🇨🇱Chile

Valle de la Luna, Atacama

Salt-crusted desert formations named for their resemblance to the moon's surface, their eroded ridges and dunes glowing pink and orange at sunset in the driest non-polar desert on Earth. NASA has used the valley's terrain to test equipment intended for actual lunar and Martian missions. Stargazing here ranks among the best in the world thanks to minimal light pollution and consistently clear skies.

Torres del Paine

Granite towers and turquoise glacial lakes form Patagonia's best-known trekking circuit, with the multi-day W Trek and full O Circuit both drawing hikers from around the world. Guanacos, a wild relative of the llama, and occasionally pumas can be spotted across the park's open steppe. Weather here changes rapidly and dramatically, so layered clothing and flexibility are essential.

Valparaíso

A hillside port city known for its dense street art scene and a network of century-old funicular railways, called ascensores, that climb between the steep hillside neighborhoods. Its labyrinthine, brightly painted streets earned it UNESCO World Heritage status despite, or perhaps because of, its slightly worn, bohemian character. It sits just over an hour from Santiago, making it an easy day trip or overnight stay.

Easter Island

Isolated more than 3,500 kilometers from mainland Chile in the Pacific, this island is home to nearly 900 moai statues carved by the Rapa Nui people between roughly 1250 and 1500 AD. The statues' original purpose, honoring ancestors, and the logistics of their transport across the island remain subjects of ongoing archaeological study. Its remoteness requires a dedicated flight, but the payoff is one of the most singular cultural landscapes on Earth.

Santiago's Cerro San Cristóbal

A hill rising above Santiago, reachable by funicular, cable car, or a hiking trail, topped by a large statue of the Virgin Mary overlooking the city. On clear days, views extend to the snow-capped Andes forming a dramatic backdrop to the capital. The surrounding park includes a zoo and botanical gardens for those wanting a longer visit.

Chiloé Island

An archipelago known for distinctive stilted wooden houses called palafitos and a collection of UNESCO-listed wooden churches built without a single nail, reflecting a unique blend of indigenous and Jesuit missionary influence. Local mythology here, rich with sea creatures and witches, remains a genuine part of island culture. Its foggy, slower pace offers a marked contrast to mainland Chile.