Chile is a narrow country on the west of South America. Running 2700 miles, north to south, along the coast, it has a wide range of ecosystems. While much of the country is not far from the coast and therefore the sea and water, due to the rain shadow cast by the Andes there are many very dry regions.

The Atacama desert is one of the driest, places on earth (there are areas of this desert which have never been seen to get rain). 

Central Andean Dry Puna Classed in the montane grasslands and shrubland biome. Located in the high Andes, it stretches between Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. It contains snow-capped peaks, high plateaus, volcanoes and salt lakes.

The region is home to numerous mammals such as the Andean mountain cat, Andean fox, cougar, vicuna, puma, IIamas, and quirquincho. Flamingo species in the region are James’s flamingo, Andean Flamingo, and Chilean Flamingo. Endemic bird to the region includes the royal cinclodes, Ash-breasted tit-tryant, and short-tailed finch. Most of these birds have been classified as endangered. There are several reserves in the area, and we hope to link with them in the future.

Valdivian temperate rain forests  lying in teperate forest and mixed biome. The endangered pudu, the world’s smallest deer, is found here alongside an arboreal marsupial known as the kodkod, and the Magellanic woodpecker.

South Andean Steppe Animal species in the area include the puma, Andean fox, guanaco, and the vicuna. The ecoregion has not been subjected to environmental degradation, mainly because it is not suitable for farming. Most of the ecoregion is also preserved in parks and reserves.

Other biomes in the country include Other ecological regions present in Chile include the Arid Puna, Atacama-Sechura Desert Complex, the Bolivian High Andean Complex, the Chilean Matorral, Chiloe Island, Chonos Archipelago, Juan Fernandez Islands, Juan Fernandez Islands Temperate Forests, Magallanes-Ultima Esperanza Complex, Magellanic Subpolar Forests, North Mediterranean Chile, Pacific Coastal Deserts, Patagonian Grasslands, Patagonian Steppe, Rapa Nui and Sala-y-Gomez Subtropical Broadleaf Forests, San Felix-San Ambrosio Islands Temperate Forests, Sechura Desert, South Mediterranean Chile, the Tierra del Fuego-Rio Grande Complex, and the Valdivian.

In amongst all this I am going to highlight several places we have already started to build pages for. However, we would be interested in working with anyone who is a guide in this fascinating country – please get in touch.