Travel and Tourism Information

Travel - International

AIR

Chile has one privately owned national airline: LAN-Chile (LA) (website: www.lan.com), which deals with international flights. Its subsidary, Lanexpress (LU) deals with domestic flights.

International Airports

Santiago (SCL) (Arturo Merino Benitez) (website: www.aeropuertosantiago.cl). The airport is 21km (11 miles) northwest of Santiago (travel time – 30 minutes). To/from the airport: Bus services to the city centre operate from 0530 to 2400 every day. Underground services operate to Los Héroes, Central, Universidad de Santiago, Las Rejas and Pajaritos stations. Taxis to the city are also available. Official taxis are blue with official documentation. Facilities: Bar, bureaux de change, restaurants, car hire, post office and tourist office.

Air Passes

The Mercosur Airpass: Valid within Argentina, Brazil, Chile (except Easter Island), Paraguay and Uruguay. Participating airlines include Austral (AU), LAN-Chile (LA), LAPA (MJ), Pluna (PU), Transbrasil Airlines (TR) and VARIG (RG), with the subsidiary airlines of Nordeste (JH) and Rio Sul (SL). The pass can only be purchased by passengers who live outside South America and who have a return ticket. Only eight flight coupons are allowed with a maximum of four coupons for each country and is valid for seven to a maximum of 30 days. At least two countries must be visited (to a maximum of five) and the flight route cannot be changed. A maximum of two stopovers is allowed per country.

The Visit South America Pass: Must be bought outside South America in country of residence and allows unlimited travel to 36 cities in the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile (except Easter Island), Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. To be eligible, passengers must fly with Lan airlines (LanChile, LanEcuador or LanPeru). A minimum of three flights must be booked, with no maximum; the maximum stay is 60 days, with no minimum, and prices depend on the amount of flight zones covered. There is no discount for children, although infants travelling without need of a seat may do so free of charge. For further details, contact one of the participating airlines.

SEA

Main ports: Empremar (website: www.portvalparaiso.cl) in Valparaíso to/from where many shipping lines operate such as Compañía Chilena de Navegación Interoceánica (CCNI) (website: www.ccni.cl) and Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV) (from New York and European ports) (website: www.csav.cl).

RAIL

Some rail connections with neighbouring countries use buses for part of the journey. There are trains running between Arica and Tacna in Peru and La Paz in Bolivia.

ROAD

The Pan American Highway enters Chile through Arica. TEPSA buses come to Chile from as far north as Ecuador. There are also services from Argentina and Brazil to Santiago.

Travel - Internal

AIR

There are frequent services to main towns. The southern part of the country relies heavily on air links. Reservations are essential. Internal passenger air services are operated by the domestic subsidary of LAN-Chile, Lanexpress (LU) and Sky Airline (website: www.skyairline.cl), as well as by a number of air taxi companies. Services connecting the main towns are frequent during weekdays, and are fairly regular. There are one-month ‘Visit Chile’ tickets available from Lanexpress and LAN-Chile covering the north and the south of the country. Air passes sold in conjunction with LAN transatlantic flights cost US$250 for the first three coupons and US$60 per additional coupon (up to a maximum of six). A coupon is worth one sector of a flight. When travelling long haul with another airline, the costs are US$350 and US$80 per additional coupon. Passes must be obtained abroad and it is advisable to make reservations well in advance. Once purchased, reservations can be changed at no additional cost; but for re-routing, a charge of US$30 is made for each change. There are regular flights by Lanexpress from Santiago to Easter Island, which stop at the island en route to Tahiti. The flights are twice-weekly from November to February, once-weekly at other times; it is essential to book in advance throughout the year. The flight takes 5 hours. Discounted flights to Easter Island can only be purchased in conjunction with LAN long-haul flights. An air taxi runs a daily service during the summer months to the Juan Fernández Islands from Valparaíso and Santiago.

SEA

Coastal passenger shipping lines are unreliable and infrequent. Boat services run from Valparaíso to Easter Island and Robinson Crusoe Island (part of the Juan Fernández Islands) once a month. Contact local travel agents on arrival for details.

RAIL

The state railway (run by the State Railway Company, website: www.efe.cl) runs between Santiago and Temuco. Services are limited by the geography of the country, but there is one daily train each way at 2000, with sleeping and restaurant cars, and some air conditioned accommodation. Principal trains also carry vehicles. Children under 1.20m in height travel free. Train fares are from £10-53. For details, contact SERNATUR (see Top Things To Do).

ROAD

Chile has about 80,000km (49,460 miles) of good roads. The Pan American Highway crosses the country from north to south (a total of 3455km or 2147 miles) from the Peruvian border to Puerto Montt. It is advisable in remoter areas to carry spare petrol and an additional spare tyre. Tyres should be hard-wearing. Traffic drives on the right. You may consider a four wheel drive for driving in the countryside.

Bus: Intercity buses are cheap and reliable. There is a luxury north–south service running most of the length of the country. Most long-distance coaches have toilets and serve food and drink. Sometimes a lower fare can be negotiated. For details, contact SERNATUR (see Top Things To Do).

Taxi: Most have meters, but for long journeys fares should be agreed beforehand. A surcharge of 50 per cent applies on Sundays after 2100. Taxis in Santiago are black and yellow. Tipping is not expected.

Car hire: Self-drive cars are available at the airport and in major city centres. They are hired on a daily basis, plus a mileage charge and 20 per cent tax. A large guarantee deposit is often required. The Automóvil Club de Chile, Andrés Bello 1863, Santiago can supply road maps (tel: (2) 431 1000; website: www.cmet.net/acchi).

Documentation: An international, inter-American driving permit or a new European format driving licence bearing a photograph is necessary .

URBAN

Santiago has three metro lines, as well as bus, minibus and shared ‘Taxibus’ services. A fourth and fifth metro line is under construction. Fares on the metro depend on the time of day in which travel occurs. 10-journey tickets (carnets) are available. Taxis are plentiful, the number approaching 1 per 100 inhabitants, an extremely high figure. They can be flagged down in the streets. The different tariffs are displayed in the taxis. Taxi drivers do not expect tips. The buses and minibuses have flat fares. There is a higher rate for shared taxis. There are bus and taxi services in most towns.

Resorts & Excursions

Introduction

In Santiago there are four tourist information centres, including one at the airport. This caters particularly for foreigners just arriving in the country. There are also regional tourist offices throughout the country. Visitors to Chile are faced with a wide variety of excursions from which to choose; for the purposes of this guide, the country has been divided into three geographical areas, ranging from north to south.

Northern Region

Arica, near the northern border with Peru, is an excellent tourist centre. It has good beaches and the famous San Marcos Cathedral. Conditions in the area are ideal for deep-sea fishing. The unique landscape of Altiplano, near Arica, where vast volcanoes, salt marshes and lakes exist together upon a 12,000 ft plateau, is home to the indigenous Aymara Indians. Llamas and alpacas can be seen here. The nearby UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, Lauca National Park, is worth visiting. Travelling south through the Atacama Desert, excursions can be made to the hot springs of Mamina and to the oasis of the Pica Valley. The port of Antofagasta is the stopping point for air services and for most shipping lines. From here, a visit can be made to Chuquicamata, the world's largest open cast copper mine, and also to the archaeological oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama and to the geysers at El Tatio.

Further south is Coquimbo, situated in one of the best harbours on the coast. Nearby is the beautiful bathing resort of Los Vilos. Nine miles north of Coquimbo is La Serena, the provincial capital. This charming and well laid-out town is graced with fine buildings and streets, and good reproductions of the attractive Spanish colonial style of architecture. The town is at the mouth of the Elqui River and excursions can be made from here to the rich fruit-growing region of the Elqui Valley, which is also full of reminiscences of the Chilean Nobel Prize Winner Gabriela Mistral. Tours can also be arranged to the Tololo Observatory, the largest in the southern hemispher

Central Region and the Islands

This is the most temperate and pastoral region of the country, where the snow-capped peaks of the Andes provide a backdrop for rolling green fields, vineyards and orange groves. Valparaíso, the principal port, has many attractions. Only 8km (5 miles) to the north is Viña del Mar, Chile's principal and most fashionable seaside resort with casinos, clubs and modern hotels. The Valparaíso Sporting Club offers a race course, polo grounds and playing fields.

From Valparaíso there are excellent road and rail services to Santiago, where a visitor will find all the conveniences of a modern capital city, including good hotels to suit all tastes. The Virgin Mary guards the city from the peak of the 860-metre (2822 feet) Cerro San Cristóbal (Saint Christopher's Hill), in the northeast of the city, where a zoo, gardens, restaurants and fine views of the city can be found; the Club Hippico and the Prince of Wales Country Club provide sporting facilities. From Santiago it is also possible to visit ski resorts such as Portillo, Farellones and the newest and most fashionable, Valle Nevado. Immediately south of Santiago, in the heartland of Chile, one can visit many vineyards where much excellent Chilean wine is produced. Travelling south through the heartland of Chile one reaches Talca with its fine parks and museums

PACIFIC ISLANDS: 650km (403 miles) west of Valparaíso are the Juan Fernández Islands, which can be reached either by plane or boat from the Chilean mainland. Alexander Selkirk was shipwrecked here in the early eighteenth century, and Defoe based his novel 'Robinson Crusoe' on Selkirk's adventures.

Easter Island is another Pacific Chilean possession, situated 3800km (2361 miles) west of the mainland. It is most famous for the Moai, gigantic stone figures up to 9m (30ft) tall which are found all over the island. Other sites include the crater of the volcano Rano Kao, the rock carvings at Oronco and the museum in the main town of Hanga Roa. The best method of travel to the island is by air. Tour guides and guest-house keepers tend to meet every plane, so although it is possible to book good hotel accommodation from Santiago or Valparaíso, it is not essential. Many of the hotels specialise in catering for groups and will arrange tours if asked. Tours can also be arranged with a tour guide. Jeeps, trucks, motorbikes and horses can all be hire

Southern Region

A visit to the impressive waterfalls at Laguna de Laja is recommended. Temuco marks the beginning of the Lake District, where Lake Villarica and the Trancura and Cincira rivers combine to create beautiful scenery, and an angler's paradise. Lake Todos los Santos is also well worth a visit. At the southernmost end of the railway line and the Pan American Highway, there is the picturesque town of Puerto Montt and, nearby, the colourful small fishing port of Angelmo. Inveterate travellers will wish to go on to visit Chiloé Island and possibly also the southernmost part of the country, the fjords, glaciers and harsh landscape of Chilean Patagonia. The whole area of Magallanes and Tierra del Fuego is worth exploring during the summer season