Country Information

Chile's main airline LAN (www.lan.com), connects both Europe and the US with Chile. British Airways (www.ba.com) also flies to Santiago via Sao Paulo in Brazil, Air France flies from London via Paris (www.airfrance.com), and Air Canada arrives from London via Toronto (www.aircanada.com).

The oneworld South America Pass is valid within Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela and allows unlimited travel to 34 cities. Participating airlines include Aer Lingus, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, JAL Japan Airlines, LAN and Qantas. The pass must be bought outside of South America in the passenger's country of residence. A minimum of three flights must be booked; prices depend on the amount of flight zones.

At the airport upon arrival in Chile, visitors will be issued a tarjeta de turismo (tourist card) by the immigration authorities. Travellers must retain this document and present it to immigration upon leaving the country.

Santiago Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL). (www.aeropuertosantiago.cl) Santiago Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport is located 15km (9.5 miles) northwest of central Santiago. Tel: <p>(02) 690 1752/3.</p>.

Shipping lines such as Compañía Chilena de Navegación Interoceánica (CCNI) (www.ccni.cl) and Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV) (from New York and European ports) (www.csav.cl) operate in Chile. The country's biggest port is San Antonio.

Cruce Andino (www.cruceandino.cl) runs between Bariloche, Argentina and Puerto Varas, Chile. While not an actual ferry, small boats can be hired by Juana de Arco (www.interpatagonia.com/juanadearco) from Lago Puelo, Argentina to make a water crossing, but they drop passengers off at the Chilean border âEuro“ most travellers continue on by foot.

Several towns on the coast are now regular stops in cruise company itineraries. Both Princess (www.princess.com) and Norwegian (www.norwegian.com) are both cruise ship lines that make stops in Chile. Valparaíso (www.puertovalparaiso.cl) is the most popular stop.

A sporadic service used to exist between Chile and Bolivia (although it was mostly used for freight). There is talk of reviving that line, although that may be years before it happens.

Chile shares a northern crossable border with Peru and Bolivia, and Argentina is to the east. There are 33 border crossings accessible by road with Argentina, although in winter months many are closed due to snow (remember, the daunting Andes separate the two countries).

TheÂtwo most commonly used border crossings by road are the Paso Internacional Los Libertadores, also calledÂCristo Redentor, aÂbreathtaking mountain pass in theÂAndes betweenÂMendoza, Argentina andÂSantiago, Chile, reaching elevations of 3200m (10,500ft) and including some intense switchbacks. The other popular crossing is the Pajaritos crossing (also known as Paso Cardenal Antonio Samoré) between Villa La Angostura, Argentina and Osorno, Chile.

Many border crossings are paved highways, although some, especially towards the far south of Chile or the far north in Atacama, are gravel roads. Many are not accessible by public transportation, and close for the winter due to snow. It is best whenever possible to check ahead of time with either the nearest tourism office or gendarmeria (border police) office to make sure that the crossing is open.