Visit These Places In Chile To Get A Glimpse Of South America
South America is a dream place to go on vacation because it is one of the world's most famous different unusual and interesting places. This huge area which stretches from Colombia to the southernmost parts of Patagonia in Chile and Argentina is home to 13 different countries and hundreds of amazing sites and opportunities that will make any tourist happy. Huge mountain ranges and snow-capped peaks impenetrable rainforests quiet beaches breathtaking landscapes busy towns and ancient cultures and civilizations attract tourists from all over the world making this the perfect vacation spot for everyone.
One such location in South America for vacation in Chile. It is one of the richest and most stable countries in South America. It stretches 4300 kilometers from the middle of the continent to its southernmost point. This long narrow country is known as one of the top most peaceful places on earth so it is safe and fun to travel there.
But Chile's natural beauty is likely to bring in the most tourists because of its attraction. Along with the great Andes it has almost every type of terrain and geological feature on the continent. It has huge dunes vast deserts lush forests and rainforests huge glaciers grand fjords beautiful beaches mountain lakes dozens of natural hot pools geysers and volcanoes and valleys that make wine. The words "wilderness" and "remoteness" are used a lot in the case of Chile among tourists and many of Chile's landscapes are still empty and untouched by people which is the perfect definition of these words. Below are some of the best places to visit in Chile that give an edge to you while you travel on the South American continent.
Easter Island
Easter Island with its otherworldly vibe is one of the most important places to visit anywhere in the world. This island is one of the most isolated in the world. It is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean hundreds of kilometers from the coast of South America. The next stop is Tahiti. It is 1289 miles away from the closest place to people.
Even though Easter Island has many things to see and do such as volcanic craters beautiful beaches a population of wild horses some of the best diving and surfing in the world and fascinating Polynesian culture there is really only one reason people go to this remote place: to see the moai which are hundreds of statues that are hundreds of years old. These sculptures made of stone are so famous that you've probably seen pictures of them before you came. They look great in pictures but words probably can't do justice to how this spectacular place looks and feels in person.
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The Lagoon And Glacier Of San Rafael
To get to the San Rafael Glacier you have to put in some work but once you get there no one would argue that it wasn't worth it. This place can only be reached by boat or by plane if you have enough money and from there boats of different sizes will take you into the lagoon and close to the huge glacier.
Calving which is when chunks of the glacier break off happens quite often so you're sure to see at least one while you're there. If you're lucky you might even be able to see it from the boat. The glacier seems to be melting away so enjoy this amazing view while you can because it won't be there forever.
Related: Explore Other South American Countries like Ecuador Chile and Colombia.
Admire The El Tatio Geysers
The El Tatio geysers are near the foothills of the Andes Mountains in northern Chile. El Tatio has the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere and is the third largest in the world. This makes it one of the top places to visit in Latin America.
El Tatio is one of the most favorite places for tourists to do because it is so beautiful and amazing. The geysers are most active in the morning when they shoot water up to one to six meters high. As the sun comes up over the mountains it's amazing to see the geysers start to erupt.
Take a soak in one of the hot geyser water pools before you leave.
The Atacama Desert's Natural Wonders
One of the best things to do in Chile is to visit the Atacama Desert with its dusty salt lakes and strange otherworldly Valle de La Luna. When you go to the Atacama Desert it's like walking into a technicolor wonderland with pastel pink lakes bumpy mountains and stumbling flamingos.
The Atacama Desert is in the north of Chile. It is one of the driest places on Earth. Because of this the desert is the best place in the world to look at the stars and study astronomy. The desert is also home to many observatories and research centers including ALMA. The Atacama Desert is one of the oldest deserts in the world. It has a number of interesting features such as the Laguna Chaxa where three types of flamingos live the lime-green Salar de Capur and Guatin Canyon where the cacti are taller than people.
If you go to parts of the Atacama Desert where there aren't a lot of tour groups you'll be able to sit under the stars and really feel like you're in the desert.
Santa Cruz
The beautiful town of Santa Cruz is in Chile's Central Valley which is a rich area with lots of orchards and vineyards. It is a great place to visit old haciendas and try some of the best wines in the world. This small rural town is in the middle of one of the best-known wine-making regions in the country. Many of the wineries in the area offer tours and tastings and there are a lot of great restaurants nearby.
If you have a day or two to spare the Central Valley is full of beautiful colonial towns. Vichuquén which is not far from Santa Cruz and has colorful adobe buildings with clay-tiled roofs from the 1800s is a great example of this. The tiny streets of Vichuquén are lined with beautiful flowers and fruit trees and Lake Vichuquén is only 4 kilometers away.
Villarrica Lake
One of the best places to vacation in Chile's landscape is Villarrica which has a beautiful blue lake surrounded by a perfectly cone-shaped volcano. Lakes mountains forests hot springs rivers waterfalls and the active Volcano Villarrica whose crater blows smoke for most of the day surround the area.
At these natural attractions you can trek go white water rafting mountain bike do water sports on the lake climb to the top of the volcano and ski in the winter. Pucon is the best place to enjoy everything the area has to offer because it has great infrastructure nice housing and a wide range of places to eat. It's a popular spot with great views of the volcano and all the tools travelers need to make their wildest dreams come true.
Rapa Nui National Park
Polynesians have been living on Easter Island for a very long time. Chile is known for many things but stone sculptures are one of the best. There are 887 of them and the Rapa Nui National Park has taken care of them and made them a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's also one of the best places in Chile to visit. Anyone who goes to Chile must visit this magical island to get a feel for how people lived in the past. The beach at Anakena which is one of the best in the country is also close by.
Chile's Fjords
Take the Navimag boat from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt for a 4-night cruise through some of the most beautiful places on Earth. As you fly by you can see a lot of mountains and volcanoes but there aren't many signs of people living there. In reality the only place to stop is Puerto Eden which has fewer than 200 people and can only be reached by boat.
The number of animals like albatrosses and petrels is much higher than the number of people. People often see dolphins and whales in the ocean. The shipwreck of the Capitán Leonidas can be found in the Messier Channel about halfway between the two. There are also places where you can catch a glimpse of the far southern Patagonian Ice Field. However the most exciting part of the trip is when the ship has to go through very narrow straits where it looks like you could almost touch land.
Conclusion
Between September and October is the best time to visit Chile and there are many places for tourist attractions in Chile during these months. Some of the most important and well-known places to visit in Chile are on this list. All of the above-mentioned places are at the top of the list of the best places to visit this beautiful country so you should plan a trip to South America and see the sights spread out across this lovely country.