Category: Chile

Black-sand beaches and gardens draw tourists to this island-studded lake, especially at fashionable Lican Ray (30km south of Villarrica) and more down-to-earth Coñaripe (22km east of Lican Ray). Out of season, it’s dead. Lican Ray’s tourist office (045-431-516; Urritia 310), directly on the plaza, offers maps and accommodations listings. Coñaripe’s Turismo Aventura Chumay (045-317-287; Las Tepas 201) rents bikes and has area information and tours. Coñaripe has access to rustic hot springs and other sides of the park that tourists rarely tread.

Ancud is the first large town for those coming from Puerto Montt. It was once a rather wealthy place with gracious buildings, palafitos and a railway line. But the earthquake of 1960 destroyed much of that and today the sprawling city is built primarily of boxy concrete structures and is not particularly attractive. Ancud makes a good base to explore the nearby penguin colonies, its quality museum, some rugged beaches and sea-kayaking spots, but if you are short on days it is recommended that you push on to the more distinct Castro.

Split with Argentina (where it’s called Lago Buenos Aires), this massive 224,000-hectare lake is often a wind-stirred green-blue sea in the middle of a sculpted Patagonian steppe. Its rough and twisty roads dwarf the traveler: you’ll feel like you’re crawling through the landscape. This section follows the Carretera Austral south from Coyhaique, around the lake’s western border.

San Juan Bautista (St John the Baptist) is Isla Robinson Crusoe’s only town and a strikingly tranquil one at that. This fishing community, which now makes a bit of extra income from tourism, on Bahía Cumberland is a tangle of mud-puddled streets climbing up and down hills strewn with small houses and lush gardens. The town ends rather abruptly, and becomes horse pastures and hiking trails that lead into the woods and mountains beyond.

Things move at a slow pace in Chile’s northernmost city, just 20km from the Peruvian border. Best described as a city-cum-beach-resort, Arica enjoys summery weather year-round. It is also blessed with warm sea currents and exhilarating surfing breaks. However, there’s plenty here for landlubbers too: an iron church, a dramatically situated battleground and some of the world’s oldest known mummies, just to name a few. Arica is also a common jumping-off point for trips up to the heady heights of Parque Nacional Lauca.

Many visitors tend to skip Chile’s heartland on their way to more famous attractions further south. This is a shame as it has much to offer, including some fantastic wine country, genuine huaso (cowboys) culture with its skilful horsemen and traditional ways, excellent skiing and one of the world’s most unique coastal cities, Valparaíso. And, although few come to Chile just for the beaches, there is some lovely coastline. Pablo Neruda was inspired by the crashing waves of the Chilean Pacific; now a growing number of adrenaline-junkies are coming to ride that same surf.