Why travel Chile from north to south in 2, 3 or 4 weeks
Chile stretches over 4,300 km, so no sane overland route links the Atacama Desert to Patagonia - the trick is mixing road or bus legs with domestic flights. A classic itinerary strings together four regions: Atacama, Santiago/Valparaíso/wine valleys, the Lake District and Patagonia (Torres del Paine), with Easter Island as an optional extension. Two weeks is enough for 3 of the 4 regions; three weeks covers all four comfortably; four weeks leave room to add Easter Island or Argentina.
Atacama: the driest desert on Earth (3-4 days)
San Pedro de Atacama is the base for exploring Valle de la Luna (6,000 CLP entry, best at sunset), the El Tatio geysers (departure at 4:30-5:00 am to catch them active before dawn, tours from 30,000 CLP) and the altiplano lagoons Miscanti and Miñiques (at least 3,500 m altitude). Book two acclimatization nights before heading above 4,000 m. Fly into Calama (El Loa Airport) from Santiago in about 2 hours, then take a 1-hour transfer or bus to San Pedro. Rough daily budget: 40,000-60,000 CLP for simple lodging plus tours.
Santiago, Valparaíso and the wine valleys (4-5 days)
Santiago works well with 2 days: San Cristóbal Hill, the Lastarria neighborhood and the Museum of Memory sum up the city nicely. An hour and 15 minutes away by bus (from 6,000 CLP, frequent departures from Pajaritos Terminal) sits Valparaíso, with its street-art-covered hills and historic funiculars - worth a full day, ideally with a night in Viña del Mar or Valparaíso itself. An hour from Santiago, the Casablanca Valley, and slightly further, Colchagua Valley, offer wine-tasting tours at wineries like Casas del Bosque or Viu Manent from about 25,000-40,000 CLP, a great day before moving on.
The Lake District and Pucón (3-4 days)
Flying from Santiago to Temuco or straight to Puerto Montt takes just over an hour. From Temuco it's 1h30 overland to Pucón for Villarrica Volcano, Termas Geométricas and Huerquehue National Park; from Puerto Montt you reach Puerto Varas, Osorno Volcano and Frutillar. Three or four days let you cover one of these two sub-areas at a relaxed pace, or both if you're driving a rental car and don't need to return to the same airport.
Patagonia: Torres del Paine, and the option of Easter Island
Torres del Paine, in the Magallanes Region, is the logical finale: 4 to 5 days allow the 'W' trek (about 60 km over 4 days, with refugios that need booking months ahead) or day trips like the Base Torres viewpoint. Fly to Puerto Natales (via Punta Arenas) from Santiago in about 3h30, then it's a 2-hour bus ride to the park entrance. Entry runs about 30,000-45,000 CLP for foreigners depending on season. Travelers with an extra week can add Easter Island (Rapa Nui): 3 days is enough for Rano Raraku, Ahu Tongariki and Orongo, reached via a roughly 5-hour direct flight from Santiago.
Domestic flights, budget and which direction to travel
LATAM, Sky Airline and JetSmart cover nearly every domestic route; JetSmart and Sky are usually cheaper but charge for checked bags separately (check the carry-on allowance, typically 8-10 kg). Booking 1-2 months ahead can save up to 40% versus buying the week of travel. A mid-range daily budget runs about 70-100 USD per person (mid-range lodging, meals and one activity), not counting domestic flights or Patagonia trekking, which costs more due to refugios and gear. Traveling north to south (Atacama toward Patagonia) is usually the more logical climate-wise choice, since it times your Patagonia arrival with the southern summer's best window (December-March); the reverse direction works just as well if the trip starts in January. Those wanting to combine Chile with Argentina can cross the land border from Puerto Natales to El Calafate (about 5-6 hours by bus, near-daily departures in season) to see the Perito Moreno Glacier before returning to Chile or flying home from Argentina.