✦ Official Chile Travel Guide

Explore & Visit Chile with a Certified Private Tour Guide

Your comprehensive guide to booking a private Santiago city tour, unforgettable day trips across central Chile, wine tasting with a certified sommelier, and exploring the wonders of Atacama Desert, Patagonia, and Easter Island.

Santiago & Local Guide

Private Santiago City Tour & Walking Experiences

If you are planning to visit Santiago Chile, our private guided tours offer the ultimate personalized way to experience the capital of Chile. Avoid crowded tour buses from Viator tours Chile or Get Your Guide Chile and discover Santiago with Ariel, a certified private tour guide in Chile and professional sommelier.

  • Santiago City Tour Highlights: Historic Plaza de Armas, La Moneda Presidential Palace, Cerro Santa Lucía, Bellavista arts neighborhood.
  • Panoramic Skyline Views: Ride the iconic Santiago cable car (Teleférico) up San Cristóbal Hill and take in views from Sky Costanera, the tallest tower in South America.
  • Santiago Walking Tour Options: Tailored cultural and culinary walking trips through traditional food markets (Mercado Central & Vega Central).
Excursions & Day Trips

Best Santiago Day Trips: Valparaíso, Hot Springs & Wine Tours

Santiago is perfectly situated between the towering Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Explore our top-rated Santiago day trips designed for luxury travelers, couples, and families:

  • Cajón del Maipo & Embalse El Yeso Tour: Soak in natural Andes hot springs, photograph the turquoise alpine reservoir, and enjoy a mountain picnic.
  • Valparaíso Day Trip & Viña del Mar Tour: Discover UNESCO bohemian hill street art, historic funicular elevators, Pablo Neruda's La Sebastiana museum, and Pacific ocean beaches.
  • Casablanca Valley Wine Tour & Maipo Valley Wine Tasting: Private sommelier-led visits to organic vineyards in Casablanca Valley, Maipo Valley winery tours, and Colchagua Valley tasting sessions.
  • Portillo Ski Resort & Laguna del Inca: Visit the iconic Andes ski resort and blue mountain lagoon near the Argentina border, or head to Valle Nevado skiing in winter.
Bucket List Chile

Explore Atacama Desert, Patagonia & Easter Island

Planning to visit Chile Patagonia or visit Atacama Desert? We help craft seamless connections and itineraries across Chile’s legendary national parks:

  • Visit Atacama Desert & San Pedro de Atacama Tours: Moon Valley (Valle de la Luna Atacama), El Tatio Geysers tour, Salar de Atacama salt flats, Piedras Rojas, and stargazing in Elqui Valley.
  • Visit Patagonia & Torres del Paine Trekking: Complete Patagonia travel guide for Torres del Paine W Trek, O Circuit, Torres del Paine day tour, Puerto Natales tours, Punta Arenas penguin tour at Magdalena Island, and Marble Caves (Cuevas de Mármol) on the Carretera Austral road trip.
  • Visit Easter Island & Rapa Nui Tours: Explore giant Moai statues, Polynesian heritage, and volcanoes with our complete Rapa Nui travel guide.
  • Lake District & Chiloé Island: Puerto Varas volcano tour, Osorno Volcano day trip, Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, and Castro Chiloé palafitos.
US Traveler Essentials

Chile Travel Guide, Visa Requirements & Direct Flights

Essential advice for visitors traveling to Chile from North America and English-speaking countries:

  • Chile Tourist Visa & Entry Requirements: US passport holders do NOT require a visa for stays up to 90 days. Receive a 90-day Tourist Card upon landing at Santiago Airport (SCL).
  • Flights to Santiago Chile: Non-stop direct flights operate daily from Miami (MIA), Atlanta (ATL), New York (JFK), Houston (IAH), Dallas (DFW), and Los Angeles (LAX) via LATAM Chile flights, Delta, and American. Domestic flights operate via LATAM, Sky Airline Chile, and JetSMART Chile.
  • Best Time to Visit Chile: Spring to Autumn (October to April) is optimal for Santiago, wine tours, and Patagonia. Ski season runs July–September. Atacama is great year-round!
  • Custom Chile Travel Itineraries: Choose between a 10 days in chile itinerary or a full 2 weeks in chile itinerary combining city tours, wine tasting, Atacama, and Patagonia.
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Frequently Asked Questions for Travelers to Chile

Booking directly with certified local guide Ariel ensures a zero-crowd, personalized experience tailored to your interests. Enjoy a private air-conditioned vehicle, flexible schedules, authentic local interactions, sommelier-curated wine stops, and direct communication without platform commission markups.

US citizens traveling with a valid passport do NOT need a pre-entry visa for tourist stays under 90 days. Upon arrival at Santiago Airport (SCL), Chilean PDI immigration issues a white paper Tourist Card ("Tarjeta de Turismo"), which is valid for 90 days. Keep this document safe until your departure flight.

Santiago and central wine valleys are wonderful to visit year-round. Spring through Autumn (October to April) brings sunny, pleasant weather ideal for city walking tours, wine tasting, and Patagonia trekking (November to March). Atacama Desert is great year-round, while ski resorts (Portillo & Valle Nevado) open from late June to September.

Direct overnight non-stop flights operate to Santiago International Airport (SCL) from major US cities including Miami (MIA), Atlanta (ATL), New York (JFK), Houston (IAH), Dallas (DFW), and Los Angeles (LAX) via LATAM Chile flights, American Airlines, and Delta. For domestic flights within Chile to Atacama or Patagonia, LATAM, Sky Airline Chile, and JetSMART Chile offer frequent daily connections.

For a 10-day Chile itinerary: Spend 3 days in Santiago enjoying a private city tour, Cajón del Maipo hot springs, and Valparaíso/Casablanca wine tasting. Fly north to San Pedro de Atacama for 3 days, then fly south to Chilean Patagonia (Torres del Paine) for 4 days. A 2-week itinerary allows adding Easter Island (Rapa Nui) or the Lake District & Chiloé Island!

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