10 Places to Visit in Chile
Chile offers a wealth of fantastic landscapes to experience, varying between Mars-like desolation of the Atacama Desert to glacial fjords and rain forests in the south. We cover the ten main places to visit in Chile, but obviously, there are numerous other highlights in the more hidden corners worth exploring as shown in the photography collection Chile 100.
Iquique is the ideal northern Chile coastal city to experience with its modern apartment buildings sandwiched between the rocky coast and the overlooking towering sand dunes. The city’s main attraction is the historical city center, focused on the long street called Baquedano. Here are two storied wooden structures dating from the late nineteenth century, which have interesting balconies and a great variety of painted wooden doors.
San Pedro de Atacama is bizarre tourist phenomenon developed in a historic oasis used by indigenous people, then the Spanish, and now the cell phone toting selfie tribes. With dirt streets, and mud walls of the same color, the nooks and crannies are filled with variable quality restaurants and souvenir shops peddling material from Peru and Bolivia as if was made in Chile. San Pedro de Atacama is the start or end to the Andes Gringo Trail, and serves as a logistical center for visiting the Tatio geysers, Valle de Luna National Park, and many other dramatic desert canyons overlooking active volcanoes.
Valparaiso is the colored city of the central Chilean coast, the most important port for supplying the goods consumed in the city of Santiago. With its temporary cheap construction of corrugated sheet metal buildings, all brightly painted, the historic bustling port city preserves these old structures in a nucleus for Chilean artists. The name locally shortened to “Valpo”, using the most commonly used Chilean slang of “po” has to its north the most frequented beaches of Viña del Mar, hosting the Santiagan annual rush to the beach that is remarkably similar to the run of the lemmings.
Santiago is perhaps the most thriving business center in all of South America. Glass towers rises in the foothills of the 5,000 meter Cordillera as working hives for bankers and lawyers. Metro lines service the flow and ebb tides of office workers moving between companies, café breaks, and late night dining. Fall and Spring are ideal times to visit, to see the historic city center, and take wine tours to the south, while the frigid winter time the place drowns in own smog, and the summer can become uncomfortably hot. Santiago also has one of the better operated international airports.
Chiloe island in south central Chile, or north southern Chile, is reached by taking a ferry boat from the port city of Puerto Montt. The island developed its own local folk legends and quirky customs that deviate from mainland Chile. With small fishing towns and little farms cut out from the rain forests, the island remains decidedly rural. The place is haunted by tales of the ghost ship Caleuche, forest creatures such as the Trauco, La Pincoya, El Cuchivilu, and El camahueto. Some are reminiscent of Old World gnomes, others are forest creatures, and also aquatic creatures. Chiloe is the place to enjoy the Cazuela de Mariscos, or seafood stew.
Chillan volcano and ski resort has a little bit of everything to offer. It is the second most used ski resort in Chile, and being located about 6 hours of Santiago, is a popular vacation place for Chileans. The ski resort-hotel offers summer activities, such as mountain biking and horseback rides. Right next door is a great set of developed hot spring pools. The mountain ravines running the flanks of the volcano are also popular for kayaking and rafting.
Pucόn is a small mountain village in Chile’s Lakes Region, situated in the Andes foothills and east of the large Villarica Lake. The area is a center for fisherman, campers, and the jumping off point for reaching many nearby hot springs.
Geometricas we highlight as one of South America best hot springs to visit. The hot springs are in a ravine on the southeast side of the Vulcan Villarica. With many stone-lined interesting shaped pools to enjoy, connected by raised red-painted wooden walkways, a thermal soak here provides a unique experience.
Torres del Paine recently sold as one of the wonder of the world, is perhaps Chile’s most widely recognized national parks adjoining the Patagonia. With its distinct towering granitic formations formed in deeply incised glacial valleys and nearly constant stormy weather, the landscapes appear dynamic and extreme, pleasing many photographers and backpackers alike. The rock formations are geological young, formed by a Miocene very thick sill or laccolith, which imparts the flat-topped dark wall rock caps that sit upon formation called Cuernos de Paine, or the Paine Horns. With major glaciers and spectacular light turquoise glacial water flowing in the rivers and filling the large lakes, the place is an absolute South America.
Punta Arenas largest southernmost city in Chile, with a long history, interesting plaza de Armas, and is has different brightly painted old buildings. The smaller national brewery of Austral is based here, and makes a wonder variety of beer called Calafate Ale, using a local berry. This port city services Antarctic cruise ships, and it is the place to catch boat tours the penguin colony at Isla de Magdalena.
We like to say Chile is a great place to visit, but a hard culture to live with, as explained in Yani’s book Upside Down in Chile. Despite a couple poor and immature reviews on Amazon by those of provincial knowledge, the summary of us living in Chile is entirely consistent with other described expat experiences in the country. And for Yani, being Peruvian, the time there was also one of unfounded class separation sprinkled with racism. Chile is a backwards place to live in, you can find out how much in Upside Down in Chile, and at the same time Chile brings a far more pleasant experience for the South American tourist.
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South America seems to refuse to show its inexhaustible creative force.
