Chile - Although no-one says no to a casual meander along its grand urban boulevards, travellers are drawn to this string bean of a country because of its spectacular Pacific coastline and Andean highlands, and because of the opportunities it offers for adventure sports. Chile's distinctive culture has survived the violence and repression of its recent history and is thriving once again thanks to a people noted for their warmth and resilience. Despite having the most European community in South America, indigenous traditions persist in the Andean foothills and in the southern plains, while some of South America's finest national parks draw trekkers and guanaco spotters alike.
Environment - Making up the left-hand side of South America's tapering tail, Chile's lean strip has been described by author Benjamín Subercaseaux as an extravaganza of `crazy geography'. It extends some 4300 km from the desert north to the glacial south, is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west and shuttered by the Andes on the east. Chile shares most of its extensive eastern border with Argentina, and borders Peru and Bolivia in the north. Rarely extending beyond 200 km in width, Chile makes up for longitudinal mincing by rising rapidly from sea level to 6000 metres while the country's latitudinal extremes give it a formidable array of landscapes. Snow-capped volcanoes plunge to river canyons; the Great North, where some weather stations have never recorded rainfall, is counterpoint to storm and snow prone Patagonia; and Chile's razored and sculpted coastline has endowed it with beaches and bays perfect for fishing and swimming. Chile also lays claim to the offshore territories of Easter Island (3700 km west), Juan Fernández (700 km west) and half of the southern island of Tierra del Fuego (which it shares with Argentina).
The variety of habitat supports distinctive flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive system of national parks - one of the country's major drawcards for visitors. In the parks, animals such as the endangered vicuña (a wild relative of the alpaca), the Patagonian guanaco (a wild relative of the Andean llama), flamingos, pelicans, penguins, otters and sea lions do the food chain thang. Chilean plant life includes stands of araucaria (the monkey-puzzle tree), cypress and rare alerce trees (similar to the giant redwoods of California). Outside protected areas, extensive logging denudes the landscape at an alarming, and increasing, rate.
Chile's climate is as varied as its terrain, with arid but surprisingly temperate areas in the north, a heartland which enjoys a Mediterranean climate, and the wind, rain and snow-battered lands of Chilean Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego in the south. The rainy season in the heartland is from May to August when temperatures are cooler, getting down to an average maximum temperature of 10 degrees Celsius in July. January's neat gin average is 28 degrees Celsius. Chilean Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego have summer averages of just 11 degrees Celsius but if you think that's manageable, muff up and get ready for the wind chill, baby.
Culture - Chile's European heritage is pervasive meaning that Western travellers here are less conspicuous than in neighbouring Peru and Bolivia. For centuries, the Paris education of many Chilean intellectuals influenced the country's art, music and architecture. Important art galleries and museums and a thriving theatre scene are the result. The country's art, literature and music have been influential internationally. Chile has spawned the Nobel Prize-winning poets Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda and, until the military coup of 1973, its cinema was among the most experimental in Latin America. Folk music has been an especially important outlet for the country's oppressed, and was frequently performed overseas by exiles during Pinochet's reign.
Over 90% of the population is Roman Catholic, though evangelical Protestantism is becoming increasingly popular. The country's Catholic architecture is impressive and ubiquitous, from grandiose colonial churches to roadside shrines, some of which are extraordinary manifestations of folk art. Spanish is Chile's official language, though a handful of native languages are still spoken. In the north, there are more than 20,000 speakers of Aymara, and in the south there are perhaps half a million speakers of Mapuche. The most intriguing linguistic minority is the 2000-plus speakers of Rapa Nui, the Polynesian language of most of Easter Island's population.
Events - The Easter and Christmas religious holidays are the most important national celebrations, but there's a conglomeration of secular holidays in September, including Fiestas Patrias (mid-September), National Independence Day on the 18th (a day of spirited partying and rodeos); and Armed Forces Day on the 19th. Of the innumerable local cultural festivals, the mid-north town of Andacollo's Fiesta de la Virgin del Rosario is perhaps the weirdest. Drawing pilgrims every December from as far afield as Bolivia, Asian-inspired team dancing fringes a procession of the Virgin's image to a huge shrine. Horse racing and cock fighting provide ancillary entertainment for the crowds camped on surrounding hillsides.
Attractions:
Vina del Mar - Chile's premier beach resort is only 10 km north of Valparaíso, and is popularly known as the Garden City because of its manicured subtropical landscape of palm and banana trees. Horse-drawn carriages trot past attractive turn-of-the-century mansions on both river and beach frontages. Other attractions are the white-sand beaches, numerous parks and notable museums housed in restored mansions. The town is also the home of Chile's national botanical garden, comprising 61 hectares of native and exotic plants.
Parque Nacional Puyehue - Situated in the beautiful Lake District, this is Chile's most popular national park. It preserves 107,000 hectares of verdant montane forest and starkly awesome volcanic scenery. Dense forest hides puma, the rare pudú (a miniature deer) and prolific bird life, including the Chilean torrent duck. Nature trails, lake views, ski resorts, thermal springs, waterfalls and examples of some of Chile's strange plant life, in particular the umbrella-leaved nalca and multi-trunked ulmo, are some of the many attractions which draw visitors.
Parque Nacional Torres del Paine - Near Chile's fragmented southern tip, this park is Chile's showpiece: a world biosphere reserve with all the diverse scenery of Alaska in only 180,000 hectares. The Torres del Paine are spectacular granite pillars which soar almost vertically for more than 2000 metres above the Patagonian steppe. Cascading waterfalls, sprawling glaciers, dense forests, and the chance to see Patagonian guanaco make it a truly awesome experience.
Parque Nacional Lauca - This world biosphere reserve, 160 km north-east of Arica, near the Bolivian border, encompasses Lake Chungará, one of the highest lakes in the world, spectacularly situated at the foot of the dormant twin Pallachata volcanoes. It supports vicuña, condor and vizcacha, and Aymara alpaca and llama herders. There is extensive bird life along the shores of Lake Cotacotani, and panoramic views from the 5300-metre-high summit of Cerro Guane Guane.
Volcan Osorno - This flawless cone sits in the Parque Nacional Vicente Pérez Rosales, the first national park in Chile, and is surrounded by wonderful natural attractions. Beautiful Lago Todos Los Santos is the centrepiece of the park, looking over the thickly wooded vista to the volcano, and offering ferry trips to nearby lakeside villages. Osorno can be climbed, and is a popular skiing spot.
Activities - Chile's abundance of natural parks offer great trekking opportunities, particularly the Parque Nacional La Campana (easily accessible from Santiago), Parque Nacional Laguna del Laja, Parque Nacional Huerquehue, Parque Nacional Villarrica and Parque Nacional Puyehue. The Parque Nacional Torres del Paine is a hiker's paradise, with a well-developed trail network and opportunities for cross-country trekking. Pucón in the Lake District attracts adventurous travellers who enjoy climbing, river rafting, mountain biking and horseback riding. Climbing trips to Volcán Osorno are also popular. Just outside Santiago, the resorts of Valle Nevado and Portillo provide excellent skiing. The Maipo, Claro and Biobío rivers are popular for white-water rafting.
Getting There & Away - Chile is linked by air to North America, Europe and Australasia, and most international flights arrive in Santiago. The national carrier is LAN-Chile.
Chile's border-crossing points with Peru and Bolivia are few. The crossing between Arica in Chile and Tacna in Peru provides the only land access to Peru; road and rail connections link Chile with Bolivia, passing through Arica, Visviri, Tambo Quemado or Calama. Except in Patagonia, every crossing into Argentina involves crossing the Andes. Routes include Calama-Salta, Copiapó-Tucumán via Catamarca; La Serena-San Juan; and Santiago-Mendoza. More interesting are the many Lake District and southern Patagonian routes, with buses and ferries servicing the crossing points between Chile and Argentina.
Getting Around - Travel within Chile is easy. Fast, punctual and comfortable buses travel the main highways, and flights are reasonably priced; the railways, however, have been neglected since the 1970s. Competition has lowered domestic air fares, and regional airlines and air taxis traverse the country's long extent. Air passes are particularly attractive. There is a tax of US$5 payable on domestic flights.