CHILE
COUNTRY CONTEXT
Size: 292,260 mi² (756,626 km²); it's worth noting that Chile is skinny but LONG, making it time-intensive to navigate between regions. If you turned the country on its side, it’d stretch across the continental U.S.!
Languages: Spanish is the official language — though second-language speakers, be warned and give yourself grace, because Chilean Spanish is notoriously difficult to get used to; English was not too commonly spoken in our experience
Currency: Chilean peso (CLP or $; $ does NOT mean USD here)
Something You Should Know: Rapa Nui, otherwise known as Easter Island or Isla de Pascua, is a Chilean territory. You'll likely meet travelers making their way to the island from Santiago!
OUR TRAVEL SUMMARY
From the glaciers of the south to the moais of Rapa Nui, Chile is a place that feels impossible to summarize. We spent just about a month there, split between Valparaíso, Patagonia (Torres de Paine, Puerto Natales, and Punta Arenas), and Rapa Nui. We stayed in campsites, Airbnbs, and hostels and largely cooked our own food.
Cost-wise, Chile was the most expensive country we experienced in Latin America. Price-wise, it felt similar to the U.S. to us. That being said, it’s definitely possible to save money there by cooking and researching for budget accommodations — and, it’s worth it! I came away from the country with a longer, not shorter, bucket list of things I want to do and see in the country.
See below for our experience-specific guides!
