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Chile is an unusual country which is partly founded in its geography. It squeezes in a thin line for 4300 kilometers between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes. At Antofagasta Chile is taking a breath and grows to a width of 400 kilometers. At no other point is the country wider than here. The narrowest point is at Illapel; here it stretches for about 90 kilometers.
Chile offers everything a biker might desire: wonderful roads and tracks leading to deserts, high mountain peaks, glaciers and geysers. The Andes stretch through the whole length of the country. To their side from north to south one finds the unsettled Atacama Desert and semi-deserts, fertile fields and vineyards, forests with lakes and rivers and finally glaciers and fjords. It is possible to travel to all of these places; Chile is well developed for tourism.
Atacama is a hostile region for humans. The driest desert on earth stretches to the outskirts of the coastal towns of Antofagasta and Iquique. Within the desert one finds the oasis San Pedro de Atacama which is certainly worth to visit. From here one might want to visit – best in a guided tour not by oneself – the Atacama salt lake or the geyser field Tatio, which is on an altitude of 4500 m. Arica, “City of eternal spring” is also located within the desert. Green lawns, blossoming scrubs and palm trees feel great on the eyes – thanks to artificial irrigation. Traveling towards the south one might experience the fascinating fog at the coast – sometimes the only wetness the region might get in years.
Santiago de Chile, the capitol, is located in a large basin. Its center marks the Plaza de Armas with its cathedral. From here narrow streets lead to the exciting life of the city and to numerous markets. From the peaks of the hills of Santa Lucía and Cerro San Cristóbal one has a nice view above the city. One sees the ocean of houses beneath as well as the Cordilleras above. Close to Santiago the costal town Viña del Mar draws guests to spend their vacations at the beach.
However, during Chile’s summer this kind of pleasure has to be shared with thousands of others. South of Santiago de Chile one finds gigantic fruit and vegetable fields. Here they grow wine, apples, kiwis, potatoes, tomatoes and corn. At Lago Villarrica at the bottom of the Villarrica volcano German bikers will suddenly feel at home. In the 19th century German emigrants settled here. In town one finds houses in the Black Forest style, German cuisine, and German signs. The same is true for towns farther south, e.g. Valdivia, Puerto Varas at the Lago Llanquihue or Frutillar.
The southern road, Carretera Austral, leads to the regions of fjords, lakes and glaciers in the south. The landscape is breathtaking. The Cordilleras look rough, glacier lakes suggest an impression of never ending peace and continuously cold winds of Patagonia hit the travelers. Largest towns here are Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales.
Typical Chilean dishes are Empanadas (pies with meat, poultry or fish and onions, eggs, raisins and olives), Humitas (seasoned corn pies rolled and cooked in corn leaves), Bife a lo Pobre (steak with French fries, baked onions and sunny-side-up eggs) and Parrillada (meat grilled on a charcoal grill). Seafood is always fresh and always a delicacy. Chile is further known for its wines and Pisco, a spirit made from distilled grapes.
Some geography:
Chile stretches over an area of barely 760,000 square kilometers and has approximately 15 million inhabitants. Most of the inhabitants are mestizo. Language of the country is Spanish. 70 percent of Chile’s people are Catholics. They celebrate their national holiday on September 18th and 19th.
Black & white:
Almost nobody knows that Chile has a big problem with land mines. They were spread during the times of the military dictatorship. Even nowadays there are thousands still in the ground. It is going to take years to remove them.
When you are traveling the country you should be especially careful when on your way through the following regions: border areas between Peru, Bolivia and Argentina as well as in the border areas in the far south. In the costal border area to Peru mines are found close to the beach. All minefields are signposted and secured nowadays. However one should not leave roads and tracks in the described regions. |
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