5 favourite tours:

Chile is a classically beautiful country with the Andes on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. This long, thin ribbon of land is blessed with weird and wonderful scenery with the lunar-like Atacama Desert, numerous volcanoes and the epic mountains and glaciers of the wild south. In between there are vibrant cities, wonderful beaches, busy ports and the world famous Chilean vineyards. As anyone who has read Allende will know that Chile has had a turbulent political history which has in turn produced some wonderful writers and artists.

Santiago and Valparaiso – these two exciting and sophisticated cities are well worth a visit and make a great base for exploring the central region of the country.

The Atacama Desert – to the north there is the vast hot and arid Atacama Desert. This is home to some strange lunar landscapes, hot geysers, salt pans and some of the world’s best observatories. In fact this is one of the best places in the world to come stargazing due to its clear skies and lack of pollution.

The Lake District – the mountainous landscape of Chile combined with many beautiful high lakes makes this area incredibly pretty and a magnet for adventure sports enthusiasts.

Patagonia – this region in the far south of Chile is a wild and rugged landscape full of vertiginous mountain peaks, pristine forests, wild seas and icy blue glaciers. The most famous area is the stunningly beautiful Torres del Paine National Park.

Adventure Sports – Chile has a huge amount of outdoor activities to offer including skiing (June – Oct), sailing, watersports, fishing, kayaking, trekking, riding and mountaineering.

Central Chile (including Santiago) – anytime between October – April but spring and autumn are best.

The North (Atacama Desert etc) – June – September when it is slightly cooler (although very cold at night).

Patagonia and the Lake District – December – March (the Chilean summer which can be busy as well)