Top 10 Must-Visit Destinations in Chile: From Santiago to Easter Island

September 21 2024, by Unboxify, 4 min reading time

Discover the Best Places to Visit in Chile

Squeezed between the Andes and the Pacific, Chile is sometimes called the longest country in the world. It is never more than 180 km wide, but its coastline extends over 4,300 km. Its unusual long shape has given it a varied climate with one of the world’s driest deserts in the north, while its southern tip is home to cold-weather creatures like penguins. Chile is also one of the closest nations, along with Argentina and New Zealand, to Antarctica. Here’s a look at the best places to visit in Chile:

1. Punta Arenas 🏘️

An intriguing mix of rural and urban, Punta Arenas boasts wooden tin-roofed houses rubbing shoulders with giant glistening malls and business buildings. Located right down south in Chile bordering the Magellan Strait, this sprawling city is an important port. With lots of tourist services on offer and a plethora of stunning sights lying nearby, Punta Arenas is a great base from which to explore the Tierra del Fuego archipelago and Torres del Paine national park as well as neighboring Argentina.

2. Santiago 🌆

The capital of Chile, Santiago, is home to forty percent of the country´s population. As such, it is a bustling, cosmopolitan place full of life and energy. A sophisticated city with world-class restaurants, fancy neighborhoods, and leafy hillside parks, Santiago offers a stunning backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Thanks to its proximity to the ocean, visitors can ski and visit the beach on the same day!

3. Chiloe Island 🏝️

Chiloé Island is the largest island of the Chiloé Archipelago in the Los Lagos Region and the second-largest island in South America after Tierra del Fuego. Its physical isolation from the rest of the country has led to a unique architecture and local culture. The Jesuit missionaries who arrived in the 17th century constructed hundreds of wooden churches in an attempt to bring Christianity to the archipelago. The mixture of Catholicism and indigenous styles can still be seen today.

4. Iquique 🌊

Iquique is spectacularly located at the foot of a desolate coastal mountain range with a gigantic sand dune overlooking it. Being a bustling cosmopolitan city that borders the Pacific Ocean and is in a duty-free shopping zone, Iquique attracts a diverse mix of surfers, casino goers, paragliders, and shoppers. One of the most popular beach resorts in Chile, its lovely oceanfront promenade makes for a peaceful and scenic walk with charming wooden walkways.

5. Lauca National Park 🌋

Located in the Andean Mountain range in the north, Lauca National Park continues to attract visitors looking to explore Chile’s diverse outdoors. Surrounded by snow-capped volcanos and cobalt blue lakes, visitors will also find a variety of wildlife, including alpacas, flamingos, and more than 130 different bird species roaming around the sprawling national park.

6. Valparaiso 🚢

A hard-working economic port town on the coast of Central Chile, Valparaiso was loved by poet Pablo Neruda for its beautiful chaos. It boasts some of the first urban innovations in Latin America, like the first volunteer fire department. Valparaiso has underground street art movement and is best known for its brightly colored houses and beautiful seaside views.

7. Pucon 🏞️

Of the many towns and villages in Chile’s Lake District, few are as popular as pretty Pucon. Located on a beautiful lake, it offers a stunning view of the active volcano Villarrica in the distance. Pucon is a well-established hub for outdoor activities in every season, including mountain climbing, water skiing, and kayaking. Relaxation options abound with black-sand beaches lining the shore and the town packed with restaurants, bars, and hotels.

8. San Pedro de Atacama 🌌

San Pedro de Atacama is a Chilean town on the edge of one of the world’s most breathtaking landscapes. The austere, endless flood and salt plains surrounded by coppery mountains must be seen to be believed. The nightlife here is a bit different; the big draw is star tours, as it is one of the darkest places in the world, offering an opportunity to see the night sky undiluted.

9. Torres del Paine National Park 🌄

Located in remote Chilean Patagonia, Torres del Paine National Park is one of Chile’s largest and most visited parks. The scenery is spectacular with the Torres del Paine being just one of the awesome sights you’ll see. The three peaks dominate the landscape in the Paine Mountains, and the park is dotted with glaciers, rivers, forests, and steppe, making it a hit with outdoor enthusiasts.

10. Easter Island 🗿

Getting to Easter Island may be time-consuming, but this Chilean territory is known for its almost 900 primitive statues carved by early Polynesian inhabitants. The moai statues, carved around 1,000 years ago, are mainly made from solidified volcanic ash, with obsidian used for the black eyes. As the most remote inhabited island in the world, the nearest inhabitants are almost 1,300 miles away, adding to its mystique.

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