Chile

Chile is situated south of Peru and west of Bolivia and Argentina. One third of Chile is covered by the towering ranges of the Andes. In the north is the driest place on Earth, the Atacama Desert. At the southern tip of Chile's mainland is Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in the world. Beyond that lies the Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego, an island divided between Chile and Argentina. The southernmost point of South America is Cape Horn. Chile also has a part of the Antarctic and the Easter Island, which are amazing places to see and to experience.

The spoken language in Chile is Spanish. The Chilean language differs the most from the traditional Castillean. This language is spoken faster and they use many Chilean words. The Chilean language also has some English, German, Italian and Indian words and expressions. During you exploration of the country you will certainly come across these different languages and dialects.

The local currency is the Chilean Peso. One USD is about 670 Chilean Pesos (March 2019).

Chile can be divided into three major climatic areas:

1. very arid in the north,
2. cool and damp in the south and
3. Mediterranean climate in central Chile with heavier rainfall in the cooler months from May to August and sunshine during the rest of the year.

It does occasionally snow in Santiago and other parts of central Chile.

In Chile it is normal to have three or four meals a day, with lunch being the main one, normally taken between 1 and 2:30 pm.
Typical Chilean food is pretty simple and simply seasoned. Some of our important dishes are empanadas, corn pies, corn cakes, beans, and curanto, but perhaps the most delicious is the seafood, due to the 4,000km beautiful coast.

When the first Spanish arrived, Quechua tribes and Araucanian tribes inhabited the country. Each of them left behind their remarkable history. Therefore nowadays you can find many interesting places, where you can see this ancient culture.
The first Spanish settlements were established in the mid-sixteenth century: Santiago in 1541 and Concepcion in 1550. These two main cities are a must to visit when you are in Chile.

The great majority of Chileans consider themselves Roman Catholic. However, their numbers have been declining since 1970, while the Protestant population has been increasing.

Northern Chile was an important centre of culture in the medieval and early modern Inca empire, while indigenous Mapuche and other Araucanian cultures developed in the Central and Southern regions. The Spanish also have part of the Chilean culture due to the Colonial and early Republican period. Other European influences, such as English and French are also still noticed today.
This rich culture has something to offer for anyone. You can go, for example, to the most important festival in the Norte Grande region. Each year in July, believers arrive to celebrate the Virgin of Carmel, Chile's patron saint. Activities that will amaze you include songs and dances that seem to go on 24 hours a day for the whole week of ceremonies. For more information on the festivals in Chile visit our Chile holiday calendar.

The "cueca" is considered the "most popular music of Chile". Neither the words nor the music have any fixed rules; various motives are freely intermingled.

The Tonada is another important form of Chilean traditional song, arising from the music brought by Spanish. It comes from the cueca with a more prominent melody in general; the tonada is also not danced. Visiting Chile you must certainly have heard one of these traditional local forms of art.

If you are interested in discovering nature you should visit The Pan de Azucar National Park, it is an amazing park which contains over 140 species of endemic cacti. If you like to see birds and marine mammals, including sea lions, bottle-nose dolphins, Humboldt penguins and Chilean pelicans you should go to the The Reserva Nacional de Pinguino de Humboldt.
For the more adventurous traveler, the high Andes have condors, foxes and pumas. Patagonia is the place where you find the rainforest. Sea lions, porpoises and seabirds abound along the coast, which is seasonally visited by migratory whales. The forest and pampas of Torres del Paine are home to guanacos, foxes, pumas, condors and flamingos. Near the tourist place Punta Arenas are some colonies of Magellanic penguins.

The Juan Fernández Islands are a small island group in the South Pacific Ocean which is composed of several volcanic islands:
o Robinson Crusoe Island
o Alejandro Selkirk Island

The Easter islands are one of the most isolated places on Earth. A triangle of volcanic rocks in the South Pacific dot the coastline. It is best known for the giant stone monoliths, known as Moai. This place is the main attraction point and an amazing place to see. The island is also home to many rock carvings, as well as traditional wood carvings, crafts, tattooing, string figures, traditional dance and local music.