Chile
Situated in southwestern South America, the Republic of Chile consists of a narrow strip of land between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, and it offers an endless list of possibilities for adventurers and wanderers. The most southern place of the world!
A once in a lifetime experience for adventurers
Situated in southwestern South America, Chile consists of a narrow strip of land between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean. It is considered the most stable and prosperous country of Latin America, and is known as the most southern place in the world.
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At a glance
The Chilean territory includes the Pacific islands of Juan Fernández, Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas, and Easter Island in Oceania. Southern Chile is an area rich in forests and grazing lands, and features a string of volcanoes and lakes. The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords, inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands, all contributing to the rich geographical beauty of the area. There is also great mineral wealth, with copper and nitrates being the principal resources. For hundreds of years Chile was considered "the land where the earth ends”. It has a rich history marked by migrating Native Americans which are considered to be the first settlers, the Mapuche people, briefly the Incas, and later the Spanish colonisation.
Experience
Chile is a country of extreme diversity, a characteristic which applies to its climate, its geographical features, as well as its wildlife. Its rich natural setting provides a wealth of possibilities for fans of the great outdoors, considering that you can find deserts in the north, Mediterranean climate in the centre, snow slopes, glaciers, and Alpine tundra in the east and south, as well humid subtropical weather on Easter Island.
If you are seeking an adrenaline rush, or you just want to get closer to nature, enjoy the fresh air, and relax, there are hundreds of different activities to chose from in different places of the country. From skiing and snowboarding in the Andes, to horse riding, rafting, mountain biking, trekking, and hiking, if you are looking for an adventure you will not be disappointed. Alternatively sit back and enjoy the breathtaking view and endless sights and sounds of Santiago, the capital of Chile.
Experience local everyday life in the small southern towns of Pucón, San Pedro, Frutillar, and Puerto Varas and many more. Wander the beautiful city of Valparaíso, or join one of its many walking tours, to enjoy the antique Victorian and tin-walled buildings that cling to steep hillsides, roads, and walkways winding around slopes. Bohemian and enigmatic Valparaíso boasts gourmet restaurants and boutique hotels, while embodying the soul of Pablo Neruda, whose old home La Sebastiana has been turned into a museum.
Explore
The list of possibilities is endless in Chile, but there are a few places that make it to the must-see list. If you despise rain! then make sure to visit the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth. From there you can watch a truly breathtaking sunset, or if you enjoy gazing at the stars, stay in the area after dark to take advantage of North Chile’s dry skies, considered some of the clearest in the world. If you wish you can go to one of several observatories in La Serena for a truly astronomical experience.
Easter Island, or “Rapa Nui” is its self a very sought-after destination, most famous for its Moai sculptures, monolithic sculptures created by the Rapa Nui people - also known as Easter Island heads. It is located farther away from land than any other island in the world. Enjoy scuba diving in indigo blue waters or relax on one of its two beautiful beaches, while taking a trip into rich Polynesian history and culture that has survived against all odds.
Santiago, the capital of Chile, boasts a varied restaurant and nightlife scene, as well as many lively street markets to enjoy if you are fortunate enough to have a lengthy stay. Stunning colonial churches and cathedrals can be spotted in the capital as well as in the rest of the country, guaranteed to keep architecture and history enthusiasts happy and amused.
Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert is a plateau in South America, covering a 1,000 kilometre strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. It is the driest non-polar desert in the world. Most of the desert is composed of stony terrain, salt lakes (salares), sand, and felsic lava that flows towards the Andes. Those seeking adventure will not run out of things to do here, as the Atacama is all about outdoor adventure. Adrenaline-fuelled adventures include ascending a high-altitude volcano, sand-boarding down a towering dune, or galloping on horseback towards a massive salt flat, while there are mellower excursions such as observing spurting geysers at dawn, trekking past layer-cake rock formations at sunset, floating on your back in a crystal-blue laguna.
Weather
With its 7000klm coastline, Chile’s weather is extremely diverse and a little unpredictable, although it is generally seasonal in much of the country. Summer runs from December to February, and winter from June to August. It is difficult to pinpoint temperatures ranges for the country as a whole as they’re so variable. There’s the dry, arid Atacama desert in the north where temperatures reach a maximum of 32°C and can drop to -2°C.
Click here for current and forecast weather in ChileEaster Island
Easter Island (Spanish: Isla de Pascua, Polynesian: Rapa Nui) is one of the most isolated and most remote inhabited islands in the world. Early settlers called the island "Te Pito O Te Henua" (Navel of The World). It lies approximately 3,500 kilometres off the coast of Chile in the Pacific Ocean, roughly halfway to Tahiti. Easter Island is famous for its 887 giant extant monumental and enigmatic statues, called moai, created by the early Rapa Nui people. In 1995, UNESCO named Easter Island a World Heritage Site, with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park. Nonetheless, the island is much more than an open-air museum. It is a great spot for diving, snorkelling and surfing. On land, there's no better eco-friendly way to experience the island's savage beauty than on foot, from a bicycle saddle or on horseback.
Patagonia
Vast and empty, wind-swept and barren, Patagonia is an archetypal landscape that exceeds imagination. The land becomes unfriendly to human settlement around the Rio Negro where the pampas run around, and if you drive down the great highways leading to Patagonia you will see mainly sheep, flightless rhea and llama-like guanacos. Eventually you come to the Andes, where ice-fields break through to form glaciers on the lakesides, or to the lonely island of Tierra del Fuego, considered part of Patagonia. Serious hikers often come to this area and use Puerto Natales as their base for hiking the classic "W" or circuit treks in Torres del Paine, which take between four days and a week to complete. Others choose to spend a couple of nights in one of the park's luxury hotels and take in the sights during day hikes.
Antarctica
The Chilean Antarctic Territory or Chilean Antarctica is the territory in Antarctica claimed by Chile. No place on earth compares to this vast white wilderness, distilled to an elemental haiku: snow, ice, water, rock. Antarctica is simply stunning. The enormity of its ice shelves and mountain ranges invariably, heightens feelings of humanity’s insignificance and nature’s grandeur. If you are a nature lover and adventurer and you wish to explore the wonders of the world's largest natural sanctuary, Antarctica is a must see! One of the best and easiest way to get to the coldest continent on earth is from Chile via boat or plane.