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Country Guide > South America > Chile | |
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Travel - International Air Chile has one privately owned national airline: LAN-Chile (LA) (website: www.lan.com), which deals with international flights. Its subsidary, Lanexpress (LU) deals with domestic flights. Approximate flight times From Santiago to London is 16 hours 50 minutes. International airports Santiago (SCL) (Arturo Merino Benitez) (website: www.aeropuertosantiago.cl). The airport is 21km (11 miles) northwest of Santiago (travel time – 30 minutes). Bus services to the city centre operate from 0530 to 2400 every day. Underground services operate to Los Héroes, Central, Universidad de Santiago, Las Rejas and Pajaritos stations. Taxis to the city are also available. Official taxis are blue with official documentation. Airport facilities include bar, bureaux de change, restaurants, car hire, post office and tourist office. Air passes The Mercosur Airpass: Valid within Argentina, Brazil, Chile (except Easter Island), Paraguay and Uruguay. Participating airlines include Austral (AU), LAN-Chile (LA), LAPA (MJ), Pluna (PU), Transbrasil Airlines (TR) and VARIG (RG), with the subsidiary airlines of Nordeste (JH) and Rio Sul (SL). The pass can only be purchased by passengers who live outside South America and who have a return ticket. Only eight flight coupons are allowed with a maximum of four coupons for each country and is valid for seven to a maximum of 30 days. At least two countries must be visited (to a maximum of five) and the flight route cannot be changed. A maximum of two stopovers is allowed per country. The Visit South America Pass: Must be bought outside South America in country of residence and allows unlimited travel to 36 cities in the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile (except Easter Island), Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. To be eligible, passengers must fly with Lan airlines (LanChile, LanEcuador or LanPeru). A minimum of three flights must be booked, with no maximum; the maximum stay is 60 days, with no minimum, and prices depend on the amount of flight zones covered. There is no discount for children, although infants travelling without need of a seat may do so free of charge. For further details, contact one of the participating airlines. Departure tax US$18. Sea The principal port is Empremar in Valparaíso. Important shipping lines are Compañía Chilena de Navegación Interoceánica (CCNI) (website: www.ccni.cl); Compañía Argentina de Navegación Dodero (CADND) (from Buenos Aires); Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV) (from New York and European ports) (website: www.csav.cl); Delta Line Cruises (from the USA via the Panama Canal); Holland America Line; Norwegian Cruise Line; and Silversea Cruises. Rail Some rail connections with neighbouring countries use buses for part of the journey. There are trains running between Arica and Tacna in Peru and La Paz in Bolivia. Road The Pan American Highway enters Chile through Arica. TEPSA buses come to Chile from as far north as Ecuador. There are also services from Argentina and Brazil to Santiago. |