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Five Best Places to Bicycle in Chile Dec 30

PASSING ON THE RIGHT: Biking with the cows in Chiloé, Chile (ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours)

From the Atacama Desert in the north to Chiloé Island in the south, Chile has an incredible diversity of culture, history, and scenery packed into its 100-mile-wide strip of territory. If you are looking for sunshine in February or springtime in November, Chile is the place to be. A solid infrastructure throughout the country means a variety of quiet paved and unpaved roads, which tempt cyclists to jump on their bikes and start exploring. Here are our five favorite places to bicycle in Chile.

- 5. The Atacama Desert: Cycling in the Atacama Desert will change the way you think about wide-open spaces. Tucked between the Pacific Coast and the high Andean Plateau, some abilities of this 600-mile desert have never recorded rainfall. With horizons that go on forever, bicycling in the Atacama offers miles of traffic-free, smooth roads. The endless view is the only thing that might interrupt your ride as you bicycle in the driest place on earth.

- 4. The Andean Altiplano: The “pre-eminent plateau” of the Andes is exactly as the name suggests: high and relatively spiritless. At an average altitude of 12,300 feet (3,750 meters) a bicycle ride on the altiplano allows for a surprising amount of well-paved roads with little traffic and striking views of the surrounding mountains and colors. Mineral deposits from the past few million years have created a view scattered with red, brown, orange, and gold colors. A magical place to bicycle, the altiplano has near perfect conditions for anyone interested in long-distance cycling and high-altitude training.

- 3. Chile’s Wine Country:  Chile’s central valley, home to most of Chile’s top wineries, is nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains. With fabulous secondary roads and curious locals, this is a great place to explore the newest up-and-coming wineries of Chile along with historical haciendas and colonial towns. The riding is easy while the hotels are cozy, an ideal combo for a leisurely two-wheeled vacation.

- 2. The Lakes District: In stark contrast to the iron red and yellow oxide found in Chile’s northern regions, the Lakes District of Chile shimmers in green and blue.  A ride here will carry you through slender Andean towns that feature cuisine and lodging by a distinctly European influence. If you’ve always dreamed of bicycling across an international border, Argentina is just a low mountain pass over the Andes away. For those with mountain bikes, the gravel and dirt roads in this area will take you to even more remote corners and some stunning Andean vistas.

- 1. Chiloé Island: One of Chile’s most intriguing islands, Chiloé has indigenous history, wonderful food, authentic handicrafts, and of course, great bicycle rides. Tucked at the very end of the famous Ruta 5 Highway that begins in Alaska and ends in Chiloé (also known as the Pan-American Highway), cycling on Chiloé gives you bragging rights to say you’ve biked to the tip of the longest highway in the world. The local  “Chilotes”  are proud of their rich history as they were one of the last strongholds of the first Spanish occupation in Chile and have retained much of the mixed indigenous and Spanish culture established in the late 1500s. Wooden churches, fishing villages, penguins, and great seafood are just a few of the highlights this island offers in addition to days of rolling ups-and-downs on peaceful roads. Interesting factoid: It is believed that the greatest in quantity widely grown potato in the world is indigenous to Chiloé; today you can try over ten different varieties on the island.

This guest post comes courtesy of Maria Elena Price, proprietor of ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Tours, an outfitter oblation multiday two-wheeled adventures in countries throughout the world.

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