The Rio Times

Secret Histories and Historicist Facades in Santiago, Chile A special “Secretos Centro Histórico” walking tour invites visitors to explore Santiago’s historic center through its historicist architecture, following a curated route of iconic buildings in styles such as neoclassical, Beaux‑Arts and eclectic republican around plazas, churches and old palaces. Along the way, guides highlight façades, decorative details and little‑known design stories that reveal how European influences were adapted to create the Chilean capital’s monumental look.

Lupine Season in Patagonia, Argentina Each spring and early summer, wild lupines paint Patagonia in bands of purple, blooming from late November through January along roadsides, lake shores and valleys on both the Chilean and Argentine sides of the Andes. These tall violet spikes turn already dramatic mountain landscapes into natural flower fields, becoming a favorite subject for photographers and travelers chasing colorful Patagonian scenery.

Cochoa Beach from Above, Chile Aerial shots over Cochoa Beach, between Viña del Mar and Reñaca, show a small Pacific bay of calm waves, golden sand and rocky outcrops lined by modern seafront apartments and coastal roads. From the drone, the scene blends family‑friendly beach life, sunset light and the nearby seal colony and viewpoints of Mirador Cochoa into one fluid “mix Cochoa” that explains why this corner of Chile’s coast has become a favorite subject for drone photography.

Leblon, Rio in a Single Spin A single sweeping turn over Leblon captures the whole neighborhood: a chic strip of white sand framed by the calm sea, the curve of Postos 11 and 12, and the Dois Irmãos mountain closing the horizon at the western end. Just behind the beachfront, leafy streets like Ataulfo de Paiva and Dias Ferreira reveal another side of Leblon, with upscale apartments, cafés, bars and restaurants that give this small corner of Rio its mix of relaxed beach life and high‑end, big‑city sophistication