Chile

Extraordinary landscapes from desert to glacier

Chile is an incredibly diverse country with fantastic opportunities for active travellers, wildlife enthusiasts and culture vultures.  Not forgetting its fabulous wines and great food.  Highlights include

  • the incredible rock formations and sand dunes of the Atacama Desert (click here to read more about the Atacama);
  • opportunities to climb a volcano, swim in hot springs and visit billowing geysers at dawn in the Atacama region;
  • extraordinary clear night skies in the Atacama for  stargazing;
  • Easter Island, a tiny isolated island in the South Pacific famous for its enigmatic moai (giant carved heads);
  • a chance to see llamas and guanaco in the wild and flamboyances of flamingoes;
  • the capital Santiago, set against a backdrop of snowy Andean peaks and with a colonial historic area;
  • wine tasting and luxurious accommodation in the fertile valleys and wine growing region surrounding Santiago;
  • one of the world’s greatest road journeys – the Carreterra Austral; 
  • Chile’s Lake District in north Patagonia.  Stunning blue lakes with a backdrop of the snow topped Andes.  A great place for rafting, hiking, cycling, fishing and kayaking;
  • the wilderness of southern Patagonia dominated by glaciers and remote southern fjords;
  • the stunning Torres del Paine national park which has some of the best trekking in the world and incredible glacial landscapes;
  • the unusual island of Chiloe with its own distinctive culture.  

 There is a huge range of accommodation in Chile from simple adobe houses in the Atacama to luxurious all inclusive lodges.  Holidays to Chile are best tailored to the particular traveller, from accompanied private tours to self drive vacations or group holidays.  We have given some examples of trips below but please get in touch to discuss what we can put together for you.  

Key Facts about Chile

  • Flying time: 15 hours
  • Time difference: -4 hours
  • Currency: Chilean Peso but take $100 dollar bills
  • Best time of year to travel: Year round depending on region

Chile Photo Gallery

Here are some photos of Chile including from our recent trip. Click on an image to launch the slideshow.

Chile-EasterIsland
Chile-Whalewatching
Chile-LakeDistrict
Chile-LagunadeChaxa
Chile-llamas
Chile-ValArcoiris
Chile-ElTatio
Chile-TorresdelPaine
Chile-Atacama

Ideas for a trip to Chile

Here are some ideas for trips to Argentina all of which can be adapted for you and we are always happy to create a bespoke trip from scratch.

From £5580

Per person excluding flights
Chile-LagunadeChaxa

Atacama Desert to Patagonian Glaciers

This comprehensive private 13 day tour of Chile’s natural highlights is jam-packed full of outdoor experiences. Travel from the moon-like Atacama Desert to Santiago and on to the snow-dipped cones and tumbling streams of the lake district. Continue to view Patagonia’s cathedral-high glaciers, icy lagoons and wildlife-filled grasslands. the trip includes time in Santiago's historic centre, a sunset excursion to Moon valley, visits across the salt flats to lacunas, El Tatio geysers at dawn, time in the Chilean Lake District with excursions to Osorno volcano and time in a luxury camp in Patagonia with daily guided excursions from the camp.

From £4630

Per person excluding flights
Chile-puertovaras-osorno

Self drive Chile - Off the beaten track

With the freedom of a hire car, explore regions which, although of outstanding natural beauty, are little visited wildernesses. Discover Chiloé Island, the lake district and, travelling the remote Austral road, the Aisén region of fjords and glaciers. Your 14 day trip includes time one Santiago, a 3 day guided trip to Chiloe, an island steeped in tradition, an excursion into Alerce Andino National Park and six days' driving along the famous Carretera Austral including time in Caleta Tortel and Lake General Carrera.

From £4490

Per person excluding flights
Chile-TorresdelPaine

Active Chile - Trek in Torres del Paine

Hike for a few days in Torres del Paine National Park, one of the best wilderness walking areas in Chile, and climb to the summit of Osorno, a snow-draped volcano dominating the lake district. Your 13 day trip also includes time in Santiago. This is a walking holiday, and includes one of Chile’s iconic multi-days treks, known as the W-Trek, and an ascent of its most photogenic volcano, Osorno. A good level of fitness is needed since you’ll be walking for long periods and over tricky, sometimes steep, terrain. Accommodation is in a mixture of an eco-camp, rifugios and campsites

Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions that haven't been answered here? Send your questions to enquiries@shearwatertravel.co.uk and we'll try our best to help.

You can visit Chile for up to 90 days without a visa. The Chilean immigration authorities will give you a tourist card (‘tarjeta de turismo’), an A5-sized white form. Keep it safe and give it to immigration when you leave the country. Read more on the FCDO website

Find the latest NHS advice on travel to Chile here.  

From our Journal

Adventures in the Atacama

Posted by

If you want to wait until schools are back to get your dose of vitamin D later in the year then read on for my top 5 recommendations for sun in autumn and early winter. All my recommendations are less than 7 hours’ direct flying time from the UK, offer reliably warm weather, little chance of rain, gorgeous landscapes and more to do than lie on a beach. … Read More

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Visiting Patagonia

Posted by

It’s been a while since I‘ve written one of these bulletins, but I’m now back from an amazing three month trip around Latin America and I’m raring to get going booking equally fantastic trips for my clients. One of the highlights of our trip was Patagonia, a vast region of 400,000 square miles encompassing both Chile and Argentina and straddling the Andes. So Patagonia is the destination I’m focussing on this month. … Read More

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