Fernando Diez
Written by Fernando Diez Marketing Director at Quasar Expeditions

Updated: November 23, 2022
Published: September 25, 2019


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1. World's Biggest Swimming Pool is in Chile?

In Algarrobo city in the Pacific coast, we find the most impressive artificial paradise that was named by the Guinness Book of Records as the World’s largest swimming pool with a length of 1,000 yards, an area of 20 acres and a maximum depth of 115-feet. It holds over 66 million gallons of crystal clear seawater.

The pool was opened in December 2006, and it took five years of construction work with a cost of nearly 1 billion dollars ($US), and an annual maintenance cost of about 2 million.

lgarrobo pool in Chile, world’s largest swimming pool

2. In Chile, You Can Find the Driest Place on Earth, The Atacama Desert

At 7,500 feet, Chile’s Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth with a landscape of surreal beauty. Some parts of the region have never received a drop of rain and the Desert is probably also the oldest desert on earth. The desert runs through a 1,000 kilometer long strip of land between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, spreading out over an area of 363,000 square kilometers.

Dry desert mountain landscape in Atacama Desert, Chile

3. Chile is a World Class Wine Destination, and the Ninth Largest Producer of Wine

Chile is the 5th largest exporter of wine and the 9th largest producer. And not just any wine, but some of the best and finest selection of wines have been produced in Chile since the first wine grapes were planted in the country in 1554, brought by Spanish Conquistadores. Chile has more than 1,200 kilometers of viticulture valleys in 14 different areas, which produce more than 10 million hectoliters of wine per year. Make sure you experience Chile Wine Country!

Beautiful wine cellar at a Chile Vineyard

4. Easter Island

The “moai” island off the coast of Chile, was annexed by the country in 1888 and renamed Easter Island in the late 1700’s. During the 1900s it was a sheep farm and was managed by the Chilean Navy. On this particular Island, more than 7 km of subterranean lava tunnels have been mapped out, which are home to one of the most extensive cave systems on earth. In 1966, the entire island was opened to the public and the remaining Rapanui people became citizens of Chile.

Easter Island's towering stone head

5. Penguins in Chile

Another one of the facts about Chile is that Penguins don’t only live in Antarctica or at the zoo, they can be found in several areas of southern Chile, including the Seno Otway Penguin Colony. They usually lounge on the beach and commute to nearby nests. Humboldt Penguins are also found in the North coast of Chile with a total population of 12,000 breeding pairs in the country.

Four penguins waddling out of the ocean

6. Valparaiso

This is one of the most prosperous cities in Chile and its main attraction are its historical central area, declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2003. It is the chief port of Chile and the terminus of a trans-Andean railroad. An important industrial center, it manufactures textiles, shoes and leather goods, paint, and chemicals. Valparaiso has also been an inspirational place for painters and poets, particularly for Pablo Neruda, who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1971.

Colorful coastal city of Valparaiso, Chile

7. Chile’s Andes Mountains Has Some of the World’s Largest and Still Active Volcanoes

At a count just over 1300, Chile is one of the countries with the most volcanoes and a number of them are still active. Three of Chile's most watched and historically active volcanoes are Cerro Arul, Cerro Hudson, and Villarrica. They are all composite volcanoes, sometimes called stratovolcanos. Climbers from all over the world enjoy testing their skills on hikes up these volcanoes.

Active Volcanoes in Chile

8. Chile Has One of the Longest Coastlines in the World

Chile is one of the longest countries in the world with a coastline of around 6500 km long. However, it is also one of the narrowest in the world with a width of just over 200 km. Most of the best-known beach resorts, or balnearios, are in central Chile, from El Norte Chico South past the metropolitan district to the northern reaches of Region VII, region del Maule. Chile has a mild Mediterranean climate where visitors can enjoy warm to hot days and cooler nights in the summer.

Longest coastline in Chile

9. The Oldest Mummy in the World is from Chile

The oldest known deliberate mummy is a child, one of the Chinchorro mummies found in the Camarones Valley in Chile around 5050 BC. So far a total of 282 Chinchorro mummies have been removed from burial sites along the narrow coastal strip from Ilo in southern Peru to Antofagasta in northern Chile. Of these, 149 were created by Chinchorro artisans, and the rest were the work of nature.

Chinchorry Mummy - Oldest Mummy

10. Chile is Home to Five UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Chile’s UNESCO world heritage sites are categorized as cultural, giving you an insight into the human story threaded into the majestic landscape of the country. The five sites are the Churches of Chiloé, the Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso, Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works, Rapa Nui National Park, and the Sewell Mining Town.

Easter Island Status - part of the UNESCO site in Chile


Fernando Diez
By Fernando Diez
Marketing Director at Quasar Expeditions

Hi, I am Fernando and travel is my passion. This passion began with my first trip to the Galapagos Islands in 1986 and later became my work when I started working at Quasar Expeditions. Now the Marketing Director for Quasar and responsible for the creation of the Patagonia Project in Chile, my passion for travel continues to grow to new and exciting destinations in South America.

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