The Rough Guide to Chile (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

580 Pages·2009·1.45 MB·English

by  Melissa Graham, Andrew Benson

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Rough Guides are designed E:GJ
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a comprehensive index.
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This fourth edition
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published August 2009.
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The publishers and authors have done their best to ensure the accuracy and
currency of all the information in The Rough Guide to Chile, however, they can
accept no responsibility for any loss, injury, or inconvenience sustained by any
traveller as a result of information or advice contained in the guide.
US$24.99 CAN$28.99
I S B N 978-1-84836-175-1
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The Rough Guide to
Chile
written and researched by
Melissa Graham and Andrew Benson
with additional contributions by
Anna Khmelnitski, Shafik Meghji and Charlotte Turner
www.roughguides.com
Contents
Colour section 1 Contexts 489
Introduction ............................... 5 History ................................... 491
Where to go ............................... 7 Landscape and the
When to go .............................. 12 environment ........................... 513
Things not to miss ................... 14 Chilean music: Nueva
Canción ................................. 519
Basics 25 Books .................................... 527
Geting there. 27 Language 537
Getting around......................... 34
Accommodation....................... 40 Chilian Spanish ...................... 539
Eating and drinking .................. 44 Pronunciation......................... 539
The media ................................ 48 Words and phrases ................ 540
Festivals................................... 49 Food: a Chilean menu
Spectator sports ..................... 51 reader .................................... 542
Outdoor activities .................... 54 Drinks and beverages ............ 545
National parks and reserves .... 60 Idiom and slang ..................... 545
Shopping ................................. 62 Glossary................................. 547
Living and/or working in Chile ...63
Travel Essentials . 64 Travel store 549
Guide 73
Small print & Index 555
1 Santiago and around........... 75
2 Valparaíso, Viña and the
Central Coast .................... 129 Adventure sports
3 El Norte Chico................... 159 colour section
4 El Norte Grande ................ 199 following p.152
5 The Central Valley ............. 251
6 The Lake District ............... 297
7 Chiloé................................ 355 Chilean wildlife
8 The Carretera Austral ........ 379 colour section
9 Southern Patagonia .......... 411 following p.376
G Tierra del Fuego................ 443
H Easter Island and the Juan
Fernández Archipelago ..... 463
3
왗왗 Vicuña near Putre 왗 Volcán Parinacota
| CONTENTS |
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| INTRODUCTION | WHERE TO GO | WHEN TO GO
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Introduction to
Chile
A long, narrow sliver of land, clinging to the edge of a
continent, Chile has often drawn attention to itself for
its wholly implausible shape. Seen in the pages of an
atlas, the country’s outline strikes you as aberrant and
fantastical; 4300km in length (the equivalent of Norway
to Nigeria), and with an average width of just 175km,
the very idea of it seems absurd. Once you’re on Chilean
soil, however, these boundaries make perfect sense,
and visitors quickly realize that Chile is a geographically
self-contained unit. The Andes, the great mountain range
that forms its eastern border, are a formidable barrier
of rock and ice that cuts the country off from Argentina
and Bolivia. The Atacama Desert, a thousand-kilometre
stretch of parched wasteland, separates it from Peru to
the north. And to the west, only a few islands dotted in
the Pacific Ocean break the waves that roll onto Chile’s
coast from Australasia.
All this has created a country distinct from the rest
of South America and one that defes many people’s
expectations of an Andean country. It is developed,
relatively afuent, and – with the exception of the
infamous military Pinochet regime of the 1970s and
1980s – boasts a long tradition of political stability and
orderly government. It is, without doubt, one of the
safest and most relaxing South American countries to
travel in. Its buses are comfortable and run on time.
Its people are polite, respectful and discreet. And, by regional standards, its 5
police are honest and relatively non-corrupt.
| INTRODUCTION | WHERE TO GO | WHEN TO GO
Fact file
• One of Chile’s most
outstanding features is its
shape – a long thin strip
4300km in length that takes
in an extraordinary diversity
of terrains.
• Some 16.7 million people
live in Chile, around one third
of them in Santiago. It has a
fairly homogenous mestizo
population of mixed Spanish
Above all, though, it is for its remote
and indigenous ancestry. Very
and dizzyingly beautiful landscapes that
few indigenous groups remain,
visitors head to Chile. With its popula-
only the Mapuche of the Lake
District and Aisén (numbering tion of sixteen million largely confned
around 600,000), the smaller to a handful of major cities, and a land
population of Aymara in the
area three times greater than the UK’s,
far north (around 48,000),
much of Chile is made up of vast tracts
Rapa Nui on Easter Island
of scarcely touched wilderness – places
(around 4000), Yámana
(around 1700) and Kawéskar where you can be days from the nearest
(around 2600) in Patagonia tarred road, and where it’s not unusual
and Tierra del Fuego.
to stumble upon steaming hot springs,
• Chile is one of the most gleaming white salt fats or emerald
developed countries in
lakes, and have them all to yourself.
Latin America, with the
Few countries, moreover, can match the
steadiest growth in the region.
According to figures produced astounding contrasts of scenery you’ll
by Transparency International, fnd here, ranging from the driest desert
a nongovernmental organi- in the world to immense ice felds and
zation associated with the
glaciers. Spread between these extremes
United Nations, Chile also has
is a kaleidoscope of panoramas, taking
the lowest level of corrup-
tion in Latin America, and is in sun-baked scrubland, lush vineyards
less corrupt than a number of and orchards, virgin temperate rainforest,
wealthier countries such as dramatic fjords and bleak Patagonian
France and Japan.
steppes. Towering over it all is the long,
• Although known throughout
jagged spine of the Andes, punctu-
the world for its infamous
ated by colossal peaks and smouldering
military dictatorship during
the 1970s and 1980s, Chile volcanoes.
has a long history of parlia- You can experience this wilderness
mentary democracy, and is in whatever style you choose – Chile
today probably the most
is not a developing country, and you
politically stable country in
6 don’t have to slum it while you’re here.
South America.
There are plenty of modest, inexpensive
왔 Barrio Bellavista in Santiago
| INTRODUCTION | WHERE TO GO | WHEN TO GO
accommodation options and camping facilities up and down the country,
while those on a more generous budget will fnd increasing numbers of
luxurious, beautifully designed lodges in spectacular locations, particularly
in the south. Whatever your budget, you’ll probably want to take advantage
of the numerous possibilities for outdoor activities, whether it be jeep rides,
bird watching, skiing, horse trekking, wine tours, hiking, volcano climbing,
sea kayaking, white-water rafting
or fy-fshing – all ofered by a Chile is, without doubt, one of the
large number of local outftters, and safest and most relaxing South
comprehensively detailed in this American countries to travel in
guide. If you have less active plans
in mind, you can sit back and take in Chile’s scenery from various ferry rides
in the south, on reasonably priced fights or on organized tours from most of
the main cities. However you do it, you won’t be disappointed.
Where to go
iven Chile’s great size, and the huge distances that separate the main
attractions, it’s important to give careful thought to your itinerary
before you go. If you want to experience both the northern and
Gsouthern extremes, you should invest in a LAN air pass (Wwww 7
.lanchile.com), unless you’re prepared to spend many hours sitting on a
| INTRODUCTION | WHERE TO GO | WHEN TO GO
왖 Hiking Volcán Villarirca
bus, or are in the country for an extended period. Otherwise, most visitors
with just two or three weeks to play with tend to choose between heading
north or south from Santiago, even then singling out a few chosen targets,
rather than trying to ft everything in. Something else to bear in mind is
that, on the whole, Chile’s cities are not that exciting, and are best used as
a jumping-of point to get out into the backcountry. In light of this, you
should seriously consider renting a vehicle for at least part of your trip,
as public transport to some of the most beautiful areas, including many
national parks, is non-existent. We discuss each region’s highlights in greater
detail in the chapter introductions; what follows is a brief summary of
attractions in each area.
Santiago, though boasting some fne monuments, museums and
restaurants, with its ceaseless noise and trafc and heavy pollution, is not
a destination city like Río or Buenos Aires, and two or three days here
is enough for most visitors. The capital is handy for visiting some of the
country’s oldest vineyards, while a string of splendid beaches as well as
Altiplano driving
The south of Chile may
have the monopoly on
outdoor activities, but
the north offers one of
South America’s most
exciting adventures:
driving across the
altiplano. Shared with
neighbouring Argentina,
Bolivia and Peru, the
altiplano is a high
plateau connecting
왖 The vast Altiplano
the eastern and western
ranges of the Andes, sitting at an altitude of up to 4500m. Beautiful
and desolate in equal measure, it’s a land of bleak, sunburnt plains
dotted with gleaming white salt flats, turquoise lakes and
snow-capped volcanoes. Huddled in their shadows are the tiny,
semi-abandoned villages of the indigenous Aymara, who’ve herded
llamas and alpacas up here for many centuries. You can visit the
altiplano on organized tours from Chile’s northern cities, but far and
away the best way to do it is by renting a sturdy 4WD, loading it up
with a tent, a stove and gallons of fuel and water, and heading up solo
– an experience that allows you to truly appreciate the wilderness, the
solitude and the sheer majesty of the place. Naturally, this is a
serious journey and you’ll need to take sensible precautions; for
more on driving through the altiplano, see Basics, p.38, and El Norte
8
Grande chapter.
| INTRODUCTION | WHERE TO GO | WHEN TO GO