Amazing culture, food, architecture and flair – Santiago is a bucket list destination that will soon be even more accessible to Australian travellers when LATAM starts operating direct flights between Melbourne and Santiago three times a week from October 2017.

Chad Carey, co-founder of Australia's leading Latin America specialist Chimu Adventures, says the new non-stop service will take airline capacity between Australia and South America to record heights.

“The opening of the new Melbourne-Santiago route will not only increase accessibility to South America and Santiago in particular, but we are also projecting airfares to become more competitive than ever as a result of increased capacity.”

Currently, economy airfares sell for as little as AU$ 1,149*.

According to Carey, the new route will give travellers more reasons than ever to stop over in the South American metropole cutting flying time from Melbourne to Santiago by over four hours.

“That's four hours you can now spend doing a half-day Santiago city tour, delving into the city's European heritage and exploring its colourful neighbourhoods!” he added.

“Add a day or two and you will see that Santiago is so much more than just a convenient way to set foot in Latin America, that it is, in fact, an immensely interesting city with its incredible culture and food scene.”

According to Carey, these are the top 5 things to do on a Santiago stopover:

• Explore the colonial heart of Santiago: Visit Plaza de Armas, the city's central square and the heart of the city's old colonial core. The pretty as a picture square is shaded by trees, loved by socialising locals, artists, buskers and vendors, and framed by some of the city's most striking buildings, including the Metropolitan Cathedral and Governor's Palace.
• Enjoy the vistas: The Parque Metropolitano with its highest peak San Cristobal Hill, is a wonderful first-stop to get an overview of Santiago and breathtaking views of the Andes.
  
  
• Sample Chilean wines: Casablanca Valley, famous for its many wineries and towns full of Chilean traditions, is right at Santiago's doorstep. Vines were first planted here in the mid 1980's and the area is known for its cool climate white wines.
  
  
• Eat like a local: The La Vega Saturday morning markets are vibrant, buzzing and colourful. Fresh produce is mixed with souvenirs and household items, and plenty of food treats to boot.
• Valparaiso: Known as the “Jewel of the Pacific” and the cultural capital of Chile with festivals every year and a number of street artists and musicians, Valparaiso is a highlight of any Santiago visit. The historic quarter of Valparaiso was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003 based on its unique architecture and urban design.

Chimu offers a 4-day Santiago Stopover package, priced from AU$660* on which travellers can explore the historical and cultural treasures of Santiago and Valparaiso, sample the finest Chilean wines and get a taste of all there is to love about Chile.

*Terms and conditions apply

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For media enquiries, please contact:
Lena Froelich PH: 02 9458 1222 E: Lena@chimuadventures.com

ABOUT CHIMU ADVENTURES
Founded in 2004, Chimu Adventures is an Australian owned company offering fully flexible, guaranteed itineraries to Latin America, plus cruises to Antarctica and now the Arctic. Catering to clients of all ages, Chimu's philosophy is simple, “use specialised knowledge to work with our clients, accommodating their individual needs at reasonable prices”.

Our team is committed to the destinations which we operate in and are proud members of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), the Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) and International Galapagos Tour Operators Association (IGTOA).  For more information visit www.chimuadventures.com