Chile Travel ~ Information & Travel Pictures

Good food, wines, seafood, volcanoes, glaciers, parks

I traveled to Chile in November, the best time, I hoped, to see the glaciers, volcanoes and parks in the south, and enjoy some good Chile wines and seafood -- superb! And strawberries were in season!

I arrived at the capital, Santiago, then went by road to and from the Pacific coast cities of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar (great seafood here!) From Santiago, I flew south to Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt, and the Lake District national park Vicente Perez Rosales. Being springtime in South America, many flowers and trees in Chile were in bloom.

Santiago offers attractive colonial architecture, and has wonderful city parks, like Santa Lucia. I was charmed by the friendly Chileans, who greet one another with a handshake and a kiss on the cheek. The tap water was safe to drink everywhere, the scenery fantastic, and the roads were good. In short, I was a very happy traveler.

Chile spans some 4,000 km (2500 miles) from its northern borders with Peru and Bolivia, south to Patagonia, hugging the Andes and Argentina on its east border all the way. From northern desert to the chilly turbulence of Cape Horn's Antarctic seas, it's a challenge to see all of Chile in one trip!

For much of North America's populace, there's hardly any time difference between Chile and New York or Toronto. Chile is one-two hours ahead of Eastern time (depending on daylight savings time), so jet lag isn't an issue. Check this index of Chile hotels listed by City and see my Santiago Chile Travel story with wine valley listings.
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Chile Travel Information and travel tips

What to pack for a trip to Chile? See travel packing tips pages like What to Pack and travel tips for all travelers. I went from warm Santiago area south to chilly Patagonia, and, by good use of layering, I still only needed one small suitcase (though taking along a cashemere cardigan to layer under my light jacket was a great help down south!) Pack light, as most flights within Chile limit your luggage weight to 20 kg (44 lb). See LAN Chile page (the national carrier) for examples.

Airline in Chile LAN Chile operates domestic and international flights at 1-866-I FLY LAN.

Books, Guide books for Chile Lonely Planet Chile and Easter Island is the travel guide I took with me. There's also a new Frommer's Chile and Easter Island. You might enjoy reading Daughter of Fortune (Allende), about a Chilean woman coming to California.

What Language do they speak in Chile? Spanish (Castillano) is the official language, though (basic) English is spoken by business and tourism people. Many also speak Portuguese, or a little German, and less commonly, French. If you learn even a few words and phrases in Spanish, no matter your pronunciation, everyone seems pleased that you made the effort. (They had me at Ola! which means Hello. I sound the 'H' -- Hola -- and give myself away as a non-native speaker every time!) Do take along one of these small phrasebooks -- you may only need ot refer to it once or twice, but you will be so glad to have it! There's a new Collin's Latin American Spanish CD & phrasebook pack. I used the Lonely Planet Latin American Spanish phrasebook

Travel Maps for Chile Tourism maps are available from airports and hotels in Santiago and other cities, but they are pretty basic, as are the maps included with travel guides. If you love maps like I do, take along a Rough Guide map of Chile or this map of Chile, Argentina. Paraguay, Uruguay, etc. (Spanish) if you will be travelling around South America.

Travel Health Issues for Chile Check with your local travel health clinic. Chile is generally considered safe but spans a large geographic area, so for vaccinations, consider your itinerary (jungle, mountain hikes) and check for current issues. See Vaccinations info under Passports, etc

What money (currency) do they use? Chilean peso (CLP). Rates fluctuate: About $1USD = 512 CLP. For suggestions on how to carry travel money, ATM cards, etc see Travel Currency Tips page.

Do I need a Visa for Chile? Tourist visas are generally issued on arrival.(See the Consulate of Chile for more information.)

Reciprocity Tax What is harder to track down is the amount of a 'reciprocity tax' that must be paid in cash and in US dollars upon arrival at the airports, as it varies by what country you are from, and rules may change without notice. (In 2005, Canadians paid $55 USD and Americans paid $100 USD.) The receipt stub for the reciprocity tax payment is affixed to your passport, and is valid for the life of that passport. Check with your travel agent or the Chilean embassy just before you travel to get the current information. This is separate from departure taxes.

Hotels in Chile I put specific hotel information about where I stayed in Chile on the appropriate city page, or you can check here for Chile hotels listed by City (index page).

Call to and from Chile Get a pinless, rechargeable, no fee calling cards -- see Calling card info page.
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More Chile Travel Pictures and Information on these pages

• Santiago Chile Historic buildings, shops, hotel pictures

• Santa Lucia a Santiago Park Highlights from two popular city parks

• Vina Del Mar On the Pacific coast, a wonderful long-stay holiday destination

• Valparaiso Chile's Pacific port of call for many cruise ships

• Puerto Montt Lake District, compared to Germany's forests,

• Puerto Varas Casino, lake and volcano views, close to the National Park

• Lake District Park Volcanoes, ski hills and lakes, PN Vicente Perez Rosales

• Patagonia Torres del Paine, Puerto Natales, guanacos

• Chile Flora Native flowers, shrubs and trees of Chile

• Chile foods Traditional foods of Chile, and a few modern twists

• Santiago Chile travel story, with wine valleys of Chile