Tailor-made adventures.
Days: 12-15 | From: $8,850/person
Our Most Popular Trip: Two of South America’s most spectacular destinations in one itinerary
Days: 13 | From: $10,590/per person with 4 passengers
The best of Patagonia on both sides of the border
Days: 8 | From: $4,990/per person
Explore this fascinating country's most iconic sites
Days: 9 | From: $4,690/per person
Explore Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls & Rio de Janeiro all in one trip
Days: 9 | From: $6,990/per person
Visit Costa Rica's highlights and the beautiful, remote Osa Peninsula
Days: 8 | From: $6,050/per person
Explore the pristine jungles of Belize, Mayan ruins, and idyllic Caribbean islands
Days: 9 | From: $5,750/per person
Experience the highlights of this fascinating and culturally rich country
Days: 8 | From: $5,690/per person
Combine the pristine rainforest and barrier reef of Belize with striking Guatemalan ruins
Days: 10 | From: $9,790/per person
The best of South Africa: a world class safari, spectacular Cape Town, plus magnificent Victoria [...]
Days: 9 | From: $7,750/per person
Track the Great Migration through the breathtaking landscapes of Kenya and Tanzania
Days: 8 | From: $7,250/per person
Experience Rwanda's gentle mountain gorillas in the wild, and discover its varied wildlife and lush [...]
Days: 11 | From: $12,950/per person
From the renowned Okavango Delta to extraordinary Hwange National Park via Victoria Falls
Days: 11 | From: $3,025/per person
Get to know the classic parts of Vietnam
Days: 10 | From: $5,900/per person
Temples, Taj, and Tigers: see quintessential India on this immersive journey
Days: 10 | From: $5,560/per person
The highlights of Bangkok, northern Thailand, and the southern beaches
Days: 16 | From: $19,200/per person
An immersive exploration of the art, culture, and history of Japan
Days: 10 | From: $9,625/per person
The Best of Italy: Venice, Florence & Rome
Days: 11 | From: $8,495/per person
An Extraordinary Private Journey from Barcelona to Andalucía via Madrid
Days: 11 | From: $10,680/per person
France: An Extraordinary Private Journey from Paris to the castles of the Loire Valley and [...]
Days: 11 | From: $13,380 per person
An extraordinary alpine journey from Zurich to Zermatt
Days: 16-23 | From: $9,395/person
One of the most classic of Arctic programs, with polar bears and magnificent scenery.
Days: 10-23 | From: $8,590/person
The most popular and classic Antarctica cruise option
Days: 6-23 | From: $6,950/person
Choose from our list of the top vessels in each category
Days: 6-23 | From: $4,795/person
Choose from our list of the top vessels in each category.
Days: 10| From: $12,450/per person
Follow the herds of the Great Migration through some of Africa's most iconic safari destinations [...]
Search
Posted by Rachel Harris on April 29th, 2014
I recently had the opportunity to visit La Casa de Isla Negra, the seaside home of Chilean Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. It is said to have been his favorite of the three houses he occupied in Chile, and the one where he spent the most time – and it’s easy to see why. The spectacular location, on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, is enough to impress anyone, but the house itself is the true attraction. It’s rare to find a home that so openly reflects the soul of its owner, as this one does: The house is eccentric, eclectic, incredibly personal and utterly charming.
Neruda, a voracious collector, unabashedly designed the home for his own whimsical enjoyment and filled it with the things that brought him pleasure: ship figureheads, insects under glass, seashells, bottles, antique shoes, musical instruments, smoking pipes, and more. The house isn’t a cluttered hoarder’s lair, however: the collections are meticulously curated and carefully displayed in a way that shows the collector’s true enjoyment in them.
The architecture of the house is wonderfully unique as well. The house rambles along the seaside cliff, one room to the next, and each room with its own distinct style and personality. Neruda had a deep fascination with the sea, but also a strong tendency to seasickness that kept him from actually entering it. Accordingly, he designed the house with a nautical theme, including low ceilings, wooden floors, and narrow passageways that give one the feeling of actually being on a ship. He also installed a small wooden boat in the garden, where he would sit to have a drink with friends. (The poet is quoted as saying that with a few drinks, he could get off of the boat feeling dizzy without ever having been on the ocean.)
Entry to the house, converted into a museum by the Pablo Neruda Foundation, includes an audio tour in the form of a small cellphone-like device, available in English and Spanish. The tour is divided into 16 parts that correspond to various rooms and spaces, allowing visitors to navigate the house at their own pace, learning the story of each room and its collections.
The last stop on the tour is on the hill outside, where Neruda and his third wife Matilda are buried, their shared grave facing out to sea. An outspoken socialist and friend of former Chilean president Salvador Allende, Neruda died just 12 days after the violent coup in which Allende’s government was overthrown, and was originally buried in Santiago’s Cementerio General. In 1992, shortly after Chile’s return to democracy and nearly twenty years after his death, Neruda’s remains were moved to his beloved Isla Negra in accordance with the wish he expressed in his poem Disposiciones:
Companions, bury me in Isla Negra, in front of the sea I know, of every rugged area of stones and of waves that my lost eyes will not return to see.
Isla Negra can be visited in a day trip from Santiago, or combined with visits to the coastal city of Valparaiso and surrounding wineries. If you’re interested in visiting this beautiful and unique property, take a look at some of our Chile itineraries and give us a call to plan your trip.
Explore related journal enries
The Andean region is characterised by high altitudes, low rainfall and bitter winters. Not only does [...]
When most travelers think of the Inca Empire they think of Peru and iconic Machu Picchu. [...]
Chile is famous for its lakes, its mountains, its wines and its deserts, but its capital [...]
Thinking back to a past trip that has left countless memories in my mind inspired this [...]
Find out why our discerning travelers consistently rate us with 5-stars.
We take our environmental and social responsibilities seriously.