Why Chile Might Be South America’s Most Overlooked Adventure Capital

Chile is South America’s sleeper hit—a 2,670-mile strip where the world’s driest desert, tidewater glaciers, and remote Rapa Nui (Easter Island) all fit inside a ribbon never wider than 110 miles. That improbable silhouette breeds improbable variety: ski Andean peaks before lunch, eat Pacific seafood by sunset. Practicalities for American travelers are mercifully simple, as you get 90 days in the country visa-free. You’ll complete an entry card on arrival, so keep it handy. Nonstops from New York, Miami, Dallas, Houston and Atlanta reach Santiago in eight to 11 hours with only a one- to two-hour time shift, meaning no jet-lag hangover. 

With the peso hovering around 950 to the dollar, budgets stretch on hot-spring hotels, private astronomy guides, and tables at some of Latin America’s best restaurants—often at prices about 40 percent below comparable European or premium U.S. experiences. Infrastructure helps the cause. Santiago’s expanded airport efficiently moves tens of millions of passengers a year. The Ruta de los Parques links 17 national parks over 1,700 miles, converting once-epic expeditions into road trips. Roughly a third of the country is protected parkland, with roads, visitor centers and lodges that don’t require a tent. Even the wine valleys that once demanded 4WD now connect via paved routes. Net result: this destination is long on latitude, low on friction. What follows are eight Chilean regions with singular payoffs. Just pick your latitude, and the country’s wonders will meet you there.