Torres del Paine National Park
Torres del Paine National Park is one of the most spectacular national parks in the country. A world biosphere reserve, it has a huge variety of plant and animal species which, with its incredibly beautiful setting has made it an almost unequalled destination for hikers and backpackers, ecology-lovers and adventure sportsmen alike.
Declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1978, the Torres del Paine national park is internationally recognized as one of the most beautiful, unique and uncontaminated places on the planet. It is a place of lakes, rivers, waterfalls, glaciers, forests and incredible wildlife, all of which make it an exciting destination for wildlife observers and adventure sportsmen alike.
Northwest of Santiago and east of the beach resort Viqa del Mar, Parque Nacional La Campana is the country's most overlooked park. But as one of its most spectacular places, you'll be glad the crowds don't know about it. The park's network of hiking trails cross ridges and scale summits with spectacular views from the Pacific Ocean to the Andean summit of Aconcagua (across the border in Argentina). It's also the last protected area of the endangered Chilean palm, which produces fruits known as coquitos (little coconuts) as well as a sweet molasses.
La Campana is open all year. Because of the maritime influence and the relatively high altitudes (up to 7,000 feet), it can be surprisingly cool, even in summer. Camping is possible, both in organized campgrounds and along the trail.
Also part of Chile are two notable Pacific possessions-the Juan Fernandez Islands and the famous Easter Island, both of which are administered as national parks. The Juan Fernandez islands are located about 404 miles off the Chilean coast, while Easter Island is situated 2,000 miles distant.
Most people have never heard of the 18th-century Scottish sea dog named Alexander Selkirk or the Juan Fernández Islands, 404 miles off the Chilean mainland. Yet they are part of our popular mythology.
The inhabitants of the Juan Fernández Islands today certainly aren’t shy about this unique claim to fame. Selkirk’s island was renamed Isla Robinson Crusoe in the mid-1970s, while another, which the Scotsman never visited, was renamed Isla Alejandro Selkirk. Hotel and street names in the islands’ only township refer insistently to the shipwrecked hero.
The town of San Juan Bautista, where almost all of the archipelago’s 600 inhabitants live, is located roughly where the shipwrecked sailor Alexander Selkirk spent his enforced leisure time. Set beneath forest-covered fists of stone with their peaks continually lost in gray mist, it has only a few unpaved streets, a small museum-library, a handful of restaurants and bars, and a soccer field. With motor vehicles few and far between on the island, the only noise is the never-ending howl of the wind.
Easter Island is one of the most isolated islands on Earth. Early settlers called the island "Te Pito O Te Henua" (Navel of The World). Officially a territory of Chile, it lies far off in the Pacific Ocean, roughly halfway to Tahiti. It is most famous for its enigmatic giant stone statues, built centuries ago, which reflect the history of the dramatic rise and fall of the most isolated Polynesian culture.
Not surprisingly, the well-publicized moai have overshadowed the island's other assets. But Rapa Nui is much more than a mind-boggling open-air museum. It usually comes as a surprise to many travelers to discover that Rapa Nui is also a superb playground for action-seekers. Scuba-diving enthusiasts swear that the waters here are the most crystal clear of the world, while surfies rave about the powerful waves of the Pacific. If hiking or horseback riding are more to your liking, there's no better way to discover the ancient sites than on foot or on horseback - the perfect combination of nature and culture. And if all you want to do is lie back and relax, a handful of sandy beaches awaits you.
So many things in such a tiny, raw patch of land. Rapa Nui is a magical place that never fails to make visitors' jaws drop in awe.
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