family fun chile – Helen Writes Chile

La Serena & the Elqui Valley Photo Diary

25 November, 201716 October, 2018 by helenlcordery, posted in Chile

Laguna Conchali

37669195246_45762b00ce_o — Stopping outside of La Ligua for some of their Chile-famous pastries

37453152920_dc4db961cd_o — Manjar-filled delight

37000811454_a985a756ae_o — Laguna Conchali, outside of Los Vilos. A great spot for bird watching.

37040191683_849314e24c_o — Birds to spot: Chiloe Wigeon, Cinnamon Teal, Great Egret, Chilean Mockingbird, White-Tailed Kite, White-Tuted Grebe, and more.

La Serena

23858225468_7cd4ae939a_o — The Japanese Garden

37001779504_b80b419212_o — Cueca Brava in the Mercado La Recova

37001786284_4425c80042_o — Eating papayas makes a delicious way to spend your time in La Serena!

37679437692_26438c741d_o — Inside the Museo Arqueologico

Vicuña

37679390822_e36540cec8_o — Death mask of Gabriela Mistral, South America´s first Nobel Prize winner, and who was born in Vicuña. The town also has a museum dedicated to her life and achievements.

23864075488_906ceb70e1_o — Checking out the Pisquera Aba distillery

37007793534_1176bc0a84_o — Pisco with Maqui, a berry found in the south of Argentina and Chile. Que RICO!

37667263996_4af0a6955e_o — Visiting the stars with Alfa Aldea. Highly recommended.

37711350621_9201a3b3ae_k — Only Spring and we are already swimming! We found our cabaña on Yapo – no middle man to pay and great prices!

Villa Seca + Paihuano

37459863750_ca60033fd2_o — Sun-baked goods in Villa Seca! Love to see all that solar energy being put to good use.

37679299772_35217586c0_o — Copao is a fruit endemic to Chile that comes from the Eulychnia acida cactus. The Elqui Valley is a great place to try it, along with deliciously cold and fresh fruit juices.

Pisco Elqui

37045314593_b9ca4dcbb9_o — Fundo Los Nichos, one of the few family owned distilleries in the area. Support small!

More blogs like this:

Ovalle & the Limari Valley;

Punta de Choros ;

Sewell;

Chile in Photos;

Copiapo & Desierto Florido;

Beautiful Photos by Photographer Yorka;

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Helen Cordery

Open Day at the Aerodromo de Vitacura

12 November, 201712 November, 2017 by helenlcordery, posted in Family

Each Spring a wonderful event happens: the annual open day at the Club de Planeadores (Aerodromo) de Vitacura. Normally a private spot for pilots, it transforms every November into an all-day extravaganza for the whole family. From helicopters you can hop into and explore, gliders, small planes and stands featuring all of Chile´s armed forces, the free event caters to all aviation fanatics from about 10am until around 6pm. This year there were hourly shows and even helicopter rides on offer too, from $20,000 for 20 minutes in the sky.

We really enjoyed learning about the SSOT Project (Sistema Satelital de Observacion de la Tierra) which is operated by the Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Chile). The project has put a satellite developed by ASTRIUM (France) into the atmosphere above Chile to monitor and (eventually) predict trends across the areas most pertinent to Chile, namely, volcanic activity, seismic activity, forest fires and land mapping. Find out more here.

Tip: there isn´t much shade so come prepared with hats and sunblock, and this year none of the food trucks sold water (only soft drinks).

The Nitty Gritty

Address: Santa Maria 6299, Vitacura, Santiago

Website here

More Family Fun ideas:

Museo Interactivo Mirador (MIM);

Museo Aeronautico y del Espacio;

Museo Artequin;

Museo Ferroviario;

Parque de la Infancia;

Santiago with Kids (review)

10 Fun Things to do with Kids in Santiago

17 July, 2017 by helenlcordery, posted in Santiago

Having two children, we spend a lot of time going to places with their happiness in mind. What follows is our list of the best places for youngsters in the city of Santiago, with top accolades going to the Museo Interactivo Mirador, a science and technology museum that will honestly blow your mind and take up most of your day. Chile is also very family friendly, and restaurants will not blink an eye if you pop by with children or babies (and some even have play areas, especially in areas like Ñuñoa and Las Condes). Further afield, you could stop by:

The Alpaca Farm in Quintessence;

Aguas San Ramon for family-friendly hikes:

Santuario de la Naturaleza to immerse yourself in nature;

Snow fun at Farrellones;

river swimming at Rio Clarillo;

the beaches of Viña del Mar;

the animal farm at Lonquen;

or one of the various Mampato theme parks for little ones.

Selva Viva

There is no better introduction to the jungles of the world then Selva Viva. This is an indoor, living museum where you can hold parrots, snakes, even hermit crabs, whilst learning all about the world´s ecosystem.

Price: Adults – CLP$9.950 per person / Children (3 – 17 years) and Senior Citizens – CLP$8.950 per person
Address: Av. Presidente Riesco 5330, (Metro Manquehue, inside Parque Araucano), Las Condes

Museo Interactivo Mirador (MIM)

This interactive museum takes the fun side of science very seriously. It takes it so seriously, in fact, that the whole family will be amused and entertained for hours – if not the whole day! Visit the website here.

Price: Adults – CLP$3,900 per person / Children (3 – 17 years) and Senior Citizens – CLP$2,700 per person
Address: Av. Punta Arenas 6711, (Metro Estacion Mirador), La Granja

Museo Aeronautico y del Espacio

Put simply, this is a stunning museum curated with love and maintained with care. This two-storey building is filled with replicas and models of aircraft in all their forms, and there is an outdoors area to explore where you can step inside a real plane.

Price: Free
Address: Avenida Pedro Aguirre Cerda Nº 5.000 (Ex camino Melipilla), Los Cerrillos