- My Experience in the Amazon in Iquitos
- My Ayahuasca Experience in the Peruvian Amazon
- Chile – 17 Things To Know Before You Go
- Skip It: The Floating Islands in Puno
- Isla Del Sol on Bolivia’s Lake Titicaca
- Salar de Uyuni – One of the Most Unique Places on Earth
- Bolivia – Everything You Need To Know Before You Go
- What to Expect on the 4 Day Inca Trail Hike To Machu Picchu
- Peru – 23 Things To Know Before You Go
- South America – Everything You Need to Know Before You Go
- 14 Reasons Why You Need To Travel to South America
- How To Stay Safe in South America
Chile, the long narrow strip of land between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountains, is a very unique and unusual country. It has over 4,000km of coast on the Pacific Ocean and because it’s so long, it encompasses an impressive variety of climates and stunning landscapes, making it an absolute must for nature enthusiasts and outdoor adventurers. Chile also boasts the driest desert in the world, the Atacama Desert, in the north; a Mediterranean climate with beaches and wineries in the centre; and forests, lakes, mountains, glaciers and volcanos in Patagonia, in the south.
I traveled Chile as a solo female traveler for 2.5 weeks and visited the Atacama Desert, Santiago, Valparaiso and Viña del Mar.
17 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU TRAVEL TO CHILE
CHILEANS ARE SOME OF THE NICEST AND MOST HOSPITABLE PEOPLE
If you’re in Chile and look lost, Chileans will approach you and try help you even if you don’t speak the same language. I met some Chileans while traveling around South America and many of them offered for me to stay with them when I came to Chile.
CHILE IS THE SAFEST COUNTRY IN SOUTH AMERICA
It’s one of South America’s most stable and prosperous countries, owing its strong economy to mining. In fact, Chile consistently ranks as one of the top 30 safest countries in the world. Crime rates are low, so petty theft is your biggest concern. And daily earthquakes.
IT’S THE MOST EXPENSIVE COUNTRY TO TRAVEL IN SOUTH AMERICA
Which is the trade off for Chile’s safety.
CHILE HAS A WEALTH OF WINERIES
And really great wine. Most wineries specialize in red wine, but if you need a break from red wine, Casablanca (near Valparaiso, Viña del Mar and Santiago) is Chile’s biggest white wine region.
THE SPANISH SPOKEN IN CHILE IS VERY DIFFERENT
Chileans speak Spanish very quickly, with a lot of slang and the final syllables and “s” sounds are often dropped, which can make it difficult to understand. One word you’ll hear a lot in Chile is “cachai?”, which means “you know?”. Cachai is used very informally and at the end of pretty much every sentence in a conversation.
THE LANDSCAPE WILL BLOW YOU AWAY
I barely scratched the surface of what Chile has to offer, but it definitely left me wanting more.
THE CULTURE IS FAIRLY CONSERVATIVE
South America is largely religious, with Catholicism being the dominant religion; therefore, Chile is fairly conservative with regards to things like clothing, relationships/dating and abortion.
BUT CHILEANS KNOW HOW TO HAVE A GOOD TIME
South Americans love to dance and party and it’s a lot of fun! Reggaeton is a very popular music genre in Latin America, which you will hear everywhere and you’ll either love or hate. I learned to like it.
CHECK OUT THE COLORFUL STREET ART IN SANTIAGO AND VALPARAISO
Chile’s street art was originally a form of political expression and protest during the dictatorship from 1973-1990. Once very illegal, street art in Chile is now embraced, respected and encouraged.
CHILE HAS SOME OF THE BEST SKIING IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
If you’re an avid skiier living in the Northern Hemisphere, you can travel to Chile to continue skiing once your ski season ends.
YOU’LL MEET LOTS OF NEW FRIENDS
The llama is the hump-less South American relative of the camel and they’re adorable.
CHILE IS IN A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE ZONE
There are earthquakes literally everyday in Chile, ranging in magnitude, and you will very likely experience one when you’re there. I experienced a little earthquake when I was in Santiago. Since it was just a minor earthquake, it was actually pretty cool and not scary, but shortly after I left Chile, they had a major 8.2 earthquake.
SPEAKING OF EARTHQUAKES, WHEN IN CHILE, TRY A TERREMOTO
Which is Spanish for earthquake. It’s a drink made with pipeño (sweet fermented wine), fernet (strong liquor) and pineapple ice cream. It’s very sweet, but very deceivingly strong, so when you get up, you feel shaky, like an earthquake 🙂
YOU ALSO MUST TRY THE PISCO SOURS
Chile’s tangy and sweet national cocktail is made of pisco (liquor), lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white and bitters.
CHILEANS PLACE VALUE ON STATUS AND RACE
Thanks to European colonialism. If you live in Chile and you’re tall, with light hair, light skin and light eyes, and have a European last name, you will go further in life. This is sadly true for all of Latin America.
DO NOT TRY TO BRIBE THE POLICE
Unlike other South American police, who are extremely corrupt, Chilean police are very honest, which makes bribery a serious offence.
YOU CAN DRINK THE TAP WATER
Which is exciting because drinkable tap water is rare in South America. However, you should not drink the tap water long term in the Atacama Desert, due to the high mineral content.
More information ON TRAVELING SOUTH AMERICA
What To Know Before You Go to South America
14 Things I Love About South America
How To Stay Safe in South America
Gorgeous photo of the salt flat.
Thank you!
CUTE!