Chile's famed Easter Island is safe for travel, with excursions being held normally.
Photo: vtveen / CC BY 2.0
Those of you who were planning trips to Chile before last week's earthquake hit may be wondering where it's safe to go right now and where it's not. Where will you run into logistical headaches, and where will you be unaffected?
This morning I got answers to these questions from Chile travel specialist Vanessa Guibert Heitner, who is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and arranges trips to Chile for the many Condé Nast Traveler readers who book their South American journeys through her. (Vanessa is one of the Chile specialists on my list of top travel agents.) I figure I ought to share the information here, so that everyone with Chile travel plans can benefit. Here's a region-by-region report from Vanessa this morning:
"Altiplano (Arica, Iquique, Calama), Atacama (San Pedro, Antofagasta) and Norte Chico (La Serena, etc.)
Damage minimal or non-existent. Excursions are being held normally and hotels are operating in good condition to receive travelers. Roads are also in good condition for traveling either by bus or by car.
Easter Island
Excursions are being held normally and hotels are operating in good condition to receive travelers. Roads are also in good condition for traveling either by bus or by car.
Juan Fernández Islands
Completely hit by tsunami waves. Roads, ports, and airport in terrible conditions. No way of getting into the main island or getting out of there. There is no availability of hotels, nor are excursions being held in this archipelago.
Valparaíso & Viña del Mar
Valparaíso’s new part of the port, where all cruises arrive, is open, although the old part suffered some damage and is closed. It is expected that the old part will open quite soon. Excursions are being held normally, and hotels are operating and in good condition to receive travelers. Roads are also fine for traveling either by bus or by car.
Santiago
Roads to the south of the country have some interruptions and deviations; toward the North and the coast, roads are in good condition. In Santiago, the damage has been quite varied. In general, providers are claiming that tourist-related areas remain unaffected, yet major road damage on key roadways has had a considerable impact.
Wine Region (Santa Cruz and surroundings)
This region was heavily affected, both because of the magnitude of the quake and because adobe was the preeminent material that locals use for construction. Old houses and buildings suffered major damage.
The Maule Region suffered serious damage in all of the main cities and small towns. Places like Curicó, Parral, Talca and Linares, whose old buildings were constructed in adobe, simply collapsed, causing the loss of many lives. The Tsunami that struck the coast of this area created even worse consequences. Small coastal towns simply disappeared. This is a focus of search and discovery efforts. Many hotels have closed temporarily, and this is not a recommended area for travel.
Concepción
The area of Concepción, the second largest town in Chile, suffered the consequences of the 8.8 Richter Scale magnitude quake heavily. Communications with this area in particular have been very difficult. Water and electricity are inconsistent, and this is a primary focus of rescue efforts.
Northern Lake District
Temuco and Pucón have reported some damages. Valdivia has also suffered to some extent. Communication remains spotty.
Southern Lake District (Puerto Varas, Puerto Montt, Chiloé)
The Earthquake was a mild tremor in the Lake District. No buildings were damaged, and it was barely noticeable compared to the rest of the country. The only issue here could be that, since connectivity is difficult, some goods like gas are becoming a bit scarce.
Patagonia
The quake was not noticed in Patagonia. Places like Torres del Paine, Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales are in perfect condition.
Damage minimal or non-existent. Excursions are being held normally and hotels are operating in good condition to receive travelers. Roads are also in good condition for traveling either by bus or by car.
Easter Island
Excursions are being held normally and hotels are operating in good condition to receive travelers. Roads are also in good condition for traveling either by bus or by car.
Juan Fernández Islands
Completely hit by tsunami waves. Roads, ports, and airport in terrible conditions. No way of getting into the main island or getting out of there. There is no availability of hotels, nor are excursions being held in this archipelago.
Valparaíso & Viña del Mar
Valparaíso’s new part of the port, where all cruises arrive, is open, although the old part suffered some damage and is closed. It is expected that the old part will open quite soon. Excursions are being held normally, and hotels are operating and in good condition to receive travelers. Roads are also fine for traveling either by bus or by car.
Santiago
Roads to the south of the country have some interruptions and deviations; toward the North and the coast, roads are in good condition. In Santiago, the damage has been quite varied. In general, providers are claiming that tourist-related areas remain unaffected, yet major road damage on key roadways has had a considerable impact.
Wine Region (Santa Cruz and surroundings)
This region was heavily affected, both because of the magnitude of the quake and because adobe was the preeminent material that locals use for construction. Old houses and buildings suffered major damage.
The Maule Region suffered serious damage in all of the main cities and small towns. Places like Curicó, Parral, Talca and Linares, whose old buildings were constructed in adobe, simply collapsed, causing the loss of many lives. The Tsunami that struck the coast of this area created even worse consequences. Small coastal towns simply disappeared. This is a focus of search and discovery efforts. Many hotels have closed temporarily, and this is not a recommended area for travel.
Concepción
The area of Concepción, the second largest town in Chile, suffered the consequences of the 8.8 Richter Scale magnitude quake heavily. Communications with this area in particular have been very difficult. Water and electricity are inconsistent, and this is a primary focus of rescue efforts.
Northern Lake District
Temuco and Pucón have reported some damages. Valdivia has also suffered to some extent. Communication remains spotty.
Southern Lake District (Puerto Varas, Puerto Montt, Chiloé)
The Earthquake was a mild tremor in the Lake District. No buildings were damaged, and it was barely noticeable compared to the rest of the country. The only issue here could be that, since connectivity is difficult, some goods like gas are becoming a bit scarce.
Patagonia
The quake was not noticed in Patagonia. Places like Torres del Paine, Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales are in perfect condition.
Flying to or within Chile
The closure of the Santiago airport makes traveling between some of the areas listed above very difficult. Even if one wanted to travel to areas that were untouched (e.g., Torres del Paine to Atacama), the lack of flights makes such movement virtually impossible for the moment. Once the airport is open (some are claiming Friday is the target date, but there is no official statement to date), there will be a backlog of people and flights that will take an extended period to resolve. We have rerouted all clients who are planning to travel to impacted areas of Chile this month and are providing extensions to their trips in Argentina. Those planning on visiting areas that remain up and running have been rerouted to make use of land transportation into and out of Chile in case the airline situation is not resolved promptly. For example, clients who were traveling to Torres del Paine have been rerouted to arrive by road from Argentina, as opposed to by plane from Santiago."
The closure of the Santiago airport makes traveling between some of the areas listed above very difficult. Even if one wanted to travel to areas that were untouched (e.g., Torres del Paine to Atacama), the lack of flights makes such movement virtually impossible for the moment. Once the airport is open (some are claiming Friday is the target date, but there is no official statement to date), there will be a backlog of people and flights that will take an extended period to resolve. We have rerouted all clients who are planning to travel to impacted areas of Chile this month and are providing extensions to their trips in Argentina. Those planning on visiting areas that remain up and running have been rerouted to make use of land transportation into and out of Chile in case the airline situation is not resolved promptly. For example, clients who were traveling to Torres del Paine have been rerouted to arrive by road from Argentina, as opposed to by plane from Santiago."
If Wendy Perrin had any clue about the Juan Fernández archipelago - where I have been half a dozen times - she would know that the airfield (which is well above the ocean) is likely unaffected. There are no roads to speak, and you can count the number of motor vehicles on your hands and perhaps a couple toes. The only accurate fact is that the port facilities, which were always small, are gone.