A pretty flamingos struts its stuff in Chile

Chile may be the South American country that works hard, but it's also one of the best places on the continent to come and play.

Its long, slender form stretches from the high Andean heartland to the southern-most fingertip pointing straight at Antarctica, blessing it with the kind of awe-inspiring geographical diversity and scale to rival any and all of its neighbours (and round here the competition is stiff).

For the traveller, this can mean a journey that begins in the driest desert on earth and ends by splashing down among icebergs, taking in colonial towns, seaside resorts, lush vineyards, untamed forest, thundering waterfalls, fjords and serene glacial lakes along the way, without crossing a single border.

Its cultural legacy draws richness from pre-Colombian times up to the Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. While politically, the country is well known to have lived through 'interesting' times (national figures like Salvador Allende and Augusto Pinochet continue to divide hearts and minds), today it is not afraid to confront its controversies as it strides forward into a progressive future with Michelle Bachelet at the helm.

Survival guide

Though the infrastructure and efficiency of its transport networks are an appreciable reward of the country's strong economy, it's also true that travelling around Chile tends to be a little harder on the wallet than elsewhere on the continent.

One way to save a little money and a lot of travel time is to invest in a domestic airpass from LanChile.

Remember though that the climate varies so greatly from one end of Chile to the other they could almost be on two different planets - so if you're planning on travelling around, it's wise to pack accordingly.

In the high, arid north you'll need a hat, shades and serious sunscreen for the daytime and something warm to wrap up in when the temperature plummets at night. Waterproofs are essential in the often wet, windy and wild Patagonian south.

English-speaking is on the increase and while even a few words of Spanish will be a help, don't expect to understand much of the Chilean dialect. Colourful slang and a quick wit are characteristics that belie the Chileans' conservative reputation.