Must-Visit Attractions in Chile

From the peaks to the steppes, from the desert to the glaciers, from the most urban environment to the total emptiness of buildings, the key is variety. As in the summary of a film, here is concentrated the most exciting Chili, counted in 20 places you should know.

Valparaíso, Chile’s Main Port

The emblematic Chilean port has a great life that is at the forefront of gastronomy, design, and charming boutique hotels. Going up and down the hills is a real outdoor experience that you can feel in each of your recesses. Valparaíso is the main port of Chile and the forms of its architecture, built on the slopes, earned it the category of the cultural heritage of humanity granted by Unesco in 2003.

Santiago, Winning Positions in The Region’s Quality of Life Ranking

Silently, the Chilean capital has been occupying the top places in the region’s quality of life rankings. The urban character that identifies the southern metropolis has given it an unbeatable brand power in which it stands out as a clean, orderly, and safe city. Against the backdrop of the majestic Andes mountain range, Santiago has managed to modernize without losing a certain provincial charm, preserving a part of its colonial past. Santiago has many neighborhoods that were formed by different modes of social interaction, and public space has given life to something that goes beyond a simple set of houses, streets, and trees. Some of these neighborhoods offer an architectural quality of great value and have become authentic icons of the city.

Frutillar, Art and Culture on Lake Llanquihue

The small town of Frutillar, located on the edge of Lake Llanquihue, to the south of Chile, was recently declared a common area, mainly due to its German heritage. The denomination aims to preserve the culture and architectural values derived from the German colonization, as well as the natural areas associated with the lake and the adjoining slopes. In Frutillar, there is also the Teatro del Lago, an international artistic and cultural center of the First Order that receives annually more than 150,000 people to enjoy the 250 activities that take place throughout the year. Also, guided tours allow visitors to learn about the architecture and challenges presented by the project at the time of its construction, as well as the sophisticated technology of its facilities.

Tierra del Fuego, One of the Unknown and Intact Places on the Planet

Tierra del Fuego, the largest island in Chile (29.484 km2), the territory of exploitation of oil and stays in shearing sheep, it remains as one of the most unknown and untouched on the planet. Its wide paths were full of pebbles winding through the pampa impress by its endless horizons, which seem to have no destination. Among the heritage tours of Tierra del Fuego stand out the route of the estancias, of wood, of the glaciers, of Darwin (and his epic around the world). The Selknam route and the hunting and fire territories. The route of wetlands, birds, and waters, all proposals that are developed in a framework of virgin nature, of which Karukinka Natural Park is also part, a conservation model for biodiversity.

From the village of Cochamó, the view is spectacular, with the estuary of the river Reloncaví and the volcano Yates in the background

 

The Cochamó Valley is considered by specialists as one of the best new rock climbing destinations on the planet. Scenes like the Arch, a rocky formation that is complemented by a forest of millennial Larches and the endless granite walls of the Junta Marvel the lovers of outdoor life who explore places practically unchanged by man. The adventure destination is 92 kilometers east of the city of Puerto Montt and offers a wide variety of activities that connect with the most authentic nature in Chilean Patagonia. Cochamó has not only an infinity of climbing routes with all kinds of difficulties but also transparent rivers such as Puelo and Lake Tagua Tagua Tagua, with fishing grounds that allow catching chinook salmon and rainbow trout.

Fiesta de La Tirana, one of the most traditional cultural events in Chile

In the middle of the Pampa del Tamarugal, more than 1,500 kilometers north of Santiago, the festival of Tirana is celebrated, an impressive event that transforms the small town of the same name into a pilgrimage center where more than 150,000 people, among faithful and visitors, worship the Virgin of Carmen. The festival of Tirana, held in July, is one of the most traditional cultural events in Chile. In it are mixed dances, music and offerings that are part of the cultural syncretism of the peoples of the North and its transcendence have reached the communities of faithful of Bolivia and Peru, attracting, moreover, travelers from Argentina, Europe, and the United States.

Saint Peter of Atacama, a Parenthesis of Life amid Dryness and Desert

Three hundred eleven kilometers from the city of Antofagasta is the oasis of San Pedro de Atacama, a parenthesis of life amid dryness and desert. In its surroundings, nature offers a sublime spectacle of contrasts. The environment gives an account of one of the most extraordinary, with smooth plains that end up in mountain ranges and volcanoes that rise above 6,000 meters, turning to the vast and white salt lakes formed by underground water that never reaches the sea. San Pedro de Atacama, once the backpackers ‘ destination, is one of the most popular tourist destinations for foreign tourists, as it mixes the remote and inhospitable desert landscape, geological and archaeological interest and a different hotel offer.

Chiloé, Fields, Sea, and Forests on Islets

Chiloé is located 1,186 kilometers from Santiago and 90 kilometers southwest of Puerto Montt. To get there, you must sail the Chacao canal for approximately 30 minutes on a ferry that separates the continent from the north coast of the Great Island of Chiloé. This island is part of the archipelago of the same name, made up of about thirty more islets, some not inhabited. The geography of the island consists of fields, sea, and forests, with a culture of its own that is reflected in its constructions, gastronomy and mythology. The palafitos, colorful houses built on stilts over the water, are one of the great hallmarks of the island, as well as their churches, all of them built in the  wood between the EIGHTEENTH and NINETEENTH centuries. While more than 80 temples are characteristic of the island, only 16 of them have been declared World Heritage Sites by Unesco.