CHILE

Chile is a country of extremes.

Home to the driest place on earth, glaciers the size of small countries, towering mountain ranges and cosmopolitan cities. Gauchos sip mate alongside trendy urbanites, double-decker buses share never-ending asphalt roads with men on horseback, and fire erupts from ice as ancient volcanoes refuse to go quietly into the night.

Its very unique geography - a slender dagger of land slicing between the Pacific and the mountains - can make navigating the country a challenge in itself but, take the time, take buses, take planes or even take a boat, and you will discover places and panoramas that will take your breath away.