Country Information: Chile
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North Highlands Chile
During the day the sun beats down mercilessly, the nights however are cold and come with star-filled skies. The saltpetre beds of this region dazzle with the reflected sun and, as the viewer approaches reveal emerald-coloured lagoons and Chilean pink flamingos. Enclosing the landscape are blue, red and purple hills and beneath the landscape mineral riches lie hidden. Saltpetre, a source of immense fortunes in the past, was extracted from these regions and Chile's greatest treasures; its copper mines are here. Despite its aridity, this is no dead land. Along with its superb landscape; the north harbours a rich archaeological heritage that makes it Chile's archaeological capital. The Chilean north bore witness to the greatness of the lnca Empire and experienced the fearless charge of the Spanish conquistadors. Spectacular archaeological findings have been made here not least of which are the world's oldest mummies. These mummies, known as the Chinchorro mummies, have been unearthed in Arica. They are unique in Latin America and, at over 7,000 years old, they pre-date the Egyptian mummies. Additionally, on hill slopes in this region can be seen giant geoglyphs that a thousand years ago were used to guide caravans through the desert, These huge drawings of animals, birds, men and symbolic figures were made by grouping stones together or by razing the ground.
At intervals rivers flowing in green valleys from the mountains to the sea break the aridity of this area. More than ten thousand years ago, these valley oases attracted nomad tribes and centuries later they became the homes of farmers and fishermen whose pottery and textiles survive to this day. These valley oases also served as stops for Pre-inca caravans using the trade routes that connected the Amazon forest and the Pacific Ocean. Venturing inside the valley ravines you can still admire today the beautiful hieroglyphic and rupestrian paintings of llama herds and scenes of daily life left by those moving through and living in this region.
The highland plains located between 3,500 and 4,500 meters above sea level receive summer rains in January and February. They comprise a unique, ferocious landscape with their perfectly coned volcanoes and snowy peaks (reaching to over 6,000 meters), which are surround by white saltpetre beds, blue lagoons and golden pastures where guanacos and vicuñas, the Andean camels, freely roam. Occasionally, a Nandu will break the quiet of these plains with the smack of its feathers. The highlands are the common lands of all the Andean people of Chile, Bolivia and Peru. Since time immemorial the Aymara communities have roamed them with their herds of alpacas and llamas, pausing only occasionally to gather in some ceremonial town to honour a patron saint.
The highland plains experienced the splendour of the Tiwanako culture (300-1,100 BC), which originated in Lake Titicaca and that of the lnca Empire that expanded to cover over half of Chile until it was cut down by the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century. A network of lnca trails covered the highland plains, where the chasquis (messengers) ran to take news to all four corners of the Inca Empire. There are still remains of the tambos that served as stops on their journeys.
Strewn along the plains and the sierra, there are picturesque villages with stone and mud houses, corrals and agricultural terraces. The cemeteries of this area also stand out with their wreathes of paper or metal placed on the crosses, for lack of fresh flowers. The most important buildings in these villages are the churches that are a legacy of the Spanish missionaries of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Surrounded by the village houses they display a mixture of traditional beliefs and the Christian faith and are always beautiful in their simplicity. It is impossible not to admire the bell towers, the doors with their baroque carvings, the polychromes in the altars, the iconic colonial paintings of a suffering Christ and the statutes of the virgin adorned in velvet and lace. For a visitor to these villages and their churches it is a pleasure to wander through the markets and mingle with the locals with their golden faces and colourful clothing. In particular the women amaze with the tiny black bowler hats, their babies carried on their backs, their mastery of herbal medicine, their cooking of chuho de papa and charqui de llama, and with the fantastic textiles created on their looms. Over ten thousand years of human presence is kept in this great open-air museum, with the seacoast cities of Arica and lquique contributing the modern touch. These cities provide the tourist infrastructure for the area and enable the visitor to easily pick up excursions to the region's wonderful beaches, archaeological sites, thermal springs, picturesque hamlets and its National Parks.
Arica, city of beaches and "eternal springtime" is on the border with Peru. It is the starting point to climb to the Lauca National Park (declared a world biosphere reserve by UNESCO). At 4,500 metres Lauca is the meeting point for the borders of Chile, Bolivia and Peru. The traveller making the journey up to the park will encounter thousands of cacti, a string of Andean towns and Lake Chungara, the world's highest lake whose crystalline waters mirror the volcanoes that surround it. In this park, just as in the more southerly Las Vicunas National Reserve and the Salar de Surire National Monument, there are vicunas, guanacos, llamas and alpacas, as well as hundreds of bird species such as flamingos (parinas), wild geese, Andean seagulls and a huge variety of aquatic birds. The village of Parinacota, near to Lake Chungara, with its white houses and eighteenth century church is one of the most typical of the highland plains. The church is decorated with strangest of murals depicting Christ being crucified by the Conquistadors. Parinacota is also one of the strings of towns that make up the "silver route" going from the famous mines of Potosi to the harbours of the Pacific.
Continuing south along the coast from Arica, the city of is a fun place to relax with its beautiful beaches and excellent hotels. Newly constructed buildings and condos share the cityscape with the elegant mansions of the old saltpetre tycoons, with their galleries that open to the street and their roofed balconies. The city's guava cocktails and seafood feasts (served in restaurants fronting the sea) are not its only temptations, shoppaholics would do well to take a tour of the Zofri, the largest duty free area in Latin America. Iquique is also a good starting point for many interesting excursions. It is possible to visit the pampa "de caliche", Humberstone, Santa Laura, Victoria and many other abandoned refining centres that bear witness to the saltpetre boom of 1840 to 1920. They are ghost towns today, mere memories of the glory days when they produced around 65% of the "white gold" consumed in the world.
The lonely beaches of the coast with their warm waters and soft sands invite you to take a swim, dive or surf. Alternatively travelling towards the mountain range, Mamiha with its beautiful church built in 1632 and its paved streets offers thermal springs and mud baths. Pica is the village equivalent of a flower and fruit garden supplied by natural springs it has a natural pool amongst its rocks as well as orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, mangoes and guava trees. The famous "limon de Pica" (pica lemon), which is used to make the best pisco sour, is originally from here. Pica's old houses are decorated with bougainvillaea and the church is remarkable for its scene of the Last Supper, with real-size characters. The church in neighbouring is famous for its fruit honey pastes. Even a quick tour from lquique should not leave out La Tirana. Every July 16th, on the day of the Virgen del Carmen, La Tirana celebrates Chile's most colourful and popular religious holiday. About a hundred thousand people gather on this day to honour the Virgin with musical bands, groups of dancers and "devils" wearing colourful masks and wonderful costumes.
Further to the south in the heart of the Atacama Desert, is San Pedro de Atacama, an absolute 'must' to visit. If allowed a visit to only one place in the north many would undoubtedly choose San Pedro, a place that offers a synthesis of the north. After crossing the most and of pampas and mountain ranges San Pedro emerges as a green miracle in the middle of the desert. It is a charming oasis of white houses, sunny streets and a town square bordered by old pepper trees and adobe gates. The solid architecture of its church (built in colonial times with mud, straw and cactus wood and featuring a stone altar with polychrome niches) stands in front of a house that was once, apparently, used by Pedro de Vaidivia. San Pedro is a meeting spot for many different types of people looking for a special place. This helps explain the welcoming and informal atmosphere of its small restaurants, shops and markets, all enlivened by the sounds of the quena and the charango. San Pedro has accommodation ranging from hostels and good hotels and has excellent tourist organisations. Its museum founded by the Belgian missionary R.P. La Paige (the father of archaeological research in the region) has more than 380,000 pieces beginning with the origins of the Atacama culture 10 thousand years ago and encompassing the arrival of the Spaniards. The museum's collection includes close to 600 hallucinogen trays - the largest collection of its kind and hundreds of mummies (the remaining representatives of a people that made the desert their home, the aridity their cornucopia and the uninhabitable the domain of gods and lords). Tulor, near San Pedro and in the constant presence of the Licancabur volcano (reputed to be a sacred mountain) tells the tale, in the remains found there, of the first farmers of Atacama, with their mud huts in the shape of igloos built 2000 years ago. The fortress or pucaro of Quitor, built a thousand years later, speaks of the time of the great Andean lords. A time when trade with other regions was intense and when caravans brought from the jungle the exotic feathers for the shamans' attire and hallucinogens to allow them to take on the powers of the puma, the condor and the snake during ritual ceremonies. Stone walls are all that remain of this once great fortified citadel. These walls witnessed the arrival of the lncas and the conquest of the Spaniards, when Francisco de Aguirre, terrifying those who had never seen horses or harquebuses (the Spaniards' guns) entered the city with his cavalry, took it in a little over an hour and exhibited the severed heads of the leaders on its walls.
San Pedro is an ideal place for walks, mountain climbing and excursions on mountain bikes. Ideal excursions would be to any of the following, the Valley of Death (with its labyrinths and red mountains at sunset), the Salt Mountain Range (a lake bed of curious shapes and crystals), the Plain of Patience and the Valley of the Moon (an area of wind-carved sculptures and desolated lifeless lunar landscape). The Salar de Atacama (the Atacama Saltpetre Bed) is Chile's biggest salt deposit comprising 3,000 square kilometres; its lithium deposits represent 40% of the world's reserves. The Salar de Atacama dresses endless horizons in white interrupted only by flamingos and multicoloured lagoons. At over 4,000 meters the Tatio geysers are the highest in the world. To be at Tatio when the sun starts to light the contours of the hills is to be speechless with awe. At this time the geysers spurt to unexpected heights and the landscape is enveloped in steam as volcanic waters boil up from inside the Earth. The ghostly Danteesque atmosphere evokes the beginning of the world. Amid this spectacular scene you can bathe in the thermal pools or you can go down to the Termas de Puritama to take advantage of its medicinal waters. Heightening all of San Pedro's natural wonders are the landscapes of the highlands plains, the volcanoes, lagoons and yellow pampas interspersed with picturesque and ancient towns like Toconao, Caspana and Chiu Chiu. The pucari of Lasana (12th century) invites you to explore its small streets surrounded by stone buildings. Chuquicamata, the world's largest open mine it is also well worth a visit. It is one of the major copper producing mines yielding over 600,000 tons of fine copper every year.
Finally, going south we reach La Serena, after passing by lonely beaches, the Pan de Azucar National Park, with its incredible variety of cactuses and islands full of penguins and the Copiapo Valley. The Copiapo Valley almost beats the desert with its grapevines and fruit plantations but the desert has its own spectacular surprise when in some areas in specific years it explodes with multicoloured flowers and is for a shod time the "flowering desert",
With good hotels, exclusive condos and modern architecture resorts, La Serene has become the area's most attractive beach resort. The long Avenida del Mar offers kilometres long beaches lined by pleasant chalets. Apartment buildings and small restaurants which come to life in the summer, In contrast away from the beach the city has a colonial and traditional atmosphere with includes close to 30 old churches. On the outskirts of La Serena lies the fertile Elqui Valley that not only produces papayas and grapes for the making of pisco, but also produces esoteric waves. As the tale goes, the Elqui Valley has mysterious energies. Gabriela Mistral, the famous poet and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1945, was born here and a visitor to its quiet towns and beautiful views will not go unrewarded.
The region's clean and clear night skies have attracted international astronomical observatories that have been established in the region's mountains. The most accessible observatory from La Serena is the Tololo Observatory, which is open to visitors. Reflecting on the north we contemplate a fascinating place for adventure, archaeology and rest. A place where it is possible to scale volcanoes, to ride a mountain bike across a plateau larger than Holland and as high as Tibet, to trek across the world's most and desert or simply to paraglide above the peace of seaside cliffs.
Centre, Santiago, Coast, Valley & Mountain Range
The variety offered in this region makes it a destination for all tastes and an invitation to participate in exciting adventures: climbing some of the highest mountains in the world, kayaking or rafting in mountain rivers, horse riding, mountain biking, camping, plus hundreds of walks and excursions in a region that has a pleasant climate for most of the year. In broad terms, the central area can be divided into coast, valley and mountain range, each one with its own charms.
THE COAST
From La Serena to the south, a string of attractive beach resorts invite you to take a sun bathe and enjoy a gastronomy centred on seafood. There are long beaches with white sand and calm seas where you can scuba dive and enjoy the attractions of the many marinas, tennis courts, hotels and restaurants. There are comfortable campsites as well, with good facilities for those looking to get closer to nature and the star-filled skies of the region. Fray Jorge National Park with its out of place landscape is a unique spot on the coastline of this region. It is a lush forest of cinnamon trees, mock privets and ferns growing at the top of a hill thanks to the microclimate caused by the condensation of coastal mist.
In the 130 kilometres of central coastline there are over 20 traditional beach resorts such as Papudo, Zapillar and Cachagua, water sports can be practised in all of them. Its closeness to Santiago -a 90 minute drive- has turned Vina del Mar, 'the Garden City', into an ideal destination for the weekends, the Chilean government even has an official resting place for presidents in Cerro Castillo. Its excellent hotels, good shops, well cared for gardens and parks, beaches, charming rides in horse-drawn carriages and dinners by the sea, coupled with its antique houses and modern buildings set in a refined and cultured atmosphere, make Vina del Mar one of the most popular tourist centres of the South Pacific coast and a must see in any trip to Chile.
Valparaiso to sailors one of the world's most famous ports, it is a unique and charming place which many a visitor has fallen in love with at first sight. So much so that UNESCO is studying the possibility of declaring it a Cultural Patrimony of Mankind, the same status granted to Cuzco, Canagena de lndias and Salvador de Bahia. With its back to the hills and eyes on the sea, Chile's main port demands a visit. The port's streets wind and wend their way over the surrounding hills and clothe them in a maze of alleys and stairs, lanes and terraces. Its colourful clapboard houses, which seem plastered to the hills, are reached by the funicular railways which have for over a century carried people up and down the port's steep slopes enjoying as the go panoramic views of the bay. A visitor downtown will see, in the style of the buildings, the legacy of the English immigrants of the early 19th century and will be rewarded with a glimpse of the present day working port if they stroll along the Prat Pier. Those wanting to get even closer to the sea may wish to take a boat ride whilst for others eating in one of the harbour's restaurants, next to sailors from all four corners of the world, may be enough. A visitor should not leave Valparaiso without visiting the "Sebastiana", one of the three houses owned by Nobel laureate poet Pablo Neruda, which has been turned into a museum. Going south from Valparaiso there are several beach resorts, among them Isle Negra where you can visit Pablo Neruda's most famous house with its collection of ship's figureheads and thousands of curios. This coastal trip ends in Concepcion, in the mouth of the Bio Bio River, one of the most important in Chile. This vibrant modern city has recently experienced economic and demographic growth and it is the country's second most populated city. With all the features of a city its surrounding lakes, forests and beaches, complement Concepcion,
THE CENTRAL VALLEY
From the central valley come many of the things that for visitors most typify Chile, the folklore, the gastronomy and the countryside shaded by the fig trees, willows and huisaches, which line its roads. From this area come grapevines and rows of poplars separating colt pastures, as well as "huasos" (cowboys) and rodeos. Chile's traditional country music the "cueca" and the "tonada" are played here in houses with tiled roofs and open corridors adorned with jasmines, camelias and "flor de la pluma". This land gives up wines and fruits, the fragrance of basil and coriander, kneaded bread, "empanadas" in mud ovens, corn cake and "humitas".
In contrast to this quiet landscape is Santiago, the capital, with the rumble of its 5 million people and the bustle of a dynamic and modern city that nevertheless retains its Latin American identity. Located at the foot of the Andes and at the centre of the country, Santiago is the entry gate for most international flights and the starting point of many adventures that lay "just around the corner." In winter the snowy peaks of the Andes, which can be seen from Santiago, can be reached in less than an hour and you can enjoy the slopes of one of South America's main ski centres. In contrast only a little more than 100 kilometres separate Santiago from the beaches of the Pacific Ocean. Numerous vineyards border the city and colonial style haciendas, picturesque rural towns, hot baths and National Park all within striking distance. For those looking for adventure there are horse rides in the mountains, picnics at the Santuario de la Naturaleza (Nature's Sanctuary), trekking, rafting on the River Maipo, bunjee jumping and panoramic flights in gliders all to be had within easy reach of the city.
With its the trappings of the 21st century, there's little left of Santiago del Nuevo Extremo, the city founded by Pedro de Vaidivia in 1541 at the foot of Cerro Huelan (nowadays Santa Lucia) and on the banks of the Mapocho river. Cleaner and safer than other Latin American cities, Santiago has top-level hotels, shopping malls and huge supermarkets; restaurants specialised in all kinds of cuisine and the attractions you would expect to find in a metropolis. Santiago is also a city of contrasts, for in spite of progress it refuses to let go of its traditions. So next to metal and glass buildings, laptop carrying executives and a modern underground subway, continue the urban folklore of street musicians and vendors, bus singers, hand organ players and the street photographers with their classic wooden horses.
To get to know Santiago, nothing beats strolling around its neighbourhoods. Downtown are the oldest and most solemn buildings, the seats of the main institutions, the museums and outstanding monuments. It is worthwhile to take a walk around the Plaza de Armas, surrounded by the 18th century cathedral and colonial buildings,
To walk by La Moneda (the seat of government), to visit the Pre-Columbian Museum, one of the best in the Americas, and to go to the church and convent of Saint Francis (16th century), the country's oldest architectural ensemble, whose cloister which hosts the Museum of Colonial Art is a really peaceful haven in the midst of the downtown rumble. The Mapocho River, with the beautiful and romantic Forest Park on one bank, divides the city in two, leaving on the northern bank the mount of San Cristobal which is crowned with the statue of the Virgin Mary looking over the city. The mount of San Cristobal, now the Metropolitan Park, has an old picturesque funicular railway, a zoo, a cable car ride, public swimming pools and picnic spots. At the foot of San Cristobal lies the Bellavista neighbourhood, Santiago's bohemian sector, with numerous restaurants, cafes and artists' workshops where craftsmen work and sell lapis lazuli, Chile's famous blue stone. Closer to the foot of the Andes are the modern neighbourhoods of Providencia and Las Condes where you can find the artisans' village of "Los Graneros del Aiba" (literally the Granaries of Dawn). The village stands next to the colonial church of Los Dominicos and its layout mimics a rural village with unpaved streets, mud ovens and dozens of workshops and shops that sell crafted goods from all over Chile.
Travelling with the Andes behind you and heading south, the countryside gradually becomes greener and these fertile lands -the first to be claimed by the Spanish conquerors- begin to display their abundance. That fruit is one of the country's main exports is shown in the number of modern cold-storage warehouses and the passing trucks loaded with boxes of apples and grapes. Chile's other great export wine is produced on the plains of the River Maipo, in the Colchagua valley and on the outskirts of cities like San Fernando, Taica and Chillan. This is also the land of the old "haciendas" with their beautiful houses (displaying the typical outside corridors and tiles) and their great parks designed by European landscape artists. Some of these haciendas are still owned by the original families, whereas others have been turned into museums, important vineyard offices or exclusive hotels that still preserve the charm and atmosphere of yesterday.
THE MOUNTAIN RANGE
The Andes Mountains accompany the traveller throughout his journey in Chile, and they are an unforgettable sight when capped in snow during the winter. Wonderful landscapes are hidden in these mountains: rock-sculpted canyons, glaciers, lagoons and wild rivers. Dirt trails go deep inside the mountains promising many adventures and leading to Natural Reserves and National Parks that seek to preserve the ecological diversity for the visitor's enjoyment. However, it is perhaps the abundance of snow what has made this stretch of the Andes one of the most valued destinations in Chilean tourism. Farellones and Colorado, two traditional and much visited ski centres only one hour from Santiago by car, offer modern facilities that include cannons to make artificial snow. With several shelters and a youthful atmosphere, their ski slopes have varying degrees of difficulty, a skiing school for children and adults, ski lifts, hotels, cafes and restaurants. A little higher, but in the same area, La Parva also offers several slopes with different degrees of difficulty and lengths, with excellent services and facilities in a cosy family atmosphere, complemented by the beautiful mountain architecture of its shelters and condos. Here, you can also practice heliskiing and snowboard, and rent apartments or cabins. A little further -only 14 kilometres from Farellones - is the country's biggest and most modern ski centre: Valle Nevado. Its southward looking hillsides ensure snow during the whole season. And its splendid facilities offer everything for the extreme sports fan: heliski, helisurfing, snow bikes, snowboard and the new Snow park. Valle Nevado, together with La Parva and Colorado, make up the Southern Hemisphere's largest interconnected ski surface.
A little less than 150 kilometres from Santiago and with 50 years reputation, Portillo is the dean of Chilean winter centres and one of the best known internationally. It has a magnificent hotel on the shores of the spectacular Laguna del lnca, and it is worth mentioning that the world speed record in the 1 kilometre downhill has been broken four times in its slopes. It was also the host of the 1966 world skiing championships. More to the south, 480 kilometres from Santiago, the Termas de Chillan winter centre is one of the most beautiful skiing spots in Latin America being located in a forest of one thousand year old trees. Its first-rate services allow the visitor to combine skiing with hot baths, gym, sauna, discotheque, bar, restaurant and the training of specialised ski instructors for children and adults. At the same time it is an active and restful place. It has two hotels, one of them 5 star, and six apartment buildings.
South; Araucaria, Lakes & Volcanoes
The summits of volcanoes pepper the mountain range here. Towards the coast, the Lanaihue and Lieulleu Lakes herald the beginning of the Region de los Lagos (Lake District), an area moulded by raging volcanoes and crushing glaciers into concentration of beautiful sights rarely found in other parts of the world.
Temuco, one of the most modern and prosperous cities in the south, is at the head of this territory. Its newer parts reside together with its old traditions. With plenty of tourist infrastructure, Temuco is not only the entry gate to the Region de los Lagos, but also the starting point of many interesting excursions. There are haciendas offering "rural tourism", including river baths, horse rides, cattle drives and milking cows. And toward the Andes, between wheat-sown fields and prairies, the road leads to Conguillio National Park, the site of the Llaima volcano and its ski slopes. Going up to the national park, among emerald lagoons, dense vegetation and lava fields (that attest to the volcano's frequent eruptions), one reaches a spectacular forest of araucarias ('the monkey puzzle tree'), an endemic Chilean conifer that dates back 60 million years. With its original umbrella-like shape, it is the country's second most long-lived tree, after the alerce (larch). Some araucarias live to be a thousand years old and their felling has been prohibited since they were declared a National Monument of Chile.
A series of lakes of varying size begin south of Temuco and create an unforgettable landscape with of majestic volcanoes being reflected in their blue waters. Pucon, nestling at the foot of the Villarrica volcano on the shores of Lake Villarrica , is a focus for the fascinating adventures which can be enjoyed in this region. First created as a military settlement in 1883, Pucon has become one of the country's primary tourist centres. It is a charming place with its wooden architecture, excellent hotels, shops, casino, restaurants and lakeside beaches, On its wild rivers rafting takes place and its rough landscape is ideal for excursions on horse, bicycle or foot. A visitor needing time out can sink into the thermal waters that spring from the heart of this volcanic area many situated with in stunning scenery.
Two national parks and a private reserve protect the ancient forest habitat. The region's numerous rivers as well as the lake itself will fully satisfy those looking to fish, swim or practice water sports. As to the Villarrica volcano itself, you can ski its snow-covered slopes in the winter and climb to its summit in the summer to peer into its active crater (which is responsible for the characteristic plumes of smoke that crown the summit).
The road that links Pucon and the town of Villarrica borders the lake and passes a string of chalets, camp sites and condos whose gardens reach down to the water. Pucon is also the gateway to visit the Caburga, Calafquen, Panguipulli and Rihihue Lakes, each of which has its own towns and beaches.
Further south, the city of Vaidivia -one of Chile's most beautiful- is located on several rivers and is well worth a visit. Founded by Pedro de Vaidivia in 1552, the city's waterside atmosphere in combined with a European style inherited from the German colonists that arrived to the area in the 1800s, and with the Hispanic style of its forts (1 7th and 18th centuries) located at the mouths of its rivers.
The rivers are among the few that can be navigated in Chile's rugged territory, and the old mansions, hotels, residential neighbourhoods, gardens, restaurants and colourful marketplace all look towards them.
Travelling from Valdivia through its picturesque outskirts you can visit an area framed by beautiful lakes, of these Lake Ranco with its excellent fishing and tourist centres is well worth seeing. Further south, the city of Osorno (founded in 1553) like Vaidivia shows the influence of German colonists in its gastronomy and architecture. This influence is particularly clear in Mackenna Street where there are six 19th century houses with roofed galleries that open to the street. These six houses have been declared National Monuments. More towards the mountains is Puyehue National Park -one of the country's best organised - and a lake of the same name where there are thermal baths and good places to stay over. There are also some excellent ski centres in this area.
Like Osorno, Puerto Montt, at the edge of the Seno del Reloncavi, is also a starting point to continue exploring the Lake District. From here it is possible to cross to the Chiloe archipelago or board a ship to the Laguna San Rafael - to venture into the sea channels and fjords. As a meeting place for remote fishing communities, Anqelmo's marketplace is one of the best places to buy local handicrafts and enjoy the wide variety of seafood and fish that make up the local cuisine.
Less than 20 kilometres away, Lake Llanquihue offers a spectacular tour of beaches and towns like Puerto Varas, Puerto Octay and Frutillar, of which the latter is famous for its annual festival of classical music which is held during the summer. The influence of German colonists is visible in all of these towns in the architecture of the churches, the wooden houses and the balconies filled with tulips. All this in the shadow of the Osorno volcano’s perfect cone.
Bordering the lake, Vicente Perez Rosales National Park has more than 253,000 hectares of coigue, lenga, ferns and mock privet forests, all dominated by the presence of the Osorno and Puntiagudo volcanoes. Inside the park, the Saltos del Petrohue waterfalls cascade spectacularly down a river-cut canyon amid mountains and virgin forests. Equally spectacular is Lago de Todos los Santos (All Saints Lake) with its emerald waters, flanked by vegetation-covered cliffs. It is possible to cross the Andes and reach Bariloche in Argentina by taking just one extraordinary journey on this mountain lake.
Also near Puerto Montt, it is possible to visit the stunning Alerce Andino National Park which has almost 20.000 hectares of magnificent [arch forests, and which was declared a Natural Monument in 1976. After this begins Chile's loony geography of small islands and straits, which were formed by the flooding of the central valleys and the lower parts of the coastal mountain range. At this point the landscape of lakes and volcanoes, dense forests and green hills, gives way to the Patagonian landscape. The journey so far through the temperate rain forest (the world's second largest) has been through the habitat of the pudu, the world's smallest deer. A visitor to this region will not be surprised to learn that salmon farming in the waters around Puerto Montt and Chiloe has turned Chile into the second world exporter of this fish after Norway. Additionally the sight of numerous trucks filled with logs is a sign of the importance the timber industry has in this area.
All the towns and cities in the Lake District have good hotels, restaurants, shops and transportation services that make its attractions accessible to people of all ages and preferences: fishing in excellent rivers, skiing down the slopes of volcanoes, rafting down white water rivers, bird watching in the forests or climbing up to the craters of the volcanoes themselves.
Patagonia, Austral Road, Fjords & Glaciers Torres del Paine & Tierra del Fuego
The backbone of this territory is the Austral Road, running from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins. After that come the impenetrable Ice Fields and the road disappears to reappear north of Puerto Natales. Finally the road reaches Punta Arenas. The Austral Road was built in the 1980s to link by land places that were previously accessible only by plane, by sea or from Argentina. It is an endless road of over 1200 kilometres that runs through an impressive landscape of straits, lakes, forests, waterfalls, glaciers and snow-capped mountains. A road that every summer is travelled by backpackers and adventurers from all over the world that have turned their bicycles or motorbikes into their homes. In this lonely and silent region -which Darwin described as a "green desert"- some houses are visible from time to time, with smoke coming from their chimneys as evidence of the perennially lit kitchen stove. At the centre of the house and the family life, the stove is used for cooking, fighting the cold and the damp of the rain, and also for gathering the family around it to sit and talk. The people from this area are generally muleteers in long capes, berets and legs covered with goatskins. Their job is cattle rearing and they can be seen on horseback, lonely, always followed by a dog, their best assistant in the driving of sheep. They drink yerba mate to combat the cold and play Truco to fend of boredom. They are also dab hands at making roast lamb barbecues.
The region's lakes with abundant fishing (including several species of salmon and trout) pull in adventurous visitors, as does the glacier of Laguna San Rafael. Cruisers set sail from Puerto Montt and Puyuhuapi venture into the straits and then suddenly come alongside picturesque inlets and barren islands as they sail through the narrow Moraleda Channel. The cruisers sail practically touching the thousand islands of the Chonos Archipelago until they reach the Laguna San Rafael and its enormous wall of ice. The glacier can be admired up close and the scene is unforgettable for those watching enormous chunks of ice break off from this gigantic mass and fall with a thundering noise that breaks the surrounding silence. There are icebergs, which float on the lagoon, and it is possible to sail among these floating ice castles that show only a tenth of their actual size. The very brave may wish to approach them in small boats and have a glass of whisky with cubes of thousand year old ice, while admiring their various shapes and the translucency of their colours.
Another of Patagonia's great attractions is its thermal baths. The village of Puyuhuapi is not only famous for its woven fabrics that preserve the original designs of the Huilliche and Tehuelche Indians, but also for its thermal waters. The visitor can bathe in the hot springs that come from the depths of the mountains and immediately take a swim in the freezing waters of the Seno Ventisquero. A stay in Puyuhuapi allows for boat tours, walks and long hours of sport fishing. Nearby, north of Puerto Cisnes, on the road between Coyhaique and Puyuhuapi, Queulat National Park harbours an untouched forest. It shows the forest as it was, that is before the settlers using fire and machetes made clearings for planting and grazing, leaving behind a graveyard of burnt out tree trunks. In this park more 150,000 hectares of virgin territory enable the visitor to encounter a place where nature is intact and the only thing to be heard are the songs of the chucao and dozens of other birds with the background tenor a the river that rumbles through a deep canyon. Coigues, lengas and over 200 native species of trees, enormous ferns and gigantic nalcas form a green mantle, humid and compact, spotted by fucsias and the red flower of the notro, Also from the park, one can admire Ventisquero Colqante (Hanging Glacier), a spectacular glacier whose melting ice forms waterfalls from impressive heights.
This whole area is a paradise for fishermen, whether it is salmon or one of several kinds of trout (brown, rainbow or brook). Rivers like the Futaleufu, the Baker -with Chile's greatest volume of water- and the Palena, are ideal for "dry fishing." There are pure waters, virgin beaches and a catch that at times may seem never-ending. On several of these crystal clear rivers excursions may be undertaken in rafts, on which the nights are spend at river bank camps recovering from and recouping energy for the many rapids. Patagonia is a region of spectacular natural reserves and great areas have been declared national parks to preserve the environment with its native flora and wildlife. Thousands of years ago, nomad tribes from the country's north, hunting the guanaco and the hando, scoured this area. These peoples were called Tehuelche or patagones, because of their large feet, and they were tireless wanderers of the Patagonian mountain range.
From Coyhaique (the capital city of the region, founded in 1929 and which has developed around an unusual five-side central square) the traveller can visit some truly unique places, where nature has been perfectly preserved, In particular the Elizaide, Paloma, Castor and Pollux Lakes surrounded by green mountains and snow-capped peaks. Coyhaique is also the starting point to visit towns like Puerto Aisen -the name comes from the English "ice end"-, Puerto Cisnes on the mouth of the Cisnes river and its spectacular emerald waters, Mahihuales or Balmaceda, the site of the airport, surrounded by a golden pampa of coirones. Further south down the Austral Road, the beauty of the dark blue waters of Lake General Carrera (the deepest lake in South America and the seventh deepest in the world) leaves the visitor speechless. This lake crosses the border with Argentina and is called Buenos Aires on the Argentinean side. On the Chilean side is Puerto Tranquilo -a few houses and a wharf from which boats leave to visit the famous Catedral de Marmol (Marble Cathedral), a peninsula with caves to the water's edge into which the boats enter and the passengers find themselves moving between water-polished marble walls, an experience that is difficult to forget.
400 kilometres north of Punta Arenas, after crossing vast windswept plains, the visitor reaches Torres del Paine National Park (242 thousand hectares), declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. Tectonic movements that took place 12 million years ago sculpted these mountains, giving them the shape of towers and horns. They are an imposing background to an area of glaciers, lakes, rivers and waterfalls; the habitat of foxes, pumas, guanacos, flamingos and handles, and also of condors and migratory birds like queltehues, woodpeckers, bandurrias, Magellan Straits seagulls and black-back swallows that come all the way from the United States. This and other national parks have tourist facilities like hotels in different price ranges and a wide choice of guided tours. Further toward the south, in the company of the Southern Hemisphere's biggest ice masses (excluding those of the Antarctic continent) it is possible to feel you are the end of the world. On the shores of the Sehoret channel (in front of the Patagonian Andes through which you can glimpse the glaciers of Campos de Hielo Sur) is Puerto Natales and its inhabitants of almost 16,000 people. This small city is the centre of the cattle rearing activity in the area and from it you may visit the Cueva del Milodon (Mylodon Cave), a gigantic rock formation where the prehistoric animal remains which were found in 1896 are today replicated in fibre glass. Other important archaeological finds in caves in this area include, traces of human settlements over 12 thousand years old.
Hernando de Magellan who named it Estrecho de Todos los Santos -All Saints Strait- discovered the Magellan Strait on November lst 1520. The strait allowed Magellan to make the historical crossing from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. The strait's physical setting is no less impressive than its historical one. When crossing through the strait Magellan's attention was struck by the campfires lit on the land to the south of the strait by the indigenous onas or seiknam, for this reason he chose to call this land Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire). Nowadays, the hundreds of fires that light the nights of this southern most tip of South America are no longer the onas' campfires, but those of the oil drillings that have produce natural gas since 1945. The hundreds of excursions and adventures in this great austral territory begin in the cities of Coyhaique -to the north- and Punta Arenas -to the south. Among the most popular trips are those that venture into the fjords and that cover the trip from Ushuaia sailing through the Magellan Strait. The ships are specially designed with the comfort of passengers in mind and during the voyages they may peacefully admire the landscape. Those who wish can get off the ships to see various points of interest and to visit small villages in the company of the villagers themselves who will proudly show them the area. One of the main attractions of the cruises through Tierra del Fuego is the penguin colonies. Among them, Magdalena Island where there is a teaming colony and where you can see the adults teaching their offspring how to survive in the freezing Antarctic waters.
Since its foundation in 1848 -on the northern shore of the Magellan Strait-, Punta Arenas takes pride in an intense trade in sheep wool, the origin of the great fortunes amassed by colonists living on huge estates. The splendour of the mansions of the time can still be seen in the city, next to excellent hotels, restaurants, museums and art centres. And for ski fanatics, Punta Arenas also has slopes overlooking the Strait, a unique experience and only one of the many that can be enjoyed in this region -located, quite literally, at the end of the world.
Islands; Easter Island, Juan Fernandez and Chiloe
Everything is mysterious on exotic Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, as its people call it: where did the first settlers come from and what took them there? How did they erect the 50-ton moats and carry them from the hills to the seashore? What was the manu-tara legend really like? Will it be possible someday to decipher the rongo rongo tablets, a form of written language now forgotten that contains much of the island's history?
Natives call their island Te Pito e Te Henua or the "navel of Earth". To visit Easter Island is to walk on rocks of lava and ash colonised by vegetation and interspersed by dozens of small lagoons and the open craters of the island's three volcanoes. Like a dot in the immensity of the ocean, this portion of land -the most isolated on Earth was discovered on Easter Day in 1722 by Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveenen. Today, when seen from the air, its solitude and smallness impress the observer and even more so when they realise that the landing strip crosses the whole south-western side of this triangular island. The airport lies near the town of Hanga Roa where most of the population lives. Here, to the sound of Polynesian music, the visitor receives unforgettable welcome on being given a flowered garland. In contrast when the visitor leaves they receive another garland this time of seashells for as the tradition goes this is the way to secure the visitor's return.
To become immersed in the mystery of the moais, you must start in the Rano Raraku volcano on the northern tip of the island. The great stone statue workshop was located there, and even today the statues can be seen in their various degrees of completion. About 80 half-finished statues can be found and around 200 that are almost finished. Numerous theories abound on how these 21 meter-high idols were transported to be set on their altars or ahu. At first glance the moais faces seem very similar but the careful observer soon realises that they different. It is believed that they are the portraits of the great family chiefs, set on their platforms so that they could continue to watch over their tribe,
Many moais were deliberately brought down during the course of local wars, while others were swept over by a tidal wave that struck the island in 1960. Nevertheless, there are still more than 400 scattered around this mysterious place. A famous restoration was undertaken a few years ago -fully respecting the island's traditions- in which a row of moais were put back on their feet, had their hats put on and had their eyes painted in as was done in the past.
Amid its landscape of palm trees, beaches and crystal clear waters through which you see the coral reefs, Rapa Nui has kept intact its stone built ceremonial city . Traditionally, every year a ritual was celebrated there to elect the tribe that would rule the island. In the first months of the spring, each tribe sent a delegation to take part in a competition that consisted of climbing down a steep slope, swimming to the small barren island of Mutu Nui, grabbing the first egg of the manu tara bird and coming back to deliver it unbroken to the chief.
Nowadays life in Easter Island is more pleasant and less risky. The main activity its people are engaged in is tourism. The island has several hotels to choose from and some families also offer lodging in their houses. Those islanders not involved in providing accommodation are artisans, fishermen or simply spend their time mingling with the island's visitors telling stories and recounting the island's way of life. As well as archaeological tours, the visitor can enjoy horse rides and barbecues in forests by the beaches with warm waters and abundant fishing. The temperate climate means these activities can be enjoyed all year round, with May being the rainiest month and February the hottest one. There are flights from Santiago three times a week and the journey takes five hours.
The islands of the Juan Fernandez Archipelago are famous for their history, the exuberance of their vegetation, their seals and their incomparable lobsters. To many navigators and bold adventurers of the South Pacific, anchoring there must have been the equivalent of finding an oasis after a long and exhausting walk through the desert. There they found a safe shelter against the storms, abundant drinking water, fishing and dense forests within which to take refuge.
Sevillian navigator Juan Fernandez was the first to discover the archipelago on November 22nd 1574. He called them Mas a Tierra (nowadays Robinson Crusoe Island), Mas Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island) and the barren island of Santa Clara. Fernandez disembarked on the islands with 60 Indians and mercilessly killed the sea lions he found to make use of their blubber. Later, and perhaps as a punishment by the spirit of the sea, the ship in which he loaded the cargo sank and Fernandez lost all his possessions. More than a century later, a young sailor brought the world's attention to this solitary archipelago. His name was Alexander Selkirk and he was only 24 years old in 1704 when he was abandoned on the M5s a Tierra island. Selkirk survived alone on the Island for four years and four months until an English ship rescued him. His incredible and unusual story inspired Daniel Defoe to write "Robinson Crusoe", a novel that has become famous the world over, enrapturing people of all ages and latitudes with the thrilling adventure and cleverness of this young sailor.
Along with the islands' stirring history, the beauty of its exotic flora and fauna adds to its attractiveness, On the rocks near the main pier, a few "two-hair" seals can still be seen, a native mammal that is a now a protected species after having been over-exploited in the l9th century. From time to time, "bottle nose" dolphins swim by, and hundreds of birds live in the lush jungle of ferns, palms and green oranges. Among such birds is the red hummingbird, unique in the world. However, the archipelago's most famous specimen is the Juan Fern5ndez lobster, a most valued crustacean that supports the archipelago's inhabitants. Declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1977, the Juan Fernandez archipelago has also been a national park since 1935. The archipelago's 600 inhabitants live in San Juan Bautista, a small town that has a modern dock, inns and guesthouses, phone, post office, first aid services, police, television, tourism information office and even a House of Culture, Basically, the essential services for those seeking to enjoy a natural paradise surrounded by a cobalt blue sea that invites diving and sport fishing in an underwater world of unparalleled beauty,
The Chiloe Archipelago is known for having its own magical world. Its historic and cultural life mainly takes place in the coves and inlets facing the sea channel, which runs between the island and the continent. On this side the island the sea is calmer and more hospitable than that of the Pacific coast. The men of Chiloe inherited from the "chono" Indians their liking for fishing and from the "huilliche" Indians their agricultural tradition. The land and the sea are the basis of their livelihood and the two great forces that govern their lives. For the "chilote", his boat is a travelling house and he learns to live in it in childhood. The tides are the clock regulating his days and it is the tides which have dictated the construction of his house or palafito, built on the seashore. During the high tide the boats practically reach his door, while in the low tide, the ground beneath is covered with a variety of molluscs ("choros", "navajuelas", "cholgas" and "machas") that the women and children hasten to gather. These molluscs form are part of the daily diet and of the typical gastronomy of Chiloe. They are used in soups, "pailas marinas", "pulmai" and above all the "curanto", a mixture of shellfish, meat, fish, potatoes and vegetables that is prepared over heated stones set in a hole in the ground.
Along with the palafito and houses with wooden-tile roofs to protect them from the rain, Chiloe exhibits a religious architecture in the form of a hundred beautiful churches made entirely of wood. These churches can be found in every corner of the island. Their towers serve as lighthouses for navigators and although many were built more than three centuries ago, they still preserve their porches and their polychrome altarpieces with painted star filled skies.
The city of Castro -in the centre of lsla Grande (Large Island) and the provincial capital- was founded in 1567 and is the ideal place to begin a journey that must include Chonchi, Dalcahue, Achao, Mechugue, Cucao and Ancud. In these beautiful, old and friendly towns with their marketplace and churches there is always the right place to have a meal. And you will never fail to find a house with its doors open, where people tell stories around a log fire that is always burning to smoke the apples, meat and shellfish hanging over it. Sitting close to the fire, the people relive the myths that have made Chiloe famous. They talk about strange creatures hiding in the forests, warlocks, ghost ships and curses, they may say there was a full moon rainbow that night or they may be gathered to organise a "minga". The minga is a collective task in which the whole community takes part, one not unusual example would be the dragging a wooden house with the help of yoked oxen from one location to another, sometimes this may even include a short sea voyage between islands.
The women of these islands work the land and weave sheep's wool, while the men "go off to sea" to work in the salmon fisheries that have recently turned Chile into the world's largest salmon producer. Chiloe is an ideal place for young people to go backpacking, and anyone that visits the island will be able to enjoy horse and bicycle rides, as well as take boats to visit the more distant islands. Chiloe's main feature is that it is a place where there is much to learn and hear, without the rush of the big city. A group of islands where there's always time to wait for the cooking of the "curanto", to drink apple liquor or chicha as well as Golden Liquor while remembering the mythological characters ("Trauco", "Pincoya", "Invunche", "Fiura" and "Caleuche") that hide in the green nature of hills and forests, sea and rains that are such an integral part of this fascinating archipelago.
Antarctica
The territory can be reached by sea and air from Punta Arenas, a city located near the Magellan Straits. The best time to visit is during the Austral Summer (December to February), when the days are long and daylight stretches well into what should be night. Then there is enough light and time then to admire the colonies of the seven species of penguins; to observe the flight of the migratory birds and to glimpse the whales on their journeys through Austral waters. It is also possible to tour Villa Las Estrellas on Rey Jorge Island, where a handful of Chilean families reside permanently and where there is an inn, a school, a post office, a bank and a small hospital.
Having the appearance of a finger pointing north towards the famous Cape Horn - the most fearsome pass to ships sailing these waters - the Antarctic Peninsula harbours the scientific bases of nine countries. These bases study the great mineral and biologic resources of this vast ice-capped region. The research centres located in the Chilean bases of President Frei and Rey Jorge Island can be visited.
The region's unique features make the inhabited territory of the South Pole an especially attractive destiny for those who have travelled extensively. Only here will the experienced traveller and those with the spirit of exploration have the privilege of experiencing first-hand what has been described as the coldest, driest and windiest place on Earth. It is worth remembering that in 1966 a temperature of minus 88.3' Celsius was recorded at the Vostok base - this has proved to be the lowest temperature so far recorded anywhere in the world.
Antarctica is the only place on Earth where there are more penguins than people. It is a place where sea lions and seals relax on floating ice whilst whales swim in their midst. Without a doubt, one of the biggest attractions of Antarctica is to see the blue whale up close, the world's largest animal, while it feeds on the enormous knit production of the Austral waters. The movement of the whales among the icebergs and the rhythmic sound of their water jets will forever fix this white and lonely landscape in the visitor's memory.
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