BackConquer high-soaring mountain tops and glide across icy waters, as Chile’s immeasurable beauty quenches all your aesthetic desires.
Why visit Chile for its natural beauty?
Chile’s long, narrow stretch of terrain encompasses an incredible range of climates, its northern tropical temperatures contrasting the subantarctic chill of its southern tip.
Across its 6,435 km coastline comes an astonishing diversity of natural landscapes, ranging from torrid Patagonia deserts to the imposing towers of the Andes.
Whether you decide to boldly trek the Andes’ screensaver-like scenes or absorb the soothing sounds of glistening glacial lakes, Chile promises to reveal the authentic majesty of nature.
Whatever your taste, Wayfairer encourages you to embrace the adventurer within and stride into the magic of Chile. Here’s our list of the best places to visit in Chile to experience its natural beauty.
- Conguillio National Park
- Grey Glacier – Torres del Paine National Park
- Lake Llanquihue
- Rapa Nui National Park – Easter Island
- Hanging Glacier – Queulat National Park
- Atacama Desert
- Cochamo Valley
- Radal Siete Tazas National Park
Have a look at our Chile Itineraries:
Conguillio National Park
Best For: Incredible Mountain Landscapes
One of the best places to visit in Chile is the Andes, which extends over seven countries, boasting some of the world’s highest peaks. As well as being a sanctuary for bustling biodiversity and intricate ecosystems, they manifest as the source of the magnificent Amazon River.
A trip to Conguillio National Park is your perfect gateway to discovering the grandeur of this colossal mountain range. The protection of this region has preserved some of the most pristine, undisturbed natural beauty in South America. This is why cougars, pumas and kodkod still wander through the park’s grounds.
The centrepiece of Conguillio National Park is its high-peaking, snow-capped volcano, as it soars 3,125 meters above its neighbouring tumble of mountains.
Llaima Volcano is one of the largest and most recently active in Chile and provides a captivating scenery from its surrounding slopes, which are covered in monkey puzzle trees. To complete this perfect picture, Conguillio Lake sparkles in a cerulean blue, contrasting its tumbling, evergreen surroundings.
Grey Glacier – Torres del Paine National Park
Best For: Experiencing Chile’s Glacial Majesty
It may seem surprising to find glaciers in South America, as Chile’s vast deserts and tropical forests starkly contrast these icy environments.
Even more astonishing is the Grey Glacier, a marvel which tumbles into the still waters of the Grey Lake within Torres del Paine National Park. This southern Chile national park is the most popular in the country, making a dazzling addition to your trip to Chile.
Torres del Paine National Park offers a remarkable range of landscapes, all of which nurture challenging hikes towards some of the most sought-after panoramas in the world. The park provides a mesmerising spectacle of South America’s largest glacial region, the South Patagonian Ice Field.
The Grey Glacier’s silver-grey hue and subtle tones of sparkling sky-blue distinguish it from other Chilean glaciers, stretching to around six kilometres in width and 30 metres at its peak.
Discover Torres del Paine National Park on our “Chile Off The Beaten Track” trip itinerary, which offers an intimate and authentic voyage across Chile’s most beautiful landscapes:
Lake Llanquihue
Best For: Peaceful Lakeside Towns and Volcanic Scenes
Further estuary beauty resounds from Lake Llanquihue, Chile’s second largest lake with an area of 860 square kilometres. Its outlet is the Maullin River, flowing directly into the Pacific.
These cerulean waters stretch between shores, home to secluded farmlands and densely forested Andean foothills, providing idyllic fishing locations for locals and travellers. Llanquihue’s lakeside towns, Puerto Varas and Puerto Octay, offer peaceful resides from which to marvel at the lake’s mesmerising beauty.
The highlight of these vistas is the distant rise of active volcanoes Osorno and Calbuco, which are sprinkled with snow. This nationally characteristic union of volcanoes and lakes combines stunning scenery with rejuvenating, fresh air.
Rapa Nui National Park – Easter Island
Best For: Discovering Chile’s Cultural and Natural History
This remote island is one of the best places to visit in Chile for ancient history and mysterious artefacts. It is accessed by a brisk flight from Santiago. Upon a trip to Easter Island, its rich historical archive and stunning landscapes await you.
Rapa Nui National Park, named after the island’s indigenous name, combines unique archaeological sites with stunning natural beauty. The distinctive triangular shape of the Chile National Park is formed by the lava flow adjoining three extinct volcanoes.
The most remarkable addition to this unique landscape is the stone monuments (called “moai”), which dot the park and were initially erected between the tenth and sixteenth centuries.
The infamous Ahu Tongariki consists of 15 impressive moai, which front an expansive stretch of the Pacific. Easter Island’s cliffy shores crown this landscape, offering a spectacular display of cultural and natural history, especially impressive alongside a lilac-blue sunset sky.
Hanging Glacier – Queulat National Park
Best For: Off The Beaten Track Glacial Beauty
The small, laidback village of Puyuhuapi, located along the Carretera Austral, is your perfect gateway to the beautiful Queulat National Park. The park encloses areas of the Puyuhuapi Volcanic Group and Patagonian Andes, encompassing awe-inspiring mountains and verdant forests.
Even among the park’s 1,541 square kilometres of paradisical landscapes, the celestial Queulat Hanging Glacier is the centrepiece. Framed by emerald rainforest, the show-stopping glacier hangs ethereally from a high cliff-edge atop a ravine, crashing downwards in immense waterfalls, eventually feeding into the Tempaños River.
Atacama Desert
Best For: Discovering The Uniqueness of Chile’s Pacific Coast
This Patagonian desert blankets 1,600 km of land within the northern region of Chile. Whilst you may be picturing a mundane, sandy scene, the Atacama Desert diverges from your typical desert landscape.
From the exploding fumaroles of thermal Tatio Geysers to copper-coloured rock and pastel-coloured lagoons – you will feel like you’ve stepped into a whimsical spaghetti western!
The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth, posing a noticeable contrast to your previous Chile sightseeing destinations. There are even areas in the desert, like the Valle de la Luna, which are home to unique rock formations that resemble the moon’s surface. You are introduced to a nourishing sense of solitude as you gaze at these remote, interstellar scenes.
Check out Tierra Atacama, an enchanting, luxury stay surrounded by the curious terrain of the Atacama Desert:
Cochamo Valley
Best For: Challenging Hikes Or Gentle Horseback Journeys
Cochamo is a small fishing village on the banks of Reloncavi Fjord in the Chilean Lake District, which provides an avenue to the gorgeous Cochamo Valley. This low-lying, U-shaped valley is encased by vertiginous granite peaks and is covered by evergreen vegetation, offering awe-inspiring views.
Whilst hikes surrounding Cochamo Valley have been recognised as quite challenging due to the sheerness of its surrounding peaks, horse-riding excursions are offered to accustom for a more relaxing experience.
Wherever you venture within the valley, you attain views of striking mountain tops that seem to desperately reach the sky, soaring over 900 metres from the upper valley floor. Whilst you gaze upon this unique landscape, the symphonic sounds of nature remind you of your seclusion from the busy urban life.
Radal Siete Tazas National Park
Best For: Waterfalls And Unique Topography
This national park is one of the best places to visit in Chile for an oasis of waterfalls. Located in the Curico Province, just 260 km southeast of Santiago, Radal Siete Tazas is tucked away within a lush, native forest.
There are two main attractions in the park which exhibit the mystifying possibilities of nature. Salto Velo de la Novia, a mesmerizingly tall waterfall (50 metres high), visually resembles its namesake: a “bride’s veil”. The fall’s cascading, celestial white beautifully contrasts the emerald foliage that fringes its surrounding cliff-sides.
The Siete Tazas (which translates to “seven cups”) are perhaps the most unique spectacle on this list. Millions of years of water erosion have resulted in this breath-taking phenomenon, where seven waterfalls pour between adjoining rockpools, or “cups”. What has evolved is something reminiscent of a fantasy land. A short trail leads to a perfect vista of the Siete Tazas, leaving an unforgettable timestamp in your magical trip to Chile.
Talk to a Wayfairer Travel Specialist and discover your perfect holiday in Chile
