Chile

Upon arrival you will be greeted by your host and escorted to Finca Adalgisa, an upscale retreat that features separate private cottagesoverlooking one of the last remaining historical vineyards in the area with the mountains as a backdrop. Welcome dinner in 1884, the restaurant of Escorihuela winery, run by the wellknown argentine chef Francis Mallmann.

After the long ferry journey, Puerto Natales appears as a cheerful huddle of brightly painted buildings clinging bravely to the shore of the Gulf of Almirante Montt. The waterfront is a teeming mass of gulls, tufted ducks and black-necked swans.

Pablo Neruda, once claimed "Anyone who hasn't been in the Chilean forest doesn't know this planet."

The flight south from Santiago is stunning. At our cruising altitude of 30,000 feet I can see across the entire breadth of Chile: Out of the left window the horizon is cluttered with the jagged line of Andean peaks that forms the border with Argentina; out of the right window the Pacific Ocean beats a harsh rhythm against a rugged coastline of sheer sided fjords and myriad islands. We fly above perfect conical volcanoes, glittering lakes and lush farmland…

Once more we found ourselves huddled in a high, remote shelter, surrounded by a beautiful but harsh mountain world. We were cold inside the shelter and I shuddered to think what the temperature must have been outside

Nowhere else has that magical tag 'most southernly point in the world', and the name alone, which translates as Land of Fire, is enough to have Indiana Jones rushing to book his ticket - indeed, visitors from Charles Darwin to Bruce Chatwin have described their fascination with the place

Chile, the ribbon of land between the Andes and the Pacific, has something for everybody

Squeezed between a vast ocean and the longest mountain range on earth, Chile is 2,600 miles long and never more than 110 miles wide

long, narrow sliver of land, clinging to the edge of a continent, Chile has often drawn attention to itself for its wholly implausible shape.

An extremely thorough country guide to Chile with the emphasis on eco-travel and adventure sports.