GRANITE · DESERT · WINE
Chile Holidays
Patagonia, the Atacama & Easter Island
WHAT TO SEE
Chile highlights
Torres del Paine
Walk beneath the granite Cuernos del Paine and see Grey Glacier in Torres del Paine National Park
Valle de la Luna
Watch the sunset light up the ridges of the Valle de la Luna near San Pedro de Atacama
El Tatio geysers
See the El Tatio geysers steam in the cold dawn air, more than 4,000 metres up
Valparaíso
Ride the old funiculars up the hills of Valparaíso, a UNESCO-listed port of coloured houses
Santiago
Take the cable car up Cerro San Cristóbal for views over Santiago to the Andes
Wine near Santiago
Taste Chilean wine at a vineyard in the valleys near Santiago
Puerto Varas and Osorno
Stay in Puerto Varas on Lake Llanquihue, with the snowy cone of Osorno volcano across the water
Chiloé
Visit the wooden churches and stilt houses of Chiloé, an island with traditions of its own
Easter Island
Stand before the fifteen moai of Ahu Tongariki on Easter Island
When to go
The best time to visit Chile
October to April
Summer in Patagonia, with long days for walking in Torres del Paine. Santiago and the wine valleys are warm and dry from December to March.
April to June
A good time for the Atacama, with clear skies and cold nights at altitude. The grape harvest in the valleys near Santiago runs from March to May.
December to March
Summer rains in the high Andes can close the roads to some Atacama sights. Rain is possible in the Lake District in any month.
Where to go
The best places to visit in Chile
Chile runs more than 4,000 kilometres from north to south, so one holiday can take in a desert and a glacier. You can watch flamingos feed on a salt lake in the Atacama, walk beneath the granite peaks of Torres del Paine and spend an afternoon among the vineyards outside Santiago.
Our Chile holidays are tailor-made from the UK. Most begin in Santiago, with a night or two in Valparaíso, then head south to the lakes and volcanoes around Puerto Varas, the island of Chiloé and Torres del Paine. The Atacama Desert and Easter Island are the two places people most often add. When we book your flights from London and inside Chile with the rest of the holiday, the whole holiday is ATOL protected.
GRANITE & ICE
Torres del Paine and the far south
Near the southern tip of the country, the Cuernos del Paine rise straight out of Lake Pehoé, granite horns capped with dark rock above water the colour of jade. Torres del Paine National Park is the heart of Chilean Patagonia: glaciers, lakes, guanacos on the grassland and some of the finest day walks in South America.
At Grey Glacier, ice from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field breaks off into a lake dotted with icebergs. We plan a few nights in or close to the park, so you can walk at your own pace and be out early, when the light on the peaks is best.
MOON & SALT
The Atacama and its salt flats
In the far north, the Atacama is one of the driest places on Earth. The adobe village of San Pedro de Atacama sits at about 2,400 metres, a base for the Valle de la Luna, whose ridges of salt and clay glow at sunset, and for the flamingos of Laguna Chaxa on the Salar de Atacama.
At dawn, the El Tatio geysers steam in the freezing air at more than 4,000 metres. At that height we keep the first day gentle. The desert sky at night is very clear, and an evening of stargazing is easy to add.
BETWEEN PLACES
Glaciers, geysers and flamingos
CITY & COAST
Santiago, Valparaíso and the vineyards
Santiago, the capital, fills a wide valley with the Andes along its eastern side. Ride the cable car up Cerro San Cristóbal for the view across the city, and spend a day at a vineyard just outside it.
On the coast, Valparaíso climbs a ring of steep hills above the Pacific. Its historic quarter is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and old funiculars still carry people up to lanes of painted houses and street art. It is about an hour and a half from Santiago by road, an easy day out or a night on the coast.
LAKES & VOLCANOES
The Lake District and Chiloé
Further south the land turns green. Puerto Varas sits on Lake Llanquihue, with the snowy cone of Osorno volcano across the water and wooden houses built by German settlers. Close by, the Petrohué river pours over black volcanic rock in Chile's first national park.
A short ferry crossing takes you to Chiloé, an island of fishing villages, wooden churches on the UNESCO World Heritage list and the palafitos, painted stilt houses over the water in Castro.
BETWEEN PLACES
Ports, palafitos and moai
Add the desert, or an island
Santiago pairs naturally with Patagonia or the Lake District, and many people add the Atacama in the north. Easter Island, Rapa Nui to its people, lies far out in the Pacific, about five and a half hours by air from Santiago, with the moai of Ahu Tongariki and its own Polynesian culture. Tell us what you would like to see and we will shape it into one holiday.
Practical answers
Know before you go to Chile
Getting there
About 14.5 to 20 hours
There is a non-stop flight from London Heathrow to Santiago a few days a week until late March 2027, about 14 and a half hours, subject to availability. On other days, and for later dates, flights change once, often in Madrid, São Paulo or Buenos Aires, about 17 to 20 hours in all. When we book your flights with the holiday, along with the flights inside Chile, the whole holiday is ATOL protected.
Language
Spanish
Spanish, spoken fast and with plenty of local words. English is common in hotels, lodges and with guides, less so elsewhere, so a few words of Spanish go a long way. On Easter Island you will also hear Rapa Nui.
Money
Chilean pesos, cards widely taken
The Chilean peso (CLP). Cards are taken in hotels, restaurants and most shops in towns; carry some cash for markets, tips and small villages. ATMs are easy to find in the cities.
Plugs
Type C and L, 220 V
Type C and type L plugs, two or three round pins, at 220 V and 50 Hz. UK devices need a plug adaptor but no voltage converter.
Phone and internet
An eSIM is easiest
Buy an eSIM before you leave, or a local SIM once you arrive. Signal is good in towns and cities and patchy in the national parks and on long desert roads. Hotels and lodges have wifi, often slow in remote places.
Time zone
3 to 5 hours behind the UK
Mainland Chile is 3 hours behind the UK from late October to late March and 5 hours behind from April to early September, with 4 hours in between. Chilean Patagonia (Magallanes) keeps one time all year, 3 or 4 hours behind the UK. Easter Island is 2 hours behind mainland Chile.
Tap water
Yes in the cities, but hard
Tap water in the main cities is treated and safe to drink, but it is hard and can upset a stomach that is not used to it. Many visitors drink bottled water, and in the countryside it is the safer choice.
Tipping
Around 10 percent
In restaurants a tip of around 10 percent is usual, and the bill often suggests it, so check before you add more. Tips for guides and drivers are up to you.
Visa and entry
No visa for up to 90 days
UK passport holders can visit Chile as tourists for up to 90 days without a visa. Your passport must be valid until the day you leave. At immigration you get a tourist card: keep it with your passport, as you hand it back when you leave. Easter Island has its own entry form and a 30-day limit. Children travelling without both parents need a notarised permission letter. Check gov.uk before you book and again before you fly.
Health and vaccinations
Check 4 to 6 weeks before
No vaccination certificate is needed to enter. TravelHealthPro, the UK travel health service, says routine vaccines should be up to date, with hepatitis A for some travellers. Dengue has been reported on Easter Island, so avoid mosquito bites there. In the Atacama, altitude is the main thing: El Tatio is above 4,300 metres. See your GP or a travel nurse 4 to 6 weeks before you go.
These answers were checked on 13 November 2026. Entry rules change, so check the UK government travel advice for Chile before you book and again before you fly. For vaccinations, TravelHealthPro's Chile page has the full advice.
Which eSIM should I buy for Chile?
An eSIM gets your phone online as soon as you land. You buy it online, install it at home on wifi and switch it on when you arrive. Most phones from the last few years take one: if yours does, its settings will offer "Add eSIM". All three below work in Chile; where they differ is how you pay for data.
Best for set data
Airalo
Airalo has the widest choice of plan sizes and a Latin America plan if you are visiting more than one country. When we checked, it was usually the cheapest for a set amount of data, such as 10 GB.
Best for a laptop
Saily
Saily is priced close to Airalo, the app is simple, and it puts no limit on hotspot use, so it is a good pick if you need to connect a laptop. Our code TRAVELFAB takes 10 percent off.
Best for unlimited
Holafly
Holafly sells unlimited data only, priced by the number of days, so you never have to keep an eye on it. Sharing it as a hotspot is capped at 1 GB a day. Our code TRAVELFAB takes 5 percent off.
For maps, WhatsApp and photos, 5 GB is plenty for two weeks, and a set amount of data is the cheaper way to buy it. For video calls or working on the road, go unlimited.
We may earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It never adds to your price, and it does not change which one we suggest.
Before you book
Your Chile holiday questions
No. UK passport holders can visit Chile as tourists for up to 90 days without a visa. Your passport must be valid until the day you leave Chile. At immigration you get a tourist card: keep it with your passport, as you hand it back when you leave. Check gov.uk before you book and again before you fly.
It depends on where you go. Patagonia is best from October to April, the southern spring and summer, when the days are long. The Atacama can be visited all year: April to June is a good time, nights at altitude are below freezing, and from December to March summer storms in the high Andes can close the roads to some sights. Santiago and the wine valleys have warm, dry summers from December to March, and the grape harvest runs from March to May. Rain is possible in the Lake District in any month.
There is a non-stop flight from London Heathrow to Santiago a few days a week until late March 2027, about 14 and a half hours, subject to availability. On other days, and for later dates, flights change once, often in Madrid, São Paulo or Buenos Aires, about 17 to 20 hours in all. When we book your flights with the holiday, along with the flights inside Chile, the whole holiday is ATOL protected.
About two weeks covers Santiago and Valparaíso, the Lake District and Chiloé, and Torres del Paine. Add four or five days for the Atacama, and three or four nights for Easter Island. Distances are long, so we use domestic flights between the regions.
San Pedro de Atacama is at about 2,400 metres, and the El Tatio geysers and the high lagoons are above 4,000 metres. Most people feel the height a little. We keep the first day easy, and the high excursions come later in your stay. If you have a heart or lung condition, ask your GP before you book.
Yes, and they pair well. Patagonia spans both countries, so Torres del Paine combines with the Perito Moreno Glacier and El Chaltén on the Argentine side, and Buenos Aires is a short flight from Santiago. Tell us what you would like to see and we will plan the route.
Before you fly, you fill in the online Rapa Nui entry form, and you need a return ticket and a stay at accommodation registered with SERNATUR, the national tourism service. Visitors can stay up to 30 days. The moai sites are in Rapa Nui National Park, which needs a park ticket and is visited with an accredited guide. When we plan your stay, we tell you what applies and when.
The UK Foreign Office does not advise against travel to any part of Chile. As in any big city, watch for pickpockets in Santiago and Valparaíso, and stay away from demonstrations. Chile also has earthquakes and active volcanoes, and gov.uk explains what to do. Read the FCDO advice before you book and again before you travel.
Real reviews
What our customers say
They organised excellent accommodation and transfers from airport to destination and between destinations which was seamless and gave us peace of mind for our trip. We stayed in the nicest casa particular in Havana right on the outskirts of the major hustle of the old town but within walking distance to every site and lots of lovely restaurants. Our hotel in Varadero had 5 a la carte restaurants which were delicious and wonderful beaches! Would definitely go back to Cuba and use TravelFab again.
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Excellent service. Fabien responded to all our queries promptly and efficiently and was always willing to spend time talking to us. The itinerary was well-considered and well-organised with an adequate amount of time in each location. Locations were varied and interesting. The service provided by the B&B owners was good to outstanding. The organisation of the coach services for transfers from one destination to another was super with comfortable journeys in clean, air-conditioned coaches. Thanks, TravelFab!
David
I was very impressed with Fabian's dedication, patience and professionalism in organising a group of 8 young persons (over 60's) to get to Cuba. The whole experience has been a very positive one. Despite having to relocate to another hotel at the last minute, that change over went very smoothly. Our accommodations were excellent. We will definitely book with TravelFab again. Thank you!
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