Santa Lucía Hill, Santiago, Chile

A small fort tucked between busy streets and high walls, Santa Lucía Hill is a Santiago "must-see."

From the outside, it didn't look like much, but once we meandered through the front gates on our second day in Santiago, we encountered a small, new world full of color and humming birds... and who doesn't love humming birds?

In the years of the "conquista," the "fort" was used as a look-out, garnished with canons, winding paths and plenty of places to hide.

The trees stand tall and the vines fall low, making this "fort" feel more like an oasis.

Free entry + no crowds = my perfect place to explore.

As we wandered past the masses of orange flowers, we could hear hummingbirds buzzing around in abundance. I could have snapped photos of these skittish little fellows all afternoon, but our layover was just too short and so my dad politely shooed me along.

Once we summited the fort, we were presented with a stellar view of Santiago and the snowcapped Andes Mountains.

I visited Santiago with my dad in late June on a quick layover. Although the season was falling into winter, the weather was perfect. In just two days, I felt as though we conquered everything I wanted to see. For a look at DAY 1 of our brief adventure, click here.