Chile When people think about planning a trip to South America the usual suspects are Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina or to be more precise, Rio, the Inca trail, Salt Plains and Patagonia but only the Argentine part.
These are all stunning places and definitely worth a visit at some point, but let's not forget the long strip of land joined to the west of Argentina known as Chile! Often written off as boring, dull or expensive, this country has recently exploded into life with many stunning sights that are not fully discovered by your average Joe tourist on a South America holiday.
Stretching over 2,700 miles from tip to toe and averaging just 109 miles wide the environment contrasts dramatically as you descend from the driest desert in the world in the north to one of coldest and most desolate places to live in the world in the south.
The contrasts from end to end are simply stunning and well worth touring on your Chile trip.
~San Pedro de Atacama is a small village you could base yourself at the beginning of your Chile trip.
Although the town is pretty it does not offer much more than the usual tourist attractions you would expect.
The USP for this town is the location.
You could head out in to the desert late one afternoon and climb to the top of a sand dune to watch the sunset and the moon rise.
This is stunning as you can watch the colour of the desert floor change as the sun drops and the moon rise.
The sky is beautifully clear which means that the stars are incredibly visible.
The Milky Way will have never appeared so clear or close! Just to add to this incredible area you can take tours to the Altiplano lakes where flamingos live, head to the Tatio geyser first thing in the morning to watch the sunrise as the geyser erupts or take some relaxation time on your Chile holiday in the many hot springs dotted around the area.
Be careful though, a sudden rise in blood temperature will make you feel a little dizzy at first but that is just part of the fun.
San Pedro is also a start/finish place for tours to the Salt Plains and ties in nicely with Bolivia.
Heading south is the Parque Nacional Nevado Tres Cruces which during the summer is home to flamingos, vicunas and guanacos but more importantly offers stunning hiking and climbing opportunities through the snow topped mountains and past the clear blue lagoons.
Best of all though, this place is simply not on the tourist trail YET so to get away from it all head here.
Your next likely stop will be Santiago, capital of this vast country.
Keeping it simple and to the point there are much better cities in the world than Santiago.
However, it does have its draws and is worth a couple of nights out of your holiday time to explore.
Climb to the top of Cerro San Christobal (you cannot miss it as there is a 14m high white marble statue of the Virgin Mary perched on its peak).
Here you can view the city with the Andes mountain range in the back ground (assuming the smog is not too thick on your chosen day of visit), then take the cable car down which winds around the hillside.
In the afternoon explore the centre and the following day head to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar coastal towns just a couple of hour's north-west of the capital.
This where the locals head for the weekend and holidays to swim, soak-up the sun and party.
For wine lovers, the Casablanca Valley is where Chile's best Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot grapes are produced.
For a small fee you can take a tour of the vineyards then sample the produce, surely a highlight of your Chile tour.
If you fancy buying a few bottles this can be done and shipped home.
Continuing our windy way south is Pucon, the outdoor adventure capital of Chile.
If you like adrenaline pumping through your veins and feeling alive by pushing the boundaries beyond your normal limits then Pucon is for you.
Set upon the beautiful Lago Villarrica with a volcano overlooking it really is the perfect setting for taking your life into your own hands.
Ride up it, jump off it, fall down it etc.
Pucon is the perfect Chile adventure holiday destination.
Continuing on the theme of adventure and adrenaline, jump on a bus and carry on south a little more (you will probably notice the weather getting a little cooler now).
There are lots of National Parks in Chile but a particular favourite has a couple of 2,000m high granite towers that dominate the sky line, these gave the National Park its name Torres del Paine which translates to the awesome term 'Towers of Pain'!! Torres is a haven for those looking for Chile adventure holiday, for hikers, ramblers and climbers alike, even if you are not so sold on walking you can still head out with your camera to take photos of the view of the lakes, forests and of a stunning blue glacier which just adds to the diversity of the area.
Torres is one of the most popular parks so it can feel busy at times and the hostels do fill up quickly so always book in advance, however the place is so vast that to find peace and quiet is not hard.
Patagonia is a huge area but the main place you are likely to base yourself throughout the year is Punta Arena, which is an ideal point for continuing your Chile travel in the local area with the main draw being the penguins along the Magellan Straight.
The two main colonies that inhabit the area are on Seno Otway and on Isla Magdalena.
These are not the huge penguins that are found in the Falklands but nether-the-less are still mighty impressive, even in just sheer number with 6,000 at Seno Otway and around 50,000 on Magdalena Isla.
The only way to visit these places is to hire a car or take a tour as there are no public buses to the area.
Fom Punta Arenas if you are feeling adventurous and energetic then definitely keep heading south to Cabo Froward which is the most southerly point on the continent.
The two day hike will be cold and windy as it is an exposed path to the harsh natural elements, as you would expect when this close to Antarctica but will surely be a highlight of your Chile itinerary.
A pinnacle of any Chile tour would have to be Easter Island-a stunning isolated tropical island littered with Moai statues is more than 2,300 miles of the west coast of Chile.
A simple island without the influx of tourism and gaudy hotels.
Hire a car to drive the 50 odd km of anti-clockwise roads, some of them concrete, some gravel and others nothing more than dirt.
No insurance is required, but then again there is barely any traffic so accidents should not happen and if they do often cash changing hands will sort the problem.
The statues are simply magnificent, considering how exposed to the harsh elements they have been for hundreds of years, they are incredibly well preserved and do not look dated or tired- perfect for you to take pictures for your Chile holiday album.
They are all over the island, 12 meters high, 2/3 meters wide and some even have hats.
With just one town and that consists of a few bars, restaurants and the odd souvenir shop you do not come here for luxury, just enjoy the simplicity and let your mind wander about the possible ways the statues were not only carved but then moved, and ultimately what are they are for, and do they represent something? After all, your guess is as good as anyone else's.