Summary
Look at a map of South America, and pencil thin Chile might look as if it has little to offer travellers. But speak to anyone who has spent even the shortest amount of time in the country and you’ll discover just how wrong this assumption is. Dominated by the Andes Mountains, Chile’s landscapes range from the expansive – and beautiful – glacier fields of Torres del Paine National Park to the sands of the Atacama Desert. Patagonia comprises similarly mesmeric fjords, while the capital city of Santiago is a fascinating mix of indigenous, Spanish and international influences.
Explore Chile
Chile
Description
A rich array of government ministries, modern shopping malls and elegantly mapped-out public squares, Santiago is a capital worthy of the name. Here you can watch the perfectly-executed changing of the guard ceremony at the neoclassical presidential palace, La Moneda, before slipping into the sublime baroque cathedral. Visitors can take in the exhibits of the preeminent Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, then explore the city’s modern creations at a welcoming gallery.
But for all that, guided tours of Chile rightly spend a portion of their itineraries among the country’s extraordinary landscapes. Torres del Paine National Park is probably the pinnacle of Chilean natural beauty. It combines towering peaks worthy of a Game of Thrones storyline with sparking glaciers and much of South America’s unique wildlife offerings.
Ways of exploring are similarly varied, with 4x4s leading to several glacial lakes, hikes of just a few hours to multiple days (such as the famed W trek) and even boat cruises available. Nor is Torres del Paine National Park difficult to get to. It can be reached directly by road from the Argentinian city of El Calafate, as is the case with our Argentina and Chile Guided Tour.
Escorted tours of Chile also connect with the national park via Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales. Home to Torres del Paine’s closest airport, Punta Arenas is one of the planet’s southernmost metropolises. With an intriguing history as a port and penal colony, the town’s colourful buildings act as a wondrous backdrop to trips to visit the Megellanic penguin colony on nearby Magdalena Island.
Although the main reason for heading to Puerto Natales is for its proximity to the national park, it does have a local history museum displaying some charming historic photographs, alongside traditional throwing weapons and a Yaghan canoe.
A pinprick of land amidst the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean, Chilean-owned Easter Island is known for very different landscapes. Accessible via five-hour flights from Santiago, the maoi ‘heads’ of Easter Island have baffled experts and fascinated visitors for several centuries.
Believed to be anywhere from 300 to 500 years old, hundreds of these monumental stone cut figures dot the island. It’s an island of volcanic scenes and its very own culture, including a ‘birdman’ religion centred on Orongo. The main town, Hanga Roa, is another spot to absorb Rapa Nui’s unique ambience and discover just what it’s like to live beside the world’s best-known human depictions.
