Vacation in Chile: Let's Go to the Magical Land

Arrival and Entry into Chile

Flights to Santiago

From the US you can reach Chile with airlines like Avianca from several locations across the US to Santiago. It should be noted that these flights are quite long and have transfers and the cheapest departure points are usually in South Florida, specifically Miami.

Chile Visa

A visa is not required for Chile for stays up to 90 days a Tourist Card will be issued upon arrival in Chile. The passport must be valid for at least six months from the date of entry.

Weather and Climate in Chile

First of all, you have to know that the seasons are opposite to those in North America. So when it's winter here, it's summer in Chile. Therefore, January and February are the warmest months and July is the coldest month in Chile. Nevertheless, the weather in Chile cannot be generalized, because due to the extraordinary length (Chile stretches 2,600 miles along the west coast of South America), you have completely different climate zones here.

The north is dry (the northern Atacama Desert is even considered the driest place in the world) while in the south it rains heavily and is significantly cooler than the rest of Chile (with maximum temperatures of 73 degrees). The maximum temperatures in northern and central Chile are 78 degrees. In general, you have a Mediterranean climate in central Chile (including the capital Santiago). Therefore, the summers here are dry and warm and the winters are often rainy, but the winters are also relatively mild.

Best Travel Time for Chile

As you can imagine with all the different climate zones, there is no single best time to travel to Chile. Therefore, we have a small overview for you here:

Best time to go to Northern Chile: Northern Chile can be dry all year round and can be traveled all year round. In summer (January/February) you have up to 26 degrees and nine hours of sunshine here, in winter up to 18 degrees and up to four hours of sunshine.

Best travel time for central Chile: The South American summer is the best travel time for central Chile, especially December and January with up to ten hours of sunshine per day. We would not recommend the months of May to August, as this is the rainy season in central Chile.

Best travel time for the south of Chile: You should definitely travel to the south of Chile during the South American summer months. In winter you have around 20 rainy days per month and often only two hours of sunshine per day. In addition, due to the heavy rainfall, some tours and activities do not take place in winter. In the South American summer, you only have a maximum of 73 degrees, which is why you can also hike through the beautiful national parks of southern Chile during this time.

Cheap Flights to Chile

In our experience, the best way to find the cheapest deals is to use the usual flight comparison sites. Browse through them carefully and find cheap flight tickets. It's also highly advisable to be flexible about your departure location. For example, you can find good flights from Philadelphia or Miami to Santiago de Chile with American Airlines.

Accommodation in Chile

You will probably also need suitable accommodation for the flights. As always, you can find them on Trivago.com, Booking.com, or through our Kayak booking widget.