom I also had my first Discover Scuba experience back in 2012. They had a 6D Dive package, which included Advanced Certification, 8 Fun Dives, Accommodation and return transfers from Port Blair to Havelock, all for Rs. 45000! Getting to Andamands is also easy now as GoAir operates direct flights between Mumbai and Port Blair.

Finally, the day came to leave for Andamans. It was a mixed feeling as I would be staying away from Swati for a week So for a change, I boarded a vacation flight with a heavy heart!

The journey from Mumbai to Havelock went smoothly. I was picked up by Dive India person at Port Blair airport and transferred to the Makruzz Ferry just in the nick of time. Once the Ferry reached Havelock, there was a person with a car to transfer me to the Dive Centre on the Island.

The Dive Centre is co-located with Island Vinnies Resort (Accomodation) and a restaurant Full Moon cafe. I checked in, met the instructors, filled the forms and just relaxed in the beautiful Island paradise!

First two days were dedicated to getting the Advanced Certification. Vikas was my instructor. I completed the Navigation, Naturalist, Photography, Deep Water and Night dives to complete the course. The Night dive was a shore dive under the Super Moon – an unforgettable experience.

Once the Course was completed, the remaining days consisted of Fun Dives in the sites around Havelock. Sites I dived include – The Slope, Wall, Dixon’s Pinnacle, Pilot Reef, Nemo Reef, Johny’s Gorge, 2 Fathom Rock, I-95, Wreck of S.S Inchkett, White House Rock and Aquarium. It is difficult to individually descibe each dive, so I’ve made a video for you to get a flavour of the experience! Barring 2 or 3 dives, Visibility was great. However, the sea was a little choppy owing to the effect of the super moon!

If you have a Driving Licence issued in any Indian state, that has English script and Photograph, then you can use it to rent cars and drive them in many countries abroad! We have driven successfully in Turkey, Jordan, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Mexico.

The moment you saw the photos of that magical landscape in the Travel Magazine, you knew you had to visit that place! Following months of planning and preparation, the much awaited day of vacation arrives. After a flight or two and some long hours by road, you finally reach your dream destination. You find it exactly like in the photos you saw and stand in awe at natures beauty. You take out your brand new DSLR and go shutter crazy. Then you come back, and eagerly browse the photos to upload in Social Media and share with friends and family. That is when you get the ultimate realisation – the photos you clicked of that magical location, pale in comparison (literally) to the photos you saw in the magazine and the image you have in your memory! Have you ever felt like this ? We did multiple times. So we did some research and found a way to bring photos alive!

High Dynamic Range (HDR)

Borrowing from Wikipedia – High-dynamic-range imaging (HDRI) is a  technique used in photography to reproduce a greater dynamic range of luminosity than is possible with standard photographic techniques. The aim is to present a similar range of luminance to that experienced through the human visual system. The human eye, through adaptation of the iris and other methods, adjusts constantly to adapt to a broad range of luminance present in the environment. The brain continuously interprets this information so that a viewer can see in a wide range of light conditions.HDR images can represent a greater range of luminance levels than can be achieved using more ‘traditional’ methods, such as many real-world scenes containing very bright, direct sunlight to extreme shade.

So basically, HDR Imaging helps recreate an image, similar to what you see with your eyes.  It has wider range of highlights and shadows, giving it more vibrance. Most DSLR Cameras cannot do this processing, from a single image taken in JPEG format.

Here is an example.This is the photo of the train Andean Explorer at La Raya station high in the Andes Mountains of Peru (Read more in Luxury on Wheels). Clicked with Canon 1200D.

If you have seen it in real life, like us, you’ll feel that this is barely a reproduction. Now see below –

Now we are talking! The above is a High Dynamic Range image, and is very close (slightly more visually dramatic) than what we experienced.

How do you create one ? Simple. You capture the scene in 3 different exposures (Or one image in RAW format), and combine the three with the help of a Software in your computer. That’s it! Here are more details of the same.

Step 1 : Prepare your DSLR Camera for Auto-Exposure-Bracketing (AEB).

Taking images in 3 exposures without changing the frame of vision is not easy – unless you have a Tripod. However, you can’t take that everywhere, nor it is practical to change setting after each image. So you rely on your camera to do it for you automatically. In your Camera settings find the option for Exposure Compensation and adjust AEB to take images corresponding to 0, +2 & -2 exposure. Then select continuous shooting option for taking pictures.

For Canon DSLR users, refer to this guide – How to use Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB)

Step 2 : Compose your image and click three times with minimal movement

Compose your image first. HDR works best when there is minimal movement in frame. The images are superimposed one over the other in the software and it will compensate for minimal variations to align, but cant do much beyond that. So unless you want ghost images or further processing , stick to stationary frames.

If you have Continuous shooting enabled, keep the shutter clicked till 3 images are shot by the Camera. Otherwise, click 3 times. It will first shoot the Normal Exposure image, Darker One followed by the Brighter one. Note that this setting remains in Canon Cameras till you either switch it off or disable it. If you take one image, change the frame and click another photo after first click, it will become dark. So be careful!

Step 3 : Load images in Computer and use Imaging Software to create HDR Image

Transfer images to your PC/Laptop. If you have Mac, the best software for HDR is Aurora HDR, which I use. Otherwise you can use Photoshop, which is a bit more complex.

After installing Aurora HDR in Mac, Open the three Images, click on Create HDR. 

Load the 3 images with varying exposures.

Select Align and Click to create HDR. After a few seconds, you get the following.

You can use the many Preset settings or adjust on your own to create desired effect.

If you are a Windows user, the option is Photoshop. The three steps, though not simple as above are as follows :

1. Go to File -> Automate -> Merge to HDR Pro
2. Select the 3 Files to Merge and set the Exposures
3. Adjust Settings to get desired results (Try Presets first)

Unfortunately, I do not have success yet in reproducing the same effect as Aurora HDR using Photoshop, but you can do more research and try, as the Basic concept is the same.

Here are some of our Favourite HDR images.

Passport

Your Passport serves as the Primary travel document and is required to be submitted to the Consulate or Embassy in most cases (Except for Online Visas in certain cases). Few points to ensure smooth processing. While some are mandatory, others ensure hassle free processing.

-> Passport should not be damaged. Ensure that there is no handwritten observations.
-> At least 6 months of Validity and 2 Blank Pages remaining to process Visas/Entries
-> If married and traveling together, Spouse Name is present in each other’s passport
-> Passport Address is within jurisdiction of Consulate where you are submitting application*

*- Countries having multiple consulates/Visa Processing centres in the country accept applications for individuals residing within its designated jurisdiction (Ex : Mumbai for Maharashtra, Gujarat etc). If the address in you Passport is outside that, then you might need to produce 1 or 2 address proofs. Most commonly accepted documents where your name and current address is present – Rent Agreement, Mobile/Landline/Electricity/Gas Bill, Driving License etc

Application form

Most Visa applications require an application form to be filled. We prefer to download the latest version directly from the Consulate/Embassy Website. Mostly the same would be in PDF format, and can be filled electronically and printed. This helps reduce mistakes and ensures readability. Each Application form requires more or less same information, but the fields would be presented in different ways. You must ensure the information you fill here matches exactly with the one in your Passport and Supporting documents!

Photograph

While Visa Processing centres for UK and USA have arrangements for taking photos, most applications require you to submit a recent Passport Size photograph complying to their specification. Best is to obtain the Digital Copy of the Raw image clicked from the studio and use it each time to print copies as needed.

Proof of entry & exit

Many consulates demand Proof of entry and exit from their nation. In most cases this would be a confirmed return flight ticket reservation. This is issued by your Travel Agent (Online or Offline) with Flight Details, Date/Time, Passenger Name and Reservation number. If you have not made up your mind, but you need to show this, you can request a Travel agent and they can help in issuing a temporary ticket which will serve this purpose for a small fee. If you are arriving or exiting by any other means  – Land Border/Seaport – you have to submit corresponding proof. Example – International Train/Bus ticket, Car Rental, Ship Reservation etc.

Travel itinerary

Your daily schedule during you trip while in that country. A simple Excel sheet with Day, Place and Activity will do. Sample itinerary given here for reference.

Proof of accommodation

If you are staying in a Hotel, B&B or Guest House please show the document with reservation details. If booked with one of the aggregators like Booking.com or Hotels.com, you can get use the confirmation PDF, or if booked directly with the establishment – a copy of the Mail confirmation. If you are staying with Friends or Relatives, their address and contact details. (If possible a consent letter)

Proof of sufficient means of subsistence

In most cases, you have to show them that you have sufficient funds at your disposal to stay for the duration of your trip in their country. The amount varies from Country to country and for duration applied. The documents which will help you are

-> Past 6 month bank statement with sufficient balance, signed & sealed (nearest bank branch)
-> Credit Card copy – only front page
-> Past 3 month salary slip, signed & sealed by HR (from employer)
-> Letter from employer stating designation and monthly salary
-> Past 3 Year Income Tax Returns (Download from IT Portal)

Ties to your home country

This is essentially to convince the consulate that you don’t have plans to not return. Basically by proving that you have tangible ties to your resident country.

-> Leave Approval letter from Employer (Sample)
-> Deeds of Property/Business Ownership
-> Bank Statement/Fixed Deposit Receipts

Other supporting documents

Covering Letter
A letter addressed to Consular officer requesting to issue your Visa. Helpful in cases you are filing your application via Agent and you have some specific request or need for some explanation to be conveyed to the Visa Officer
Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate
Required to travel to countries with Yellow Fever risk. Once taken, valid for 10 years. You have to go to a Government Authorised Doctor or clinic to get this done.
Travel Health Insurance
Travel Insurance Policy document for the duration of your trip to cover cost of Emergency Medical requirements including Repatriation.
Marriage Certificate
If you are married and traveling as a couple, and names are not mentioned in each other’s passports, a marriage certificate will come in very handy, especially when traveling to conservative nations (Ex. Turkey). If you are an unmarried couple, the Travel Agent might create some concern, but nothing you cant solve by personally visiting the Consulate!

Exploring Valparaiso

After our experience in Santiago, we decided to stick to Tour 4 Tips in Valparaiso as well to explore the city. They have 2 tours – Valparaiso Offbeat at 10am and Valparaiso Highlights at 3pm. Both start from Plaza Sotomayor, a central square in the city which can be easily reached by taking a local bus from the main bus terminal.  We had time for only one, so opted for the Offbeat tour, which covers Downtown areas and offers you a glimpse of murals.

At 10am you will find the Guides waiting at the Square dressed bright Red-White striped shirts – who refer themselves as Wally’s – Like Where’s Wally. Once its 10am, groups are formed and after short introductions they take you for Walking tour of Valparaiso. They are friendly, informative and will immerse you in history without boring you (Well, except when they start discussing Pinochet & Allende).

Valparaíso is very famous for its Murals and Graffiti. While Mural is considered an Art form done with permission, Graffiti is vandalism. The guides take you through neighbourhoods having both. A few snapshots from the tour below.

You also get to ride two major forms of transport – the old Trolleybus and the City Bus – with the Guides and group. The Tour finishes at their office, located in an old classic Apartment . You get to taste Jote – Wine+Coke drink – as you conclude the tour The tour is offered for free and if you like their services, you can tip them at the end. They neither force you or emotionally appeal to you to get the tip! You also get to ask any questions regarding the city and get free maps and directions.

Exploring the City on our own

Post a quick lunch at an Asian Restaurant – Tokyo House – we went about exploring the city on our own. There were two items on our list. First, to ride the Historic funiculars and then enjoy the famed colourful houses in the Historic Quarter.

First was the Funicular. The Guide told us beautiful one was located near the main square – Concepción. In operation since 1833, this is a small ride for 300CLP one way.

Riding the funicular brings you to Cerro Concepción, a hill overlooking the bay and Historic Quarter of Valparaiso. From here you can get a panoramic view of the city and the colourful houses of Valparaiso.

After that we decided to head back to our Hotel. Took the local bus to the Terminal and an intercity bus back to Pajeritos.

Getting to Valparaíso

Valparaíso is primarily by Bus or Car. Easiest way is to take a Bus from Pajaritos Bus Terminal in Santiago. There is no need to book in advance, you can show up 1 hour before the trip and buy a ticket from the Counter. There are many Private companies running their services on an hourly basis. The Buses are air-conditioned and have reclining seats.

Getting around Valparaíso

Valparaiso is a small city and has a good public transport system. You can use the cheap Tolleybus or Buses which follow circular routes to Navigate the City. To move uptown-downtown you can use the historic ascensores or funiculars.

1. Ride the Funicular to San Cristóbal Hill

San Cristóbal Hill or Cerro San Cristóbal is the highest point in the city located within the Santiago Metropolitan Park. To get to the top we suggest you ride the Funicular uphill. The queue gets longer as the day progresses, so it is suggested to tick this off first. The ride is a short one and has only one stop en-route – Santiago Zoo. As you rise up, you get to see the view of Santiago city revealing in front of you. Once you reach the top, you can buy some thing to much from the many vendors and check out the 360º view of the city. At the summit of the hill is the statue of Virgin Mary.

2. Take a Walking Tour

Tour 4 Tips is a great agency offering guided walking tour of the city. The tour is Pay-what-you-like, as in if you like their services, you can tip them at the end. We took the Santiago Highlights Tour which covers the Historic Centre of Santiago. The Tour starts outside Bellas Artes Museum at 3pm. You can spot the Guides wearing White & Red striped shirts (like Wally in Find Wally) waiting at the spot – just walk up and introduce yourself. Once it’s time, they’ll organise into English and Spanish speaking groups and start the Tour.

The Tour lasts approximate 3 hours and you get to see different areas of Santiago – The Hip Lastarria neighbourhood, La Moneda Palace and the Heart of the City – Plaza de Armas.

That’s about it  We really wish we could have spent more time here, taking in the culture, cuisine and interacting with local people, but may be next time. We just got a glimpse of it and barely scratched the surface. Being the capital of the most prosperous country in Latin America, Santiago is well connected by Air, Land and Sea. Accommodation is easy to find, however we stayed in the Airport Transit Hotel to save multiple transfers, as we had 4 flights in/out combined.

Journey to San Pedro de Atacama : Crossing the Bolivia-Chile land border

So, on the third and final day of our Salar de Uyuni Tour (Read here), our Driver/Guide dropped us at the Bolivia-Chile border high up in the Altiplano. After stamping our passports at the Bolivian Border post, we boarded the mini-van which was supposed to take us to San Pedro de Atacama (SPdA for short), the nearest Chilean town and main gateway to the Atacama Region. The drive is a slow descent, from 4500m+ to 2600m! Not only does the landscape change, but also the infrastructure! Chile is one of the most developed countries in South America, while Bolivia is one of the poorest.

The mini-van took us to the Chilean Border post, at the entrance to the town of SPdA. The officials were happy to see the pre-issued visa and filled forms and stamped the passport without any delay. The baggage had to be unloaded from the van and screened. It is advised not to carry any Food or Organic material from Bolivia to Chile. Post that the driver dropped each tourist to their respective Hostels in the town

San Pedro de Atacama – Desert Tourist town in the foothills of Andes

The small tourist town has a desert theme, most buildings and establishments have a shade of brown or yellow! Tourism is the major livelihood and there are many restaurants, hostels, tour operators and souvenir shops, all catering to the passing tourists – meaning higher prices everywhere!

We stayed in Hostal Desert, a small cozy Bed & Breakfast, 10~15mins walk from Centro or the town centre.

Major Attractions

There are Four major attractions – Geyser field, Moon Valley, Altiplanic Lakes and Green lake, each of which can be visited as part of half day guided tour – requiring 2 Full days to complete. There are other places of interest, but not worth exploring unless you intend to stay longer. We visited only the first two (described in detail below), as the last two were similar to the sights we saw during our Salt Flat tour.

Tatio Geysers field and Town of Machuca

This is the most spectacular attraction and must see if you are here. World’s third largest active geyser field with more than 80 geysers! They become super active when the sunrises, venting out steam and bubbling gases. To see this sight, you have to start very early – at 5am – braving sub-zero temperatures. But it’s totally worth it!We opted for the Tour Agency  Turismo Grado 10. They are slightly expensive, for a valid reason. They have a unique Mercedes Truck-Bus for transportation, which also doubles as a mobile kitchen. So when other Agencies give you cold breakfast boxes, here you get a freshly cooked hot breakfast! Also, they give blankets to keep yourself warm!

Once the sun is up and shining, the steam vents die down and people head over for a dip in the hot springs on site. The water is not ‘hot’ as we know it. It is just warmer than the surrounding temperature. We didn’t brave to go anywhere near as it was still freezing for us.

On the way back, we stopped at a Machuca village. It is a small settlement of Atacama people, who have inhabited this region from historic times.

Here I finally got a chance to taste Alpaca meat! Swati couldn’t bear the thought of eating cute Alpacas so she decided to stay inside the bus!

On our way back we made couple of more photo stops.

This is another must do tour in SPdA. The arid nature of the region has provided it the features of an Alien landscape, most comparable to surface of the Moon. Located 30 minutes outside the town, both this region is located in the Los Flamencos National Reserve. The trip is again best taken as part of an organised group tour in an evening.

First part of the tour consists of crawling through caves. These are covered in salt deposites. Looks like mud, but it is solid rock. Our group consisted of 20 odd people. Best is to either be in the front, or better be at the back. This helps in capturing some good photographs. Otherwise there would be people in front and back. Also try to arrive before the tourist groups come in truckloads, then it gets really cramped!

After emerging from the cave, we board the van for a short drive to see sand dunes. After a short walk and climb on a sand hill, you get to a vantage point from which you can appreciate the desert landscape!

Penultimate stop on the tour were some rock formations that formed as a result of wind erosion. These were termed the Three Marys, but one tourist broke a figure while posing. Since then people are not allowed near them.

Last stop was the most scenic – the panoramic view of the Moon Valley, with Andes in the background. Here you wait and see the sun set. The most interesting phenomenon is when the sun goes below the horizon. You’ll see that the Andes mountain range change colour from brown to pink!

With that, our time at San Pedro de Atacama came to an end. We opted for a transfer to the nearest airport – Calama – and took the evening flight to Santiago de Chile.

The Altiplano region is a high plateau in the Andes mountain range, semi-arid to arid, stretching across Peru, Bolivia and Chile. Our first stop for the day was unplanned as the other 4×4 suffered a puncture.

We moved on without much delay and stopped at a beautiful valley where Llamas were grazing.

After close encounter with the Llamas, we moved on. Around lunch time, we arrived at this vast plain with thousands of boulders surrounded by mountains. All the mountains were ancient extinct volcanoes, and the boulders cooled down mega-eruption. After solidification, they were sculpted to strange shapes by wind and sand.

After the tasty picnic lunch in the middle of the boulder field, we started our ascent. The vegetation disappeared, air became colder, drier and thinner! Soon we came across the first Altiplano lake – a mineral rich salt lake inhabited by flock of flamingoes. We couldn’t believe the birds could survive in this harsh climate!

There major species of Flamingos found here are Andean Flamingos and James’s Flamingos. They get their distinct pink colour from eating the algae in the lake.

We made our next stop at Árbol de Piedra or stone tree. An isolated stone formation in the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve. Again, this rock formation is a result of constant erosion over the centuries by strong winds that also carries sand particles.

The last stop was the most dramatic for the day – Laguna Colorada or the Red Lagoon! As the name suggests, the lake here is Red in colour, with white borax islands. The red colour is due to red pigments and algae that feed on them.

The last stop for the day was an active geothermal field at 4900m! The temperature by this time had dropped to 5ºC. The area had distinct sulphur smell with fumes rising steadily into the air.

After this we continued our journey to the small lodge in the middle of nowhere! While the last night’s place had steady electricity and running water throughout the night, this one had it only till 10.30pm. We had read online that it is best to freshen up at night when water is running, as the toilets would be unbearable next morning – and it was true! There was a ‘hot spring’ near by, to which our fellow travellers eagerly rushed to for a dip. By hot they meant 15ºC! Our priority was to just survive the night! Fortunately, the thick blankets provided helped us scrape through the night as the mercury hit sub-zero!

The last day of the tour consisted of just two stops. First was Desierto de Dalí or Salvador Dalí Desert. It is a barren landscape with rock formations that resemble Dalí’s art.

The final stop was yet another beautiful lagoon – Laguna Verde or Green Lagoon. A stunning green salt lake, at the foot of the extinct Volcano Licancabur.

On the other side of Licancabur Volcano above lay Chile. As we had opted for drop at San Pedro de Atacama, we said bye to our fellow travellers and alighted at the Bolivian border post. The last 3 days gave us an adventure of a lifetime, and we highly recommend you to take this tour if ever in Bolivia/Chile! But this trips requires some preparation – read this article for our tips.