Why Chile?

"Chile really does have it all!  High, dry deserts in the north, fertile agricultural regions in the middle, and Patagonia in the South. The Andes Mountains to the east and the long Pacific coastline!  

And don't forget Easter Island! So much to love in Chile!"

HALLIE BATES OPERATIONS AND RESERVATIONS SPECIALIST

“A long petal of sea and wine and snow”: so wrote poet Pablo Neruda of Chile, his native land.

Turns out, the Nobel laureate basically got it right. Wedged between the Andes on the east and the Pacific on the west, this slender country sports a landscape that’s jaw-droppingly vast. From watery archipelagoes to lush vineyards to neon-blue glaciers, Chile astonishes with its sheer natural beauty.

Start in the north. There the world’s driest desert offers roaring geysers and the clearest skies for stargazing on the planet. Further south, in the wilds of Patagonia, the jagged peaks of Torres del Paine national park soar above one of the Americas’ prime trekking destinations. And on Easter Island, mysterious moai heads look out over a remote island paradise.

Here are just a few of the countless options awaiting you in this jewel of a country:

•  In the funky port of Valparaiso, some of the craziest elevators you’ll ever ride take you to the tops of hills adorned with masterful street art.
•  On the lookout for a vintage Carménère or Chardonnay? Chile’s wine country offers tours, tastings, and sun-drenched strolls through the verdant valleys surrounding the capital.
•  Deep in the Atacama Desert, an excursion on horseback or in a 4X4 puts you in contact with an uncanny, alien world. Here you’ll find geoglyphs, dancing flamingoes, and the eerie ghost towns abandoned after Chile’s nitrate boom of the 1930s.
•  On the watery island of Chiloe, a traditional folk culture still follows the ways of its ancestors. That means houses perched on stilts, churches held together by wooden pegs, and a lively belief in magic woven into everyday life.
•  Chile’s Lake District is a blue-and-emerald paradise. Snowcapped volcanoes, glacial lakes, and quaint villages serve as a backdrop for all manner of adventures, from rafting and kayaking to hiking through thousand-year-old forests.
•  Capping it all off is Torres del Paine, the South American Yellowstone. Trekking its renowned W-Trek, you’ll experience working estancias (ranches), calving glaciers, and the once-in-a-lifetime excursion to the soaring Paine Towers.