Things to do in Chile

Follow the legendary W Trek to the base of the three granite towers, crossing glacial rivers and windswept pampas for an iconic Patagonian sunrise.

Visit the Operations Support Facility of the world’s most powerful radio telescope at 2,900m in the Atacama Desert, where the air is so dry the Milky Way casts a shadow.

Cycle between rolling vineyards and colonial haciendas to sample Chile’s signature reds, often directly from the barrel in family-run bodegas.

Wander steep, mosaic-tiled stairways and past houses painted in every colour, where every wall is a canvas for the city’s celebrated murals and graffiti.

Carve turns on the slopes of the still-steaming Volcán Chillán, then soothe tired muscles in natural hot springs at the base of the ski resort.

Paddle across the turquoise waters of General Carrera Lake to slip inside wave-carved caverns of swirling blue-grey marble, a surreal geological wonder.

Bar-hop along Pío Nono and side streets filled with bohemian bars, live-music venues and crumbling mansions turned clubs, keeping the beat until morning.

Explore the poet’s personal belongings, Nobel medal and letters in a whitewashed adobe house, then gaze at the Elqui Valley hills that inspired her verses.

Climb the rocky outcrop known as Piedra del Coyote at dusk, when the volcanic peaks of the Cordillera de la Sal burn orange and purple over the salt flats.

Pull up a stool at a marble counter inside the wrought-iron market hall, where fishmongers serve ceviche and steaming paila marina just steps from the morning’s catch.

Strap on crampons for a guided ice hike over crevasses and meltwater pools on the frozen tongue of Grey Glacier, with the vast Southern Patagonian Ice Field beyond.

Hike through ancient araucaria forests to the enigmatic stone platform of the Enladrillado, where indigenous rock art stares out over the Maule Valley.

Bathe in a chain of eight stone pools filled by thermal water rippling down a cactus-lined gorge, steam rising into the thin desert air.

Hop aboard wooden carriages like Ascensor Concepción, rattling up vertiginous hillsides for postcard views of the bay and the city’s corrugated roofs.

Paddle through the icy channels of Laguna San Rafael National Park, dodging floating bergs until the towering blue wall of the glacier groans and calves into the water.

Tour the whimsical five-storey home filled with shipwright’s portholes, nautical curios and the Nobel laureate’s desk, with a panorama of the port from the top-floor bar.

Ride across the vast estancia bordering Torres del Paine, following expert trackers who read the Patagonian steppe for signs of the elusive mountain lion.

Cycle between rows of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay grapes on a half-day bike tour, stopping at sleek wineries for crisp tastings with coastal breezes.

Examine the hauntingly preserved Chinchorro mummies, predating Egypt’s by millennia, alongside intricate llama-wool textiles in this desert-side museum near Arica.

Observe the only king penguin colony outside the subantarctic islands from a quiet boardwalk, as the stately birds guard their chicks against the windswept plain.

Tour a small-batch pisco distillery where muscat grapes are fermented and distilled, then taste Chile’s national cocktail under the clear valley sky.

Visit the striking glass-walled theatre built on stilts over Llanquihue Lake, with the Osorno Volcano perfectly framed behind the stage during intermission.

Plunge through turquoise chutes and towering standing waves on one of the world’s top whitewater runs, set against Patagonian peaks and lenga forests.

Wander through abandoned theatres, swimming pools and processing plants of a 19th-century nitrate boom town, a haunting UNESCO World Heritage site in the pampa.

Hurtle face-first down a 120m sand dune in Death Valley, Atacama, on a rented board as the sun toasts the surrounding lunar landscape.