CHILE

Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a South American country occupying a long, narrow strip of land between the An+des mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far south. Along with Ecuador, it is one of two countries in South America that do not border Brazil.

The land of Pablo Neruda and Isabella Allende, Chile is a total experience – nature and adventure rolled into one. There is so much packed into this string bean of a country – the urban boulevards and the bustle of Santiago, the Andean foothills and the Atacama Desert, the Pacific coastline and the National Parks, the guanaco and the glaciers. The Europeans have populated this country with vigor but the warm and resilient people of Chile have stuck to their traditions, especially in the Andean foothills.

Enjoy a trek and go spotting the amazing guanaco in its National Parks, indulge in the bright blue of the Pacific, the intense brown of the Andes and Atacama and the pearly whites of the glaciers in Southern Chile.

Capital: Santiago

Best Time of Visit:

  1. If you want to pay Torres del Paine or Lake District a visit, the ideal time to do so would be the summer months of December through March, which is also the high season in all of Chile.
  2. Winters from June-September is a great season if skiing is your true calling as nothing beats the Andes for a ‘trip’ up and down its snow-enveloped slopes.
  3. Spring (late September-November) and autumn (March-May) is also a fantastic time to plan your Chilean trip as the weather is pleasant in almost all cities of the country.
  4. The best time to visit Middle Chile is most definitely from September-November or from February-April.
  5. While places like Atacama Desert can be visited throughout the year, the autumn month of March is the ideal time to visit Easter Islands and Juan Fernandez Archipelago.

Min Days Required: 7 days

Places of Interest: 

  1. Santiago – Urbn Stgo, Casablanca Valley, Barrio Lastarria, Museo Interactivo Mirador, San Cristobal Hill
  2.  Concepcion – Campus der Universitat von Concepcion, Parque Pedro del Rio Zanartu, Catedral de la Santisima Concepcion
  3. La Serena – Elqui Valley, Isla Damas, Jardin Del Corazon, Fray Jorge National Park
  4. Torres del Paine National Park
  5. Robinson Crusoe Island

Climate:

  1. Chile has a variety of climatic conditions ranging from subtropical to temperate and near polar due to its great lengths. Chile can be divided into three climatic zones: the north which includes the Atacama Desert, which is characterized by arid and dry conditions,
  2. The central region of Chile, which has a Mediterranean climate with mild wet winters and long dry summers and the south, which is cold and wet with prevailing winds of gale intensity.
  3. Rainfall increases from almost nothing in the Atacama Desert in the north to 5,080 mm (200 inches) in the south.
  4. Average annual temperature ranges in Santiago are from 3 to 14 degrees Celsius (37 to 57 degrees Fahrenheit) in July to 12 to 29 degrees Celsius (54 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit) in January.
  5. The northern subtropical deserts have mild weather all through the year, while central Chile (which houses Santiago, the capital) has a Mediterranean climate of warm dry summers and mild wet winters.
  6. Patagonia experiences cool summers and mild winters.

Currency: Peso

Things to carry:

  1. Pack according to the time of year you are traveling in Santiago never gets very cold, but it may be wise to carry a light jacket in any case.
  2.  Remember that Chile is in the southern hemisphere so the seasons are reversed.

How to get there:

Air:

  1. The most common entry point for overseas visitors is the Arturo Merino Benítez International Airzort (SCL) in the commune of Pudahuel, 15 km (9.3 miles) north-west of downtown Santiago.
  2. Santiago International Airport is served by serveral non-stop international service, mainly from Europe, the Americas and Oceania.
  3. LAN Airlines is the largest national carrier and flights from the main cities in the Americas, Sydney, Auckland, Papeete, Frankfurt and Madrid. Other airlines serving SCL are Aerolíneas Argentinas, Air Canada, Air France, American Airlines, Avianca, Copa, Delta, Iberia, Pluna and TACA.
  4. Other airports with international services are in Arica, Iquique, Antofagasta, Concepción, Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas, all of them to neighboring countries.
  5. The Mataveri International Airport in Easter Island receives only LAN Airlines flights from Santiago, Lima and Papeete.