Chile FAQ

The best time to travel to Santiago is September to April. For Torres del Paine National Park and the Chilean Lake District, it is October to March. Patagonia Cruises only operate from October to March. The Atacama Desert is mild year-round, but nights are colder due to the higher altitude. Easter Island has a tropical climate and can be visited year-round. For skiing, the season runs from June to October.

The best places to visit in Chile are Easter Island, Punta Arenas, Santiago, the Aacama Desert, the Chilean Lake District, Torres del Paine National Park, and Valparaiso & Vina del Mar. For more information on this topic, you can read our blog post.

There are two time zones in Chile (Chile summer time UTC-3 and Easter Island summer time UTC-5). There are also daylight savings time changes of one hour. Eastern Standard Time in the US, for example, is either UTC-5 or UTC-4, depending upon daylight savings time.

The flight from Miami to Santiago takes 8 hours and 15 minutes.

The best way to plan a trip to Chile is to tell us what trip you want, when you want to travel, the number of passengers, and where you want to depart from. For an existing trip, you can either call us or complete the “Get Pricing Now” form on the itinerary page. If you want a personalized tour, you can either call us, email us, or complete the “Contact Us” form on our website.

Yes. Our clients choose their own departure dates, unless there is a cruise involved. In that case, we defer to the departure date of the ship.

All meals are listed on each itinerary as (B,L,D Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner). Breakfast is included daily. The other meals are either included or not, depending upon the itinerary.

We do not include airfare in the cost of our tours. We do, however, quote it for you and you can purchase it through us if you like. The cost of our airfare is usually the same or lower than what you can purchase yourself.

U.S., Australian, Canadian, and EU citizens (except Greece) require a valid passport (for the duration of your visit) and return ticket for stays of up to 90 days. Greek citizens can stay for up to 60 days. Australian, and Canadian citizens are required to pay a reciprocity fee (considered a multiple entry visa) of $95 and $132 respectively upon arrival (subject to change without notice due to currency fluctuations or other reasons). Citizens of other countries are advised to contact the Chilean embassy in their country before traveling.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website provides recommended and/or required vaccinations for each country. For Chile, it recommends that you should be up-to-date with routine vaccines such as measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and that you get your yearly flu shot. It also recommends that you get vaccinated for Hepatitis A and Typhoid, and Hepatitis B, depending upon your travel plans. Since rabies is present in bats in Chile, rabies vaccine is recommended if you will be involved in outdoor and other activities in remote areas that put you at risk for bat bites, such as adventure travel and caving.

Yes, we recommend travel insurance and strongly believe that you should be protected in the event that something unforeseen happens either before or during your trip. We work with Allianz Travel Insurance, AIG (Travel Guard Travel Insurance), and Travelex Insurance Services. **A Travelex plan can provide coverage for trip cancellation if you or a traveling companion test positive for coronavirus and must physically quarantine as a result, as certified by a physician.

You will need to check with your cell phone carrier prior to traveling, since every carrier is different.

Voltage: 200 V; Frequency: 50 HZ; Plugs: Type C (European 2-pin), and Type L (two round pins with a round grounding pin, all in a line). Travelers will require a voltage converter for 110-volt devices and plug adapters.

Independence Day is celebrated on September 18.

The main language in Chile is Spanish.

The main religion in Chile is Catholicism.