Chile’s lengthy, serpentine shape incorporates nearly every kind of landscape and temperate zone imaginable. (In fact, the only zone not found in mainland Chile is tropical.) From tip to tail Chile stretches 2,684 miles (4,329km)--about the same distance as from the Hudson Bay to Panama. Conversely, traveling from the Pacific Coast to the border of Argentina in the Andes takes an average of only 3 hours. In this respect, Chile is somewhat uniform in that its citizens are perpetually “squeezed in” by the Pacific Ocean and the Andes; nevertheless, the scenery changes so dramatically from north to south that it is often hard to believe it's all within the same country.
Chile is bordered by Peru in the north, Bolivia in the northeast, and Argentina along the eastern spine of the Andes down to Tierra del Fuego. The country also claims a portion of Antarctica as well as Easter and Robinson Crusoe islands as part of its own. Chile is divided into 12 numbered regiones, or states, but the country could essentially be divided into four broad regions: the North, the Central Valley, the Lake District, and Patagonia.
NORTHERN CHILE--This region claims the world’s driest desert, a beautiful “wasteland” set below a chain of purple and pink volcanoes and high-altitude salt flats. The most popular destinations here, including the Atacama Desert, sit at altitudes of 6,560 feet (2,000m) and up. The extreme climate and the geological forces at work in this region have produced far-out land formations and superlatives such as the highest geyser field in the world. The earth here is parched, sun-baked, and unlike anything you’ve ever seen, but it thankfully gives relief through many of its tiny emerald oases, such as San Pedro de Atacama. At Antofagasta on the coast, Chile’s notorious Humboldt Current veers east, warming the sea from here up through Peru.
SANTIAGO & CENTRAL CHILE--The central region of Chile, including Santiago and its environs, features a mild, Mediterranean climate. Many North American visitors say that this region reminds them of California. This is Chile’s breadbasket, with fertile valleys and rolling fields that harvest a large share of the country’s fruit and vegetables; it also is the site of world-famous Chilean wineries. Santiago’s proximity to ski resorts, beach resorts, and the idyllic countryside with its campestral and ranching traditions and colonial estates offers a distinct variety of activities that make the Central Valley an excellent destination.
LAKE DISTRICT--Few destinations in the world rival the magnificent scenery of Chile’s Lake District, and for that reason it's the most popular destination for foreigners visiting Chile. This region is packed with a chain of conical, snowcapped volcanoes, glacier-scoured valleys, several national parks, thick groves of native forest, hot springs, jagged peaks, and, of course, many shimmering lakes. Temperatures during the summer are idyllic, but winter is characterized by months of drizzling rain, much like the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It's an outdoor-lover and adventure-seeker’s paradise, especially in Pucón and Puerto Varas, offering biking, hiking, kayaking, rafting, fly-fishing, and more, but it is also a low-key destination for those who just want to kick back and enjoy the marvelous views. The wealth of lakes high in the Andes makes for a wildly popular cruise to Bariloche, Argentina, from Ensenada, Chile, on Lago Llanquihue, and it's possible to do a circuit by beginning in Pucón, entering Argentina, and finishing in Puerto Varas via the lake crossing.
CHILOÉ--The island of Chiloé is as attractive for its emerald, rolling hills, and colorful wooden churches as it is for the unique culture that developed after 300 years of geographic isolation. During this period, a religion based on a mix of Catholicism and native customs created a strong belief in mythical figures; at the same time the island's cuisine, speech, and architectural style (the latter employing the area's abundance of wood) developed differently from that of mainland Chile. Beautiful fishing hamlets and views that stretch from the Pacific to the Andes make for fine sightseeing drives, and Chiloé National Park offers ample opportunity for hiking along the island’s untamed coastal rain forest.
THE CARRETERA AUSTRAL--Across the sound from Chiloé sits Chile’s “frontier” highway, commonly known as the Carretera Austral, a dirt road that stretches nearly 620 miles (1,000km) from Puerto Montt in the north to beyond Coyhaique in the south. Along the way, this relatively new road passes through virgin territory visited by few travelers: tiny villages separated by thick, untouched rainforest, rugged peaks that rise from crystal-clear lakes, and more waterfalls than one can reasonably count. This could be one of Chile’s best-kept secrets.
PATAGONIA--Also known as the Magallanes Region, this dry, arid region at the southern end of the continent has soared in popularity over the past 5 years, drawing visitors from all over the world to places such as Torres del Paine National Park in Chile and Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier. We’ve grouped both Argentina and Chile in one Patagonia chapter because the majority of travelers visit destinations in both countries when here. Patagonia is characterized by vast, open pampa, the colossal Northern and Southern Ice Fields and hundreds of mighty glaciers, the jagged peaks of the Andes as they reach their terminus, beautiful emerald fjords, and wind, wind, wind. Getting here is an adventure--it usually takes 24 hours if coming directly from the United States or Europe. But the long journey pays off in the beauty and singularity of the region. Cruise the fjords, walk across a glacier, stroll through frontierlike immigrant towns such as Puerto Natales, and, without a doubt, visit Chile’s national jewel, Torres del Paine.
TIERRA DEL FUEGO--Even more south than the Deep South, this archipelago at the southern extremity of South America is, like Patagonia, shared by both Chile and Argentina. The main island, separated from the mainland by the Strait of Magellan, is a triangle with its base on the Beagle Channel.
