Packing list for Chile, travel insurance for Chile, and taking your belongings

To take or not to take to Chile, leave at home or arrange locally?

Sufficiently insured or not for your activities in Chile?

Sufficiently insured or not for your trip to Chile?

What to take with you to Chile: spotlighted

To bring and to check:

• Documents: a passport that is valid for at least 6 months, and copies.
• Money: a few Chilean pesos is handy, otherwise you can get by with a debit card and/or credit card.
• Care: good strong sunscreen, aftersun and lip balm.
• Outdoor and conveniences: sunglasses, cap / hat. Gloves and hat for Patagonia and the Andes.
• Protection: waterproof bag or drybag and good rain gear (more about rain gear and waterproof clothing).
• Clothing: layers, layers, layers. Chile is the longest country in the world, so you can certainly expect differences in climate - from dry and hot to humid and cold and all seasons in one day. In the north: dry, hot weather. In Patagonia? Stormy cold with horizontal rain. In Santiago: spring, autumn or all seasons in one day. So shirts, sweater, raincoat, thermal clothing (for the south) and extra socks. Quick-drying clothing can be useful for walks (and to dry off faster after a rain shower).
• Shoes: good walking shoes rather than fashionable sneakers (more about mountain boots or trekking shoes), slippers/sandals for easy days.
• Medicines and travel pharmacy: first aid kit with ORS, plasters, painkillers, anti-diarrhea and disinfectant gel.
• Technique and equipment: world plug with type C & L.

To consider:

• Reusable water bottle.
• Quick-drying travel towel
• Power bank – for long bus rides, hiking trails, or photographing flamingos at 4000 meters altitude.
• A buff, scarf or bandana
• Sleeping bag
• Headlamp or flashlight for hiking.
• Where you are going and in which season. Be prepared for everything!
• There is little available on Easter Island and when it is available, it is expensive.

Are there mosquitoes in Chile?

• Mosquitoes are generally not a big problem in Chile.
• They are there, and very occasionally people get sick (dengue/West Nile virus), but this is incidental.
• Mosquitoes are mainly found in: lower, warmer areas in the north and centre (such as around Santiago, the coast and parts of the Atacama) and near stagnant water in the summer months (December – March)
• On Easter Island you are somewhat more at risk, especially around the cities.
• Protecting yourself can be wise.

Are there sandflies in Chile?

• Sand flies and leishmaniasis are not a problem in Chile.

Can you buy DEET, or other mosquito repellents, in Chile?

• You can find mosquito repellents at drugstores, large supermarkets and sometimes in small shops in tourist areas.
• The remedies are often not very strong, so if that is your preference (and if you want to save money), it is best to bring some from home.

Can you buy a joint or weed in Chile, or take it with you to Chile?

• Not really. But not completely illegal either. It depends. In other words: Latin American logic in action.
• Medicinal cannabis is in principle legal, but only under strict conditions and with a doctor's prescription.
• Personal use of small amounts in private is tolerated, but it is still technically punishable.
• Public use, possession in public, buying, selling or growing cannabis without a permit = illegal.
• So: you are not officially allowed to buy or have it with you, but might spot some Chileans secretly smoking it on the balcony.