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6 Travel Mistakes I Made in Chile and How to Avoid Them
Chile is a beautiful country in South America, famous for its diverse landscapes like the moonlike Atacama desert or stunning mountainscapes of Patagonia, as well as its sprawling cities like Santiago. Here are 6 things I wish I had known before my first Chile trip and how to prepare better!
I spent over three weeks in Chile, visiting my friend in Santiago as well as waiting for Fiestas Patrias – the massive national holiday that is celebrated in Chile around the 18th of September. It was one of my highlights of my entire South America trip. I also surfed in Pichilemu and explored the moon-like planes of the Atacama Desert.
Santiago, Chile’s capital, has so much to explore and a ton of amazing daytrip options. I would recommend around 3-days here: The Ultimate 3-Day Santiago de Chile Itinerary
My Chile trip was an incredible time, however not everything went to plan and there some things that I wish I had known before my trip. I’ve collected all these things in this article so that you can have the perfect, seamless Chile trip:
6 Things I Wish I Had Known Before My First Chile Trip
1. Exchange cash before leaving the airport
If you are arriving in Santiago de Chile airport and planning to take public transport into the city centre, you need to have some cash (around $15). If you can, get some Chilean Pesos at a good exchange office at home as they will give you MUCH better rates than Santiago airport, but you need to have some cash in hand before exiting the airport. There are exchange offices at the airport but I would avoid if possible.
You can find my full guide on the public transport from Santiago airport to the city centre here, but you can only buy a public transport card with cash, not card. The ATMs at the underground stations that will get you to the city centre have extremely high fees!
Once you are in the city centre and need cash, head to a Scotiabank ATM which has no additional fees other than what your card may charge you.
2. Book accommodation in the right area of Santiago
Santiago de Chile is a little different than many other cities as in you don’t want to stay in the centre, at least not the Old Centre (Anywhere near Plaza des Armas). Unfortunately, over the past few years this area has become very unsafe especially at night. The same goes for many other areas of Santiago where you absolutely shouldn’t walk around alone in the evening/night – my local friend stressed this several times when I visited and my first AirBnB was in a questionable area even though it was close to the centre.
Safe areas to stick to are Providencia, Barrio Italia, Las Condes and Lastarria. AirBnB can also be a good, affordable choice for Santiago, but I would highly recommend sticking with the recommended areas and looking for female hosts if you are a solo, female traveller.
3. Make sure to learn Spanish early enough
Before deciding to visit South America, I spoke virtually no Spanish. I started panic-learning about two months before my trip with an online teacher and got surprisingly far. However, the Spanish spoken in Chile is very accented and I struggled to understand even the more basic stuff.
I would highly recommend starting to learn Spanish quite a few months in advance – it will make your trip SO much easier. Even though a lot of tours are in English, locals will be so happy to help you if you speak a little Spanish and you will get even more out of tours with local guides. It is also much safer if you are able to understand what is going on around you.
4. Don’t underestimate the altitude
One of the things I wish I had been more prepared about for my South America trip is the altitude. I got severe altitude sickness on my tour from San Pedro de Atacama through the Uyuni desert, as you head up to 5000m and ended up in hospital – this is entirely avoidable by planning (always do the Uyuni tour from Bolivia, not Chile) and the right altitude sickness medication.
Chile has a couple of places at very high altitude, such as the popular El Tatio geysers in the Atacama desert which sit at a lofty 4,320 metres. I personally start to really feel the altitude from 3,500m but it can start from 2,500m upwards. Patagonia has a couple of peaks that are also way above this.
So, do your research! Prep for tours, acclimatise correctly and get altitude sickness prevention tablets before entering high altitudes. Most pharmacies will sell these in South America.
5. Bring layers and a good rain jacket
The number one thing to add to your Chile packing list is a good rain jacket. The next thing is as many layers as you can. I wish someone had told me just how varied the weather can be across Chile, so you need to be prepared for anything.
Patagonia for example is known for having different weather and temperatures even just in one day, so you need to be prepared. The Atacama desert can be biting hot during the day, but then freezing cold at night. Do your research on weather to expect in the areas you are visiting and pack accordingly. And bring that rain jacket as I had to buy one halfway through my trip.
6. The country isn’t as scary as people will make it out to be
When I first came to Chile, I was honestly quite worried about safety. I am a solo, female traveller and had heard some horror stories about the capital and country in general. However, I have a friend who lives in Santiago and was able to give me all the tips to stay safe. Overall, I felt pretty safe and had no incidents at all while in Chile.
For the capital Santiago and other big cities, you do need to apply common sense as well as follow some “rules” to stay as safe as possible:
- Stick to the touristy areas
- Don’t have your phone out when walking around as phone theft is extremely common – go into a store for example to look at directions
- Don’t walk around alone at night (especially as a girl!) – get an Uber if you find yourself away from your accommodation after dark. I went out for drinks a few times with friends and always made it safely back with Uber and they are quite affordable there.
- Avoid the downtown area unless on a tour
- Keep valuables hidden and close to your body
- Don’t wear flashy jewellery and watches – just don’t bring them
- Ask your accommodation for tips on areas and streets to avoid – they are local and will be able to help you best with this. Even in groups, there are a lot of areas that you should not go to at night.
- Choose an accommodation in a safe and touristy area, as discussed at the beginning of this article.
My main advice would be to be vigilant, especially when solo travelling. People tend to over-exaggerate the apparent “danger” of Santiago and Chile in general, however it is very different when actually travelling there. I had a great time even took part in the Fiestas Patrias celebrations in September which were such an amazing experience.
More Blog Posts on Chile:
The Ultimate 3-Day Santiago de Chile Itinerary for Solo Travellers Bell June 6, 2025 No Comments Santiago is the capital of Chile …
Where to Stay in Santiago de ChileBudget to Luxury Bell June 4, 2025 No Comments Santiago de Chile is often the gateway …
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I’m a solo traveller, writer and designer. I created my blog to share the many different ways to travel the world. Learn more about me here!
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