The South American country announced May 12, 2023, that its Protected Borders Plan—put in place in response to the Covid pandemic emergency—has ended.
A guanaco at Lake Pehoe in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park.
US travelers to Chile just need a passport
The end of the Protected Borders Plan means that travelers to Chile no longer need to show proof of Covid vaccination or a negative test, and that random Covid testing of travelers is no longer taking place. Note that while the World Health Organization has ended the emergency phase of the pandemic, Covid is still circulating around the world and the virus is still a threat—even fully vaccinated people can still get seriously ill from either the acute respiratory phase of Covid or from the vascular damage that Long Covid brings to 10 to 20 percent of infected people. Regardless of where you live or travel, it is still wise to wear a K/N95-type respirator indoors and when in crowded places outdoors.
Plaza de Armas Square and Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral, Santiago, Chile.
The new measures in Chile mean that requirements to visit the South American country have returned to those in place before the Covid pandemic began. For travelers from many countries, that means the only requirement is to have a passport that’s valid for the duration of stay and that has at least one blank page for an immigration stamp. Citizens of the United States traveling on a regular passport do not need a tourist visa for stays of less than 90 days.
The glacial tongue of the Grey Glacier, Grey Lake, Patagonia, Chile.
Entry rules are generally the same for citizens of Canada, the European Union, Australia, and South American countries, but travelers should always check for updated rules prior to booking travel and departing.
Travel to Chile in 2023 and beyond
Moai statues, Rano Raraku, Rapa Nui National Park, Rapa Nui, Chile.
Chile’s Undersecretary of Tourism, Verónica Pardo Lagos, said in a statement that the country expects 3,5 million foreign travelers to visit during 2023. With the ending of the Protected Borders Plan, there’s hope that travel to Chile will be accelerated.
Top destinations in Chile include the capital city of Santiago, Torres del Paine National Park in the south in Patagonia, and the isolated island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) that’s 2,330 miles off the coast of Santiago.
Chile’s wildlife includes huemuls (a type of deer and the country’s national animal), pudús (the world’s smallest deer), vicuñas and guanacos (similar to llamas and alpacas), rheas (large birds resembling the ostrich and emu), pumas, kodkods (South America’s smallest species of wild cat), flamingoes, penguins, whales and dolphins.
The Valley of the Moon (Valle de la Luna), Atacama Desert, Chile. What looks like snow is actually … [+]
One of the most unusual destination in Chile is the Atacama Desert, in the north—the world’s driest non-polar desert. Mummies were found in Atacama that are older than Egypt’s. In addition to the region’s beach cities and amazing stargazing, you can see colorful desert lagoons (even a blood red one), salt flats, hot springs and geysers. Geoglyphs—ancient designs drawn into the flats and hills—rival Peru’s Nazca Lines. The Valley of the Moon resembles the surface of the celestial body orbiting above the Earth.
The best time to visit Chile depends on the activities you want to pursue. April to October—the southern hemisphere’s winter—is the low season when crowds are smallest. Weather for outdoor adventures is best in the summer months from November to March.
Chile is considered one of the safest countries in South America. Four airlines fly from the US to Chile—American Airlines, Delta, LATAM, and United.
Marble caverns, Lake General Carrera, Puerto Rio Tranquilo, Chile.
