Why Chile
The country is four thousand three hundred kilometres long for less than two hundred wide on average: it crosses the Atacama desert, the central wine valley, the region of lakes and volcanoes, Patagonia and the fjords. No other country offers that range within a single territory.
Add to it Easter Island, five hours by plane from Santiago, and a southern sky that has made the Atacama the world capital of astronomy.
Getting around
The distances make flying necessary for the long hops — Santiago–Calama for the Atacama, Santiago–Punta Arenas for Patagonia. Long-distance coaches are excellent, with seats that recline almost flat, but the journeys are counted in tens of hours.
A rental car is the right choice in the lake region and for the southern highway. In Patagonia, crossing into Argentina with a rental vehicle requires a notarised authorisation requested from the rental company in advance.
Money
Cards are widely accepted in the cities, less so in the rural south and on Easter Island, where cash is necessary. ATMs charge a high fixed commission: withdraw large amounts and rarely.
The country is the most expensive in South America. A ten per cent tip is offered automatically on restaurant bills; you can decline it, but it is customary to leave it.
Before you go
Torres del Paine park requires named reservations for the refuges and campsites before entering the W and O circuits, and entry is refused without them. They open months in advance and fill quickly.
Altitude is a real subject in the north: San Pedro de Atacama is at two thousand four hundred metres and the excursions climb beyond four thousand the very next day. Allow a day on site before the geysers.
In Santiago and Valparaíso, snatch thefts are common in the tourist districts: phone out of sight, bag in front of you, nothing in back pockets.