Chile Travel Guide: Tourist Attractions and Safety Tips to Know Before Your Trip to the 'Country of Poets'

Chile's tourism industry lost 60 percent of its revenue in 2019-2020 due to the social outburst protests and 95 percent in the 2020-2021 period due to the pandemic.

Before Chile's tourism sector was hurled with challenges, it was widely known for its hiking trails, culture, city life, and wildlife.

Chile also has its own quirks, such as being one of the few countries that have an officially funded and recognized UFO research bureau, according to Cascada Travel.

Chile designated the UFO research bureau as part of the Air Force, with a role of monitoring unusual aircraft activity.

The South American country is affectionately referred to by Chileans as the "pais del poetas" or the "country of poets," being home to two of the most well-known literary figures, namely Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda. Mistral and Neruda have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Chile Travel Safety Guidelines

The U.S. Department of State has issued an Alert Level 4 travel advisory for Chile, which means "do not travel" to the South American country.

Chile has been seeing large-scale demonstrations that periodically happen in Santiago and other cities in Chile. The State Department noted that demonstrations could happen with little or no notice, which can often result in disruptions to transportation, including service on public buses and the Santiago Metro.

If you decide to travel to Chile, the State Department advised travelers to follow the instructions of local authorities, including movement restrictions, and to obey all curfews.

The agency urged tourists to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate them in an emergency.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Chile due to a very high level of COVID-19 cases in the country.

The CDC recommends that travelers get a vaccine to better protect themselves against COVID-19 while traveling to Chile.

Chile's Tourist Attractions

Torres del Paine National Park is among Chile's widely popular destinations. The national park is located more than 100 kilometers north of the city of Puerto Natales in southern Patagonia, featuring mountains, glaciers, lakes, and rivers.

Tourists can hike in the park, but hiring professional guides for more than a day's hiking is recommended. In some areas, professional guides are mandatory, according to Planet Ware.

The Atacama Desert, the driest nonpolar desert on Earth, can be found in Chile. According to Live Science, scientists noted that the desert's inner core has been hyperarid for around 15 million years due to the combination of geologic and atmospheric conditions in the area.

The Atacama Desert contains many cavers, with evidence of pictographs created by an early man and where some of the world's oldest mummies were found.

If culture and city life is more of your game, Chile's capital Santiago can cater to your needs. It is home to the best museums and galleries, with shopping, dining, and hotel options.

Santiago has the Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda, the cultural center occupying part of the Palacio de la Moneda.

The Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts is also located in Santiago, featuring Chilean artists and priding itself on an extensive permanent collection of paintings, sculptures, and photos.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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