Stretching for more than 2600 miles along the western side of South America, Chile is a narrow country of dramatic extremes. You’ll find bone dry deserts in the north, glacial fields in the south, and lush valleys, smoldering volcanoes and enchanting beaches in between. With its diversity of geography and climates, Chile offers year-round appeal, from skiing in winter to trekking and beach-hopping in summer.
Home to Andean peaks, dramatic coastlines and otherworldly deserts, Chile has an astonishing variety of landscapes that set the scene for unforgettable adventures. You can trek through Patagonian wilderness in the deep south or buzzing beach towns in the north. In between, you’ll find award-winning wineries, art-filled bohemian enclaves and impossibly picturesque valleys, not to mention one of South America’s most dynamic cities. The biggest challenge is deciding where to begin.
A magnet for nature lovers, Chile has a little of everything, from ice-capped volcanoes to lush rain forests. The diversity of its landscapes and vast size offer limitless adventures: trekking past glaciers and soaring Patagonian peaks, watching sunsets over otherworldly desert valleys, and basking in mountain hot springs or on a white-sand beach after long days of exploring. The following is a list of the country’s top 10 regions to visit when traveling one of the world’s longest countries.