Chile is a ribbon of a country, 4,300 km of it, threading the Andes against the Pacific. The north holds the Atacama and altiplano lagoons; the centre brings Santiago, vineyards and the painted hills of Valparaíso; Patagonia unfurls granite towers, fjords and glaciers in the deep south. Far out in the ocean sit Easter Island and its moai. Wine, seafood and a long literary tradition (Neruda, Mistral) give the culture its quietly proud, geographically stretched character.
Pablo Larraín's “No” (2012), with Gael García Bernal, was the first Chilean film nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar.
The Atacama is the driest desert on Earth: some weather stations there have never recorded a single drop of rain.
In San Pedro de Atacama (2,400 m), acclimatise before the 4,300 m geysers. An eSIM helps: Uber/Cabify in Santiago, domestic flights tracked and starry skies via astronomy apps.