Chile is one of the world's most geographically extreme countries — a narrow strip stretching 4,300 km from the driest desert on earth to sub-Antarctic glaciers and islands. The range of what's possible for a traveller here is correspondingly vast.
Santiago and Valparaíso
Santiago is Chile's sprawling, smoggy, energetic capital — not immediately beautiful, but rewarding if you spend time in the right neighbourhoods. Barrio Bellavista and Barrio Italia have good restaurants, bars, and street art. The Andes form a dramatic backdrop on clear days. An easy day trip west brings you to Valparaíso, a steep, colourful port city with a completely different character — bohemian, crumbling, and fascinating.
The Atacama Desert
The Atacama is the driest non-polar desert on the planet. The scenery around San Pedro de Atacama is extraordinary: salt flats studded with flamingos, moon-like red rock valleys, geysers erupting at 4,000 metres, and lagoons that shouldn't exist. The altitude and lack of light pollution make it one of the best stargazing destinations in the world — several professional observatories are located here.
The Lakes District and Chiloé
South of the Bio-Bío River, Chile becomes green and rainy. The Lakes District around Pucón, Valdivia, and Puerto Montt offers hiking around active volcanoes, thermal springs, and lakes so blue they look edited. The island of Chiloé has its own distinct culture, wooden churches (a UNESCO World Heritage site), and some of the best seafood in the country.
The Carretera Austral
Chile's southern highway — paved only in sections, impassable in places without a ferry — runs over 1,200 km through some of the most remote and spectacular landscapes on the continent. Hanging glaciers, turquoise rivers, empty roads, and very few people. Most travellers rent a car or join a tour; it can also be done partly by bus, slowly.
Torres del Paine
The iconic national park in Chilean Patagonia is the country's single most-visited destination for a reason. The granite towers, the glaciers, the turquoise lakes, and the wildlife — pumas, guanacos, condors, foxes — are extraordinary. The W circuit (4–5 days) is the standard trek; the full O circuit adds another 3–4 days and takes in more remote country. Book refuge huts and campsites months in advance for the December–February season.
Easter Island
Easter Island sits alone in the Pacific, 3,700 km from the Chilean mainland. The moai — the massive stone figures that stand along the coast and inland — are genuinely strange and moving in person. The island is small enough to explore in three to four days, though most visitors stay longer. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and access to some areas is controlled to protect them.
Wine country
The valleys south of Santiago — Maipo, Colchagua, Casablanca, Maule — produce some of South America's best wines. Carmenère, a grape that was almost extinct in Bordeaux when cuttings arrived in Chile in the 19th century, is now Chile's signature variety. Most of the major bodegas are open for tastings and tours.