Traveller’s Guide to Chile: Places to visit and things to know

Chile. The land of poetry, Patagonia, Andes, Mapuches, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and a vibrant past. República de Chile is a 4300km long country with friendly people and stunning nature, in which you can never be further than 356km from the Pacific ocean (175km on average). In the following piece, we’ll talk about the most popular places to visit in Chile, as well as the cuisine, culture, history and other basic information about this beautiful and diverse country.

Understanding the culture

Given its rather specific shape that is naturally determined by the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, prior to air traffic Chile used to be a rather isolated country compared to its neighbours. Even the Spanish that’s spoken in the country has evolved in its own specific way, only to become one of the hardest Spanish dialects to understand, even for Spaniards sometimes. It’s not only because Chileans speak very fast, they also swallow their words halfway through. Furthermore, Chileans often use numerous chilenismos AKA words only specific for Chile, no other Spanish speakers heard off, cachai?

When it comes to people, of course, it’s impossible to generalise the whole nation. I’d just say that from my own observation, Chileans could sometimes come across as a bit more reserved, especially when compared to their overly spontaneous and physically friendly eastern neighbours from Argentina. Chileans are however very friendly, their friendliness is just not so – let’s call it – “loud” as it often is in Argentina.

Identity-wise, Chile is a mix of indigenous (mostly Mapuche, some Fuegian and other nations), Spanish and other immigrant cultures. The 19th and 20th centuries then brought mainly other Spaniards as well as many German, British, French, Italian and Croats. Recent immigration waves brought many Venezuelans and Peruvians to the country.

Some basic historical facts about Chile

Early history

If we skip the archaeological findings of human settlement at Monte Verde from about 16 500 BCE as well as the Chinchorro mummies (5000BCE) and stick only to the major events in post-Columbian Chilean history, we’ll get to 1535, because it’s a year when the indigenous Araucanian people resisted the first Spanish invasion. Pedro de Valdivia however begun the Spanish conquest a few years later, founding Santiago de Chile in 1541.

The conflict between Mapuches and the Spanish however kept going for much longer in the event that became known as the Arauco War, when the indigenous Mapuches celebrated significant success against their advanced opponents from Spain, keeping hold of a large area in the south of the country, pretty much until the mid 18th century.

When it comes to other events in the 16th century Chile, to make the bad situation even worse, the country also witnessed various plundering attacks from other colonial forces, such as the English or Dutch who wanted to take control of then important trade-route ports of La Serena and Valparaíso, respectively Valdivia. Mother nature also did not stay behind, throwing in various earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, such as the 1570’s Concepción earthquake, 1575’s Earthquake in Valdivia or 1600’s Huaynaputina eruption.

The 17th century wasn’t much kinder to Chileans. There were more Dutch and English “expeditions” as well as more blood was drawn between Mapuches and Spanish right up to Chilean Independence in 1818, only a year after the local Independence leaders Jose de San Martin and Bernardo O’Higgins defeated the Spanish forces at the battles of Chacabuco and Maipu, which resulted in the declaration of independence on September 18, 1810.

Many other tragic events took place in this vibrant part of Chilean history. The purpose of the history section in the Travellers’ Guide is however only to shed light on a general picture of how things were, mentioning only major events that shaped the country’s way to become modern Chile as we know it. In case you were interested to read more about all the suffering from this period, please check the links provided above or at the bottom of this post. We’re however going to move on to the post-Independence period and beyond.

Independence and the consequent power struggles

Unfortunately, the country’s freedom of the Spanish Crown came together with further power struggle and conflicts. Only 11 years after gaining Independence (1818), a Civil War broke out between the country’s conservatives (Pelucones) who defeated the liberals (Pipiolos) over certain constitutional changes. Just over two decades later, President Manuel Montt however liberalised the constitution and reduced privileges of landowners and church.

Another significant event took place between 1879-84 when Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia in the War of the Pacific, which increased the country’s territory by a third. 1891 then brought yet another Civil War to an end, this time between Congress and presidential forces, which resulted in a reduction of the presidential powers. 1927 then marks the time when General Carlos Ibanez del Campo seized power and established a dictatorship in the country.

43 years later, in 1970, Chileans democratically elected the left-wing president Salvador Allende who introduced an extensive programme of radical social reforms and nationalisation. However, with the peaking Cold War, such policies were naturally against the interest of various powerful forces in the region. This obvious opinion divide has resulted in the 1973’s coup in which Chilean Army General Augusto Pinochet, supported by Henry Kissinger‘s CIA established yet another brutal dictatorship in the country.

End of Pinochet and major events of modern-day Chile in the timeline

• 1988: Pinochet loses a referendum to remain in power
• 1990: Christian Democrat Patricio Aylwin wins the presidential election. Pinochet steps down as head of state but remains commander-in-chief of Chilean forces
• 1998: Pinochet quits the army but he’s made a senator for life
• 1999: Pinochet is extradited to Spain after his 1998 arrest in the UK
• 2000: Chilean courts strip Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution
• 2002: Pinochet resigns from his post as a lifelong senator
• 2004: President Lagos signs a law giving Chileans the right to divorce, despite opposition from the Roman Catholic Church
• 2006: Pinochet dies
• 2007: President Bachelet introduces a bill that allows 14+ years old girls to be given the morning-after contraceptive pill without their parents’ consent
• February 2010: a devastating earthquake of 8,8 magnitude hits central Chile
• October 2010: Copiapó mining accident: TV audiences around the world watched 33 miners being saved after 69 days of being trapped deep underground
• 2012: Congress passes a law, which names sexual orientation-based discrimination an offence
• 2019: 47 000 pages of declassified US Intelligence documents about Operation Condor, a combined operation of eight US-backed military dictatorships in South America that “plotted the cross-border kidnap, torture, rape and murder of hundreds of their political opponents” was handed over to Argentina
• October 2019: Chileans took to the streets protesting the high cost of living that erupted into riots and violent clashes with the police
• May 2020: The Caribbean and Latin America is hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic
• October 2020: The Chilean Police force AKA Carabineros face 8,500 allegations of human rights abuses in the past year
• October 2020: A referendum that was called in response to street protests in 2019 sees 78% of people back a rewriting of the constitution to replace the one imposed by Pinochet
• October 2021: Chile’s lower house of Congress has approved a plan to debate a bill that would expand women’s access to legal abortions. Read more here by Fabian Cambero on Reuters‘s website

Food

With no disrespect intended, Chile isn’t exactly a culinary destination. It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed my meals in the country, on the contrary, they were all quite tasty but people generally visit this beautiful country for its nature, culture and so on. The general variety in quite a few Latin American countries is not – let’s say – very ingredient-diverse. There are certain culinary exceptions, such as in Peru, Mexico or Argentina but the rest is pretty much down to various combinations of beef, corn, beans, onion, chips, chicken, pork, more beans, more corn and so on.

Depending on the regions, Chile is not indifferent to this phenomenon, although the dominant presence of the Pacific does help the country’s cuisine a lot, enriching the usual mix with the seafood a bit. Please note that this article focuses on the traditional cuisine in Chile, which is rather dominated by meat. In case you were a vegetarian, here‘s Catherine‘s vegetarian guide to Latin America on the Llama Travel site. If you are vegan, click here for The Veganary advice. When it comes to an all-rounder, here are some popular dishes I believe are worth trying:

• Completo. It’s a hotdog with literally everything. Even with crushed potato crisps sometimes. Very popular street food
• Empanada. Like every Latin American country, Chile also has a variety of empanadas. Imagine the sort of Cornish pasty with cooked fillings, made of a different kind of pastry. I loved them, especially if you fancy a snack only, although Chilean empanadas are huge if compared to Colombian or Argentinian ones. The classic filling is called pino, which is a mix of minced meat, onions, raisins, black olives and hard-boiled eggs. And here‘s Alicia Moore Lutz‘s recipe at All Recipes website
• Curanto is made of meat, shellfish, meat, milcao (potato pancake) and chapaleles (potato dumplings) and vegetables, typical for the archipelago of Chiloé region. Ingredients are covered with nalca leaves which are covered with wet sacks and grass chunks. The unique part of this dish is that the meal is usually prepared in a hole in the ground that’s covered with heated stones. Read more about curanto here
• Chorillana is a typical dish for the Valparaíso region. We’re talking about sliced beef with chips (french fries) covered with either scrambled or fried eggs and fried onions
• Pastel de Choclo y Humitas is a yummy casserole made of steamed corn and beef with garlic, onion, minced meat, hard-boiled eggs and olives
• Porotos Granados is quite a nice beans stew with mashed corn, onions, pumpkin, garlic, tomatoes and basil
• Churrasco and Chacarero is an omnipresent steak sandwich with either avocado (palta) or with tomatoes or as completo with everything
• Sopaipillas are street snacks made of fried pumpkins, butter, and flour, all flattened into a small circle bread thingy
• Cazuela de Vacuno/Cazuela de Mariscos is a yummy beef, respectively seafood stew with garlic, onions, oregano and paprika. Pork, lamb or chicken versions are also available
• Bife a lo pobre or pollo a lo pobre is what the locals call a poor man’s steak. It’s a cut of beef tenderloin, respectively chicken with fries, a fried egg, and onions

Tourism in Chile

Given the Pinochet regime, tourism in Chile as we know it only picked up after his era in the mid-1990s. By 2005, the sector grew by nearly 14%, generating more than $500 million, which was equivalent to 1.33% of Chile’s GDP. The general tourism infrastructure has been growing steadily, together with its growing reputation, offering a variety of tours, accommodation options and services available.

As opposed to the early days of adventurers only, tourism in the country now covers all segments of tourism, ranging from backpackers up to luxurious resorts. In 2017, Chile welcomed nearly 6,5 million international tourists. Nevertheless, the road infrastructure in the less populated southern regions is still a work in progress. However, tourism in the whole country is generally very well organised.

When to visit Chile

Mainland Chile extends across 4025km in latitude, making any general weather recommendations impossible. The country comprises seven major climatic subtypes, ranging from dry deserts in the north to alpine tundra and glaciers in the south, Mediterranean climate in central Chile and Oceanic in the south, not to mention the humid subtropical climate in Easter Island.

There are the classic four seasons in most of the country but the obvious fact to remember is that the Southern hemisphere has the seasons exactly opposite to the northern hemisphere.

For Patagonia, I’d recommend picking shoulder seasons to avoid the crowds as well as to save few bucks, plus both options will leave you with very colourful memories. The main season runs from November/December to early March/April. Here‘s the country’s climate guide, in case you were interested.

Safety

Ranking at 38th position globally (October 2021), except for Uruguay and Costa Rica, Chile rises above most of the Latin American countries in the Global Peace Index, which is pretty high up. But that is statistics and they do not apply to the whole country equally. Speaking for myself, I haven’t personally experienced any trouble, I must however say that I’ve used the normal precautions, meaning that I haven’t wandered on empty streets at night and I haven’t flashed my valuables around.

On few occasions, I’ve been warned by the friendly locals not to enter certain (non-touristy) areas in Santiago as well as in Valparaíso and I’ve obliged. Petty theft is known to be present in large cities around the region, the tourist-populated areas are however generally safe. When it comes to Patagonia, Chile is as safe as it can get. Some useful general travel safety tips could be found in this piece, in case you were interested.

That is about being safe from other humans. But then there’s Mother Nature. Please know your limits and do not overestimate your hiking skills and fitness level. The multi-day hikes, as much as adventurous and beautiful they are might present you with extreme weather conditions that are not to be underestimated.

Furthermore, please watch out for the currents when swimming in the Pacific as it could get rather hardcore. Rip currents are behind many deaths per year so please make sure you are aware of them. And last but not least, there’s wildlife, a lot of stray dogs and so on, you know what I mean…

Places to visit in Chile

Tip: The red links are Google Maps location links so you can see WHERE we're talking about. If you are signed into your Google account and if any of the listed places sounded like your cup of tea, just click "want to go". Such move could help you to create your own itinerary, not to mention other benefits, such as user reviews or the practical implications of knowing how to get around once you're at the location.

Santiago de Chile

I have personally found the Chilean capital a little claustrophobic and busy. Its urban planning reminded me of multiple versions of Tetris being played at the same time. Mixing the ugly modern megastructures with the colonial architecture into an eclectic and dense concrete jungle just didn’t work for me that much. However, I admit that there are many charming spots in the city but visitors must look for them. In case you could spare a few days, Santiago‘s definitely worth exploring 😉

Whether you visit the city’s historical centre that’s packed with landmarks, such as the presidential palace La Moneda, main square Plaza de Armas, or the Central Market (Mercado Central de Santiago) and many more. For some great views of the city, consider getting up Cerro Santa Lucía or Cerro San Cristóbal. In case you wanted to go even higher, then there’s still is the tallest building in South America, Gran Torre Santiago.

Well, and in the evening, you should certainly not miss out on the vibes of the vibrant hood Bellavista that is full of bars, restaurants and other nightlife opportunities 😉 For more complex information, as well as practical details about Santiago, please click here.

Valparaíso and Viña del Mar

Only a few hours drive from Santiago westward, towards the Pacific ocean, there’s another popular destination for tourists worth visiting. As opposed to the country’s capital, Valparaíso instantly impressed me with its colours as well as the ever-present street art, bohemian atmosphere and general vibe.

I admit that the city is not for everyone because it could be a bit gritty but if you like tiny hilly streets and colourful houses as well as an unusually high amount of street art, then this could be the place you’ll grow fond rather fast. For a traveller’s guide to Valparaíso that’s packed with practical information about the city, including how to get there from Santiago de Chile, please click here. In case you were more into luxurious and modern places, you can hop on the metro and get to its flashy neighbour Viña del Mar (here‘s its Wikitravel page).

Tierra del Fuego

If we travel south, like the most south where people live on a regular basis, we’d reach the mysterious Tierra del Fuego archipelago. The name “Land of Fire” apparently comes from the Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who allegedly saw multiple fires upon his first visit. The reason for that is that the native people (Selk’nam and Yaghan) barely used any clothes so they’ve used fires to warm up.

When it comes to popular touristic attractions, the Chilean part of the largest island (Isla Grande) is rather boring, because most of it is more or less just flat and windy. The Andes however do rise again in the south but most of the treks and tourist infrastructure is already on the Argentinian side of the island.

For some Andean remote trekking on the Chilian land, a visitor can travel further south of the main island to Isla Navarino (see off the beaten path section below). The most popular destination in the area on the Chilean side is arguably Isla Magdalena, home to 120 thousand Magellanic penguins. More details, including the trekking options and other practical information about Tierra del Fuego could be found here.

Torres del Paine

Torres del Paine is one of the most famous and iconic national parks in the whole Patagonia. When you Google-picture Patagonia, one of the top four results would be a picture of the three towers (Las Torres). The more adventurous visitors usually head to do multi-day hiking in a park, others can enjoy the hotels or day trips from Puerto Natales.

In spite of the rather steep pricing, I would definitely recommend visiting the park. It’s very well organised, beautiful and not so crowded (especially during the shoulder seasons), considering its popularity. More practical details about this park, including the prices, various trekking options and transportation could be found here, in an article that compares Torres del Paine with its Argentinian “counterpart” El Chaltén.

Lake District

Once arriving in northern Patagonia in Chile, the obvious location to rest for few days would be the small pretty (but also a bit resorty) town of Puerto Varas. Located in the heart of the Chilean Lake District, the place comes with multiple trekking options as well as seasonal skying options on the picturesque Vulcan Osorno.

Chilean Lake District has basically plenty to offer, whether it is skying and hiking in Parque Nacional Conguillío or Parque Nacional Vicente Pérez Rosales, visiting the volcanic thermal springs in the Pucón region. Some practical info about Puerto Varas, as well as its Argentinian counterpart Bariloche, could be found here.

If case you were interested in the whole Lake District area, here‘s Vogue‘s take by Jen Murphy. I don’t think that Jen‘s piece mentions the Cochamó Valley, which is another popular location among tourists so here‘s its Wikivoyage‘s page.

Carretera Austral

Another major attraction in the region doesn’t stay far behind the Lake District attractiveness. In my humble opinion, it’s even more mind-blowing but that’s just my subjective assessment. Only a few miles south of Puerto Varas, in the otherwise rather uninteresting town of Puerto Montt, there’s the starting point of the stunning Carretera Austral, the 1240km long partially paved highway famous for its stunning views of glaciers, lakes, fjords, steep mountains and forests.

In case you were thinking about exploring the region, I strongly recommend doing it so in a hired vehicle because it would allow you to stop wherever and whenever you want. The thing is that even any random stops along Carretera Austral are so worth it. There are however few of the so-called ‘must-see places’ and I’ve listed them all, together with some off the beaten path-ish locations here in a rather comprehensive guide to Carretera Austral.

Marble Caves

In case you have decided not to take upon the whole of Carretera Austral, you can always visit at least some of the attractions located along the way. Located on the border crossing between Argentina and Chile, that’s suitable when travelling from El Chaltén to northern Patagonia is Catedral de Marmol (Marble Caves). Get ready for sensational colours and a charming little settlement plus Puerto Rio Tranquillo, that’s worth its name.

Furthermore, the glacier-origin Lago Gral Carrera, where the caves are located comes in with its own pleasant microclimate and stunning surrounding nature that also includes Exploradores Glaciar and other attractions worth considering to visit. More details about Marble Caves as well as practical information on how to get there and so on could be found here.

Attacama desert

Desierto de Atacama is apparently the driest nonpolar desert in the world. It stretches over 1600 km along the Pacific coast of northern Chile from near Arica to La Serena. The touristic centre of this large desert is the oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama. The town itself is just another tourist trap with a lot of scam but the stunning nature that surrounds it is well worth visiting the area.

If you can hire a car, you could do most of the activities by yourself, which is the option I’d recommend in case you wanted to skip the crowds. More details about San Pedro de Atacama and the amazing nature that surrounds the town, as well as a few practical tips and a list of all major attractions to see in the area could be found here.

Other popular locations in Chile

• Easter Island. After Patagonia, Easter Island is probably the obvious place to mention in touristic connection with Chile. Isla de Pascua or Rapa Nui (in Polynesian) was however unfortunately out of my budget so here‘s The Guardian‘s take on the island for you
• Valdivia. I’m told by some of the cool locals that Valdivia is a place with a great buzz and bohemian atmosphere AKA new Valparaíso. Here‘s Go Chile‘s take on the city
• La Serena. The country’s second-oldest city is also a popular destination for tourists looking to explore the Elqui Valley, the nearby town of Punta de Choros to observe the marine wildlife, Fray Jorge National Park and more. Here‘s a Go Chile post for more info
• The Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works: Two former saltpetre refineries in northern Chile nearby the town of Iquique that were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here is its UNESCO World Heritage site page and here‘s Google Arts and Culture‘s take on the abandoned sites
• Antofagasta. Except for the Atacama Desert and the above mentioned abandoned towns, the northern Chilean region Antofagasta has plenty of attractions for a wide variety of activities. Whether you want to spend some time on the local beaches, climb the second highest peak outside Asia, Nevado Ojos del Salado (6 893m), check out some of the region’s deserts of National Parks, there’s a lot to explore in this diverse province. For more details, please click here, in case you were interested
• Valle Nevado is a popular ski resort located not far from Santiago with some hiking options. Here‘s its official page for more details

Off the beaten path

I’m not going to enter the philosophical angle regarding ‘the beaten path’ vs ‘off the beaten path’ debate, I’ve elaborated on it here, in case you were interested. Let’s just say that when it comes to the less-visited locations in Chile, here are few modest suggestions for the slightly more adventurous travellers:

• Isla Navarino, Tierra del Fuego. An island that’s located just over the Beagle Channel from the Argentinian Ushuaia comes with the actual most southern human settlement called Puerto Williams. The place is apparently as remote as it can get. One can get there from Punta Arenas by plane or a ferry or with a speed boat from Ushuaia. The island is also home to one of the more challenging multi-day hikes in Patagonia: the Dientes de Navarino trek. Here‘s Swoop Patagonia‘s page about the island with some useful information;
• El Chaltén – Villa O’Higgins walk, Patagonia. Some more adventurous travellers like to walk across the Argentina-Chile border from El Chaltén to Villa O’Higgins (an end of the stunning Carretera Austral mentioned above). Due to the rather excessive weight of my luggage, I’ve unfortunately opted to skip this part. However, some people I’ve met on my journey talked about it as one of the highlights of their trips. It involves taking two ferries across the lakes and a night spent by Lago del Desierto. In case you wanted to find out more details, click here to check out Swoop Patagonia‘s informative post, which includes additional info about trekking and other activities around Villa O’Higgins
• Chiloé Island, Lake District. I wouldn’t call the largest Chilean island exactly an off the beaten path location but it’s certainly not a place overcrowded with tourists. There are some parks to be explored, Penguins are also around and the area is known for mystical witch hunt stories. Read more here, in case you were interested;
• Ferry travel, Southern Chile is not exactly a location by its definition. However, some of us love to take boats and/or ferries to get to places and imagine sailing along fjords, icebergs, waterfalls and so on. The four main ferry options one can take in the area are described here, with prices, how to get tickets and so on…

In conclusion

Although Chile is a relatively small country within the South American continent (it’s 7th out of 12 countries), it’s still 3,1 times bigger than the United Kingdom. In practical terms, it means that unless you’re blessed with a lot of spare time and a good budget (Chile doesn’t come cheap, especially not in Patagonia), you won’t be able to see the highlights listed above in one go. I’d therefore recommend exploring central and northern regions and leaving Patagonia for a separate visit if you wanted to enjoy your holidays without rushing it through.

Important practical notes about entry requirements

• Please do keep the little paper slip you will be given upon your arrival to Chile during the passport control. You’ll need it again when leaving the country;
• Except for your country’s entry requirements agreement with Chile, please make sure that you must declare all products of plant and animal origin you are entering into Chile. The entry requirements are listed here.

Sources and possible further reading for a curious reader

Culture, language and demographics

• Chilean slang: Learn more about Chilenismos here on the Spanish.cl website
• Demographics of Chile: The country’s demographic profile, that includes ethnic groups, religions, age structure, language and many more stats, according to the Index Mundi website
• Indigenous population: Here‘s a very informative page about indigenous groups and their challenges in Chile on the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs website
• Culture of Chile: history, people, traditions, women, beliefs, food, according to World Culture Encyclopedia could be found here
• Arts: Here‘s the Chile Culture portal’s post with few basic facts about arts and literature in the country

History

• Monte Verde archaeological site: Bridget Alex writes about the earliest evidence of humans living in South America for Discover Magazine. UNESCO’s page about the site could be found here
• Chinchorro mummies: Jason Daley writes about the World’s known oldest mummies here for Smithsonian Magazine here
• Arauco War: Encyclopedia Britannica‘s page on the conflict between Mapuches and other Araucanian Indians and the Spanish
• Dutch Expedition to Valdivia: Robbert Kock‘s article about Dutch attempts to occupy and hold on to the port from the Colonial Voyage website could be found here
• Major earthquakes from the 16th century: Wiki‘s page on the 1570’s disaster in Concepción could be found here, 1575 Valdivia earthquake here and 1600’s Huaynaputina eruption here
• Independence leaders and decisive battles: Read about Jose de San Martin and Bernardo O’Higgins as well as about the battles of Chacabuco and Maipu on Encyclopedia Britannica
• Chilean Independence: Read about the events that led to the1810’s declaration of independence here by Christopher Minster on Thought Co website
• 19thcentury Civil Wars: Here‘s Wiki‘s page describing the tragic events from 1829-1830 and here, you can read more about the 1891’s Civil War
• War of the Pacific: Read more about 1879 – 1883 between Peruvian-Bolivian forces and Chile here in Encyclopedia Britannica
• Salvador Allende: Read more about the democratically elected leftist President ousted by Pinochet here on History
• Augusto Pinochet: Read more about the infamous Chilean dictator and his regime here, respectively here on Encyclopedia Britannica
• 2010’s earthquake: Read more about the devastating earthquake followed by the tsunami that hit south-central Chile here on Encyclopedia Britannica
• Copiapó mining accident: Read more about the accident and rescue of the 33 miners here on CNN‘s website
• Operation Condor: Find more details about the combined operation of eight US-backed military dictatorships in South America that kidnapped, tortured, raped and murdered of hundreds of political opponents in the region here in The Guardian in this dark and long piece by Giles Tremlett
• 2019-2020 protests: Read more about the events of 2019-2020 here on Human Rights Watch website
• Coronavirus: Jake Horton wrote this post for the BBC about the bad Coronavirus situation in Latin America in September 2020
• Chilean Police abuse: John Bartlett writes about the police brutality during the 2019-2020 protests for The Guardian
• Constitution changes: Read more about a plebiscite for scrapping the Pinochet-era constitution by Charis McGowan here in The Guardian
• Abortion decriminalisation: Chile’s lower house of Congress has approved a plan to debate a bill that would expand women’s access to legal abortions. Read more here by Fabian Cambero on Reuters‘s website

Food (incl. recipes)

• Vegetarian and vegan options: here‘s Catherine‘s vegetarian guide to Latin America on the Llama Travel site. If you are vegan, click here for The Veganary advice
• Completo: Here‘s Julia Levy‘s recipe for the popular Chilean street food on the My Recipes website
• Empanada: Ian Lloyd Neubauer writes about his hunt for the best empanadas in Chile for the BBC
• Curanto: Darlene writes for her blog International Cuisine about the typical dish from the Chiloé region
• Chorillana: Pilar Hernandez talks about the Valparaísan dish and its recipe here, in Chilean Food and Garden
• Pastel de Choclo y Humitas: Sarah Ozimek writes about the tasty beef casserole here, in Curious Cuisinière
• Porotos Granados: Carolina Rojas writes about this delicious beas stew at her blog Mi Diario de Cocina
• Churrasco and Chacarero: Olivia Mesquita describes the Chilean steak sandwich dish on her blog Olivia’s Cuisine
• Sopaipillas: Yvette writes about the popular street snack or a starter here, on her blog Muy Bueno Cook Book
• Cazuela de Vacuno/Cazuela de Mariscos: Carolina from Mi Diario de Cocina describes the popular beef casserole here, while Pilar from Chilean Food and Garden talks about the yummy Chilean seafood (soup version) here
• Bife a lo pobre or pollo a lo pobre: Marian Blazes writers about the beef version of poor man’s steak on The Spruce Eats
• A Food Lover’s Travel Guide to Chile: Caroline Hatchett, Kathleen Culliton and Antoinette Bruno put together this piece for the Star Chefs portal back in 2011. Although the post might need a little update, it still lists some amazing places to eat 😉

Climate and safety

• Geography, Climate, and Flora of Chile: Kathy Musial writes about the subject here for the Pacific Horticulture website
• Climate: Here‘s Climates to travel‘s climate guide to Chile
• Safety: Few safety tips on how to secure your valuables, what to watch out for and more could be found here
• Rip Current: Here‘s a useful post that describes what is a rip current, how to spot it and what to do, on the National Ocean Service website
• Global Peace Index: Check out the current standings on the Visions of Humanity website here

Places to Visit in Chile

• Santiago de Chile: Things to do, see and experience as well as few practical tips about visiting the Chilean capital could be found here
• Valparaíso and Viña del Mar: A rather comprehensive guide to Valparaíso could be found here. Information about its flashy neighbour, Viña del Mar, could be found here on Wikitravel
• Tierra del Fuego: In order to find out about things to do, how to get to ad other practical travel tips regarding Tierra del Fuego, please click here
• Torres del Paine: Practical travel tips about the iconic national park, including the prices, various trekking options and transportation could be found here, in an article that compares Torres del Paine with its Argentinian “counterpart” El Chaltén
• Lake District: Here‘s Vogue‘s take on the whole region by Jen Murphy. Furthermore, some travel tips about Puerto Varas, as well as its Argentinian counterpart Bariloche, could be found here
• Carretera Austral: For a rather comprehensive guide to Carretera Austral, please click here
• Marble Caves: Travel tips about Marble Caves as well as practical information on how to get there and so on could be found here
• Atacama Desert: A rather comprehensive guide to San Pedro de Atacama and the surrounding nature, including few practical tips, attractions to see and so on could be found here
• Easter Island: Mark Johanson writes about the iconic island for The Guardian. Furthermore, here‘s its UNESCO page and in case you were interested in the history of the island, here‘s History‘s post
• Valdivia: Here‘s Go Chile‘s take on the city by Omar Vega
• La Serena: Here‘s a Go Chile post for more info about the city and the surrounding nature
• The Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works: Here is its UNESCO world heritage site page and here‘s Google Arts and Culture‘s take on the abandoned sites
• Antofagasta: Here‘s Chile Travel page about this diverse region in northern Chile
• Valle Nevado: Here‘s the resort’s official page for more details
• Isla Navarino: Here‘s Swoop Patagonia‘s page about the island with some useful information)
• El Chaltén – Villa O’Higgins walk: For more details, click here to check out Swoop Patagonia‘s informative post, which includes additional info about trekking and other activities around Villa O’Higgins
• Chiloé Island: Some useful travel tips about the island could be found here
• Ferry travel in Southern Chile: Read more about your ferry options in the region here, with prices, how to get tickets and so on…

Entry requirements

• Do not forget to check out the entry requirements for Chile before your journey to avoid unnessessary misunderstandings 😉

Other Traveller’s Guides by Quaint Planet

• Argentina: places to see, general travel tips, history, culture, cuisine, safety, off the beaten path and more
• Uruguay: places to see, off the beaten path, general travel tips, history, culture, cuisine, safety and more
• Bolivia: history, cuisine, safety, places to see, including some truly incredible off the beaten path locations and more
• Colombia: places to see, off the beaten path, general travel tips, history, culture, cuisine, safety and more
• and there’s more guides to come in the future…

Some general tips about travelling in Latin Americas

• Budget: in case you were interested, here‘s an article listing the country-by-country basic expenses for a traveller in Latin America
• Safety: Few safety tips on how to secure your valuables, what to watch out for and more can be found here
• Transport: Information, safety and some other practical advice regarding public transport in Latin America can be found here
• ATM withdrawal charges: Some practical info, including the list of free-of-charge ATMs in Latin America, can be found here
• Border fees: To find out how much you will have to pay to enter or exit certain countries in Latin America, please click here
• Pre-trip preparations: Few things you can do ahead of time before you’ll become frantically busy prior to your departure are listed here
• Packing list: What to take with you for an extended trip as well as some security tips could be found here
• Cheap Flights: few tips on how to score a cheap/er flight, get a better seat on a plane, where to get a nap at a particular airport and so on

Locations covered on Quaint Planet

Santiago de Chile ► Valparaíso ► Santiago de Chile ►Punta Arenas – Ushuaia – Punta Arenas ► Puerto Natales – Torres del Paine – Puerto Natales ► El Calafate (Perito Moreno Glacier, Arg) ► El Chaltén (Los Glaciares National Park) ► Chile Chico (Ch) – Puerto Rio Tranquillo (Marble Caves) ► Coyhaique – Puyuhuapi – (Carretera Austral) ► Puerto Chacabuco – Quellón/Castro ► Puerto Varas – San Carlos de Bariloche (Arg) ► Buenos Aires ► Colonia (Ur) ► Montevideo ► Punta del Diablo – Cabo Polonio ► Montevideo ► Salto ► Concordia (Arg) ► Puerto Iguazú (Iguazú Falls) ► Salta ► San Salvador de Jujuy ► Tilcara ► San Pedro de Atacama (Ch) ► Uyuni Salt Flats Tour (Bol) ► Uyuni ► Sucre – La Paz (Death Road Tour) ► Copacabana (Lake Titicaca) – Isla del Sol – Copacabana ► Cusco (Per) ► Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu) ► Cusco ► Lima ► Máncora – Montañita (Ecu) ► Puerto López ► Quito ► Ipiales (Col) – Pasto ► Tatacoa Desert ► Bogotá ► Medellín ► Villa de Lleyva ► Santa Marta – Cartagena – Rincón del Mar Necoclí ► Capurganá ► Puerto Obaldía (Pan) ► Panama City ► Las Lajas ► Cerro Punta ► David ► Bocas del Torro ► San José (Costa Rica) ► San Juan del Sur (Nic) – Ometepe ► Granada ► Managua – El Rama – Bluefields – Corn Islans ► Léon ► El Tunco (El Salvador) ► La Antigua Guatemala – Lake Atitlán ► Lanquín (Semuc Champey) – Flores (Tikal) ► Belize City ► Bacalar – Tulum – Playa del Carmen – Mérida – Valladolid – Cancún ✈️ .