Santiago
The Chilean capital is a big city of nearly six million inhabitants, yet it has an almost provincial atmosphere, dramatised by the constant backdrop of jagged Andean peaks looming over the smog on the horizon. Its main highlights for visitors are its Cathedral and the leafy hillside parks of Cerro Santa Lucía and Cerro San Cristobal.
Pirque
For a wine tour, head to the picturesque country town of Pirque, near Santiago, which is the home of one of Chile's most well-known vineyards. The owners' original country estate and mansion can be seen from the road, surrounded by the smaller cottages of the vineyards' workers.
Viña del Mar
Due west of Santiago, Viña is a tourist city of steel, glass and neon. It exists for the summer months, when hundreds of thousands of Chileans flock to its beaches. Traditionally the reserve of the well-off, it is now middle-class territory and the country's top coastal resort.
ChillánThe western-facing slopes of the smoking Volcan Chillán (3,122 metres) provide some for the finest open-slope skiing in the Andes. The Termas de Chillán, named for its famous thermal springs, is the base for the ski resort.
ChillánThe western-facing slopes of the smoking Volcan Chillán (3,122 metres) provide some for the finest open-slope skiing in the Andes. The Termas de Chillán, named for its famous thermal springs, is the base for the ski resort.
San Pedro de Atacama
This historic oasis village in northern Chile's Atacama Desert is dominated by the Lincancabur volcano, and lies at the centre of a region of immense geological interest. Nearby are geysers, huge salt lakes, hot springs, the weird and wonderful rockscape of Valle de la Luna, and Lago Chaxa, breeding site of pink flamingos.
The Lake District
Implausibly symmetrical, snow-capped peaks reflected in looking-glass lakes, quaint wooden hamlets steeped in healthy alpine air - the Lake District is Chile's natural wonderland. Many of its lakes, such as Villarrica, Chapo and Caburgua, fringe national parks, while one of the most breathtaking journeys in all South America, from Puerto Montt to San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina, traverses lakes Llanquihue and Todos los Santos.
Laguna San Rafael
The most popular attraction of the isolated Aisén region is without a doubt the Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael, with its magnificent glacier. Many visitors observe this spectacular ice wall from the comfort of one of the various boat cruises that sail through the archipelago from Puerto Montt.
Torres del Paine
Lying at the far south of the Andes mountain chain, this is Chile's most impressive national park, bursting with glaciers, lakes and gnarled Magellanic trees, and providing some of the most magnificent walking trails in the world. The knife-edged, granite Torres and Cuernos are a sight that few visitors will forget, while the park itself is full of animals, including guanacos, flamingos and condors.
Tierra del Fuego
The land at the southernmost tip of South America is the bleakest, stormiest part of the continent, yet it exerts a constant fascination for travellers who want to visit the last land-call before Antarctica. Chile owns some 30 percent of the archipelago, whose landscape is made up largely of treeless Patagonian plains, mountain forests and rain-sodden swamps.
Easter Island
Chile's Polynesian possession, nearly 4,000 km west of the mainland, is one of the world's most intriguing islands, dominated by more than 600 giant stone statues of unknown origin. The first inhabitants of Easter Island called their home Te Pito o Te Henua - the Navel of the World.
Atacama and Altiplano
The north of Chile is a stark desert landscape, which attracts visitors for its natural beauty. It offers fascinating wildlife, which is protected by a series of national parks. The Lauca National Park is the most visited and supports vicuñas, condors, vizcachas, guanacos, flamingos and herds of llamas and alpacas, which are kept by the Aymara shepherds. There is cultural interest, given by the local Indian populations, archaeological remains and Andean churches. The area surrounding the oasis of San Pedro de Atacama boats the Salar de Atacama salt flats, volcanoes such as Tocorpuri and Sairecahur, mineral rock formations, such as those found in the Moon Valley and the famous El Tatio geysers. In the vicinity of Iquique are some notable geoglyphs.
Santiago, Andes and Central ValleysSantiago, Chile's capital city, is located in the country's central valley region. It is the centre of the political, economic and cultural life. From a geography and climate point of view, it is a parenthesis in the long and narrow strip of land that is Chile. Distinctive characteristics are the beautiful valleys, where the well-known Chilean wines originate, and the agreeable Mediterranean climate. Santiago is nestled between the high peaks with their winter sports centres and a privileged coastline.
Araucania, Lakes and Volcanoes
Southern Chile is one of the most attractive areas for visitors, thanks of its numerous lakes and lagoons, white-water rivers, fertile valleys, millenarian forests, and a chain of national parks crowned by the peaks of numerous active volcanoes. Near Osorno you will find Lake Puyehue as well as the national park of the same name. On the shores of Lake Llanquihue, the most interesting destinations are Frutillar, Puerto Varas and the beautiful Saltos de Petrohué. Following the road south, we come to the Todos los Santos Lake. Puerto Montt is the starting point for the Southern Road, which takes you to Patagonia and the island of Chiloé.
Patagonia
Patagonia, land of legends, is particularly attractive to those who want unforgettable experiences in an untouched and uninhabited environment. Here you will find huge lakes, glaciers, icebergs, evergreen forests and hundred of miles of vast, treeless plains under the clear sky of the southernmost tip of the world. The Torres del Paine National Park is an absolute must, as is Lake Grey and Glacier Grey and the Laguna St Rafael.
IslandsThree islands in the Pacific Ocean are world renowned for their special attractions: Easter Island, with its gigantic moai sculptures, Robinson Crusoe Island, named after the protagonist of the famous novel about the man who was shipwrecked there, and Chiloé Island, a charming enclave in the South Pacific, famous for its fantastic myths and wild nature.
Povzeto po:
Ni komentarjev:
Objavite komentar