Chile

Whether it’s raw outdoor adventure or the most cosmopolitan of urban pleasures that get you going, Chile is the place to be. With borders about as eccentrically shaped as you’ll find on the map, this epically elongated country, backboned by the Andes, is one of the globe’s most enriching destinations.

The scenery is heart-stirring, from the Atacama Desert of the north—a coastal dryland as arid as anyplace on the planet—to some of the most regal peaks of the Andes. Landscapes here can seem freshly minted out of the most vivid of dreams: lichen-draped Valdivian temperate rainforests, volcano-slope groves of monkey-puzzle trees, the spewing geysers and saline lakes of the Atacama, the granite horns and tidewater glaciers of Patagonia. Almost 20 percent of Chile falls within the borders of a national park or nature reserve, and within such protected lands lie some truly remote country. Wildlife such as guanacos, condors, and pumas—not to mention a heady roster of marine mammals—only adds to the thrill of the primal vistas.

What lies at the other end of the spectrum? A plethora of cultural and entertainment riches: the world-class museums, theaters, and restaurants of cities such as Santiago, Valparaiso, and Iquique; the lauded vineyards of the Aconcagua, Leyda, and other scenic grape-growing valleys; the ancient Inca roads and festive Aymara villages of the highlands; rowdy rounds of Chilean rodeo; and a vast collection of beaches, lavishly developed and otherwise. And how about—hundreds of miles off in the Pacific, halfway to Tahiti—the ranks of moai statues of Easter Island (Rapa Nui), an endlessly enigmatic outpost of Polynesia and one of the world’s most famous archaeological sites?

Whether it’s multi-day backpacking amid sharp-toothed summits, wining and dining to the fullest degree in downtown Santiago, or tracing the shadow of long-ago Incan dominion, Chile’s mountain-, desert-, and sea-scapes make one royal stage for a South American journey.