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Surfing Chile

  1.  Intro
  2.  Climate
  3.  Waves
  4.  Journey

Chile which is situated in the southwest of South-America offers the travelling surfer more than 4300 kilometres of coastline, a unique landscape and many places of fantastic interest to the visitor.

Visitors should not miss out the Atacama Desert in the north of the country and especially San Pedro de Atacama which is located close to a large salt deposit and is a popular destination. It’s also worth to visit the “Iquique” and then a bit further north is located Cerro Unitas, an archaeological excavation featuring huge ancient stone sculptures.

For surfing wine lovers a break to Colchagua valley is an absolute must and those surfers that wish to relax the body from stresses and strains are highly recommended to visit the thermal springs of Pucon.

  • Constant waves conditions
  • Good bus connections
  • Relaxed atmosphere in the water
  • Chilly Water
  • Chilly winter in the south
  • Long distances in the country

The north of Chile has a year long mild climate with temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees typically along the coast. Due to the “Humboldt Current” an ocean current that cools down the air and makes it resistant to moisture, the north of Chile is one of the driest climatic zones in the whole world.

Further south in the heartland by contrast, rainfall during the winter very likely and also the differences in temperature between the seasons are far greater.

The south of Chile shows a similar winter climate, where the thermometer rarely raises above 20 degrees. In the higher regions of the Andes and in Patagonia the climate is Alpine.

More than 4.300 kilometres of coastline in Chile assure a great choice of spots, many which have never or rarely been surfed before. Travelling surfers who invest some time in research will often find a wave just for themselves.

However, be prepared for rather cold water especially in the winter months from June to October and for big surf. In the summer, by contrast, when the water warms up again, the waves, especially in the north, are far mellower.

Of course, if you wish, you can also combine a surf trip with a snowboard trip into the Andes of Chile

Best season for beginners: September – May
Best season for advanced surfers: June – October

Crowd factor: Higher close to big cities but many empty spots

The destination for all continental travellers is the “Aeropuerto Internacional Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez (SCL), which is in Santiago de Chile. From there you have many options to travel further either by rental car, bus or taxi.

Besides the international airport there are several more airports in Chile which can also be reached from many South American cities. For travellers who want to stay for a longer period and use internal and external flights the “Air Passes” like the “Mercosur Air Pass” or the “All America Air Pass” (that even includes North America) make good sense.

However for journeys within Chile, planes, of course are not the only form of transport but also there are comfortable coaches which are ideal for travelling the long distances that lay within Chile.

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  • Capital Santiago de Chile
  • Language Spanish
  • Religion Catholics 77%, Protestant 14%
  • Area 757.000 square kilometres
  • Population approx. 17 Mio.
  • Density 22 inhabitants per square kilometre
  • Currency 1 Chile Peso = 100 Centavos
  • Calling code +56
  • Time zoneGMT -4
  • Budget $

There are no camps listed for this country