Trekking in Chile
Chile is a long thin strip of a country stretching for over 4300 kms and barely 180kms at its widest point. It stretches from the Atacama desert with its salt pans, pink flamingos and surreal volcanoes to the fjords, peaks and glaciers of Patagonia and beyond to the wild seas and windswept islands at the very tip of South America. In between these extremes, Central Chile, where most of its 16 million people live, ranges from the Mediterranean scenery of the Central Valley to the picturesque lakes, forests and volcanoes of the Chilean Lake District and Araucania. And always in sight along the breadth of its eastern border, the endless chain of the mighty Andes.
Since the Pinochet dictatorship from 1973 to 1989, Chile has made a relatively easy and much desired transition to a stable democracy. The recent election of its first woman President, Michelle Bachelet, to lead a socialist coalition was an immense event, which received worldwide acclaim. Chile, the self styled 'Pais de Poetas' - Land of Poets, is rich in art and literature and has style and a social framework far more 'european' than the Latin American stereotype. The standard of living is far higher here (and in Argentina) than elsewhere in South America, which also means it is a reasonably expensive country to visit.
Patagonia
Southern Patagonia is a world apart, where the broad expanses of the pampa meet with the glacially sculpted spires of the Andes. Las Torres del Paine National Park and World Biosphere Reserve is the most famous of the vast protected areas of Patagonia.
We have a number of other trips in Southern Patagonia, just click Patagonia to find out