Chile Guide
Things not to miss
1 Parque Nacional Torres del Paine • Without a doubt, this spectacular park is what draws most visitors to southern Chile, and it does not disappoint even after all the photos and build-up.
2 Valparaíso • This remarkable perched city drapes over a jumble of steep hills around a wide bay.
3 Chinchorro mummies at Museo Arqueológico, Arica • Gape at these prehistoric, remarkably intact mummies, pulled from a seven-thousand-year-old burial site near Arica.
4 Llaullao church near Castro • The archipelago's beautiful wooden churches rise over the heart of almost every small village.
5 Cemetery at Punta Arenas • Discover this fascinating necropolis in Punta Arenas, the main transport hub of the far south.
6 Valle de la Luna • Trek across this aptly named moonscape, just south of San Pedro de Atacama.
7 Bahía Inglesa • Dip into turquoise waters and soak up rays on the relatively unspoilt beach.
8 Penguins at Isla Magdalena • Head to this thriving for an up-close look at penguins.
9 Mercado Central, Santiago • Tuck into a tasty lunch at the market's bustling fish markets, serving the freshest catch.
10 The moai at Rano Raraku • Easter Island is remote and expensive to get to, but once there you'll surely get caught up in the game of, "Who built these giant moai? How? Why?"
11 Geoglyph at Cerro Unitas • The world's largest geoglyph is appropriately known as the "Gigante de Atacama".
12 Pisco Elqui • Take a tour of a distillery, followed by a taste of a pisco sour, Chile's national cocktail.
13 Termas de Puyuhuapi • Isolated and largely inaccessible, the resort here is home to steaming hot springs, and is one of the great getaways along the Carretera Austral.
14 San Rafael glacier • Embark on an exhilarating boat ride alongside this stunning ice formation.
15 Rodeo at Rancagua • Witness expert horsemanship and a slice of national culture at the rodeos in the Central Valley.
16 Isla Negra • The Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda is one of Chile's best-known literary exports; one of his homes has been turned into an fascinating museum here.
17 Hiking Volcán Villarrica • Take a guided hike up this active volcano, the focal point of a park with excellent opportunities for trekking and camping.
18 Laguna Verde • Massive active volcanoes surround these richly hued waters, making for an almost surreal landscape – the perfect spot to enjoy the bubbling lakeside hot springs.
19 Teleférico over Santiago • Dangle high above the sprawling capital, surrounded by the snow-capped Andes.
20 Museo Precolombino • Santiago's Museo Precolombino is the capital's best museum, home to striking pieces of pre-Columbian art, from urns to incense burners to ancient Andean textiles.
21 Cerro Mamalluca observatory • Chile's northern skies are the most transparent in the southern hemisphere, as testified by the many international observatories stationed here. Head to the Elqui Valley's Cerro Mamalluca observatory to play astronomer and gaze up at the stars.