Chile stretches for more than 4,000 miles from Peru in the north to Tierra del Fuego in the south. Bounded on one side by the Pacific Ocean and on the other by the Andean mountain range Chile is a land of extremes encompassing a spectacular diversity of geography, culture and wildlife.
In the north the Atacama Desert reveals ancient remains of lost indigenous civilisations, whilst erupting geysers, salt lakes and volcanoes punctuate the contours of the high altiplano inland. Further south gentle landscapes of vineyards which produce Chile's delicious wines surround the energetic city of Santiago.
Travelling south from Santiago the Lake District is a profusion of forests, waterfalls and brilliantly coloured lakes set against a stunning volcanic backdrop. Perhaps the most unforgettable of Chilean panoramas, however, lie beyond a belt of dense temperate rain forest in Patagonia. Here, the coast splinters into a trailing archipelago leaving the mainland a labyrinth of fjords and cold blue glaciers. Amidst this glorious chaos lies one of Chile's most spectacular national parks, Torres del Paine. Rising 2,000 metres from the Patagonian steppe, the majestic granite massifs which give the park its name, soar skywards in a geological drama unlike any other.
In total contrast is the remote sub-tropical Chilean outpost of Easter Island, nearly 4,000 km west of the mainland. 600 or more unexplained sculpted figures or "Moai" form part of the mysterious cultural legacy of a people almost certainly of Polynesian origin.
In this land of contrast and extremes, whatever choices you make, the result will be a remarkable odyssey; a journey of which the memories will last a lifetime.
Top accommodation
- 01. Explora Atacama
- 02. Explora Casas Rapa Nui
- 03. Explora Patagonia
- 04. Termas De Puyuhuapi
