Name: Dr. Alan Peacock
Honorary Research Fellow, University of Exeter - Editor, Primary Science Review

“The Andes landscapes and it’s Hot Springs
Thank you for a wonderful trip into the Cajon de Maipo in April- a visit I will never forget. The day was not routine but full of surprises- exactly how it should be! I remember the first view of the San Jose volcano; buying and eating Pan Amasado and Queso de Cabra from the small farm by the mountain track; inventing our own long walk over the hills and back along the river; stopping whenever needed for photos or a drink, or just to take in the sights and sounds of the cordillera, the glittering snow and the crystal-clear streams. Your commitment is to fulfilling everyone’s expectations, and you achieved this so well, especially with the final surprise- a sunset massage by the hot springs at Baños Colina! This is the best way to experience the Andes for the first time; you have found the right recipe, and I’m sure I will be back for more, one day. ”

Additionally to the focus topics like “The Great Spaces”, “The Flora and Fauna”, “The Vineyards”, etc. detailed in this section, our country offers an enormous array of activities. In the following we’ll mention some that might be of your interest. Don’t hesitate to request further information.

The Hot Springs
Chile forms part of the “Ring of Fire” (tectonic belt across the Pacific), with 2,085 volcanoes and 50 of these in activity… Chile is sitting on a Hot Spring! In the “Norte Grande”, the hot springs of “Pollorque”, “Aguas Calientes”, and near “San Pedro de Atacama”, the hot springs of “Puritama” are a true delight. Further south, the hot springs of “Laguna Verde” and “Socos”. In central Chile we have the hot springs of “Baños Colina”, “Termas del Corazón”, “Termas de Jahuel”, “Baños Morales”, “Valle de Colina”, and “Termas de Cauquenes”. In the south, we find the hot springs “Termas del Huife”, “Tolhuaca”, “Coñaripe”, “Termas de Chillán” and “Puyehue”. These last ones are also charming ski resorts.

Skiing
This beautiful sport arrived to Chile with the English immigrants at the end of 1900… the Andes Mountain Range and the volcanoes are part of our everyday life.
Centro (Central Chile): In winter the Andes Mountain Range and its magnificent winter sports resorts, “Portillo”, “Valle Nevado”, “La Parva”, “Colorado”, each one invites us with a different style and very good facilities. They are at a distance of less than an hour, by car.
In the south, the “Termas de Chillán”, the “Villarrica” volcano and the hot springs of “Puyehue”.
In the Patagonia, at “Punta Arenas”.

The Beach
More than 4,000 kms of coast…postcard beaches of white fine-sand beaches, some volcanic and black, the fashionable, the popular and the wild and rugged…
In the “Norte Grande”, with the exception of “Calama” and “San Pedro de Atacama”, the rest of the cities in this region are costal, with excellent beaches, specially “Arica” and “Iquique”. There is no risk of clouds, let alone rain. Lodging, transport and other utilities are identical to those in the Capital.
In the “Norte Chico”, the splendid climate and the abundance of good hotels make “La Serena” one of the most important beach resorts in Chile. About two hours travel north of La Serena we have “Bahía Inglesa”, a small resort with a beautiful beach.
Centro (Central Chile): “Viña del Mar”, “Reñaca”, “Concón”, “Tongoy”, “Los Vilos”, “Puerto Velero”, “Pichilemu”.

Chile from the skies
To fly above Chile is a magnificent, unforgettable experience. Travelling above the Andes Mountain Range, the volcanoes, the lakes, the forests and the rivers, always escorted by the Pacific and the Andes… If you are a pilot, we’ll accompany you to validate your license in Santiago (under 2 hours), you will have to take an exam, in flight for one hour, and… Viva Chile! Of course, flying above Chile as a passenger is just as thrilling.

The Whales
In the Norte Chico (lower north): In the sea at “Punta de Choros”. In the South facing “Maullín” and in the island of “Chiloé”. In the Patagonia, around the “Parque Francisco Coloane”, in the Straight of Magellan.

The Horse
All over Chile one can practice walking and horse ridding; if you go to the “Norte Grande”, at “San Pedro de Atacama”; if you go to the “Norte Chico”, in the “Valle de Elqui”; if you come to central Chile we suggest you go to the “Cajón del Maipo”; if you go south, in the “Parque Nacional Conguillío”; and if you would like to treck the Patagonia on horseback, the “Parque Nacional Torres del Paine”.

Steam-powered Trains
In the “Norte Grande”, at “Antofagasta”; in the “Norte Chico”, at “Copiapó”; in central Chile, at “Los Andes”, “San Fernando” and “Constitución”, and in the south, at “Valdivia” and “Temuco”.

The Mountain
The Andes Mountain Range, more than 2,000 volcanoes… for the fans of mountain climbing! Chile is lavish in options: walks, climbing and skiing in luxurious landscapes. In the “Norte Grande”, at the “Ojos del Salado”, the highest active volcano in the world (6,893 mts); in central Chile, at the “Volcan San José” and “El Plomo”. In the south, the “Villarrica” and “Osorno” volcanoes; and in the Patagonia, at the magnificent “Torres del Paine”.

Lodge at a family guesthouse
We suggest, with enthusiasm, you live the experience of Chilean hospitality staying a night or two at the home of a local family. We have chosen a few that are so friendly that you will want to come back once and again.

Cruises through the Patagonian fjords…

At present Chile has 32 “Parques Nacionales” (National Parks), 48 “Reservas Nacionales” (National Reserves) and 15 “Monumentos Naturales” (Natural Monuments), along a total area of about 14 million ha., that is, 20% of the country’s territory. The natural resources of the national parks - flora, fauna, water resources, etc. - can’t be used. On the other hand, those resources that are in the national reserves can be used for commercial purposes, on condition that the reserve isn’t impaired or the resources diminished, and they can be sustained.

The best known sites are, from north to south:
Norte Grande (upper north):
Parque Nacional Lauca:
Parque Nacional Lauca , (138.000 ha.), Parque Nacional Volcán Isluga (175.000 ha.), Parque Nacional Nevado Tres Cruces, Parque Nacional Pan de Azúcar (43.000 ha.)
Norte Chico (lower north):
Parque Nacional Fray Jorge (10.000 ha)
Centro (Central Chile):
Parque Nacional La Campana (8.000 ha.), Parque Nacional El Morado (3.000 ha.) Reserva Río Los Cipreses (37.000 ha.), Reserva Nacional Radal Siete Tazas (7.700 ha.)
Sur Región de los Lagos (Lakes Region):
Parque Nacional Conguillio (61.000 ha.) Parque Nacional Nahuelbuta (7.000 ha.), Parque Nacional Tolhuaca (6.500 ha.), Parque Nacional Huerquehue (12.500 ha.), Parque Nacional Villarrica (61.000 ha.), Parque Nacional Vicente Pérez Rosales (251.000 ha.), Parque Nacional Puyehue (107.000 ha.), Parque Nacional Alerce Andino (39.000 ha.).
Patagonia:
Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael (1.742.000 ha), Parque Nacional Queulat (154.000 ha.), Parque Nacional Torres del Paine (13.500 ha).
Islas (Islands):
Parque Nacional Rapa Nui in Easter Island (7.100 ha.), Parque Nacional Archipiélago Juan Fernández in Robinson Crusoe Island (9313 ha.) and the Parque Nacional Chiloé in the Chiloe Island (43.000 ha.).

Sport fishing in Chile began in 1893 when Isidora Goyenechea, the wife of a wealthy mining tycoon, established the first fish rearing centre in the country. There were no trout in Chile, but they adapted quickly because they found an ideal environment in Chilean rivers and lakes. But as it usually happens with introduced exotic species, in the Chilean environment, these tough and aggressive fish quickly conquered the native “percatrucha” (south american perch, Percichthys trucha), banishing it.
Nowadays the “trucha arcoiris” (rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss) and “trucha de rio” or “trucha café” (brown trout, Salmo trutta fario) are amply distributed along the south and attain prominent sizes in many of the most important rivers and lakes. The “salmón del atlántico” (atlantic salmon, Salmo salar), “salmon coho” (Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch) and the “trucha cabeza de acero” (steelhead trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus), introduced during the last 20 years, can be found in restricted areas and they travel up river in mid summer or at the summer end (February - April). The fishing season is from October to April in most regions. Some areas are subject to a special ruling, although they haven’t developed at the same speed as the sport, specially in “Tierra del Fuego”. The habit of catch and release fishing is growing, although it’s still quite uncommon. Chile is full of adequate and beautiful places for fishing. A luxury we put in reach of any enthusiast, rely on us to offer you the best alternatives.

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The European and north American astronomers get lost when they look up at the southern hemisphere’s sky: Orion is viewed upside-down or on its side; Polaris can’t be seen, and the sun seems lost following its path through the sky. On the other hand, the Southern Cross gives us a picture difficult to forget, and the Magellanic Clouds, two galaxies of the Milky Way with two irregular satellites, located 180,000,000 light years away, aren’t well known although they are very visible.
Thanks to the dryness of the “Atacama” desert and the absence of light pollution, the biggest astronomy research centres in the world have built a series of giant observatories on the slopes of the Andes, between “La Serena” and “Copiapó”. It’s here where you can view the most transparent sky in all the southern hemisphere.
In the “Norte Grande”, the “Observatorio Europeo del Sur” (European Southern Observatory ESO), the most important European organization in the ground-based astrophysical field, merging eight European countries, recently built its “Telescopio de Gran Apertura” (Very Large Telescope, VTL), at the “Observatorio Paranal”, near Antofagasta.
This is a network of four telescopes, each one with a main mirror of 8,2 mts diameter. The VLT is equipped with various astronomical instruments, allowing observations that cover a broad spectral region, from deep ultraviolet (300 nm) to mid-infrared (24 µm) wavelengths.
In the same region, on the plateau “Llano de Chajnator”, at 5,100 mts in altitude, at present, the first global project on astronomy, the “interferómetro” ALMA (Atacama Large Millimetre Array), formed by 64 sub millimetre high precision antennas, 12 mts in diameter each.
In the “Norte Chico” region there also is a number of famous observatories: “La Silla” (ESO) , located near “La Serena”, at an altitude of 2,450 mts in the mountain range, implemented a 3,60 mts telescope in 1976. The “Observatorio Interamericano de Cerro Tololo” (Cerro Tololo Astronomical Observatory) is building an 8 mts. optical/infrared (Gemini) telescope, near its present facilities, and the “Observatorio Las Campanas” (Las Campanas Observatory), that belongs to the Carnegie Institution of Washington, has two 6,5 mt. telescopes.
Although the observatories allow guided tours during the day, only the “Observatorio de la Comunidad” (“Mamalluca” public observatory), on “Mamalluca” hill, is open during the night for viewing the stars. It’s located 5 kms. from the town of “Vicuña” and has a 12 inch (30 cms.) diameter telescope, and can be used by the public. But in this region, even at a simple glance, one can discover new constellations, galaxies and worlds.

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In “Monte Verde”, south of Chile, are some of the oldest human remains found in South America, belonging to a culture of hunters of mammoths, horses and other mammals and, south of Patagonia is one of the worlds reserves of preserved rock paintings.
The discovery in “Monte Verde”, 1976, of the oldest human settlement in the American continent, might contribute with evidence to prove that this region was already inhabited more than 30,000 years ago. This discovery was reported in 1979, and recently, in 1998, was accredited by the scientists. The American Association for the Advancement of Science, assembled at Philadelphia during its annual symposium, recognised the work of the US archaeologist and professor Tom Dillehay, from the University of Kentucky and the Chilean geologist Mario Pino, from the “Universidad Austral”.
The “Monte Verde” site is located 35 kms south of “Puerto Montt” and it rejects the hypothesis that claims that the first inhabitants of America were the Clovis Culture, 1,500 years after the inhabitants of “Monte Verde”. In South America, we have at least nine sites with remains older than 9,000 years and archaeologists have great difficulty raising funds to finance these studies.

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The oldest archaeological remains found in Chile come from between 10,000 and 14,000 years, a period that coincides with the end of the ice age and the arrival of inhabitants to America.
Most probably Chile was inhabited, to a great extent, during the Palaeolithic.
Due to the extreme aridity of Chile’s north hundreds of archaeological sites have been preserved during the last 10,000 years. The quantity and quality of these sites has allowed archaeologists to reconstruct, with extreme detail, the history of this region, unique and vibrant, attracting professional archaeologists as also amateurs every year from all over the world.
A superb example of desert preservation of remains is the “Chinchorro” culture, made up of hunters and coastal gatherers that lived in the valley of “Azapa”, near “Arica”. The archaeologists discovered a mummy from 8,000 B.C. preserved in the sand, one of the oldest examples of artificial mummification in the whole world. During 6,000 years remains have been deposited on the coast, in the inner valley, at the desert’s oasis and in the “altiplano”. The findings of this period reveal a variety of fishing techniques and methods, the first signs of domestication of “llamas” and a life style that was becoming increasingly sedentary.
The first plant cultures began in the north of Chile about 2,000 years B.C. Additionally, there began an economic and cultural exchange with the tribes from south Peru and north-east Argentine, something that brought new agricultural techniques, new textiles, ceramics and basket weaving. The enormous hieroglyphs that can be seen on the slopes of hills (as geometric patterns similar to the Peruvian ones at “Nazca”), might have been used as signals for the ritual journeys with caravans of “llamas” that transported their products from the “altiplano” to the coast and vice versa.
Since the 3rd century A.D., the “Tiwanaku” empire, from lake “Titicaca”, transformed the northern Chilean culture, incorporating metallurgy, advanced agricultural techniques, and new ceramic designs.
About 1,000 years A.D., the “Tiwanaku” empire started to decline and new civilizations appeared in the northern regions. They built stone fortresses called “pukarás” near “San Pedro de Atacama” (Quitor was built in the 12th century) and on the shores of the rivers “Loa” and “Salado”, in the mountains and also at the east of Arica.
The independence of these regional civilizations was ephemeral, they fell under the rule of the Incas during their great expansion in 1470. The Incas transformed “San Pedro de Atacama” into their regional management centre and built a wall next to the fortress of the aboriginal people of “Atacama”. But these new governments had just been established when Diego de Almagro passed through the “altiplano” to begin the conquest of Chile.

The most important archaeological sites:
“Tambo de Chungará”, “Refugio Rocoso Las Cuevas” and “Chacos incaico” Museo arqueológico del Padre Le Paige reconstructs the history of the populations of the “Salar de Atacama”.

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TRAVEL IDEAS:

The desert´s summon (San Pedro de Atacama, 3 days)
The Limitless Cosmos of Atacama “San Pedro de Atacama” 4 days

In the year 1520, the Portuguese explorer Fernando de Magallanes was the first European to set foot on Chilean territory, when he arrived at Chiloé, the island in the Chilean south. He explored the south and named “Patagonia” and “Tierra del Humo” (land of smoke) the shores of the straights that led him through to the Pacific Ocean. It was when he saw the aboriginal campfires that Magallanes named this place “Tierra de Humo”, but the king in Spain renamed the region “Tierra del Fuego”.
As to the name “Patagonia”, the legend says that Magallanes, who was a constant reader of the epic novels of his times, would have seen indigenous people wearing masks like the head of a dog. By the resemblance with a character of the novel “Prima León”, where it narrates the capture of a giant called “El Gran Patagon”, that also wore a mask like the head of a dog, he thought of the name “Patagonia”.
However, different indigenous groups inhabited the Patagonia before the arrival of the Spaniards. Their culture wasn’t very developed, and we only have traces of these populations (caverns, rock paintings, carved rocks and shell middens). The “Tehuelches” were nomads, hunters of “guanacos” and “ñandú”. They were tall and brawny and the name “Patagones” was due to having enormous feet, compared to the European explorers. On the other hand, the “Mapuches” (a name that means “people of the earth” were small and robust, sedentary and with a more developed culture. They lived off hunting, agriculture and mastered the handloom and pottery.
During the 18th century, the “Mapuches” that lived mostly in Chile, learnt to ride on horseback and, forced by the Spaniards, invaded the Argentine Patagonia, causing the decline of the “Tehuelches”.

TRAVEL IDEAS:

Patagonia, The Powerful Nature (3 days)
The Patagonian Dream (4 days)

The Chilean territory received its first inhabitants about 10,000 years B.C. These groups lived as gatherers, hunters or by fishing, and they had little knowledge on agriculture and livestock. Before the Europeans invaded the region, it was inhabited by Amerindians, mostly “Mapuches” and “Aymaras”. During the 15th century the northern tribes were subdued by the Peruvian Incas.
In the year 1520, the Portuguese explorer Fernando de Magallanes was the first European to set foot on Chilean territory, when he arrived at Chiloé, the island in the Chilean south.
In 1535, with the end of Pizarro’s conquest of Peru for the Spanish crown, one of his captains began the conquest of the lands south of Cuzco. Pedro de Valdivia followed, in 1540, with a second expedition through Chile. Despite the savage resistance carried out by the “Mapuches”, the only indigenous tribe that withstood the Spaniards, Valdivia was able to found a series of colonies, like “Santiago del Nuevo Extremo”. In 1554, the “Mapuches” organized a general uprising, killing Valdivia and many of his partners. Fighting only ended towards the end of the 19th century.
During the 18th century two political movements arise: the “Realistas” (pro-Spanish crown) and the “Patriotas” (pro-independence). The battles resulted in a first victory for the “Patriotas” in 1810, and the “Consejo Municipal de Santiago” removed the colonial governor and delegated his authority to an assembly. In 1817 the defeat of the “Realista” army, at the “Batalla de Chacabuco”, put an end to the Spanish rule in the north of Chile and after a year, independence was declared. However, the “Realista” army kept control over most of the south till 1818, when they were defeated at the “Batalla de Maipú”.

In 1970 the socialist Salvador Allende won the elections.
In September 1973, the general Augusto Pinochet, assisted by the United States, leaded a coup d’etat. The president Allende committed suicide.
The year 2000, the socialist Ricardo Lagos, won the elections.
In 2006, Michelle Bachelet was the first woman in Latin America to be elected President.

Many are those who view Chile re-born, and marked by the tragic stain of its recent political history. President Salvador Allende’s government, the military coup by the armed forces, the bombing of the “Palacio de La Moneda”, the “Estadio Nacional” used as a prison, the torture centres, the mass graves in the “Cementerio General”, as well as the numerous expressions of civil resistance throughout the cities, are beacons that enforce a special relation with Chile. Once democracy was recovered, these sites, as well as the cultural expressions that they inspire, have become symbols of democratic certitude and a “Nunca más” (never again), for most of the Chileans.

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TRAVEL IDEAS:

A Different Santiago (1 day)

The Sewell miners camp is a portrayal of the boom of copper production in the early 20th century, thanks to the new smelting technologies and the substantial investments of US capitals. This city, because it really was a city ( in 1968 it had 15,000 inhabitants and spread over 175 kms.), is built on steep mountain slopes around a long stairway that starts at the railway station. The stream of traffic throughout the city is mostly pedestrian. The buildings are of wood painted with bright colours and the roofs are covered with zinc plates.
The city had residential buildings, public buildings and company buildings. The structure was hierarchical: there were houses of different ranks, some assigned to managerial staff (mostly US employees), others for office workers and the last ones for the factory workers.
There were many public buildings and some are still in place: the hospital built in 1919, still present in the collective memory of Sewell’s inhabitants, the theatre built in 1937 with only part of it destroyed, the exclusive US workers club with an underground pool, the school, the 1927 church, the bowling. In the management building one can still view the door, with a hatch for the workmen’s wages payout, The first concentrating plant (Concentrator) was still in use in the year 2006 and it still has all its mills.
The mining city of Sewell was declared national monument and a plan has been established for its preservation. The exteriors of 18 buildings were refurbished and a modern museum of copper was set up in the old industrial school.
Since July 2006 its registered in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

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