Pucon
At the foot of Chile's most active volcano, 490 mi/789 km southeast of Santiago, Pucon is the lakes district's main adventure travel destination. You can go hiking at Huerquehue National Park, raft and kayak on the Trancura River, and climb the snowy slopes of Villarrica Volcano for a view of its smoking crater.
Huerquehue and Villarrica national parks are the southernmost outposts of the Araucaria, or monkey puzzle, tree. There are also numerous hot springs in the area.
Santiago
Santiago is a huge city of nearly five million inhabitants surrounded by immense Andean peaks creating a spectacular backdrop. The city centre is quite manageable with a collection of wide avenues, squares and parks all laid out in a grid pattern.
Chile has a distinctly European flavour and Santiago will bring this home to you as you visit the churches, monuments and museums all designed in a certain familiar style.
San Pedro de Atacama
The charming village of San Pedro de Atacama, located at 2,450 meters above sea level, is one of the places in Chile which offers the widest number of attractions. The village is located in one of the many oases originated by the ‘Bolivian winter’, in the driest desert of the world: the Atacama Desert - an incredible place with exuberating vegetation. In the plains, covered by a green color that seems to come from more rainy areas, agriculture is practiced from ancient times, maintaining the same cultivation methods used thousands of years ago. The native inhabitants thank nature for this miracle through different religious festivities and ceremonies, mixing Catholicism and ancient beliefs into one of the most characteristic cultural manifestations of northern Chile. Walking around the farming lands and watching the traditional design houses, built in adobe, makes visitors feel transported into another age.
At the foot of Chile's most active volcano, 490 mi/789 km southeast of Santiago, Pucon is the lakes district's main adventure travel destination. You can go hiking at Huerquehue National Park, raft and kayak on the Trancura River, and climb the snowy slopes of Villarrica Volcano for a view of its smoking crater.
Huerquehue and Villarrica national parks are the southernmost outposts of the Araucaria, or monkey puzzle, tree. There are also numerous hot springs in the area.
Santiago is a huge city of nearly five million inhabitants surrounded by immense Andean peaks creating a spectacular backdrop. The city centre is quite manageable with a collection of wide avenues, squares and parks all laid out in a grid pattern.
Chile has a distinctly European flavour and Santiago will bring this home to you as you visit the churches, monuments and museums all designed in a certain familiar style.
The charming village of San Pedro de Atacama, located at 2,450 meters above sea level, is one of the places in Chile which offers the widest number of attractions. The village is located in one of the many oases originated by the ‘Bolivian winter’, in the driest desert of the world: the Atacama Desert - an incredible place with exuberating vegetation. In the plains, covered by a green color that seems to come from more rainy areas, agriculture is practiced from ancient times, maintaining the same cultivation methods used thousands of years ago. The native inhabitants thank nature for this miracle through different religious festivities and ceremonies, mixing Catholicism and ancient beliefs into one of the most characteristic cultural manifestations of northern Chile. Walking around the farming lands and watching the traditional design houses, built in adobe, makes visitors feel transported into another age.
