Jim & Barbara Burton Travel: Quintay & Vina del Mar

Quintay, the Botanical Gardens and Vina del Mar

During our stay in Valparaiso we also went to Quintay (pronounced kintay), the Botanical Gardens located near Vina del Mar and Vina del Mar itself.

Quintay is a small fishing village which lies south and slightly west of Valparaiso. However, although on the same coastline there is no road to connect it along the coast as it is very rugged. It is necessary to first drive inland and then swing back to the coast. As we did not rent a vehicle in Valparaiso we elected to travel by collectivo. Collectivos in Valparaiso are not vans as we have encountered before in other countries but essentially a yellow taxi for four people which does not leave until the vehicle is full. This works well for keeping the cost at a minimum and they travel only between Valparaiso, Quintay and Casablanca. The collectivos leave from a point close to the main bus station along the street where the main market is held. As it was Wednesday we also saw the market in full swing. It is absolutely huge and you can buy anything there from clothes to household goods, fruit and vegetables, antiques etc.

We found our collectivo with one lady already waiting. We were joined shortly afterwards by a gentleman and we were on our way. The trip took around 45 minutes and was very inexpensive. Quintay was a former major Chilean whaling station and thriving community but fell into decline after Chile signed the world whaling agreement. It has since become a tourist spot and a place for wealthy Chileans to own second homes. It is a quaint place and while we were there they were reconstructing the sea wall, a major project. The economy now relies on fishing, tourism, diving and recreational water activities. It is now possible to see blue whales in the shallow waters, whose numbers counted 250,000 and declined to 400 before the whaling ceased. Thankfully they are now on the increase once again. While we were in Quintay and waiting in the main square for our collectivo to return to Valparaiso we watched a volunteer tending to the street dogs. See the one being groomed. Like Valparaiso they are all very good natured but their numbers were much fewer.

We travelled by the number 203 bus to the Botanical Gardens which was a very pleasant experience despite waiting at the main bus stop in Valparaiso, for half an hour only to discover that they had changed the location. Once we found the correct location, just three blocks away, luckily a bus was waiting. It was a pleasant ride and once alighted, it was a very short walk to the gardens. The gardens were the former home of Saltpetre magnate Pascual Babaruzzi and are quite beautiful with many indigenous species.

Vina del Mar is a very chic, bustling seaside town with modern hotels and apartment buildings, in stark contrast to the historical buildings in Valparaiso and accessed by a very efficient light rail transit system. The promenade stretches for many kilometres and a variety of sports are played on the beach including a free drop in Zumba. There are some spectacular sand sculptures and beautiful gardens. You can take a horse drawn carriage ride, with the most well fed horses you have ever seen. When they are not transporting people they are constantly eating from their nose bags.

See you in Santiago..................