Watch the sunset over the Atacama's Valle de la Luna
Salt flats and wind-carved rock formations in the Atacama that genuinely look lunar as the light turns pink and orange.
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South America
Things to do in Chile
A country so long it holds desert, vineyards, lakes, and glaciers all in one line.
Explore Chile on the map →Budget$$$
Best for10-14 days
CapitalSantiago
VisaVisa-free 90 days for US/UK/most EU
CurrencyChilean peso (CLP)
LanguagesSpanish
InternetGood in cities, limited in remote Patagonia
Typical lodging$35–$95/night
Driving sideRight
Power & voltage220V / 50Hz (Type C/L plug)
Time zoneUTC-3 to UTC-6
Emergency number133 (police) / 131 (ambulance) / 132 (fire)
Dialing code+56
★★★★★ Adventure★★★★★ Photography★★★★★ Food
Visa rules and emergency numbers can change without notice. Confirm the specifics for your nationality and dates before you travel.
Travel smart
Bottled or filtered water recommended. 10% at restaurants is common.
Chile stretches over 4,300 kilometres north to south but averages only around 180 kilometres wide, so you can drive from the Andes to the Pacific in an afternoon almost anywhere in the country. The Atacama Desert in its north is the driest non-polar desert on Earth, some weather stations there have never recorded a drop of rain.
When to go
Patagonia summerDecember–February
The full-access window for Torres del Paine, with the longest daylight hours and the best (though busiest) trekking conditions.
Atacama, year-roundApril–October driest and coolest nights
The desert is dry all year, but shoulder months bring more comfortable daytime temperatures for hiking among the salt flats and geysers.
Ski seasonJune–September
Southern-hemisphere winter turns resorts like Valle Nevado and Portillo, just outside Santiago, into full ski destinations.
Lake District shoulderOctober–April
Milder rainfall and greener scenery than Patagonia's peak months, with fewer crowds around Pucón and the volcano lakes.
20 things to do
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Wildlife & nature
6Watch the El Tatio geysers at dawn
One of the highest-altitude geyser fields in the world, most active and visually dramatic in the cold pre-sunrise air.
Watch whales and sea lions off Chiloé
A rainy, folklore-rich island in the south known for blue whale sightings and colonies of sea lions along its coast.
See the Marble Caves on Lake General Carrera
Swirling blue-and-white marble caverns carved by wave action, reached by small boat along Chile's remote Carretera Austral.
See penguins on Isla Magdalena
A boat trip from Punta Arenas to a colony of thousands of Magellanic penguins nesting on a small Patagonian island.
Watch condors ride thermals over the Andes
Andean condors, among the world's largest flying birds, are regularly spotted riding updrafts near Santiago and the Elqui Valley.
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Culture & history
4See the Moai of Easter Island
Nearly 4,000 kilometres off the mainland, Rapa Nui's carved stone figures remain one of the Pacific's great archaeological mysteries.
Wander Valparaíso's hillside street art
A UNESCO-listed port city of funicular lifts and steep, brightly muraled streets overlooking the Pacific.
Visit Chiloé's stilted houses and wooden churches
Palafitos built on stilts over the tide, and UNESCO-listed wooden churches built without a single nail.
Explore Santiago's Bellavista and Barrio Italia
Bohemian neighborhoods of murals, design shops, and outdoor cafes beneath the cable-car hill of San Cristóbal.
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Food & markets
2Taste wine in the Colchagua Valley
Chile's best-known red wine region, an easy day trip from Santiago with tastings across century-old estates.
Eat fresh seafood at Santiago's Mercado Central
A 19th-century iron-and-glass market hall packed with stalls serving the day's catch, from ceviche to congrio soup.
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Adventure & outdoors
7Hike the towers in Torres del Paine$35–40
Patagonia's signature trek, ending at three granite spires reflected in a glacial lake.
Stargaze in the Atacama Desert
Some of the clearest, darkest skies on Earth, with major international observatories built here for exactly that reason.
Ski at Valle Nevado or Portillo
World-class ski resorts under two hours from Santiago, drawing northern-hemisphere teams for off-season training.
Kayak the Lake District around Pucón
Volcano-ringed lakes and rivers in southern Chile, with kayaking, rafting, and hot springs all within a short drive of town.
Climb Villarrica volcano
An active, snow-capped volcano near Pucón climbable in a single guided day, with a smoking crater at the summit.
Drive a stretch of the Carretera Austral
A partly unpaved highway through Patagonian fjords, glaciers, and rainforest, built to connect Chile's most isolated region.
Sandboard the dunes near San Pedro de Atacama
Steep desert dunes just outside town, rentable boards and a short hike up for a fast ride down.
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Slow days
1Soak in Puritama's natural hot springs
A series of warm thermal pools in a desert canyon near San Pedro de Atacama, a welcome contrast after a cold sunrise excursion.
Common questions
▾Is Chile safe to visit?
Yes. Chile is one of the safer countries in South America for tourists, with low rates of violent crime and a well-developed infrastructure for independent travel, particularly around Patagonia and the Atacama Desert. Standard precautions around petty theft apply in Santiago and other larger cities.
▾How much does it cost to enter Torres del Paine?
Foreign visitors pay around CLP 34,000 (roughly $35-40) for a visit of up to three days, rising to about CLP 48,500 for longer stays. Tickets must be bought in advance online through Chile's national forestry service rather than at the gate, so this isn't something to leave until you arrive.
▾How many days do you need in Chile?
Chile's length makes a single trip hard to generalize: a Patagonia-focused trip built around Torres del Paine alone runs 7-10 days, while combining it with the Atacama Desert in the north or Santiago and the wine country pushes a trip closer to 2-3 weeks given the internal flight distances involved.
▾Do I need a visa for Chile?
US, UK, EU, Canadian and most other passport holders can enter visa-free for up to 90 days as tourists. Check the current list for your specific nationality, since Chile's entry rules have shifted for a handful of countries in recent years.
▾What's the best time to visit Patagonia?
November through March, Chile's summer, is the main trekking season in Torres del Paine, with the longest daylight hours and most reliable trail access. Outside that window many trekking circuits close or become significantly harder, and weather turns cold and unpredictable.
▾Is Chile expensive?
Chile is one of the pricier destinations in South America: Patagonia trips in particular add up quickly between park fees, remote lodging and the cost of getting to and around such a sparsely populated region. Santiago and the central wine regions are comparatively more affordable.
