When researching for this website, I came across this Chilean legend:

"In the beginning of time, God created the Wonders of the World. When he was finished, he saw that he had many leftover pieces. He had parts of rivers and valleys, of oceans and lakes, of glaciers and deserts, of mountains and forests, and of meadows and hills. Rather than to let such beauty go to waste, God put them all together and cast them to one of the most remote corners of the earth. This is how Chile was born."

Chile is one of the most remarkably shaped countries in the world; a ribbon of land, over 4300kms long (a distance roughly the same as from San Francisco to New York) and never exceeds more than 240 kms at its widest point.  Bordered to the north by Peru, to the east by Bolivia and Argentina, to the west by the Pacific and to the south by the Antarctic, the country exercises sovereignty over a number of islands off the coast, including the Juan Fernández Islands and Easter Island.

The Andes and a coastal highland range run parallel with each other from north to south. The coastal range forms high, sloped cliffs into the sea from the northern to the central area, between which runs a fertile valley.  

The northern part of the country consists mainly of the Atacama Desert, the driest in the world and is also the main mining area. The central zone is predominantly agricultural, whilst the south is forested and contains some agriculture.  Even further south, the forests on the Atlantic side give way to rolling grassland on which sheep and cattle are raised.

 

• Lan Chile ~ From London Heathrow via Madrid to Santiago, daily.
• Iberia ~ Frequent services from London Heathrow and London Gatwick to Spain (Madrid or Barcelona), with connecting flights to Santiago, three times daily.  
• Aerolineas Argentinas ~ Flights daily from London Gatwick to Santiago, via Madrid and Buenos Aires.  

Very good fixtures at all levels for football, hockey and rugby. You'll be surprised at how good the Chilenos are at our sports.  This is because of the distinct British influence especially when they set up the outstanding Prince of Wales Club in Santiago, where you can also play cricket, polo, and golf.

Testimonial:  "In Chile and Argentina, we had 10 rugby fixtures and 11 hockey fixtures.  All 21 were at the correct level.  Of the seven hosts, six gave us excellent hospitality and one very good."  Tour Manager

Schools are invariably billeted by their hosts. All of the major Chileno dual-medium schools come every two years to the UK, normally in September.

Hotel accommodation is excellent and quite inexpensive which means that you can stay in a higher standard of hotel at a very reasonable price.

In Santiago, our groups stay at the Atton Hotel.  The rooms have telephone, desk,  air conditioning and heating, private bathroom, hair dryer, mini bar and Cable T.V.   You will have a buffet breakfast, with a varied assortment of bread, juices, seasonal fruits, yoghurt, cereals, cheeses and hams.  In the hotel restaurant, you could enjoy a great variety of dishes, both Chilean and international, and there is a bar located near the restaurant.  Other facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, a fully-equipped gym and a store, selling handicraft objects and traditional Chilean jewelery, as well as postcards and other gifts.

In Vina del Mar, they would be accommodated at the Hotel San Martin, which has been recently fully renovated.  The rooms all offer private bathroom, hair dryer, telephone, cable TV and room service, and the facilities on offer include the Restaurant Bar Don Joaquin, a gym and sauna, a laundry and dry cleaning service and a beauty salon.  The Don Joaquin overlooks the stunning Acapulco Beach and has wonderful views of the Ocean, and also has live music and dancing twice a week, and a Tango evening on Thursdays.

Testimonial:  "Of the seven hotels we used on our tour to Chile and Argentina, I would say that four were excellent and three were very good.  We were billetted five times and I would evaluated that three hosts were very good and two excellent".  Tour Manager

 

• La Recova Market, La Serena
• Parque Metropolitano, Santiago
• Cerro San Cristòbal, Santiago 
• Skiing, close to Santiago
• Wineries, Maipo Valley
• Museo Fonk, Vina del Mar
• Valparaiso, 8 kms from Vina del Mar
• Renaca Beach, nr Vina del Mar
• Galería de Historia, Concepcion 
• Instituto Chileno-Norteamericano, Concepcion