Sur Chico
The nature sanctuary El Cañi is proof that concerned citizens can make a difference and affect conservation of old-growth forests. When logging interests…
Must-see attractions in Chile
Northern Patagonia
Boasting Chile’s largest population of endangered huemul deer, Reserva Nacional Tamango protects a 70-sq-km transition zone to the Patagonian steppe…
Chiloé
This larger and newer version of Chiloé's mystical and famous Muelle de las Almas is reached via a 45-minute boat ride from Muelle Anguay near Refugio…
Museo Histórico y Antropológico
Sur Chico
Housed in a fine riverfront mansion on Isla Teja, this museum is one of Chile's finest. It features a large, well-labeled collection from pre-Columbian…
Cajón del Maipo
At Baños Morales is the entrance to Monumento Natural El Morado, a small national park. From the banks of sparkling Laguna El Morado are fabulous views of…
Monumento Natural Salar de Surire
Norte Grande
Visiting nearby Monumento Natural Salar de Surire is a surefire way to see huge herds of roaming vicuña, pockets of cuddly viscacha, as well the…
Monumento Natural Cerro Ñielol
Sur Chico
Cerro Ñielol is a hill that sits among some 90 hectares of native forest – a little forested oasis in the city. Chile's national flower, the copihue …
Museo Regional de La Araucanía
Sur Chico
Housed in a handsome frontier-style building dating from 1924, this small but excellent regional museum is one of Sur Chico's best. There are permanent…
Norte Grande
Pisagua's most sobering site is its old cemetery 3km north of town, spread over a lonely hillside that slips suddenly into the ocean. Here, vultures guard…
San Pedro de Atacama Region
Dominating a curvaceous promontory over the Río San Pedro, this crumbling 12th-century pukará (fort) was one of the last bastions against Pedro de…
Chiloé
The 430-sq-km Parque Nacional Chiloé, 30km west of Chonchi and 54km west of Castro, is well-known for its abundance of Chilote wildlife (including 110…
Iquique
The city's 19th-century swagger is hard to miss on Iquique's central square. Pride of place goes to the 1877 Torre Reloj clock tower, seemingly baked and…
The Lakes District
Six kilometers southwest of Petrohué, the Saltos del Petrohué is a rushing, frothing waterfall raging through a narrow volcanic rock canyon carved by lava…
San Pedro de Atacama Region
These idyllic volcanic hot springs puddle together in a box canyon, about 30km northeast of San Pedro en route to El Tatio. Their temperature is about 33…
Iquique
This replica of sunken Esmeralda, a plucky little Chilean corvette that challenged ironclad Peruvian warships in the War of the Pacific, is Iquique's new…
Santiago
Since the city's founding in 1541, the Plaza de Armas has been its symbolic heart. In colonial times a gallows was the square's grisly centerpiece; today…
San Pedro de Atacama Region
Circular adobe structures huddle together like muddy bubble-wrap in the ruins of Tulor, the oldest excavated village in the region. It’s an interesting…
Santiago
Take a break from the chaos of the Centro with an afternoon stroll through this lovingly manicured park. It was just a rocky hill until 19th-century mayor…
Norte Grande
A short distance inland from the intersection of the Panamericana and Chile 11, you'll see the pre-Columbian Lluta geoglyphs, also known as the Gigantes…
Concepción
The massive, fiercely political mural La Presencia de América Latina is the highlight of the university art museum La Casa del Arte. It's by Mexican…
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Santiago
This fine art museum is housed in the stately neoclassical Palacio de Bellas Artes, built as part of Chile's centenary celebrations in 1910. The museum…
Iquique
Hour-long boat tours around the harbor leave from Iquique's 1901 passenger pier, just west of the Edificio de la Aduana. The tour floats past the Boya…
Santiago
This gorgeous urban oasis was created, as the name suggests, in celebration of the Chilean bicentennial. In addition to more than 4000 trees, a peaceful…
Puerto Varas
Many notable constructions in town are private houses from the early 20th century. Grab a city map at the tourist office to follow the Paseo Patrimonial,…
Tierra Del Fuego (Chile)
A pristine private park owned by the Wildlife Conservation Society, Karukinka has 300,000 hectares of lush wetlands, lenga forests and snowy peaks. There…
Sur Chico
The 64-sq-km Parque Nacional Tolhuaca is one of park system’s best-kept secrets – so secret, in fact, that it's not even listed on Conaf's web site! As it…
Norte Grande
The skeletal remains of Oficina Santa Laura, 2km west of Humberstone, are a half-hour walk southwest of its abandoned neighbor. Less visited and more in…
Elqui Valley
The latest of a few on the observatory front is Observatorio del Pangue, 17km south of Vicuña, run by three enthusiastic French and Chilean astronomers…
Punta Arenas
This opulent mansion testifies to the wealth and power of pioneer sheep farmers in the late 19th century. The well-maintained interior houses a regional…
Feria Alcalde José Sandoval Gomez
Chiloé
Castro's well-conceived fresh market, new in 2017, is located a bit off the beaten path but is worth a trip for its colorful architecture and wide range…
Norte Grande
British flavor prevails in the 19th-century Barrio Histórico, between the plaza and the old port, where handsome Victorian and Georgian buildings still…
Norte Grande
More than 20,000 wild vicuña are thought to roam the sparsely inhabited 2100 sq km of the off-the-beaten-path Reserva Nacional Las Vicuñas, directly south…
Santiago
Colonial furniture, weapons, paintings, historical objects and models chart Chile's colonial and republican history at the Museo Histórico Nacional. After…
Santiago
This pocket-sized neighborhood developed on the grounds of the Franciscan convent of Iglesia de San Francisco is made up of two intersecting cobblestone…
Tierra Del Fuego (Chile)
Serene glacier-rimmed bays and native Fuegian forest comprise this ultra wild and practically inaccessible 1500-sq-km national park. Among Chile's newest,…
San Pedro de Atacama Region
The European Southern Observatory is home to an array of powerful telescopes, with many important discoveries emerging from astronomical research…
Museo Minero de Tierra Amarilla
Norte Chico
To find out more about the region's geology, head 18km southeast of town to this private museum near the village of Tierra Amarilla. Surrounded by working…
San Pedro de Atacama
The recently restored Iglesia San Pedro is a delightful little colonial church built with indigenous or artisanal materials: chunky adobe walls and roof,…
Elqui Valley
This family-run boutique pisquera, in operation since 1921, offers quite a different view of pisco production. The 40-minute tours take you through all…
Valparaíso
The city's most illustrious, influential and infamous residents rest in peace in Cementerios 1 and 2, where the tombs look like ornate mini alaces. Nearby…
