Volunteer Travel Guide Chile
A Chilean legend maintains that after God had created the wonders of the world he had many pieces leftover. He had raging rivers, sprawling glaciers, valleys and soaring mountains, snow-capped volcanoes, sparkling lakes, beautiful forests and deserts, icy fjords and sandy beaches. Rather than let all this beauty go to waste, he put them together in a remote part of the world, and so Chile was born.
Shaped like a long narrow strip and making up the western part of South America's tail, it is 2,610 miles (4,200km) in length and at most 115 miles (180km) wide. Travellers are drawn to this country because of its multitude of natural attractions, from the northern desert to the Lake District, and the mountains and fjords of Patagonia in the south. It has some superb National Parks, including Easter Island famous for its mysterious giant statues, and numerous activities for outdoor enthusiasts.
Chile's European heritage is evident throughout the country and travellers here are likely to feel more familiar with its culture than those of the neighbouring countries, with their strongly indigenous lifestyles. There are still local traditions persisting in parts of Chile however, and together with the European influence this makes for an interesting juxtaposition, providing a distinctive culture. The people are resilient, cordial and warm, from the fashionable capital city of Santiago to the isolated island of Chiloé, and Chilean hospitality is renowned.
Besides natural beauty and an interesting blend of cultures, Chile offers the visitor excellent wines and seafood, unique handicrafts and shopping, and a variety of characteristic architecture, making it a beautiful and memorable place to visit.
The Basics
Time:
Mainland is GMT -4 (GMT -3 from October to March). Easter Island is GMT -6 (GMT -5 from October to March).
Electricity:
Electrical current is 220 volts, 50Hz. Round two-pin plugs and round three-pin plugs (in-line) are used.
Language:
The official language is Spanish.
Health:
There are no vaccination requirements for entry to Chile, but a typhoid vaccine is recommended for travellers other than short term travellers who restrict their meals to major restaurants, hotels or cruise ships. Dengue fever is on the increase and visitors should take precautions against mosquito bites. Water is generally safe in the cities, but should be treated in the rural areas; bottled water is widely available for drinking. Santiago is severely polluted and this could cause respiratory problems or eye irritations, particularly from May to August. Travellers visiting the Andes Mountains should be aware of altitude sickness, and ascend slowly to allow the body to adjust. Health care in urban areas is adequate, but hospitals and clinics are extremely expensive and usually require payment in cash. Health insurance is strongly recommended.
Tipping:
Tips of 10% is expected in restaurants. It is not customary to tip taxi drivers but it is usual to round up the fare if they help with luggage. In general tipping small amounts is customary for all services.
Customs:
Bargaining is not practiced in street markets or stores. It is considered polite for smokers to offer cigarettes to travel companions before lighting up themselves.
Business:
Chilean business culture tends to be formal, and this includes dress, which should also be conservative. In business, Chileans should be addressed by their titles and surnames, unless otherwise stated. Businesses are often family-run. Third party introductions are indispensable when arranging a meeting, and developing a personal relationship is key. Chileans stand very close when conversing and it is impolite to pull away. Visitors are also expected to re-confirm appointments before arriving at a meeting. Foreigners should be on time for meetings, but it is not unusual for the host to be 15-30 minutes late. On introduction, a firm handshake and exchange of business cards is usual - cards should be printed in both English and Spanish and care should be taken to pay attention to the card before putting it away carefully. Business hours are generally 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, with a two-hour siesta over lunch.
Communications:
The international access code for Chile is +56. The outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 0044 for the United Kingdom). The area code for Santiago is (0)2. Internet cafes are available in the main towns. A number of telephone companies offer different rates for national and international calls, depending on the time of day. Public phones are widely available and international call centres are available in most shopping malls. Mobile phone companies have roaming agreements with most international cell phone companies; otherwise mobile phones can easily be rented. A GSM 1900 network is in operation. Internet cafes are widespread, particularly in the big cities.
Duty Free:
Travellers entering Chile do not need to pay customs duty on 400 cigarettes, 50 cigars (large or small) and 500g tobacco; 2.5 litres of alcohol; and perfume for personal use. Meat products, flowers, fruit and vegetables may only be imported if permission is given by the Department of Agriculture in advance.
Health
There are no vaccination requirements for entry to Chile, but a typhoid vaccine is recommended for travellers other than short term travellers who restrict their meals to major restaurants, hotels or cruise ships. Dengue fever is on the increase and visitors should take precautions against mosquito bites. Water is generally safe in the cities, but should be treated in the rural areas; bottled water is widely available for drinking. Santiago is severely polluted and this could cause respiratory problems or eye irritations, particularly from May to August. Travellers visiting the Andes Mountains should be aware of altitude sickness, and ascend slowly to allow the body to adjust. Health care in urban areas is adequate, but hospitals and clinics are extremely expensive and usually require payment in cash. Health insurance is strongly recommended.
View information on diseases: Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Cause:
Salmonella typhi, the typhoid bacillus, which infects only humans. Similar paratyphoid and enteric fevers are caused by other species of Salmonella, which infect domestic animals as well as humans.
Transmission:
Infection with typhoid fever is transmitted by consumption of contaminated food or water. Occasionally direct faecal-oral transmission may occur. Shellfish taken from sewage-polluted beds are an important source of infection. Infection occurs through eating fruit and vegetables fertilized by night soil and eaten raw, and milk and milk products that have been contaminated by those in contact with them. Flies may transfer infection to foods, resulting in contamination that may be sufficient to cause human infection. Pollution of water sources may produce epidemics of typhoid fever, when large numbers of people use the same source of drinking water.
Nature of the disease:
Typhoid fever is a systemic disease of varying severity. Severe cases are characterized by gradual onset of fever, headache, malaise, anorexia and insomnia. Constipation is more common than diarrhoea in adults and older children. Without treatment, the disease progresses with sustained fever, bradycardia, hepatosplenomegaly, abdominal symptoms and, in some cases, pneumonia. In white-skinned patients, pink spots (papules), which fade on pressure, appear on the skin of the trunk in up to 50% of cases. In the third week, untreated cases develop additional gastrointestinal and other complications, which may prove fatal. Around 2-5% of those who contract typhoid fever become chronic carriers, as bacteria persist in the biliary tract after symptoms have resolved.
Geographical distribution:
Worldwide. The disease occurs most commonly in association with poor standards of hygiene in food preparation and handling and where sanitary disposal of sewage is lacking.
Risk for travellers:
Generally low risk for travellers, except in parts of north and west Africa, in south Asia and in Peru. Elsewhere, travellers are usually at risk only when exposed to low standards of hygiene with respect to food handling, control of drinking water quality, and sewage disposal.
Prophylaxis (protective treatment):
Vaccination.
Precautions:
Observe all precautions against exposure to foodborne and waterborne infections. Source: WHO.
Contacts
Visa Agencies
Travel Visa Pro, San Francisco, USA. 1-888-470-8472 or www.TravelVisaPro.com
Tourism
Chile National Tourism Board SERNATUR, Santiago: +56 (0)2 696 7141 or www.chile.travel
Chile Embassies
Embassy of Chile, Washington DC, United States: +1 202 785 1746.
Embassy of Chile, London, United Kingdom: +44 (0)20 7580 6392.
Embassy of Chile, Ottawa, Canada: +1 613 235 4402.
Embassy of Chile, Canberra, Australia: +61 (0)2 6286 2430.
Embassy of Chile, Pretoria, South Africa: +27 (0)12 460 8090.
Embassy of Chile, Dublin, Ireland: +353 (0)1 667 5094.
Embassy of Chile, Wellington, New Zealand: +64 (0)4 471 6270.
Foreign Embassies in Ecuador
United States Embassy, Santiago: +56 (0)2 232 2600.
British Embassy, Santiago: +56 (0)2 370 4100.
Canadian Embassy, Santiago: +56 (0)2 652 3800.
Australian Embassy, Santiago: +56 (0)2 550 3500.
South African Embassy, Santiago: +56 (0)2 231 2860-3.
Honorary Consul of Ireland, Santiago: +56 (0)2 245 6616.
New Zealand Embassy, Santiago: +56 (0)2 290 9800.
Chile Emergency Numbers
Emergencies: 133 (Police); 131 (Medical).
Airports
Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport (SCL)
Location: The airport is situated 13 miles (21km) north west of Santiago.
Time: Local time is GMT –5 (GMT –4 from the second Sunday in October to the second Saturday in March).
Contacts: Tel: +56 (0)2 690 1752/3.
Transfer to the city: Several bus services leave regularly for the city centre. Official airport taxis are also available from outside international and domestic arrivals.
Car rental: International companies such as Avis and Alamo are represented at the airport as well as several local companies.
Facilities: Facilities at this extremely well equipped airport include Business and Internet Centres, bureaux de change, banks and ATMs, duty-free shops as well as a variety of other retail stores, restaurants, cafes and bars, a post office, tourist information, travel agencies and hotel reservations. There are also plenty of children's play areas available.
Parking: Parking is available 24-hours a day.
Departure Tax: Passengers with a passport from Australia, Canada, United States or Mexico are required to pay a reciprocity tax on entering the airport. Australians: US$56, Canadians: US$132, US nationals: US$100, and Mexicans: US$15.
Website: www.aeropuertosantiago.cl
Climate
Ecuador's geography has endowed the country with a variety of microclimates.The coast is hot all year, with a humid rainy season between December and May. In the mountains climate depends on altitude, becoming cooler the higher you go. The Amazon region is hot, humid and wet while the Galapagos Islands are dry with a steady year-round average temperature of 77ºF (25ºC).
Passport & Visa
Visa Agencies:
Avoid the stress and queues, get a visa agency to arrange your visa.
Travel Visa Pro, San Francisco, USA. 1-888-470-8472 or www.TravelVisaPro.com
Global Visas, London, UK. 0207 190 3903 or www.globalvisas.com
Entry requirements for Americans: No visa is required by US nationals for visits of up to 90 days, but a US$131 reciprocity fee, payable in USD cash on arrival, will be charged for tourists. The receipt is regarded as a multiple entry visa and is valid until expiry of passport. A passport is required for travel to Chile.
Entry requirements for UK nationals: UK nationals do not require a visa for visits of up to 90 days. A passport is required.
Entry requirements for Canadians: No visa is required by Canadians for visits of up to 90 days, but a US$132 reciprocity fee, payable in USD cash on arrival, will be charged for tourists. The receipt is regarded as a multiple entry visa and is valid until expiry of passport. A passport is required for travel to Chile.
Entry requirements for Australians: No visa is required by Australians for visits of up to 90 days, but a US$61 reciprocity fee, payable in USD cash on arrival, will be charged for tourists. The receipt is regarded as a multiple entry visa and is valid for three months. A passport is required.
Entry requirements for South Africans: South African nationals must hold a passport. A visa is not required for stays of up to 90 days.
Entry requirements for New Zealanders: New Zealand nationals must hold a passport. A visa is not required for a stay of up to 90 days.
Entry requirements for Irish nationals: Irish nationals must hold a passport, but a visa for a stay of up to 90 days is not required.
Passport/Visa Note: Passengers must hold a Tourist Card (issued free of charge on arrival for 90 days) and sufficient funds to cover intended period of stay. A return or onward ticket is not required if holding a credit card or sufficient funds to purchase a ticket. Passengers with a passport from Australia, Canada, United States or Mexico are required to pay a reciprocity tax on entering Santiago airport before passing through Customs. Fees are US$61 for Australians, US$132 for Canadians, US$131 for US nationals and US$23 for Mexican passport holders. This tax must be paid in US dollars cash; it is paid once and remains valid until the passport expires (for Canadians and Americans) or for three months (for Mexicans and Australians).
Note: Passport and visa requirements are liable to change at short notice. Travellers are advised to check their entry requirements with their embassy or consulate.
