Area Sections
Chile
History
Practical Information
Economy
Climate
Health
People
Tours and Excursions
Areas
Santiago
Antofagasta
Valparaiso
Vina del mar
Pucon
Iquique
Chillan
Arica
Punta arenas
Osorno
Puerto Varas
Calama
Other Definitions
chile (enc)
chile (dict)
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Chile Chile has the honour of being the thinnest country in the world if you compare its length with its width. The country is so long that in the north you will find the dryest of deserts and in the south you are on the closest point to the South Pole. The Atacama desert in the North has never seen rain (at least not since 1870 when a wheather station was put there) but you will still find plants growing - for the mystery check out the site about the Atacama desert. San Pedro de Atacama is a very small, picturesque town about an hour out of Calama. It is the base town to explore the Valley of Moon and the Tatio geysers and the beautiful scenery in the area. In the city of Calama, you can visit the largest open pit copper mine in the world at the city of Chuquicamata. They offer an interesting tour, and you will learn a little about the history of copper mining in Chile. Further north, near the Peruvian border, you will find the city of Arica . Arica has some nice beaches, in the coastal desert and from there you can also explore inland and 3000 meters up the Parque Nacional Lauca and the Lago Chungara, this place has breathtaking scenery, with snowcapped peaks and beautiful lakes, near the Bolivian border. From Arica, you can cross into Tacna, Peru Nearby you will find the mysterious Nazca lines that are absolutely worth a visit as well. The best way to appreciate the lines that where made by the precolumbian civilization of the Nazca Indians is by plane or helicopter. Only from above you can fully see how special they are. The Nazca lines are located in Peru, south of the city of Ica, from where you can hire small airplane rides. In the middle of the country the capital of Santiago is a very stylish city that deserves to be explored. It has the best nighlife of the country, most of the cultural institutions and some of the finest restaurants. From it you can visit Valparaiso as well as make some great hiking trips in the high Andes. Chile offers some of the easiest ascents to mountains above 6.000 meters in the world. The Arctic south (Patagonia Chilena) offers the opportunity to explore the incredible beauty of gigantic glaciers, the wildlife of birds, seals, sea lions and whales. You can go down to Puerto Natales and visit Parque Nacional Torres del Paine... great place for hiking.... very scenic place... And, if you go further south, you can visit Punta Arenas, the southernmost tip of Chile (4 hr flight from Santiago) and the Magellan strait is only like 1/2 hr by car. You can also see the penguin colonies down there. If you have the chance to visit the Easter island you will be sure to be surprised by the beauty of the place. It is way out in the Ocean and the island has had culture of its own for centuries.
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