Country guide
Chile
The Atacama's moonscapes, Patagonia's granite towers and Santiago's wine valleys, four thousand kilometres of latitude in one thin country.
Currency
CLP
Language
Spanish
English
Limited
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
Power
Type C / L
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+56
Destinations
Easter Island (Hanga Roa)
The most remote inhabited island on earth, where a thousand carved stone ancestors still stand with their backs to the Pacific.
✓ best Aug-MarTorres del Paine (Puerto Natales)
The best trekking in South America: three granite towers, a glacier you can walk to, and wind that never lets up.
✓ best Oct-MarThe sweet-spot windows
Good weather, thinner crowds, better prices: the windows worth aiming for.
| Where | When | Why it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atacama | Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct | Clear skies, mild days, epic stargazing. Good year-round | Cold nights all year |
| Santiago | Oct-Nov, Mar-Apr | Spring or autumn: warm, dry, wine country at its best | Jun-Aug cold + wet |
| Torres del Paine | Nov-Dec, Mar | Shoulder of trek season: fewer people, less ferocious wind | Jun-Aug winter, mostly shut |
Climate zones, month by month
Chile has 2 distinct climate zones. The right month depends on where in the country you're going.
Easter Island (Hanga Roa) →
✓ Best Aug-Mar
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Torres del Paine (Puerto Natales) Patagonia →
✓ Best Oct-Mar · ✗ Avoid Jun-Aug
Conditions Jan Peak trek, windy · Feb Peak trek · Mar Autumn color · Apr Cool autumn · May Cold, closing · Jun Winter · Jul Coldest · Aug Cold · Sep Spring starts · Oct Spring, windy · Nov Mild, windy
Cards tinted by verified verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions