Chile Travel Information

With its iconic shape as a long ribbon of a country, Chile spans over half the length of South America, making it the ideal place to experience the incredible diversity of the continent. Chile stretches from the driest desert in the world in the north - the Atacama - to the most inhospitable islands in the world in the south, at Tierra del Fuego.

Chile is bounded in many places by the magnificent Andes Mountains, meaning you'll find lots of opportunities for hiking and mountaineering on activity holidays in the country. The Atacama Desert in the north contains many of Chile's natural resources, including copper, but it's also the site of many ghost towns, which popped up after Chile's discovery of the world's largest deposit of sodium nitrate.

Set against the backdrop of snow-capped peaks, Santiago is Chile's capital and largest city. Founded nearly 500 years ago, it's the best place to go if you're interested in Chilean history and culture. Discover the colonial times of Chile at Plaza de Armas, consisting of several structures built in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Helpful information for a holiday in Chile

• Chile's cuisine includes several head-turners: Humitas traditionally wrap up corn, onion and cheese baked in a corn husk, and Crudos consists of raw beef mince on bread, topped with a yogurt and mayonnaise sauce.
• The extreme south of Chile comes closest to Antarctica of any major continental outcrop in the world. The area around Cape Horn - once a widely used way to travel from Europe to Asia - is known as inhospitable, with cold, wet winters and short summers.
• Parts of Chile can be prone to seismic activity, as it lies on the Pacific Rim. Make sure you read essential information before travelling so you're aware of standard procedures in the unlikely event of an earthquake.

My Destination Chile, a website packed with all you need to know about Chile, is launching soon - so stay tuned!