Viña del Mar and Valparaíso

Just an hour and a half northwest of Santiago, neighboring Viña del Mar and Valparaíso are like two sides of a coin. Viña, the ‘Garden City,’ is one of Chile’s premier beach resorts, with excellent hotel and shopping. Valparaíso, immortalized in the words of Pablo Neruda, is one of South America’s most charismatic and historic ports, with its charming ascensores (funicular railways) and colorful hillside constructions.

Santiago & Central Valley

Santiago, Chile’s capital city and cultural and economic center of the nation, Santiago occupies a spectacular intermontane basin at the foot of the highest peaks in the Andes. Safe and modern, Santiago features excellent restaurants and hotels, cultural events and shopping. Ski areas, national parks, colonial haciendas and wineries all make easy day trips from Santiago.

The Cajon del Maipo is a glacially sculpted valley just southeast of Santiago. It makes an excellent day or weekend trip. Whitewater rafting , hiking, and horseback riding are among the activities offered in Santiago’s backyard getaway

Lakes and Volcanoes

Chile’s southern region of lakes and volcanoes is an expression of nature’s inimitable aesthetic and startling exuberance. Between volcanic cataclysms, glacial sculpting, torrential rivers and massive temperate rainforests, this is very much a landscape in flux, modeling and remodeling itself before our eyes.

Pucon is poised between Lago Villarica and the smoking volcano of the same name. It offers something for every interest. Two national parks and one private reserve protect ancient forest habitat, a variety of rivers more than satisfies fishermen and whitewater boaters, skiing and mountaineering are possible on the slopes of Volcán Villarica, and the black sand beach soaks up the sun all day. At night, you can take your pick of nearby hot springs. Puerto Montt is on the shore of Reloncaví Sound. It is the departure point for maritime cruises through the Patagonian fjords and islands, including cruises to Laguna San Rafael and Puerto Natales. As the supply point for far-flung fishing communities, Puerto Montt is also one of the best places to buy handicrafts from Chiloé or to feast on an unbelievable assortment of fresh seafood. Puerto Varas is on the southern shore of Lago Llanquihue, faced by the perfect cone of Volcán Osorno. It combines the best of the Lake Region’s nature and culture. Well preserved German architecture reflects this charming town’s history of mid- to late- 19th century immigration; nearby are excellent rivers for fishing and whitewater rafting, ancient temperate rainforests , and the spectacular Lago Todos los Santos. Todos los Santos Lake One of the many lakes of Chile’s Lakes and Volcanoes region, Lago Todos los Santos was formed when volcanic ash from Volcán Osorno blocked a westward flowing river, trapping the water deep in a glacial valley. Today this spectacular lake, flanked on each side by steep cliffs, spans the continental divide and is the site of an extraordinary Andean Lake Crossing to Bariloche, Argentina. The Isla Grande of Chiloé is divided by the gentle peaks of the Coast Range. To the west is a wilderness of endless beaches, dune habitat, and temperate rainforests. To the east are the scattered islands of the Chiloé archipelago, sheltered from Pacific storms, intensely cultivated, home to a traditional culture of subsistence farmers, fishermen, and craftsmen. Over the course of two centuries, the Jesuit order made this corner of the earth their special responsibility, erecting schools and over two hundred elegant wooden churches, nine of which are protected as national monuments. A rich mythology - populated by strange trolls, sea monsters, and eerie ghost ships - is yet another mark of Chiloé’s singular history.

Easter Island

The most remote island in the world, more than 2,000 miles from the Chilean mainland, Easter Island, leaves visitors feeling that they are in the “middle of nowhere.” Politically part of Chile, but culturally part of Polynesia, this island is one of the most unique in the world. Visitors can enjoy its beautiful beaches, and admire the mysterious rock statues called Moais, carved thousands of years ago.

Atacama & Altiplano

Northern Chile is a land of extreme contrasts, where two uniquely Andean environments, the Altiplano and the Atacama Desert, combine with unpredictable and overwhelmingly beautiful results. The vast and colorful Atacama Desert is said to be the driest desert in the world. In some parts of this desert, no precipitation has ever been recorded. 

Composed of consolidated ash from hundreds of volcanoes along the Chile-Bolivia border, the Altiplano averages over 11,000 feet high and is home to a traditional community of Aymara llama and alpaca herders. This unique environment - site of massive salt flats and high-altitude lakes, home to American camels and hundreds of bird species — separates the Atacama Desert from the Amazon Basin. The most commonly visited sectors of the Chilean Altiplano are Parque Nacional Lauca, near Arica, and the area east of San Pedro de Atacama. Continuously inhabited for some 10,000 years, San Pedro de Atacama was coveted by the Tihuanaco and Inca empires for its mineral wealth and importance as a crossroads of desert commerce. Today, dozens of archaeological sites, and excellent museum, and nearby access to the Altiplano, massive salt flats, the Valle de la Luna, and pre-Hispanic communities of the río Loa make San Pedro northern Chile’s top tourist destination. Continuously inhabited for some 10,000 years, San Pedro de Atacama was coveted by the Tihuanaco and Inca empires for its mineral wealth and importance as a crossroads of desert commerce. Today, dozens of archaeological sites, and excellent museum, and nearby access to the Altiplano, massive salt flats, the Valle de la Luna, and pre-Hispanic communities of the río Loa make San Pedro northern Chile’s top tourist destination. Scattered throughout the Altiplano and Inter-Andean Depression, salt flats such as the Salar de Atacama near San Pedro de Atacama are one of Northern Chile’s most singular geographic features. Perfectly flat and apparently endless, these shimmering white salares provide habitat for dozens of bird species, including three varieties of flamingos. At 14,1696 ft above sea level, this is the world’s highest geysers field. Tours from San Pedro de Atacama depart at 4:00 in the morning in order to arrive at El Tatio at sunrise, when changing atmospheric pressure causes the geothermic vents to expel clouds of steam up to 35 ft in the air. Formed of uplifted lake sediments, the peaks of the Salt Range (Cordillera de la Sal) have been shaped by wind into a variety of unusual formations. Just outside of San Pedro de Atacama, the Valle de la Luna is best visited at sunset or under a full moon.