Chile

Quick Facts

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Capital

Santiago

Population

15,330,000

Government

Republic

Religions

Christianity (Catholic, Protestant)

Languages

Spanish

Calling Code

+56

Nationality

Chilean

Local name

Chile

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Introduction

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Chile is a land of extraordinary beauty and diversity, weaving along much of the Pacific coast of South America. Santiago, the Chilean capital, is set against the stunning backdrop of the Andes. Chile also lays claim to one of the southernmost towns on earth, Punta Arenas. And, if that is not enough, it also is a host of the driest places on earth, where no rain has fallen for years in a row. These can be found in the upper north in the Atacama desert. Even larger coastal places like Arica and Iquique see very little rain, due to the cold Humboldt current.

In between these two extremes is a land with beautiful lakes and forests, volcanoes, beaches, glaciers, fjords and some fine colonial buildings in pleasant cities and towns. It is a perfect country for both relaxing as doing some serious activities like skiing, climbing and hiking.

Add to this a range of animals which you don't find anywhere else and one of the best places on earth to watch the stars in the sky, and you will understand why this country sees more and more visitors every year, especially after the dictactorial period of Pinochet had ended.

It is one of the safest countries in Latin America and has one of the best infrastructures, which of course considering the length of 5500 kilometers is not a bad thing.

Brief History

Geography

This skinny little nation stretches along the western coast of South America and is as geographically varied as Brazil and Argentina, despite being much smaller. It is enclosed on the east by the momentous Andes mountain range; fjords and bays mark its extensive coastline. In the narrow stretch between the Andes and the coast, the landscape also varies dramatically, from the Atacama Desert in the north, to the fertile valleys in its heart and finally the desolate tundra of Tierra Del Fuego in the south. This fantastic variety has made it a hot destination for travellers in search of adventure. Chile shares international borders with Argentina, Bolivia and Peru.

Regions

• Norte Grande, containing the regions of Tarapaca and Antofagasta
• Norte Chico, containing the regions of Atacama and Coquimbo
• Middle Chile, containting the regions Valparaiso (including Easter Island and the Juan Fernandez Archipelago), Santiago, Region del Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Region del Maule and Region del Biobo
• Regions de Lla Araucania and de Los Lagos
• Region de Aisen
• Region de Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena (including Tierra del Fuego)

Cities

• Santiago
• Arica
• San Pedro de Atacama
• Iquique
• Valparaiso
• Vina del Mar
• Pucón
• Villarica
• Temuco
• Puerto Montt
• Castro
• Puerto Natales
• Punta Arenas

Sights and Activities

Parque Nacional Torres del Paine

Parque Nacional Torres del Paine is a popular tourist destination in Patagonia. It is especially good to visit during January and February. More about Parque Nacional Torres del Paine

Navimag ferry

Running between Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales in Patagonia, this route runs through a number of channels along the coast of Chile, giving tourist views of mountainous islands covered with evergreens and waterfalls. the boat sails for 4 days through the fjords and channels, only spending 8 hours in the open ocean. Wildlife that can be viewed includes sea lions, killer whales and dolphins. More about the Navimag Ferry

Easter Island

Several hours off the coast of Chile lies Easter Island with its mysterious statues, or 'moai' as they are known in Polynesian language.
More on Easter Island

Atacama Desert

Although the Atacama desert doesn't have the high temperatures you'd expect from a desert, it is certainly a desert in the true meaning of the word, as it has virtually no rain at all, especially along the coastal areas or just a few kilometers inland.
More about the Atacama Desert

Juan Fernandez Islands

The Juan Fernandez Islands are 3 islands, about 700 kilometers west of the Chilean mainland. The smallest is Isla Santa Clara near the main island of Isla Robinson Crusoe. The third one is a bit more east and is named Isla Alejandro Selkirk, after the Scottish maroon, who spend more than 4 years on Isla Robinson Crusoe.
More about the Juan Fernandez Islands

Other attractions

• Chiloe
• Osorno volcano

Events and Festivals

Weather

As Chile is such a stretched country and the land rises from sea level to over 6500 meters in just about 100 kilometer, the country has different climates.

The north has a typical desert climate and the Atacama desert is actually the driest desert in the world. Arica has practically no rain at all and other places more inland haven't seen rain in years. Despite this, the Atacama desert is not particularly hot, mainly because of the average hight of about 2300 meters. Temperatures occasionally hit 35 or a bit more, but that's it. Arica is named the city of eternal spring, with temperatures always very welcome between 15 and 25 degrees Celcius. On the high altiplano in the Andes, it can get very cold, particularly at night when temperatures normally drop below zero.

The centre has a more temperate climate with hot summers and mild winters. Santiago can get pretty hot in summer and together with the smog it is not a place you fancy being in summer.

Further south, summers are cooler and winters a bit colder. This part around the lakes and volcanoes of Chile sees more rain than other parts of the country.

In the bottom south (Patagonia) summers are short en cool, sometimes even cold, and snow can fall almost every month of the year. In Punta Arenas, temperatures of 20 degrees or more aren't recorded that much.

Getting There

By Plane

Most international flights arrive in Santiago at Aeropuetro Internacional Arturo Merino Benitez. LanChile is the national carrier of Chile, but many other major airlines fly into Chile as well.

Some travellers arriving by air are required to pay a "processing fee." This processing fee is in response to fee levied against Chileans travelling abroad, and will match the amount of the fee charged to the Chileans. Citizens from the USA pay $US 45, Citizens from Canada pay $US 55 and citizens of Australia pay $US 30. This fee can be paid in US dollars, Chilean Pesos or with travellers checks.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

There are overland border crossings between Peru, Boliva and Argentina. There are a number of bus companies that service routes between these countries. In general, border crossing are relatively easy.
The main border crossing with Peru is between Arica and Tacna. Buses also travel directly between Santiago and Lima along the Panamericana. To Bolivia the main regular crossing is the road between Arica and La Paz but an increasing number of travellers use tours to the Bolivian saltlakes to travel between San Pedro de Atacama and Uyuni in Bolivia.
To and from Argentina, the main crossings are San Pedro de Atacama to Salta, Santiago to Mendoza and Puerto Montt to Bariloche by a combination of buses and boats. In Patagonia, the most used crossing is between Puerto Natales and El Calafate and on Tierra del Fuego between Punta Arenas and Ushuia you will cross borders north of Rio Grande.
There even are buses all the way to Brazil which include direct buses from Santiago to Curitiba (52 hours), Porto Alegre (36 hours), Sao Paulo (56 hours) and Rio de Janeiro (72 hours!).

By Boat

The most notible option to travel by boat between Chile and Argentina is the crossing between Puerto Montt and Bariloche, which is partly by boat as well.
In the south, there are crossings between Chile and Argentina in the far south, from Puerto Williams on the Isla de Navarino to Ushuaia. Puerto Williams is one of the most southern permanent settlements in the world.

Getting Around

By Plane

Many towns in Chile have airports, and domestic flights are offered by LanChile, Ladeco and other carriers, like Sky Airline. For such a long country, taking a plane sometimes comes as a relief and travelling to the south of Chile by land takes a long time, as most of the transport options go through Argentina, except boats or your own wheels.
Note that Easter Island can only be visited by plane (well, there are cargo ships) and taking a plane in Chile is almost inevitable if you want to cover large distances in a short amount of time.

By Bus

The major roads in Chile are paved and smooth, and bus services are generally comfortable and well-maintained. There are different classes of service. Pullman has regular seats with a slight recline, semi-cama has seats with extra legroom and seats the recline further and cama has fully reclining seats.
Distances are vast, Peru to Puerto Montt being almost 3500 kilometers for example, so it makes sence to brake up your journey a few times.

By Train

The State Railway Company has a few options, including regular trains between Santiago and Temuco. Still, options are limited and buses are usually just as fast, if not faster and are even just as comfortable.

By Car

If you plan to rent a car in Chile, there are many international car rental companies operating there, such as Avis and Hertz. A local company worth checking out is Econorent. If possible, try to rent from a local company, since these can often be cheaper than the major competitors. Many won't have a website, so just ask at the tourist office for a list of local car rental companies and arrange it while you're there.

By Boat

Running between Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales in Patagonia, this route runs through a number of channels along the coast of Chile.More about the Navimag Ferry
There are boats once a month between Valparaiso and the Juan Fernandez Islands and between the islands are more frequent boats. Flying is a better option to get there initially though.
Even less recommended, there are irregular cargo ships going from Valparaiso to Easter Island.

Red Tape

Except for citizens from Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, travellers will need a passport. Citizens of Canada, UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand and most Western European countries do not require a visa in advance.

Some travellers arriving by air are required to pay a "processing fee." This processing fee is in response to fee levied against Chileans travelling abroad, and will match the amount of the fee charged to the Chileans. Citizens from the USA pay $US 45, Citizens from Canada pay $US 55 and citizens of Australia pay $US 30. This fee can be paid in US dollars, Chilean Pesos or with travellers checks.

Upon arrival, travellers will be issued a tourist card for a 90 day stay. The stay can be extended for another 90 days by visiting an office of the Departmento de Extranjera. Extensions cost $US 100. It is often cheaper and easier to simply leave the country and re-enter.

Chile official requires onward tickets for travellers, however in general very few travellers are asked to show any onward travel plans.

Money

Chile's currency is the peso. Notes come in denominations of 500, 1000, 5000 and 10000 peso. Coins come in denominations of 1,5, 10, 50 and 100.

ATM machines are easy to find in most cities. In smaller towns, ATMs are not very common, and some ATMs will not be on the CIRRUS or PLUS networks.

If exchanging money, US dollars are preferred. Traveller's checks in US dominations can be converted to cash in larger towns.

Work

Study

Language

Related article: Spanish: Grammar, pronunciation and useful phrases

Spanish is the official language of Chile, with indigenous languages relegated to minority status after colonisation.

Chileans have a distinctive accent that sets them apart from other Spanish-speaking South American countries. They tend to drop the final syllables of words, as well as 's' sounds.

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