Chile... this year’s hottest destination
NAMED as the adventure tourism destination of the year at the latest World Travel Awards, captivating Chile is set to be a bucket-list star in 2017 thanks to its amazing landscapes and great tourism infrastructure.
Fly to this long, narrow land bordering the Pacific for stunning stargazing in the driest desert in the world, or see millennial glaciers, enchanted forests and emerald lakes at the foot of massive volcanoes.
And who could forget the wondrous figures of Chile’s Easter Island, lined up with their eyes on the sky – and kind, hospitable locals who will receive you with open arms.
Chile is easy and accessible to tour by road and by air with the LATAM Pass, which enables you to book multiple internal flights for less when bought with the international leg of your journey.
What’s more, there is a thriving gastronomic scene here, making for great dining experiences in this calm, safe and cultured country. Savour a vast array of seafood and top notch wines served in the many brilliant and inexpensive restaurants.
In addition to Spanish-influenced dishes, you’ll also find a variety of kuchen (cakes) introduced by sweet-toothed German immigrants.
CULINARY HOTSPOT
THERE is much to experience on a two-week trip after touching down first in the dynamic capital, Santiago.
The city is home to funky restaurants and architecture, historic buildings, museums, markets, malls, a cathedral, a lively Latin nightlife, and an array of fabulous boutique hotels – all with the magnificent Andes as a backdrop.
Within 90 minutes by road lie the world-famous wineries of the Central Valley, including the sleek Matetic Vineyards. You might stay here at La Casona boutique hotel, a colonial country home with eight stylish rooms, which makes a great base for tastings, trekking, biking and horse-riding. Not far away, the muddle of yellow, red and blue clifftop residences and striking funicular railways of coastal Valparaiso are a dream for any Instagram fan.
Uncover more amazing restaurants in this cultural and culinary hotspot, awash with colour and life.
FABULOUS STARGAZING
CHILE is a safe country for a self-drive holiday, especially in the pictureperfect lakes and volcanoes region around the white-water rafting, canyoning and foodie centre of Pucon, or near lovely Puerto Varas, which has distinctive German architecture.
Kayaking, hiking up volcanoes, spotting flamingoes, birdwatching and cycling to waterfalls are also among the adventures on offer in Chile.
And absolutely not to be missed is the drama of the Atacama desert, which might be super-dry but is overflowing with life.
Vast salt flats, active geysers and intense blue lagoons feature here in landscapes that sometimes resemble Mars and are dotted with high Andean villages where timeless traditions linger in extreme and wonderfully photogenic settings.
The stargazing is off the scale with constellations, planets, shooting stars and the Milky Way clearly visible in the crystal-clear skies. And you’ll see even more by visiting one of the clutch of cutting-edge astronomical observatories open to visitors.
Alternatively, follow in writer Bruce Chatwin’s footsteps to the wilds of Patagonia at the southern end of South America.
Here, the improbably scenic Torres del Paine National Park is home to some of the world’s most jaw-dropping mountain scenery. Pack good binoculars to admire the effortless flight of the mighty Andean condor, with its 10ft wingspan.
The icing on the cake is tiny Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, where more than 800 of its famously solemn Moai stone heads, carved by Polynesian settlers, inhabit one of the remotest spots on the planet.
Treeless, fringed with sandy beaches and dotted with dormant volcanoes, this Unesco-listed Pacific isle is considered one of the most distinctive landscapes on Earth.
SPECTACULAR LODGES
YOU can experience many of Chile’s best sights by touring some of the incredible all-inclusive lodges, such as those run by Tierra, Explora and Awasi.
These spectacular hotels combine award-winning architecture with a choice of guide-led explorations that give a deeper experience of each region’s unique history, landscape and charm.
With all the highlights of stunning Chile and Easter Island now in easy reach by air with the LATAM Pass and then by self-drive, the wide-open landscapes, great gastronomy and warm and friendly Chilean people might just make your big 2017 trip the most memorable yet.