Destination: Chile
LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK INFORMATION
Getting Started
Untitled Document
Chile has everything a traveler could hope for and more. But take a minute to juggle a map of its absurd string-bean proportions and you’ll realize that a trip here takes careful planning. Not only are traveling distances exaggerated by the country’s length, but climate and seasonal differences are vast. After all, this is a country with one foot in the tropics and the other flirting with Antarctica.
Travel here can be as hard-core or as pampered as you please. There are accommodations and transport to suit most budgets, and tourist infrastructure is fairly well developed, if narrowly focused on certain hot spots. Vast areas of wilderness still beckon to free spirits while luxurious resorts lay in wait for serious relaxation time.
DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT…
Warm waterproof gear – indispensable year-round in Patagonia.
Kick-ass sunblock, Chap Stick and sun hat for high altitudes and the southerly ozone hole.
Polarized dark sunglasses for glaciers, desert and the altiplano.
Foldaway umbrella for showery Santiago and other southern cities from May through September.
A cozy sleeping bag in winter, even if you’re not camping.
Camping gear – it’s available but expensive so best bring it from home.
Essentials like a Swiss Army knife.
Earplugs to combat onboard bus videos and noisy hotels.
Extra memory cards for digital snaps – they’re hard to find outside cities.
Toilet paper, since many Chilean bathrooms lack it.
Zoom lens to capture Chile’s more bashful wildlife.
Medical items.
Lonely Planet recommends World Nomads Travel insurance
