Things to Do in Chile: City Guides & Audio Tours

Chile is a long, narrow ribbon of land stretching more than 4,300 kilometres between the Andes and the Pacific, offering everything from the world’s driest desert to glaciers and a tropical island. Its dramatic landscapes, rich cultural heritage and celebrated cuisine make it a compelling destination for any traveller. Neywo provides a free audio guide for Chile, covering 7 cities, 270 narrated places and 16 walking tours in 11 languages.

Exploring Chile’s diverse landscapes

Atacama Desert

The Atacama Desert, described as the world’s driest desert, dominates northern Chile. Visitors can explore the area around San Pedro de Atacama, where the audio guide highlights sites such as the Valle de la Luna, the Atacama Large Millimeter Array and the Pukará de Quitor fortress. San Pedro de Atacama

Central Chile

Central Chile enjoys a Mediterranean climate. The capital Santiago offers numerous narrated places, including the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts, Palacio de La Moneda and Palacio Larraín. Nearby, the coastal cities of Valparaíso and Viña del Mar provide additional stops such as the Monument to the Heroes of Iquique, the Artillería funicular railway and the Jardín Botánico Nacional de Viña del Mar. Santiago Valparaíso Viña del Mar

Southern Chile and Patagonia

Farther south the landscape shifts to oceanic climates, alpine tundra and glaciers. In Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas the audio guide points out highlights like Torres del Paine National Park, Frigorífico Bories, Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument, Mount Fitz Roy, Fuerte Bulnes and the Museo Nao Victoria. Puerto Natales Punta Arenas

Easter Island

Easter Island, a tropical island in the Pacific, hosts unique archaeological sites. The guide in Hanga Roa leads visitors to Rapa Nui National Park, Ahu Tongariki, the Father Sebastian Englert Anthropological Museum and Ahu Hotake. Hanga Roa

Geological setting

Chile lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the Nazca and Antarctic plates meet the South American Plate, making the country highly seismic and volcanic. This setting shapes its dramatic mountain ranges and frequent earthquake activity.

Biodiversity and endemism

The northern desert and the eastern Andes act as barriers, isolating many species and contributing to a high degree of endemism in Chilean flora and fauna. Visitors can encounter unique plants and animals found nowhere else.

History

Spain conquered the region in the mid‑sixteenth century, replacing Inca rule, though the Mapuche people of south‑central Chile remained autonomous. Chile declared independence from Spain in 1818 and later expanded its territory after the War of the Pacific. In 1973 a military coup overthrew President Salvador Allende, leading to Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, which ended after a national referendum.

Culture

Chilean culture blends Indigenous and Spanish traditions, expressed through arts, crafts, dance and music. Musical styles vary between north, centre and south and include Mapuche and Easter Island sounds. The cueca is the national dance, and Gabriela Mistral became the first Latin American Nobel laureate in Literature in 1945. Chilean Spanish has a distinct accent, with final syllables often dropped and some consonants softened.

Cuisine

Chilean cuisine reflects the country’s varied landscapes, featuring seafood, beef, fruits and vegetables. Traditional dishes such as asado, cazuela, empanadas, humitas and curanto combine ingredients from land and sea. Agriculture has long been a foundation of the economy, with different crops grown across the length of the country.

Explore Chile with Neywo

Neywo’s free audio guide covers 7 Chilean cities with 270 narrated places organized into 16 walking tours. As you walk, the app tells the story of each site exactly when you reach it, letting you explore at your own pace with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, so you can choose the language that suits you best. Download Neywo and start discovering Chile’s deserts, glaciers, islands and cities today.