Chuquicamata open-cast copper mine creates a cloud of dust over a huge hole dug out of the Atacama Desert . Measuring 8km in diameter and swallowing 7 000 workers and trucks as big as houses every day, the mine produces 650 000 tons of copper every ..

In the Norte Chico, the Elqui valley is dotted with charming wine-growing villages around the town of Vicuña . The region receives an ideal amount of sunshine for cultivating the grapes which produce pisco , the national drink of Chile. And if you ..

Thanks to its woods, lakes and volcanoes and its proximity to Pucón , the Parque Nacional Villarrica is one of the most popular natural areas in Chile. It’s worth taking a trip to the Villarrica crater, with its swirling mass of red lava, although c..

The Parque Nacional Huerquehue is a real gem! With its constellation of small emerald lakes surrounded by monkey puzzle trees the park is home to the tiny pudú (a deer the size of a hare). Take a hike along the footpath around the lakes, followed ..

Puyehue volcano, the main highlight of the Parque Nacional Puyehue, has had a major influence on the park’s landscape. The surrounding area was badly damaged following the 1960 eruption, which completely destroyed the rain forest which once stood her..

The Carretera Austral starts at Puerto Montt and finishes at Villa O’Higgins, running for 1 240km through the southernmost part of the country. Opened in 1996, the relatively new but already renowned Southern Highway is an extension of the Pan-Americ..

The Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael is home to a number of fine glaciers which can be approached by boat. San Rafael lake offers the magical spectacle of icebergs calving off the ice field at San Valentin peak which overlooks the lake and runs down..

The shores of the Magallanes region are home to breeding colonies of Magellan penguins. Two large colonies are accessible to the general public near Punta Arenas – one in the Otway fjord and the other at the Monument Natural Los Pingüinos, on Isla Ma..

The fires which the “canoe people” kept alight to keep themselves warm on the islands situated the other side of the Strait of Magellan gave this area its name of Tierra del Fuego. Porvenir is the main village of the Chilean zone of this extraordinar..

The Palacio de la Moneda in Santiago , the presidential palace since 1846 and now the seat of government, bears the memory of the 1973 coup which led to the death of Allende. A symbol of Chilean resistance, it was designed by the Spanish (1786) and ..

The picturesque, colourful district of Bellavista, in Santiago , lies at the foot of San Cristóbal hill . With a lively atmosphere from dawn to dusk, this area is full of young people, musicians and street peddlers and is home to a multitude of caf..

Consisting of three small houses surrounded by vegetation, La Chascona is the soul of Bellavista , reflecting the colourful atmosphere of this district. It was here that the poet Pablo Neruda lived with his wife during his visits to Santiago . The ..

Situated to the southeast of Santiago and not far from the capital, the Cajón del Maipo, a canyon with a fast-flowing river which flows down from the Andes, is a popular Sunday outing for the city’s residents. A wide range of outdoor activities, such..

La Sebastiana is an incredible house perched over several levels on the slopes of the Cerro Bellavista, one of the residential hills of Valparaíso . The house overlooks the port, the bay and the sea which was so loved by Pablo Neruda who once lived ..

The Pan-American highway follows the Central Valley, a long fertile strip of land in the centre of Chile, situated between the coastal mountains and the Andes. Head off the highway to explore the charming countryside here, with its farms, wineries an..

Andean steppes and high-altitude lakes, volcanoes, rivers such as the Lircay, and forests of indigenous species inhabited by a variety of wildlife – this is the Reserva Nacional Altos de Lircay, situated 1hr 30min from Talca . This reserve is very p..

Humberstone is a deserted mining town amid the arid pampa of the Norte Grande. The town’s inhabitants accrued huge wealth from 1880 onwards through working the largest saltpetre mine in the world, then saw the industry collapse overnight around 1918...

To protect their oasis, in the 12C the people of Atacama built fortresses known as pukará on the hillsides. It was in the labyrinth of the Pukará de Quitor, now in ruins, that the native warriors in the 16C attempted (in vain) to stop the advance o..

Situated on the Norte Chico coast, the Parque Nacional Pan de Azúcar combines the pleasures of the seaside with stunning natural landscapes. Overlooked by high cliffs, the beaches and coves here are perfect for surfing and camping. The wildlife inclu..

Popular with mountaineers, the Parque Nacional Nevado Tres Cruces is difficult to access. Home to a salt desert and two high-altitude lakes (Laguna Santa Rosa and Laguna del Negro Francisco), the park comprises 61 000 hectares of superb natural scene..