Guide to the Limitless Wonders of Chile
Our Guide for Planning Your Trip to Chile
From the language of the Quechua Indians who once inhabited these lands, the name Chile translates as “limit”. Chile, a narrow strip of land stretching along the Pacific coast from north to south for several thousand kilometers is separated by the Andes from the rest of the mainland and seems to be at the edge of the earth. Traveling to Chile requires considerable time and money, but the impressions that this far-off country guarantees visitors more than compensate for any costs. Take advantage of our guide to plan your trip to Chile to get the most out of your journey.
The main attractions of this South American republic are excellent ski resorts, expansive national parks with the majestic peaks of the Andes as a backdrop, stone idols of Easter Island, and numerous wineries, which even the French speak of with respect.
Important Tip: Do not count on the use of credit cards when traveling to Chile. It is worth having an amount of cash with you to pay local merchants.
Choose your flight
Long flights are involved to get to Chile. Taking into account possible connections, it can take a day or more if you are traveling from Europe or North America. Planning a trip to Chile well in advance can help reduce travel costs. Many air carriers from Europe often hold ticket sales, and prices for special offers can be very attractive.
The national airline of Chile is LATAM which is a partner airline of the One World Alliance, so you may want to search their partner airlines as well. Sign up for the website newsletters of popular European airlines, so you get the opportunity to keep abreast of special offers. It’s useful to enter your desired travel flights into an airfare watch service so they can notify you when prices drop.
Hotel or apartment
Hotels in Chile fit into international classification standards, and tourists who are often in the country note an improvement in hotel infrastructure from a trip to a trip. Seasonal peaks in the popularity of Chile hotels fall in July-August when the season begins on the ski slopes in the Andes, and December-February is the summer period of rest on the lakes and in the national parks.
Dozens of hotels with a variety of price categories are open in Santiago, the capital of Chile, so any traveler can choose the right option for them. A three-room apartment will cost $ 50 -60 $ per night. It offers free Wi-Fi and a private bathroom. Often, the price also includes continental breakfast, served in a hotel restaurant. 5 star hotels in Santiago are from $120 per night. The most inexpensive type of hotels are hostels, where you can stay for only $10 -13 $ if you have a bed in a dormitory room. A separate room in a Santiago hotel with no stars will cost $25 -30.
On Easter Island, hotels are expensive and for the opportunity to spend the night in a tent on the campsite, you will pay $30. A hotel with no stars, but with a pool, Internet and the ability to book a transfer to the airport will cost here from $60 per day, and renting a separate two-bedroom house a couple of minutes walk from the beach will cost $90 -120, which is quite beneficial for a large family.
Transportation nuances
Chilean transportation in terms of comfort, cleanliness, and punctuality is on par even to Europe. In the capital, its most popular form is the metro, serving passengers from 6:30 to 22:30. Subway trains are not affected by traffic jams filling metropolitan streets during peak hours. For this reason, if you need to save time, you should not count on the bus system.
For traveling around the capital, it is advantageous to purchase a TransBip card. Within an hour from the moment of activation, the first mode of transport can be transferred to any other type as many times as you like. The price of an hour on such a card is about $0.9. At the resorts of Valparaiso and Viña del Mar, the fare in a fixed-route taxi or city bus is about $0.5. Taxis in the country are inexpensive, all cars are equipped with counters, and drivers are helpful and polite.
It is convenient to make long-distance movements over long distances on ETM buses. All of their cars are new, and prices are slightly cheaper than those of the popular TurBus. Remote cities and Easter Island are connected with the capital by local airlines. Flights should be booked well in advance, especially during the tourist high season.
Rental cars in Chile are available at the many rental offices in Santiago and the province. The price of a liter of gasoline in the country is about $1.1, the roads are in fair condition, and local drivers try not to violate traffic rules.
Most Popular Places To See
In Chile, there are many interesting places to visit. Apart from visiting Santiago, the capital city of Chile, among the most popular attractions for tourists are:
- Visiting the city of Viña del Mar.
- Excursion to Easter Island.
- Walk along the streets of Pucon.
- Visit to the Pumalin nature park.
- The village of San Pedro de Atacama.
- The magnificent landscapes of the Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia
- Vineyards in the provinces of Colchagua and Millaue.
For lovers of South American wines, Chile’s vineyards are ideal to tour at the end of November and the beginning of December, when the grape harvest begins. You can participate in the interesting process and get acquainted with the customs and traditions of Chilean winemakers in the regions of Casablanca near Valparaiso and Aconcagua between Quilota and San Felippe.
Dining in Chile
The issue of food while traveling in Chile is no issue since there are many restaurants of different levels and price categories. The cheapest food can be found at street stalls where you will be offered a hot dog or a slice of pizza with a carbonated drink for $2 -3. Set lunch prices in a cafe in Santiago in the congestion zone of office buildings will cost from $6. It includes appetizer, first and second courses, dessert and a drink. If you want a glass of wine as a drink, the price will rise to $7 -8. In tourist places of the capital for such a set, you will be asked $15.
A check for two for dinner in a restaurant with waiters in Santiago will range from $30 to $ 50, depending on the status of the establishment and its location. In the province, everything will cost about a third cheaper.
Useful Details
To get from Santiago airport to the city, you can take a taxi for $40 or take the Centro Puerto bus, which goes to the Los Heroes metro station. The price of the ticket issue is $2. The first bus leaves from the passenger terminal at 6.00, the last at midnight.
ETM Intercity Bus Schedules and Ticket Prices can be found at www.etm.cl.
When checking into Chile hotels, be sure to ask for discounts. Hotel workers usually do not offer them, but they will not refuse to lower prices in the “low” season or on a weekday if the hotel is less than half full.
Weather Conditions
A country stretching over 4,600 km from north to south is a world record holder in this regard. Not surprisingly, the climate of Chile varies from desert and tropical in the northern regions, to temperate oceanic – in the middle of the country, and subantarctic on the islands closest to the southernmost continent of the planet.
The North is the warmest place in Chile and even in July, at the height of the calendar winter, the air temperature here does not drop below + 15 ° C at night. In December and February, summer begins in the north and the thermometer columns prefer to stay in the afternoon at + 28 ° C and even higher.
In the middle of Chile, zero temperatures occur in winter and warm in summer – up to + 22 ° C on average. In the Andes, 20-degree frosts are not uncommon, and on Tierra del Fuego the temperature in July often reaches –18 ° C.
The Humboldt’s cold ocean current does not allow water to warm up to comfortable values even at the height of the Chilean summer, and at the beach resorts, most vacationers only sunbathe and enjoy the views. In the Pacific Ocean, thermometer bars never rise above + 17 ° C.
Regardless of when you decide to travel to Chile, you will find a country full of limitless wonders to explore.
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About the author: Melisa Marzett is a freelance writer with many years of experience in this area despite the young age. She comes from Phoenix, Arizona but lives in London at the moment and writes for revision service. She is a traveler and cannot stay in one place for a long time. She finds inspiration wherever she goes.
