Even the most seasoned travellers cannot help but admire Chile’s great diversity: Discover deserts and lakes, vineyards and Antarctica’s frozen finality. It is a country that expands out over three continents: including parts of America, Oceania and Antarctica. Got you interested? Give us a call and put our friendly travel consultants’ Chile expertise to the test!
Chile’s unique landscapes and intriguing geography effectively turn the country into a natural paradise for nature enthusiasts and outdoor adventurers. Chile is a narrow but extremely long strip of land running all the way from South America’s centre to the far, far southern tip of the continent. The vast geographic range packs diversity: In Chile you may find some of the world’s driest deserts as well as mighty glaciers.
And then, there are the fertile valleys dotted with vineyards, smouldering volcanoes, powerful rivers and scenic fjords – you cannot help but wonder at Chile’s many faces. Explore some of the world’s most pristine regions: In the North, Chile shares a border with the lush, green Peru, in the North-East with authentic Bolivia and in the East with mountainous Argentina. Simplifying matters for the sake of transparency, Chile can roughly be divided into four principal regions: The North with the Atacama Desert, the Central Region around the capital city Santiago de Chile, Patagonia in the Far South and the Easter Islands as an outpost in the Southern Pacific.
Known as the world’s driest desert, the Atacama Desert borders the rust red Andes Mountains in the East. Especially during the fabled sunrises above the Tatio Geysers, the play of colours becomes breathtakingly beautiful. A hallmark feature are the desert’s long and wide dry river beds. Scientific evidence indicates that no rain has fallen in the Atacama for 400 years.
For a change of scenery, Santiago de Chile is the country’s cultural hub, regularly attracting both national and international artists and musicians. A host of bars and restaurants invite you to experience the large city’s nightlife first hand and listen to the Latin American beats sounding up and down the streets.
It is a long, long way due south from here until you reach Patagonia. The Andes Mountain peaks providing the natural separation, Patagonia is divided into the West Patagonia belonging to Chile and East Patagonia, part of Argentina. Patagonia’s rough but starkly beautiful nature is simply inspiring. The Chilean Patagonia is home to the world’s greatest ice mass beyond the Polar Regions and the celebrated Torres del Paine National Park.
Chile’s only subtropical region lies a long way from the mainland: The volcanic Easter Island has become world-famous for its eight metres high stone giants, also known as Moais. The origin of the peculiar figures is still shrouded in mystery. However, doubtlessly, the lonely island and the Rapa Nui culture are well worth a visit!
With its vast geographic range, Chile features a very diverse climate with moderate to cool temperatures. Speaking generally, winters tend to be mild, summers relatively cool. Due to the location in the southern hemisphere, of course, the seasons are inverse to those of the northern hemisphere. That is to say that the winter months are June through to August, whereas the summer runs from December through to February.
There are countless habitats with their very own vegetation and wildlife. In the North, desert with thorn bushes and cacti dominate the scenery. However, moving closer to the coast you will find lush forests. The Andes Mountains with their soaring peaks are home to vast coniferous forests. Santiago de Chile lies between the coast and foothills of the high mountains.
Speaking of high mountains: The Andes form a natural barrier for many species. Consequently, many wildlife species are endemic to Chile. Keep your eyes open for sheep, llamas, alpacas, flamingos and cormorants.
Travelling Chile, you cannot help but be overwhelmed by the hospitality. The Chileans are warm-hearted and helpful. Set off exploring and discover a rich and varied country. It will be a pleasure for the INTOSOL travel consultants to take you on a journey to Chile’s most fascinating spots!
