Chile is in the westernmost corner of South America between Andes and Pacific Ocean. This has a long ribbon like shape and is characterized by the most unusual climates in the world.Its unusual shape is what draws most people to itself only to realise how much self-contained it still is. Its length is 4300km and width is just 175km. The world’s driest desert, Atacama Desert is situated in the north which receives almost no rainfall; there are places there which haven’t ever received a rainfall. Then towards the centre the climate turns to a Mediterranean one. And in the south it has rainy climate. The northern Atacama Desert has a lot of mineral wealth. Spanish is mostly spoken in Chile. Santiago, the capital city of Chile is one of the most developed cites in South America. Chile has a lot to explore. It has been ranked as the best city to visit for the year 2018 because of the diversity it offers just in one country.
Hence, here I have listed some of the must visit destinations for your Chilean adventure
- Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine:Torres Del Paine is a scintillating national park. It’s a world biosphere reserve and houses lots of birds and animals like Puma and Ostrich like Rhea, and flamingos. Its beauty lies in its diverse landscape from rugged mountains to lush canopies to azure lakes meandering into the forests. It’s a best place for all hikers and campers though there have been a lot of rules set up today which you need to follow after the fire that almost devastated most of the forest and wildlife.
- Explore Santiago: Santiago, the capital city of Chile is a modern cosmopolitan city with heady mix of old town grace filled with awe striking architecture and museums. It has a fast paced culture like a metropolis. The city is filled with modern day amenities like cafes, restaurants, bars and has a good nightlife. The city is filled with breath-taking parks for grandeur view of the city.
- Easter Island (Rapa Nui): Easter Island is a south eastern Pacific Island of Chile. It is at the southernmost point of the Polynesian triangle of Oceania. It’s famous for 887 statues called as Moai, which are gorgeously created by Rapa Nui people. It is a UNESCO World heritage site. Apart from this the place is perfect for snorkelling, diving and surfing. You can visit the place on horseback, bike saddle or on foot.
- Skiing the Andes: Like the Alps of Europe, Andes are the longest continental mountain range in the world, covering seven countries in South America. They are the highest mountain range outside of Asia. There are a lot of skiing resorts to stay here. The best season for skiing is from June to October. The Inca Lake here is very beautiful. This is a one of a kind experience of a lifetime to ski here.
- Atacama: This desert is like miracle on earth. This is blocked by the Andes on one side and Chilean coastal range on other side forming a rain shadow region that blocks the moisture from the pacific to reach here. This place is the driest desert in the world. It experiences over 300 days of year with clear skies and no light pollution and hence the largest world telescope on ground, ALMA is placed here to observe stars formation. When the moon is full the stars shine here like nowhere on earth. Some of the people say that since 1570 to 1971 there was no rainfall in some places. The place has a lot of dried salt water lake which makes it the largest natural supplier of sodium nitrate. Also called as Chile salt petre this mineral was a boom in 1940’s. The arid climate here resembles to the climate of mars and is used for shooting of movies and documentaries.
Chile is a wonderful country with unique characters roofed under one complexion. It’s truly a miracle on earth. You need to visit this country for thrilling experiences of a lifetime.