Chile is a country of extremes. It measures 4300 kilometres from Peru to the Strait of Magellan and averages 177 kms from east to west. The country is entirely closed off from its neighbours by the Andes Mountains. The Atacama Desert is the driest desert in the world and Nevada Ojos del Salado is the world's highest volcano.
So much for superlatives. What makes Chile so attractive to tourists? What are Chile's top travel destinations? Obviously, this is a matter of personal choice and preferences. After having travelled in Chile for about four months I have the following recommendations, from the far south to the upper north of the country.
1. Drive down the Carretera Austral in south Chile
The southernmost part of the country is the least developed and the most extraordinary as regards landscapes, which comprise rainforests, fjords, glaciers and steppe. It is a region for the adventurous travellers, for those who seek the off-the-beaten track. Trekking in the Patagonian Andes (Lonely Planet, Sep 2009, ISBN 9781741044676) gives various day hikes and multiple day treks in the region. In January and February numerous festivals are held along the entire Carretera Austral.
There are two ways to travel the 1200 kilometres long, mainly unpaved stretch between Villa O'Higgins and Puerto Montt, which was previously called the Carretera General Augusto Pinochet Intrepid travellers may find their way down (or up) by combining public transport with hitchhiking. Note that in the best case scenario buses are scarce. By no means less challenging due to the quality of the road in some stretches, is to rent a car (either in Puerto Montt of Coyhaique, Chile or in El Calafate, Argentina) and travel independently.
Rough camping is possible all along the sides of the road and lakes. Small guesthouses can be found in villages and towns such as Puerto Río Tranquilo, Coyaique, Puerto Aisén, Chaitén, but also in Pumalin Park (a hike there is recommended for its immense alerce trees).
2. Enjoy the natural scenery of the Lake District in central Chile
Among tourists the Lake District is arguably the best-known natural area of Chile. The northern part is dominated by the tourist scene of Pucón and Villarrica, which comes with a constellation of hotels, restaurants, nightlife ventures and tour agencies.
Popular tours in the Lake District are kayaking, climbing regional volcanoes, and hiking trails in national parks such as Parque Nacional Huerquehue and Parque Nacional Villarrica. I was enchanted by Parque Nacional Conguillío, a bit north of the lakes. The landscape dominated by ancient – and recent – lava streams is otherworldly (see photo below).
The southern area of the Lake District is less visited. A good way to explore this part is to rent a car (for example in Pucón or Villarica), stay at Bed & Breakfast homes found in villages, and enjoy the scenery of the lakes. A lovely trip is the ferry crossing of Lago Panguipulli from the town of Panguipulli to the Argentinean border.
3. Study the universe in observatories in the Elquí Valley
Chile is one of the countries that is little troubled by light pollution. This makes it an attractive place for observatories, and some of the world's largest and renowned observatories are here. Many are for scientific purposes only, but several have guided tours as well. Some observatories have been set up solely for tourist purposes.
I visited the Observatory of Cerro Mamalluca, near Vicuña in the Elquí Valley (central Chile). Here, two-hour guided tours are given for small groups and there are English-speaking guides available. The tour includes a view of the universe through a portable telescope outside and, even more impressive, a 12 inch telescope inside a dome. Apart from the Sea of Tranquillity on the moon (where the Americans planted their flag) and the Southern Cross you may get lucky and see Venus and Jupiter as well.
Other observatories in the area are:
- Pangue Observatory, south of Vicuña.
- Curz de Sur Observatory, south of La Serena, in the Coquimbo Region.
- Collowara Observatory, near the town of Andacollo (near La Serena).
4. Book a guided tour to the Chuiquicamata copper mine in Calama in north Chile
In 1915 the US Anaconda Copper Mining Company began excavations of copper north of Calama. This has grown into the world's largest open-pit copper mine and is currently exploited by Corporación del Cobre de Chile (Codelco). To give some numbers: 600,000 tons of deposits are excavated per year and the mine is 1 km deep, 3 kms wide en 5 kms long.
The only way to visit the mine is to take a guided tour. You can arrange one with a tour agency in San Pedro de Atacama, Calama, or book by telephone or e-mail:
- Phone: [56] [55] 322122
- Fax: [56] [55] 322786
- Email: visitas@codelco.cl
5. Explore the ghost towns of the saltpetre industry in the Atacama Desert
The best-known travel destination in the Atacama region is San Pedro de Atacama. This is a colonial village is worth a stay in itself, as well as serves as a good base to explore the surrounding, moonlike landscapes and the salt lakes with flamingos.
Farther north, especially in the region of Iquique, are dozens of abandoned nitrate mining towns. They are remnants of the booming times when saltpetre was extracted here in the 19th and 20th centuries. Check out the ghost towns of Humberstone and Santa Laura (on the entrance road to Iquique).
In Iquique you can rent a car, or arrange an organised tour to lesser-known tourist attractions in the region, such as:
- The hot geysers of Puchuldiza (see photo below), which are smaller but quieter than the more popular Tatio Geysers (which can be visited with a tour from San Pedro de Atacama).
- Pampa de Tamarugal desert plateau with, oddly enough, forest. The trees are threatened with extinction. Along the main road from Iquique southbound is a visitors’ centre of CONAF on your left hand, where rangers are happy to tell you all about this natural phenomenon.
- Geoglyphs of Pintados are spread out over an array of hills, 4 kilometres long. The hill sides are fully covered in an astonishing display of geoglyphs. There are abstract figures but also images of llamas, alpacas and lizards (see photo below). Note that there is no place to stay for the night here so plan it as a day trip from Iquique.
Practical information on Chile: how to get there
The above-mentioned travel destinations can be reached either by plane or by bus. Some of them, such as la Serena in the Elquí Valley (to visit the observatories) and Iquique have international flights as well.
Note that distances between the above mentioned tourist attractions are huge, and that taking a plane saves a lot of time. Buses are comfortable, among which sleeper buses for long distances (with the exception of the Carretera Austral). To visit different sites within one particular region you could opt to take the local bus between towns, while arranging a tour to visit the remote sights (such as Tatio Geysers).
It is easy to rent a car in Chile. The country's arteries are of good quality, most of the unpaved stretches doable, and the Chileans are – to western standards – civilised drivers that obey traffic rules. It is possible to drive a rented car into Argentina (but not Bolivia), but this is not a matter of course. Make sure to discuss this with the rental agency and see that the stipulation is part of the contract.
Karin-Marijke Vis - Karin-Marijke Vis is a bilingual writer (Dutch-English) who has been traveling in Asia and South America since 2003.
Join the Conversation