Chile Vacation Guide

Stretching 4,000 km (2,500 mi) south from the base of Peru right to the bottom of the continent, the best known fact about Chile is its wholly improbable shape. As you might expect of such a country, Chile features huge extremes in its landscape from the world´s driest desert in the north, to the famous ice fields deep in the south. In between, more hospitable terrain greets visitors with palm-fringed sandy beaches, well-developed ski-resorts, world class hiking and rich wine country, Chile offers travelers a diverse variety of opportunities.

Some of Chile’s highlights:

The capital city of Santiago is reminiscent of a classic European city. Santiago hotels boast excellent service and value. Santiago restaurants serve fresh seafood without rival. It makes a good jumping-off point for exploring the back country, visiting the beaches or the Andean ski-resorts.

The country claims some of the world´s best wine so drink your way through Chile's wine country, staying at traditional haciendas along the way.

Chile’s 6,435 miles of coastline feature some of the best beaches in Latin America, from the modern resorts such as Viña to isolated fishing villages with modest yet beautiful beaches that you’ll most likely have to yourself.

It’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the vast wilderness of the Northern Chile Altiplano, with its salt flats and huge lakes dotted with bright pink flamingos, all ringed by distant volcanic peaks.

Shared between Chile and Argentina, Tierra del Fuego certainly looks and feels like the end of the earth – take a boat trip through the mighty ice fields that make up the southern tip of the continent.

The trails through Patagonia and the Lake District are well-kept yet not over-walked, making this area a world-class destination for hikers.

Torres del Paine National Park contains some of the planet's best trekking. There are a variety of Torres del Paine Tours available, normally in the form of 1-2 week treks.

Southern Chilean Patagonia is normally accessed via flights arriving to Punta Arenas from Santiago.

Discover the mysteries of Easter Island’s moai sculptures on this remote island in the Pacific Ocean.