 Chile is truly a country like no other in South America. This long and narrow country embraces the Pacific Ocean on the coast to the east, squeezed by the Andes Mountains and Argentina to the west, and borders Bolivia and Peru to the northwest. Chile takes great pride in being the longest country in the world with an incredible length of 2,700 miles a width of only 115 miles. Due to the country’s vast length, a wide range of climatic zones and weather conditions exist with an average daily difference of thirty-eight degrees between northern Arica and southern Patagonia.
While the country’s total population adds up to about 16 million, almost 6 million or 40% of Chileans live in the country’s capital of Santiago. About 85% of the country's population live in urban areas, while an incredible 15% of the population are responsible for agricultural productions of oranges, avocados, flowers, melons and numerous other products. Moreover, the relatively small central valley around Santiago dominates the country in terms of agricultural resources.
If your Chilean travels take you outside the economic and cultural side of Chile, you will find landscape variety in forests, grazing lands, spectacular volcanoes, rocky and sandy coasts, and shimmering lakes. With a little extra local knowledge, you might be lucky to discover the labyrinth of fjords, beautiful inlets, remote islands and historic glaciers.
Chile’s most known attractions for adventurers and culture seekers alike are Easter Island, Robinson Crusoe Island, the southern region of Patagonia and famous Altiplano in the north. Further, within a two-hour radius from Santiago are spectacular beaches, glacial hiking, climbing, biking, surfing, wine tours and much more. From the world’s driest desert in the north, endless coastline in the west, majestic Andes in the east, smoking volcanoes, virgin forests, lakes, fjords, rivers and glaciers in the south, there is something for everybody in Chile.
The best time to travel to Chile depends greatly on what you hope to see and do. If your mission is to play hard in the southern region, the most accessible months to the backcountry of Patagonia are December through March. The months of November through February are fantastic for long days, hot, dry weather and empty city streets in central Chile. For skiers, along with rain in the city, snow begins to fill the mountains again from July through September. In northern Chile, the Atacama Desert is easily accessible all year. March is a general all around ideal month to explore Chile from north to south because this is the transition time from summer to the winter cold and rainy seasons.
We believe you’ll find Chileans are generally quiet but welcoming people. They are very proud of their amazing country and love to talk about its endless variety. The Chileans are very kind, helpful and will soon consider you to be their “amigo” so you will never feel lonely.
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Chile
