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Chile a wealth of natural treasures
by Katherine Hansen on November 19, 2009 |
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Chile is a country of spectacular and diverse landscapes, offering a wealth of natural treasures in a beautifully wild environment. With snowcapped volcanoes and turquoise rivers in the Lake District, endless beaches and temperate rainforests on Chiloé Island, and some of the world’s most amazing mountainscapes found in legendary Patagonia, Chile is a true explorer's paradise.
With an adventurous spirit that you may seek to discover the diversity of this country. Each day offers to take advantage of the regions’ resources – from hiking beneath the spires of Torres del Paine, to rafting the beautiful Petrohue River, to visiting a penguin colony on Chiloé Island.
Torres del Paine National Park
Declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978, the Torres del Paine National Park, (located in Chilean Patagonia) is one of the most beautiful, unspoiled and remote places of the planet.
Bottled Passion ~
Why Chilean wines are so good!
The Andean foothills provide perfect growing conditions for many Chilean vineyards. With a hot, dry desert hugging its northern border, and the freezing Antartic just off the southern tip, the heart of 2,700 mile-long Chile is virtually bug free, and an isolated haven for ideal wine growing.
The mystical island of Chiloé
The Isla Grande of Chiloé is South America's largest island and among its most striking cultural anomalies. Divided by the gentle peaks of the Coastal Range, Chiloé's eastern and western coasts are two worlds apart. To the west is a wilderness of endless beaches, dune habitat, and temperate rainforests, much of it protected in one of Chile's most forgotten national parks. To the east are the scattered islands of the Chiloé archipelago - sheltered from Pacific storms, intensely cultivated, and home to a traditional culture of subsistence farmers, fishermen, and craftsmen.
The Jesuit order made this corner of the earth their special responsibility, erecting schools and over two hundred elegant wooden churches, nine of which are protected as national monuments. A rich mythology - populated by strange trolls, sea monsters, and eerie ghost ships - is yet another mark of Chiloé's singular history.
Today, Chiloé balances wild, unbridled nature with one of South America's most remarkable traditional cultures. Renowned for its seafood, its woolen handicrafts, and the warmth of its people, Chiloé is still a largely unknown destination for walking and biking, fishing, paddling, and birding.
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| by on November 20, 2009 |
| Are there any vineyard tours you would recommend? |
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