Introducing Chile
Spindly Chile stretches 4300km – over half the continent – from the driest desert in the world (near San Pedro de Atacama) to massive glacial fields. Filling up the in-between are volcanoes, geysers, beaches, lakes, rivers, steppe and countless islands. Slenderness gives Chile the intimacy of a backyard (albeit one fenced between the Andes and the Pacific). What’s on offer? Everything. With easy infrastructure, spectacular sights and hospitable hosts, the hardest part is choosing an itinerary. Consider the sweeping desert solitude, craggy summits and the lush forests of the fjords. Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and the isolated Isla Robinson Crusoe offer extracontinental exploits.
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But don’t forget that Chile is as much about character as it is setting. Its far-flung location fires the imagination and has been known to make poets out of barmen, dreamers out of presidents and friends out of strangers. A few wrong turns and detours and you too will be part of this tightly woven family who barbecues on Sunday. Don’t forget to bring an extra bottle of red to the long, lazy dinners that await.
Ready to go?
These tours & activities make it easy:
- Discover enigmatic Easter Island
- See the best of Chile and Argentina
- Explore the dramatic Chilean fjords
- Explore Chile and Argentina's Patagonia
Last updated: Jan 17, 2013
Tips & articles
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Exploring Argentina and Chile by bus
11 April 2013
First-time visitors to the southern cone of South America arrive in Buenos Aires or Santiago with visions of glaciers, waterfalls,...
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Latin American adventures for the whole family
20 December 2012
Just because you have kids doesn’t mean you have to stop travelling altogether. In fact, bringing the kids along for...
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Ten great cycling routes: from day-trips to long-distance adventures
11 December 2012
Wind in your hair, landscapes whipping by, cruising through peaceful forests: embracing the outdoors on two wheels is one of...
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Chile
Things to do
- All things to do (1,311)
- Activities (241)
- Entertainment (208)
- Restaurants (409)
- Shopping (101)
- Sights (273)
- Tours (79)
Make it happen
Our Top Picks For Chile
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1 Valparaíso
Hills bright with teetering colored houses, serious seafood and kicking port nightlife
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2 Easter Island
Enigmatic moai draw in adventurers to explore this eerie speck of land on horseback or foot
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3 Santiago
Chile's hedonistic heart has the hottest restaurants, the busiest bars and the longest nights
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4 San Pedro de Atacama
An adobe oasis surrounded by geysers, sand dunes, salt flats and lost Andean villages
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5 Pucón
Suit up for high-octane outdoor adventures, smoldering volcanoes and Mapuche etnoturismo
Fast Facts about Chile
- Pisco produced annually
50 million liters
- Head of state
President Sebastian Piñera
- Famous for
Tierra del Fuego, Pablo Neruda, Isabel Allende, pisco, wine, General Pinochet, Patagonia
- Did you know...
that Chile is the world's fifth largest exporter of wine?
- She said it
You can tell the deepest truths with the lies of fiction - Isabel Allende
- Highest point
Ojos del Salado (6893m)
- Population
16,601,700 (4.6% of which is indigenous)
- Number of moai on Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
887
- The oldest known Chinchorro mummy...
dates back to c 5050 BC (some 2000 years before Egypt started mummifying its dead)
- Number of vicuña remaining in Chile
25,000