top destinations in Chile

The top 10 in Chile? Difficult to narrow down this extensive country, but the editors at Santiago.cl have made you a list. Write us with specific questions and we will be glad to help you out.

Atacama

The Atacama Desert is the driest desert on earth. Portions of this desert have never seen rain in all of recorded history. While it is a sparsely populated plateau, running from the Pacific Ocean to the Andes Mountains, the number of tourists here is booming.

Valle del Elqui

From the beaches of La Serena, rise high into the mountains, where the world´s clearest skies are home to the most important telescopes in the world. Increasingly an area for horse treks.

Central Coast Beaches

The central coast of Chile has numerous small resorts, fishing villages and the pair of cities Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. Empty all year except for Jan and Feb, these beaches are spectacular, the water freezing and a fantastic escape from modern life. Many cabins are available near the waterfront and increasingly surfers and water junkies are flooding to Chile.

Santa Cruz Wine Valley

The Colchagua valley is a broad valley well known for its excellent wines. A new steam train will be running by May 2004 and this will make for a spectacular trip down and back. For overnight stays, the Hotel Santa Cruz is the best place in town, they also have the biggest wine cellar in all of Chile, with hundreds of local varieties.  An extra day can also be spent driving all the way over to the Pichilemu surfer´s hangout.

Lake District

A forested region of lush old growth forests, clean lakes and snowcapped vulcanos and deep clear lakes. The Lake District streches 339 km form Temuco in the north to Puerto Montt in the south. Climb a volcano, explore deserted lakes, or raft the numerous Andean torrents.

Chiloe

This huge island has a culture all its own. From the main island, numerous ferries plow the fjords and bays. Easy to spend a week boating and busing the area. Fantastic seafood and scenes as green as Ireland make this

The Carretera Austral

The ends of the earth begin here. A single highway called Carretera Austral plows into a wealth of rivers, forests, glacier fields and probably many species unknown to mankind.

Torres del Paine National Park

Probably the most famous single photo of Chile are the towering spires of Torres del Paine. Located north of Tierra del Fuego these are remote areas completely worth the visit.

Tierra del Fuego

Antartica

Tierra del Fuego is the end of the continent, that before the Panama Canal was a keyshipping lane. Today, the main attractions are glaciers, icebaps and parks.

Easter Islands

The famous Easter Island offer you a lot of hightlights like the unfinished statues, the Playa Arenal anthe Easter Island Annual Ceremonies. Even if it´s not cheap to get there it is worth it.