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Best time to visit Chile

The best time to visit Chile is between November and March when you can expect warm, sunny weather the length of the country, and southern Patagonia’s trails are fully open for walking. Our handy temperature and rainfall chart and month by month guide, as well as a rundown of the country’s main festivals and events, will also help you decide the best time of year to go to Chile.

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Best time to visit Chile

Chile is a year-round destination, with everything from beaches to hiking, stargazing to wine festivals on offer depending on when you visit.

The best time to visit Chile is the summer, between November and March, for pleasant weather the length of the country. Chile’s elongated shape – 4,300km north to south – includes the world’s driest desert, which is a year-round destination, while January and February see warm, long summer days in most places, plus a plethora of local festivals. October and November are good for Patagonia and central regions, with clear skies, spring blooms and fewer crowds than the December to January peak. March and April offer autumn colour. Easter Island can be visited year-round – March offers generally good weather.

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A month by month guide on when to go to Chile

January in Chile

Warmest time of year

Coastal sunbathing

Peak season crowds

Plan ahead if you want to visit Chile in January – this is peak season with warm temperatures and long sunny days the norm, so booking flights early can save you money. Patagonia is thronged with trekkers, and popular trails such as the W can be crowded. January is also a lovely month to explore the many beaches strung along Chile’s 4,600km coast or for cycling in the Lake District.

February in Chile

Festival season

Whale watching

Hot in the north

February is the end of high season in Chile, marked by festivals throughout the country with Tapati on Easter Island among the most exuberant. Chile in February is hot, though rarely uncomfortably so, and many Chileans head south in search of cooler climes. February can be the best time to cruise the Chilean fjords, with whales often seen – migrating blue whales can sometimes be spotted near Chiloé.

March in Chile

Hiking

Grape harvests

Shoulder season

With autumn creeping in, things are a little quieter in Chile in March and this can be a good month to travel, with predominantly warm, dry weather. It’s a nice time of year for walking – Patagonia’s summer winds are dying down a little. And March is a lovely time to be in Chile’s wine regions such as those around Santiago and Casablanca to enjoy grape harvests and festivals.

March is great for our Patagonia trekking holidays

April in Chile

Fewer visitors

Autumnal colours

Pumas in Torres del Paine

April can be the best time to see pumas in Torres del Paine National Park, with crowd-free trails and less windy weather. You’ll want to wrap up well though, with cool temperatures that are likely to dip below zero at night. Chile in April welcomes vibrant autumnal colours to the landscapes – the winelands, warmer than Patagonia, are particularly delightful, and it’s still a good time for hiking.

May in Chile

Easter Island

Wetter weather

Falling temperatures

Chile in May sees temperatures dropping and rainfall rising, especially in the south, but you can still risk the weather for some good deals. You won’t find much rain in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth – May is ideal to marvel at its stark landscapes with few other visitors. May is also a good time to tour Easter Island, though it does get blustery this far out in the Pacific.

June in Chile

Winter

Atacama Desert

Patagonia closing up

Winter descends on Chile in June, with shorter days and colder weather – most visitors at this time of year are making for Andean ski resorts. In Patagonia temperatures drop below zero and services along the Carreta Austral, the main highway, close up. However, June can be the best time to visit the Atacama Desert, chilly though it is, with beautiful flowers in bloom.

March is good to visit central Chile’s wine country as it’s the grape harvest. Places such as Santa Cruz in the Colchagua Valley have wine festivals.

– Alan Lyall from our partner Andean Trails

July in Chile

Colder weather

Desert stargazing

Low season deals

Visit Chile in July and you’ll want to pack layers for evening, though central and northern Chile, as well as Easter Island, don’t get unpleasantly cold even in winter. Patagonia is a different story – the scenery is pristine and dramatic, but many trails are closed due to snowfall. Santiago can get smoggy in winter, but the skies above the Atacama Desert are amazingly clear – the stargazing is fabulous.

August in Chile

Crowd-free

Mild in the north

Cheaper flights and hotels

Chile is so long that the central and northern parts of the country are still enjoying a mild Mediterranean climate in August with temperatures around 16°C. Visitors to Chile in August can enjoy interesting and crowd-free city breaks in Santiago or Valparaiso, and amazing photography in the Atacama Desert. Patagonia is cold and wet there’s not much potential for trekking at this time of year.

September in Chile

Early spring

Shoulder season deals

Mild in the north

You can find excellent travel deals if you choose visit Chile in September. The peak season is still some months off, but you can expect the weather to be relatively mild, dry and sunny in central Chile and the north. Hiking in the lake district, with its forests, Germanic towns and volcanic backdrops can be glorious, while the Atacama Desert is strewn with pretty spring wildflowers.

October in Chile

Patagonia

Fjord cruises

Carreta Austral reopens

October is one of the best months to visit Chile, with the tourist season swinging into action but visitor numbers still a fraction of what they will be in summer. Small ship cruises in the Chilean fjords are launching, and Patagonia is open to trekkers again with most trails accessible. The Carreta Austral reopens, as do hotels and lodges. Chile in October is for those wanting to stay ahead of the pack.

October is a good month to visit Easter Island

November in Chile

Start of high season

Crisp, sunny weather

Winds in Patagonia

The weather in Chile in November is glorious – fresh, sunny and dry – ideal for hiking in Patagonia or the lake district, or indeed for beachcombing along the coast. Temperatures are rising, around 18°C in Santiago, 8°C in Patagonia. If headed to Patagonia, do keep in mind that the onset of summer means the winds get ferociously gusty, up to 120km/h – sunglasses and a face covering will keep you comfortable.

November is sublime for our self drive holiday in Chile

December in Chile

Summer

Peak Patagonia

Flamingos, whales and penguins

December is a good time to travel to Chile for wildlife – in the Atacama Desert huge flocks of flamingos cluster around water sources, while you can see whales and dolphins off the coast. The desert reaches up to 24°C in the daytime – Chile in December is warm, but evenings are cooler, so you’ll still want layers. Peak trekking season begins in Patagonia, and penguins are nesting on the islands of Chiloé and Magdalena.

Patagonia Weather Chart

MIN °C

MAX °C

RAIN (mm)

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

-1

JUL

-1

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

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Best times to visit Chile for festivals & events

Carnival (late January)

Or to give it its full name, the International Andean Carnival with the Force of the Sun, is a huge and vibrant salute to ‘brotherhood across borders’ held in the northern city of Arica. Some 20,000 dancers and musicians from Altiplano and Afro-descendant communities across Chile, Peru and Bolivia, many of whom will have spent all year practising and designing their costumes, descend on Arica to celebrate the survival and resilience of their culture.

Tapati Festival (February)

This exciting festival on Easter Island was created to showcase Rapa Nui culture, and has now put February firmly on the tourism calendar. There are music and dance performances (with visitors welcome to join in the latter, body painting and all) and sporting events include an island triathlon, horse racing, and the Haka Pei, where bold adventurers slide down the steepest hill on the island on banana tree trunks.

Valdiviana Week (February)

This summer festival in the Pacific city of Valdivia is a lovely event, with its roots in a 17th-century protest against the Spanish rulers. Watch as a procession of brightly illuminated boats sails slowly along the river by night, then meander along the riverbanks that are lined with stalls selling sausage and craft beer (Valdivia has a strong German heritage), and handicrafts like musical instruments and woven coasters.

Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (16 July)

The tiny town of La Tirana, on the edge of the Atacama Desert, swells in population for this spectacular religious festival. The ‘tirana’ or tyrant in question is the 16th-century Incan princess Nusta Huillac, who fought against Christian European invaders before falling in love with one of them, and being executed by her own people for her ‘betrayal’. However, the festival itself relates to the culture of Aymara mine workers, with Andean folk traditions blending with Catholic ritual. Groups of dancers adorned in elaborate and bright costumes parade through the streets all day and into the night.

Independence Day - Dieciocho (18 September)

September 18 – and the days around – sees nationwide Independence Day celebrations known as fiestas patrias (literally ‘patriotic parties’), either outdoors or in temporary wooden buildings called ramadas. It’s wonderfully colourful – traditional costumes, folk music/dancing, parades by Chilean cowboys (huasos), plus flowing wine. Many places set up stands selling traditional food and drinks.

Our travellers also ask…

What is the best month to go to Chile?

The best month to visit Chile is probably January, weather-wise, when it’s dry, warm and sunny – perfect for exploring Patagonia, the Atacama Desert, the wine regions around Santiago or the lake district. But January is peak season and popular areas like Torres del Paine National Park can be very busy. We also recommend the less popular months of September to November and March to April, when there are fewer people around and the weather is still reliably fine.

What is the rainy season in Chile?

The rainy season in Chile is from May to August, with the south of the country seeing most precipitation. North of Santiago is predominantly desert where it very rarely rains – in fact the Atacama Desert is the driest place on the planet. Though few people choose to visit Patagonia during the rainy season, Chile’s lake district and wine regions are lush and mild, ideal for walking.

What is the cheapest time to travel to Chile?

Low season in Chile is from June to October when you can often find good deals. And keep in mind that during the winter central and northern Chile are still perfectly fine to travel. It’s worth considering shoulder months like May and September, too, when it’s a little cooler, a bit wetter, but there are fewer people around than peak season.

What month is the warmest in Chile?

January is usually the warmest month in Chile. Temperatures range from around 16°C in the south, to 30°C in Santiago, with its Mediterranean climate. More broadly, October to March is the hottest period in the southern Patagonia region, while December to February is warmest around central and northern Chile.

Where is the best weather in Chile?

Northern and central Chile can be visited year-round while the southern Patagonia region is most accessible between October and May. Winter (June through to August) sees more rain and lower temperatures throughout the country, though the climate in the capital, Santiago, is reliably clement. Patagonia is always windy, but during the summer months these winds, known as williwaws, can get particularly ferocious.

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Written by Rob Perkins

Best time to visit Chile

Best time to visit Chile