Introduction
Travel to Chile: The long, thin country of Chile stretches more than half the length of South America, offering a stunning array of landscapes. Long isolated by the towering Andes, Chile is now a very accessible destination for visitors, especially those on cruises to Chile's beautiful fjords. And of all South American countries, Chile is perhaps most European in character.

Despite its compact overall size, Chile ranges from a parched desert in the north to glaciers in the south. The country stretches 2,700 miles from the tropics almost to the Antarctic Peninsula, its landscapes dominated from tip to tail by the Andes mountain range. Chile’s width never exceeds one hundred miles, making it possible in central Chile to ski and surf in the same day. The Chilean Altiplano is one of the world’s highest inhabited areas.

Chile’s gorgeous south holds the most attraction for visitors. Here is an uncrowded land of mountains, glaciers, and fjords. Small-ship cruises to Chile are ideal for navigating the nearly roadless south. Aboard a ship, all the natural wonders of the south can be seen up close and at a relaxed pace.
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Natural History
Chile’s length results in a great variety of terrain. Placed over Europe, Chile would stretch from Copenhagen across the Mediterranean and deep into the Sahara desert. The massive Andes cordillera towers over the entire length of the country. With volcanoes comes seismic instability. Chile lies in a major earthquake zone. Three major earthquakes of 8+ magnitude have struck in the last century, causing major destruction and loss of life, especially in populated central Chile.

The Chilean north is dominated by the stark Atacama Desert. The Atacama is the driest area on the planet; some areas have never recorded rain! Plant and animal life is very limited. The “candle-holder” cactus stands out as the only visible plant form in the higher desert.

Above the northern desert, high in the Andes, lies the Altiplano. Chile shares this high plain area with Bolivia and Peru. Here, above 12,000 feet, the landscape is dramatic. In the lap of snowcapped, 20,000-foot volcanoes, flamingos wade in lake shallows while hardy llamas graze on lakeside pastures.

Llamas are part of the New World camel family. Their cousins include guanacos, vicuñas, and alpacas. The guanaco, found throughout Chile, is the largest member. The animal is quite foul-tempered and, like the African/Asian camel, will spit when agitated. The vicuña is prized for very fine wool, regarded as the world’s finest. Recently endangered, the vicuña is now making a comeback. The llama, by comparison, has quite coarse wool. The small alpaca is a much more delicate creature, requiring special grasslands. In the north, locals frequently outfit alpacas in native costume to pose with tourists.

In a country of great beauty to begin with, Chile’s wild deep south is the country’s most spectacular area. South of the island of Chiloé begins the fjord region, harboring more fjords than all of Scandinavia. Steep cliffs and mountains rise above narrow waterways. Dolphins leap out of the water around the ship. On shore, guanacos graze by the shoreline.

Further south again, in Magellanes province, is a land of glaciers and jagged, snowcapped mountains. The Torres del Paine National Park is one of the most beautiful in the world, an untamed wilderness of towering granite peaks, turquoise lakes, and vast glaciers. Many animals range freely in Torres del Paine. The puma may hunt the guanaco if he can sneak up on him on the open grasslands—no easy task. The noble Andean condor shares the park with rheas and flamingos.

In the furthest south, around Punta Arenas, lies a windswept, subantarctic landscape. Here is home for the Magellanic penguin. The penguins live in burrows near the seashore. Every so often, one will emerge from the burrow and waddle the two hundred or so yards to the beach to swim or sunbathe. While sunbathing, penguin groups chatter noisily.

Living alongside the penguins are rheas. See this flightless, ostrich-like bird as it runs across the windswept grasslands. The rhea (in Spanish, “nandu”) also lives in extreme northern Chile.

For more information on the natural history of Chile, see book selections below.
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History
Early Chile was occupied by a variety of Native American cultures. The Aymara grew maize or tended llamas in northern desert canyons. Araucanian peoples ruled the south; the Mapuche in particular were fierce warriors.

The Tordesillas Treaty of 1494 granted territory west of Brazil to Spain. Spain followed this with a brutal conquest of Peru and northern Chile in the early 15th century. Spanish conqueror Pedro Valdivia established many settlements from La Serena in the north to Valdivia in the south. But the Mapuche fiercely resisted southward Spanish expansion. Valdivia himself and many settlers were killed in 1553 at the hands of warrior Mapuche chiefs.

At first, the Spanish came to the Americas in search of gold and silver. Eventually they switched to exploiting indigenous people for labor. In a short period of the early 1900s, Spain’s vast empire in the Americas unraveled. José de San Martín’s Army of the Andes swept into Chile from Argentina. San Martín’s right-hand man, Bernardo O’Higgins, formally declared Chilean independence in 1818.

Mid-19th-century Chile was much smaller than the modern country. The northern desert and temperate south remained outside Chilean control. Chile expanded rapidly in the 1880s. The War of the Pacific with Peru and Bolivia brought the Atacama region into the fold. A treaty with the Mapuche brought the southern territories under Chilean control. Remote Easter Island (Rapa Nui) was annexed in 1888.

In the 20th century, leadership in Chile alternated between left and right wing leaders. The economic lot of urban workers improved. But for rural workers, things only got worse. Chile’s land remained under a feudal system little changed since the Spanish colonial days. The U.S. controlled a large portion of the Chilean economy through mine ownership.

In 1970, Socialist-Marxist Salvador Allende came to power. He quickly instituted programs of corporate nationalization and income redistribution. These programs frightened many groups, not least the business community and U.S. interests. The economy nose-dived as business capital fled. Labor strikes became rampant.

In June 1973, the relatively unknown General Augusto Pinochet became head of the military. Pinochet wasted no time in asserting his authority, orchestrating a bloody coup in September of the same year. The Allende government was overthrown. Allende himself died in Santiago’s Moneda Palace. The military rounded up leftists by the thousands. Many of the “disappeared” remain unaccounted for.

From 1973 to 1989 General Pinochet presided over a brutal dictatorship. The junta had two objectives: extinction of the political left and stabilization of the economy. In 1988, voters rejected General Pinochet, opening the way for full elections. The moderate Patricio Aylwin became president, but the military retained great power.

In October of the following year, when General Pinochet visited London, the British detained him, on foot of a Spanish extradition warrant. A long legal battle followed. The General remained under house arrest for 16 months, freed ultimately on medical grounds.

In Chile, a socialist leader holds the presidency again. However, Ricardo Lagos is careful to portray himself as a moderate; the lesson of the Allende years is all too fresh in the country’s memory.

For more information on the history of Chile, see book selections below.
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Culture
Chile’s Native American peoples now survive in much smaller numbers than centuries ago. Long periods of exploitation, combined with the introduction of European diseases, reduced their numbers dramatically.

One place where indigenous people survive is the village of Parinacota, high on the Altiplano in the north. This picturesque village centers on a 17th-century colonial church. Aymara people live here, though in lesser numbers with the passing years. The village is surrounded by an otherworldly landscape of small lakes and high volcanoes. In the Temuco area of the south, a large Mapuche community still thrives. Deprived of land long ago, they now subsist and farm work and crafts.

Most Chileans are mestizos, a mixture of European and Native American descent. Chile did not experience 19th- and 20th-century waves of immigration as did Argentina.

Chile’s population is mostly urban. 80% of Chileans live in cities and towns, including a third of the country’s population in the capital, Santiago. Three-fourths of Chileans live in the central Chile heartland.

The vast majority of Chileans speak Spanish. There are small areas in the north and south where Aymara and Mapudungun (the Mapuche language) are spoken, and a German-speaking area in the southern Puerto Montt area.

Like many Latin Americans, Chileans profess Catholicism. Ninety percent of the population is Catholic, but Protestantism is growing. Catholicism is evident everywhere in Chile, from grand cathedrals in the cities to simple but ornate roadside shrines in the countryside.

For more information on the culture of Chile, see book selections below.
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Dos and Don'ts
Chile Travel Tips:

Don’t photograph Native American people without permission. Some may not wish to be photographed, and your respect will be appreciated.

Do take some time to learn a little Spanish. Many Chileans do not speak English and will be very receptive to your efforts to speak their language.

In the north, guard against the desert sun by wearing a hat and using sunscreen. In the Altiplano region, the tropical sun at such altitude can be particularly fierce. Southern Chile lies in a significant ozone hole, so the sun’s rays can be hazardous here also.

Bring warm clothing and rain gear to the south. At any time of year, the weather here is very changeable. Also, the constant wind makes it feel even colder.
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Weather
Despite the length of the country, Chile’s climate is quite temperate overall. The north-flowing Humboldt Current offshore moderates temperatures.

The desert north has a very arid but surprisingly moderate climate. Temperatures rarely exceed 85°F.

Central Chile’s climate is similar to California’s, with warm, dry summers and mild, damp winters. In the south, sunshine is limited, and temperatures are quite cool year round. Snow falls in some parts in winter. The Magellanes province is perpetually buffeted by strong winds sweeping in from the west.
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Best Time to Go
December to March
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Temperature Range
28°F (-4°C) – 90°F (32°C)
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Books
Insight Guide Chile, by Insight Guides
Guide Book
An illustrated overview of Chile with essays on its history, culture, and nature.

Voyage of the Beagle, by Charles Darwin
Natural History
An amazing tale of young Darwin's five-year voyage aboard the Beagle. His trip changed his life, and our way of thinking about the world. Darwin's South American chapters are an excellent introduction to the Galapagos, Beagle Channel, Chiloe, Tierra del Fuego and the Chilean fjords.

Lonely Planet Chile and Easter Island, by Wayne Bernhardson
Guide Book
A practical and informative guide to Chile and Easter Island.

Birds of Chile, by Sharon Chester
Field Guide
Field guide of 300 common birds of Chile. 29 Color plates.

Seabirds of the World, A Photographic Guide, by Peter Harrison
Field Guide
A portable version of Harrison's definitive guide to the seabirds. The best for the ships!

The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende
General Interest
An wild and wacky story of family history based Chile. Covers decades of history. You can't put this book down.

In Patagonia, by Bruce Chatwin
General Interest
An award-winning tale of the land, wildlife, people and history of Patagonia. An inspiring read for anbody visiting this region.

Lonely Planet: Trekking in the Patagonian Andes, by Clem Lindenmeyer
Guide Book
Trail maps and route descriptions of walks throughout Patagonia.

Travels in a Thin Country, a Journey Through Chile, by Sarah Wheeler
Exploration
A wonderful tale of a traveler's exploration of Chile in 1991. Witty, clever and insightful.

Footprint Chile Handbook, by Charlie Nurse
Guide Book
Practical guidebook to travel in Chile.

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