What is there to see, and what can I do there?
Dramatic, unspoilt and varied scenery (north to south):
The Atacama desert, alive with volcanoes, hissing geysers, contorted rock formations and the vestiges of pre-Columbian cultures.
The fertile pastures and whispering forests of the lake district, with snow-draped volcanoes, provides for waterside relaxation in picturesque countryside.
A visit to Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia, whether by car, by oat or on foot, allows you to get up close to massive ice-stifled granite massifs and towering glacier walls plugging gem-sharp lagoons. Here you can spot guanacos, foxes, ñandu and many water-fowl and other bird varieties including, maybe, a condor or two. You can also explore the fractured coastline by comfortable cruiser.
Across the Pacific Easter Island, a mysterious, treeless volcanic island with a unique Polynesian culture features the famous moai heads.
Outdoor activities:
Ride well-schooled Chilean horses on ranches in the Andean lakes or southern Patagonia
Trek in the Torres del Paine National Park or the lake district
Rural retreats and wineries:
Chile, like Argentina, has a number of quality country-house style hotels and wine estates throughout the country. Try a cosy country-house style lodge (Quincho country home)in the lake district; a remote spa in the little-visited southern 11th region, along the Carretera Austral (Puyuhuapi) the top-quality explora hotel in the heart of Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park or in the Atacama desert, a wine estate in the beautiful Colchagua Valley not far from Santiago.
City Life
Santiago is a vibrant, modern and cosmopolitan city with a small colonial core. Other areas worth a stroll are the Italian Bella Vista quarter, the San Cristóbal park and the boutiques and restaurant-lined avenues of Providencia. Chile’s other cities are not a major to the visitor, although the lake district has some charming Bavarian-style towns, for example Puerto Varas; and Punta Arenas, in Patagonia, has interesting buildings and museums of historical interest.
Escorted group or tailor-made?
If you'd like to travel on a fixed date, fixed itinerary holiday with a small group of other travellers, please consider our Penguin Classic Journey which offers a comprehensive tour of Chile in comfort, or our Nandu Discovery Journey.
If you'd prefer that we design an itinerary just for you, with accommodation, excursions and transport selected according to your tastes, needs and budget, please see our Tailor-made pages.
How do I choose an itinerary?
If we are building a holiday just for you, rest assured we have access a huge, unrivalled bank of services throughout the country. You can choose one of our suggested itineraries in Chile, the Mara trip covers the country from north to south, take it as it is or we’ll modify it to suit your needs.
When’s the best time to go?
For most people, climate is the most significant factor in choosing the time of year for a visit to Chile. Other things to bear in mind are the possible crowds in local holiday periods or European school holidays.
The Atacama desert in the north, is dry and sunny all year round, and temperatures are tempered by the altitude. Santiago has more of a Mediterranean climate: hot dry summers and cool, wetter winters. Autumn and spring are very pleasant at this time though in October/November conferences can book out the hotels.
The further south you go, the more attractive it is to travel in the southern summer, when daylight hours are long and it is as warm as northern Europe. Spring and autumn in Patagonia can be colourful but very blustery, this time is popular among visitors who want to avoid the crowds. Winter temperatures rarely fall much below freezing but in the far south daylight hours are very short.
What kind of accommodation is available?
Chile offers hotels to suit all budgets, where service is good and a professional, friendly atmosphere is the rule. Santiago has a number of international chain hotels but also some reasonable locally-run properties. There’s a good choice of accommodation now in the popular Atacama (Link to explora) and Patagonian (link to hacienda los 3 lagos) wildernesses, some of very high quality Increasingly, wine estates (santa rita) are opening their doors to visitors. Accommodation options in Easter island,(explora easter island) once very limited, are expanding year on year. There are plenty of good-value tourist class hotels throughout the country. We probably have access to more of all of these than any other British tour operator.
Can I combine with another country?
It is easy to devise an itinerary which combines Chile with Argentina, crossing the Andean frontier in the lake district or Patagonia. Several of our group tours, the Lapwing, Nandu and the Charito, follow these routes, as does the tailor-made suggested itineraries Nevado and Darwin's Rhea.
What will the cost of living be for me?
Meals out, taxi fares and entrance fees are lower in Chile than in the UK. Locally-produced wine is very cheap and there are good quality brands to choose from. A meal with a beer can cost as little as £10 and you can get across Santiago by taxi for £3-5, or pay 30p for an underground ticket (the tube is reliable, clean and safe) There are few obvious souvenirs but good quality leather goods are very reasonably priced.