Chile travel guide
Chile is a long, narrow strip of a country squeezed between the Andes and the Pacific, running from the Atacama Desert in the north to the glaciers and fjords of Patagonia in the south. In between are wine valleys, lakes and volcanoes, the colourful port of Valparaíso and a lively capital in Santiago. It suits hikers, stargazers, food and wine lovers, and anyone with time to cover long distances.
Places worth the trip
Torres del Paine National Park
Granite towers, turquoise lakes and glaciers in southern Patagonia. The multi-day W and O treks are the classic routes, but day hikes to the base of the towers and boat trips to Grey Glacier show the park in less time. Weather changes fast, with strong winds even in summer.
San Pedro de Atacama
An adobe oasis town that serves as a base for the Atacama Desert: the Valley of the Moon at sunset, the El Tatio geysers at dawn, high-altitude salt flats with flamingos, and some of the clearest night skies on earth for stargazing tours.
Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
A remote Polynesian island in the Pacific, famous for the moai, the giant stone figures carved by the Rapa Nui people. The quarry at Rano Raraku, the row of statues at Tongariki and the ceremonial village of Orongo are its best-known sites.
Valparaíso
A port city spread across steep hills, with brightly painted houses, street art and historic funicular lifts. Its historic quarter is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the poet Pablo Neruda's house, La Sebastiana, overlooks the bay.
Santiago
The capital sits in a valley ringed by the Andes. Cerro San Cristóbal and Cerro Santa Lucía give city views, the Bellavista and Lastarria districts have cafés and nightlife, and the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art covers the cultures that came before the Spanish.
The Lake District and Pucón
Lakes, forests, hot springs and snow-capped volcanoes such as Villarrica and Osorno. Pucón is the base for rafting, hiking and, conditions permitting, guided climbs of Villarrica, one of the most active volcanoes in the country.
Chiloé
A green, rainy island with its own folklore, houses on stilts called palafitos, and wooden churches built by Jesuit missionaries and local carpenters, a group of which is listed by UNESCO.
Wine valleys
The Casablanca valley between Santiago and the coast is known for white wines, and the Colchagua and Maipo valleys for reds, especially Carménère, a grape once thought lost in Europe and rediscovered in Chile.
Interesting facts about Chile
- Chile stretches more than 4,000 kilometres from north to south but is on average less than 200 kilometres wide.
- The Atacama is the driest non-polar desert in the world, and its dry, clear skies host some of the world's most important astronomical observatories.
- The Chinchorro people of northern Chile mummified their dead around two thousand years before the ancient Egyptians; the sites are now on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
- Easter Island lies more than 3,500 kilometres off the Chilean coast, making it one of the most remote inhabited islands on earth.
- Chile has two Nobel laureates in literature, the poets Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda.
Best time to visit Chile
Because Chile is so long, the best time depends on where you go. Patagonia is best from November to March, when days are long and trails and boats run, although wind is constant. Santiago, the wine valleys and the Lake District are pleasant in spring (September to November) and autumn (March to May), with the grape harvest in autumn. The Atacama can be visited year-round, with cold nights. Ski resorts near Santiago open roughly from June to September. Easter Island is mild all year.
Getting around
Distances are huge, so most travellers fly between regions: Santiago links to Calama for the Atacama, Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales for Patagonia, Puerto Montt for the Lake District, and Easter Island. Long-distance buses are comfortable, frequent and cover the mainland well, including overnight services with reclining seats. Santiago has an extensive, modern metro. Renting a car works well in the Lake District and the Atacama; in Patagonia, routes such as the Carretera Austral are partly gravel and need time.
Practical details
- Capital
- Santiago
- Currency
- Chilean peso (CLP)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Plug types
- C, L
- Voltage
- 220 V, 50 Hz
- Emergency
- 131 ambulance, 132 fire, 133 police
- Driving side
- right
- Tipping
- In restaurants a tip of around a tenth of the bill is customary and is often suggested on the bill; you can decline it. Tipping taxi drivers is not expected.
Staying online in Chile
Mobile coverage is good in cities, towns and along major highways, and 4G and 5G are available in Santiago and other large cities. Coverage becomes patchy or disappears in the high Andes, the open Atacama, Patagonia's national parks, along much of the Carretera Austral and at sea. Wi-Fi is common in hotels, hostels and cafés, although it can be slow in remote lodges. Download offline maps before heading into the parks, then install an eSIM before you fly and switch it on when you land.
Chile eSIM plans
1 GB
1GB eSIM Data for 7 Days for Chile
无限流量
Unlimited eSIM Data for 1 Day for Chile
2 GB
2GB eSIM Data for 15 Days for Chile
3 GB
3GB eSIM Data for 30 Days for Chile
Useful apps
- Uber: Widely used for rides in Santiago and other major cities.
- Cabify: An alternative ride-hailing app that operates in Santiago and several Chilean cities.
- Moovit: Live public transport routes and times for the Santiago metro and buses.
- Google Maps: Driving and walking directions; download offline maps for Patagonia, the Atacama and the Lake District.
- Google Translate: Chilean Spanish is fast and full of local slang, and English is limited outside tourist areas.
Chile travel FAQs
Two weeks lets you combine two or three regions, such as Santiago and Valparaíso with the Atacama and Patagonia, using domestic flights. Easter Island needs at least three or four extra days because of the long flight.
Yes, for the multi-day treks. Campsites and refuges on the W and O circuits must be booked ahead, and they fill up early for the summer season. Day visits are easier to arrange.
Yes, coverage is good in cities and towns, but expect long stretches without signal in Patagonia, the Atacama and the mountains. A travel eSIM gives you local mobile data while your home number stays active for calls and texts.
San Pedro de Atacama is high, and excursions such as the El Tatio geysers go higher still. Take a day or two to acclimatise, drink plenty of water and go easy on alcohol before high-altitude tours.