Chile has the distinction of being a Latin American country and at the same time, not being a Latin American country! Tourism in Chile, offers a lot of different avenues and options to explore. Whether you are looking for a dry desert or a fjord, Chile has something for you.
The North of Chile is one of the driest regions in the world. Yet it is the setting for one of the most extraordinary phenomena on earth. It takes a small amount of humidity for wind-blown seeds, sheltered under rocks, to give rise to the "Flowering Desert", changing the scenery dramatically, as if an outburst of color were sprouting from the dust of the northern desertland.
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The colors in this area are mostly ochre, gray, yellow and brown. The presence of small settlements around occasional oases disrupts the desert's color with delicate brushstrokes of green. In the mountain heights, the sound of the wind is usually the only companion in the pampas. The desert's solitude is disrupted by music from the quena, zampoña and charango as it leads the way to the following village. This music rides the wind like memories in their journey through the nitrate ghost towns and the abandoned machinery that once played a leading role in Chile's 19th Century economy.
Today, large copper mining operations and small gold, iron, lithium and silver mining extractions provide increasing revenues, but tourism is flourishing and awakening this region from its long lethargy.
In summer, visitors from all over Chile and its neighboring countries travel to the coast to enjoy the clean beaches and the warm waters if this part of the blue Pacific. Other tourist attractions are the wilderness areas speckled with lakes, salt flats and the enormous variety of species that inhabit the region. Breathtaking spectacles are the Tatio geysers that rise up to 10 meters and the geoglyphs set into the mountainsides, testimonies of the existence of ancient cultures that lived on the altiplanic plateaus. Their drawings of people, animals and geometric figures portrayed their connection with gods that heeded their prayers from the dazzling skies that later motivated the installation of some of the world's most important astronomy centers in this area.
The southernmost end, known as the "Green North", corresponds to the Coquimbo Region. It is known for its valleys interlaced by rivers that ripple down the mountains and flow into the sea, sustaining life in their course through farming towns with fertile lands and quality fruits, ripened under a benevolent sun and an unequaled climate.
In the midst of the Atacama Desert - among places that have never received one drop of rainfall - pampas speckled with salt flats and unexpected forests surprise visitors. The nitrate industry flourished in this very desert, providing the country's wealth for nearly one hundred years. Time has come to a halt here, in this lunar landscape.
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Water from the cordillera occasionally ripples down to the gorges along the mountain slopes, giving rise to oases, crops and villages of pre-Hispanic origin, and a rich flora of gigantic cacti.
The Altiplano forged between two mountain ranges, over 4, 000 m in altitude, is dotted by some of the world's highest volcanoes, and populated by Aymara shepherds who steer their herd through the beautiful National Parks: lakes, salt flats and authoctonous species.
The extended Central Valley of Chile congregates most of the population and the main cities - Santiago, Valparaíso and Concepción - which concentrate the country's industrial and financial activity. This region is also the country's agricultural heartland.
The valley is surrounded by two mountain ranges, the Coastal and Los Andes Cordilleras, which watch over the fertile farmlands like two guardians made of rock, vegetation and snow. The powerful waters that flow from the cordillera and the warm summer sunshine combine to give rise to the region's fine wine. A blend of grapevines, poetry, legend and tradition has made Chile one of the world's most renowned and award-winning wine producers.
Central Chile has a wide-ranging gastronomy that is enriched by the central coast's diversity of fish and seafood. It is also known for its cuisine based on poultry, pork and beef.
Central Chile is excellent for the practice of outdoor sports, especially in summer. However, winter sports resorts are an attraction for thousands of tourists every year, especially from Europe.
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