Chile Travel Guide

Browse the Chile Photo Gallery

Top Things to See

Atacama desert
Let the uniquely arid landscape of the Atacama desert sweep you away, with its broad, stark vistas of volcanoes, salt marshes and lakes and abandoned homes of the indigenous Aymara people.

Observatories
Get a glimpse of galaxies far away at one of several powerful observatories situated in Chile, which is famed for its lack of light pollution and clear skies. Collowara Observatory near La Serena is one of the most accessible to the public.

Glaciers
Witness giant icebergs from a glacier cruise, which follows a spectacular route through Chile's Inside Passage, the Beagle Channel and around Cape Horn, passing through glacial valleys (notably at Laguna San Rafael), fjords and past huge icebergs. Passengers can disembark at various points en route, notably at Puerto Natales and on the Argentinean portion of Tierra del Fuego.

Copper mine
Chuquicamata is one of the world's biggest open pit copper mines, administered by the Chilean government copper corporation.

Humberstone
In Humberstone, a deserted former nitrate mining town in the far north of Chile containing rusting industrial equipment and abandoned homes, visitors will feel the haunting sense of emptiness and eeriness.

Pre-Colombian Art Museum
Santiago's small but magnificent Pre-Colombian Art Museum (www.precolombino.cl) is a moving testament to the sophistication and artistry of the cultures that thrived in South America before the arrival of the plundering conquistadores.

La Serena
The streets of La Serena are filled with attractive colonial architecture and restored churches. The town is also a good base to visit some of the region's attractive beaches (although avoid the crowds in January and February), and the beautiful, fertile Elqui Valley with its tranquil hamlets and sedate pace of life.

Santiago views
Hike up towards the giant statue of the Virgin Mary atop Cerro San Cristóbal for a spectacular panorama over Santiago's vast sprawl. At the foot of the hill, in the of Barrio Bellavista district, nose round the quirky, eccentric La Chascona (www.fundacionneruda.org), once the Santiago home of the poet Pablo Neruda.

Vineyards
Carmenère red wine is made in the vineyards of Concha y Toro, one of Chile's oldest and most renowned winemakers, just a short journey out from the metropolis of Santiago.

Juan Fernández Islands
Re-trace the footsteps of the real-life Robinson Crusoe in the little known Juan Fernández Islands (650km/ 403 miles) west of Valparaíso. Scotsman Alexander Selkirk was marooned here in the early 18th century, forming the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe.

Easter Island
The famous, mysterious moai stone figures up to 9m (30ft) tall can be found on Easter Island, a Chilean territory and one of the world's most remote inhabited islands. Other sites to investigate include the volcano crater Rano Kau, the Orongo rock carvings, and the museum in the main town of Hanga Roa.

Torres del Paine
The iconic jagged peaks of Torres del Paine are the defining sights of the far south of Chile. The area is also renowned for its fine trekking.

Patagonia rainforests
See millennia-old alerce trees in the lush, temperate rainforests of Patagonia. Pumalín Park, the vast nature reserve founded by American billionaire Douglas Tompkins, is one of the best places to see these remarkable trees.

Top Things to Do

Valparaíso
Valparaíso is one of the most atmospheric port cities in Latin America - a city with sinuous hills and a labyrinth of precipitous streets and colorful clapboard houses that inspired the poet Pablo Neruda.

Chile's Lake District
Chile's beautiful Lake District is made up of national parks that offer staggeringly lovely views of ancient monkey puzzle trees, pristine alpine lakes and perfectly shaped volcanoes.

Parque Nacional Lauca
Parque Nacional Lauca in the north of Chile is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve - look out for flamingos, rheas (an ostrich-like bird).

Chiloé
The quirky island of Chiloé has colorful and old wooden churches to marvel at.

Volcán Villarrica
One of the world's most active volcanoes, Volcán Villarrica near Pucón, is safer than it sounds - it is also one of the world's most monitored, so you should have plenty of warning of any imminent eruption.

Fishing
The best spots are in the Lake District and Patagonia. The rivers and streams off the carretera austral, the road that penetrates deep into Chile's southern wilderness, are remarkably clear and offer great opportunities for fly-fishers.

White-water rafting
White-water rafting down any number of the country's spectacular rapids is popular - you'll find specialist operators offering trips down the Maipo near Santiago, the Trancura near Pucón, as well as the Bio-Bio river in Region VIII. Specialist operators can organize week-long trips. The scenery around the Bio-Bio includes hot springs and waterfalls.

Skiing
The world-famous Portillo resort, has hosted many national ski teams, including the Austrian and Italian skiers over for the European summer. Other ski slopes in the area can be found at Farellones-El Colorado, La Parva and Valle Nevado. The ski season usually runs from June to September.

Antarctica
Voyage to the world's last undiscovered wilderness, Antarctica, from Chile's southernmost city, Punta Arenas.