It’s long, it’s strong, and it’s covered in condors.
It’s Chile, a land that manages to cover just about every biome known, from the Atacama Desert (so dry that years go by without a drop of rain) to the Andes Mountains (whose heights are outdone only by the Himalayas) to the Chiloe Archipelago (which gets so much rain the woodlands count as rainforests). Needless to say, whatever your nature fetish, Chile has you covered.
Being 2,670 miles long but only 217 miles wide at the thickest, all roads in Chile tend to go in one direction. Nevertheless, they still manage to lead to Santiago, the capital. Set more or less midway between north and south in a deep valley, with the Andes on either side, Santiago is the starting point for all things gay and glorious in Chile.
Founded in 1541 as part of the Spanish Empire, Santiago is drenched in colonial architecture but is in fact a very modern city and, thanks to an extensive subway system, easy to navigate. Incongruously, you may find yourself stumbling upon vineyards enveloped by the city, a hint that while you may be in the middle of the Andes, you are also in the middle of wine country. Chile has some of the most vaunted wineries — Undurraga and Viña MontGras among them — on the planet, and a tour through one will give you a rough-n’-ready primer as you head out for a night on the down.
While Santiago may come off as a little more stately compared to frenetic Rio or Buenos Aires, that does not mean the city is a backwater. Bellavista and Providencia are the gayborhoods of town, and are home of hangout spots like Bunker and Fausto; the later is the oldest gay bar in Latin America. And being the thinnest country on the planet means that the beaches at near-by Valparaiso and Viña del Mar are never too far away to see some of the finest Latin flesh on display (but FYI, that water is COLD).
The geography also means you are also at the foot of a ski resort no matter where you go. Yes, in Chile you can start the day in shorts and a tank-top at a winery, and finish bundled up and zipping down virgin powder on skis and technically not travel more than a mile to do it. The Andes are so high that the peaks can stay snow-covered all year.
Interested? Check out chile.travelfor more information or contact Steele Luxury Travel to plan your trip at 646-688-2274.