Chile is very long and narrow, so any travel plan must include air tickets. Air passes are very attractive.
Anyway, travel within Chile is easy. Buses are confortable and arrive on time. Flights are reasonably priced and with a US$5.00 tax payable on domestic flights. Railways are not good.
In the north of the country is the driest desert on earth: the Atacama Desert. No rain has been never seen in many areas. Going south is the Valle del Elqui near the city of La Serena. High mountains are the perfect landscape to observe the clearest skies in the world.
Central Chile includes two touristic destinations: Valparaiso with its busy port and beatiful hills' elevators and Viña del Mar with its famous casino and beautiful beaches. Santiago is located about 100 km (60 mi.) from Valparaiso.
Colchagua is the Agricultural capital of the country. Its wines are recognized worlwide. Other cities with wine tradition are Curico, Talca and Casablanca.
The Lake District and Chiloe are beautiful places to visit in the south of Chile. Volcanoes, lakes and indian reservation are a must for tourists.
In the very south is located the Austral road that connect south of Chile with the end of the world: patagonia and the Torres del Paine National Park in Tierra del Fuego.
Far beyond is the Antartica. There are tours to visit this frozen country mostly in summer.
Near Polinesia is Easter Island. There are flights departing from Santiago, and costs about US$600.
By plane
Chile has a very good airport infrastructure. The main hub for flights in Chile is the Arturo Merino Benitez Airport (SCL) in Santiago from where several airlines serve even the remotest corners of the country. These airlines are LAN, Sky Airline and Aerolineas del Sur.
When travelling within Chile please consider reserving your tickets before entering the country. It is recommended use flight coupons which can be bought at LAN when you also purchased your flight to Chile with them. These can also be processed online. Unfortunately the other to airlines do not have any internet service available yet and you should consider comparing fares by asking your local travel agency or by phone.
Because of the shape of the country, many routes are served with several, time-consuming layovers in between. You might take this into account as you can have up to 4 stops until you reach your destination! (e.g. for a flight from Punta Arenas to Arica: Punta Arenas - Puerto Montt - Santiago - Antofagasta - Iquique - Arica).
Domestic routes are served by Airbus 319 or Airbus 320 when flying with LAN express as well as Boeing 737-200 when flying Sky Airline and Aerolineas del Sur.
