Three routes, none of them complicated
A local prepaid SIM: bought at the airport or at any carrier shop, and the cheapest option for several days. Your phone needs to be unlocked.
An eSIM: activated before you leave home so you land already connected, without hunting for a counter with your luggage. Or roaming on your existing plan: the simplest and the priciest, but for three or four days it can add up favourably.
The part nobody warns you about: the mountains have no signal
On the climb up route G-21 there are long stretches with no coverage, and several spots at the resorts have none either. That is not your carrier’s fault: it is the geography.
In practice: do not rely on your phone’s map to get up there, do not depend on a booking that exists only in your inbox, and tell your family you will be off-grid for much of the day. We travel with the group, so anything that needs sorting gets sorted at the bottom.
What does work well
Coverage in Santiago is good and hotel, café and restaurant wifi is normal. The same goes for Valparaíso and Viña del Mar.
WhatsApp is the default channel in Chile as it is in Brazil: it is how you will talk to us, to your hotel and to almost any service.
Before buying anything
Carrier prices, plans and promotions change month to month, so we are not putting them here: any figure would be stale by the time you read it. Compare in the week you travel.
And confirm two things with your own carrier before leaving: that the phone is unlocked if you plan to use a local SIM, and what roaming costs per day if you would rather change nothing.
The tours in this guide
Keep reading
Farellones, El Colorado, La Parva or Valle Nevado?
All four sit on the same road, one above the other. Here is the real difference between them.
When is there actually snow in Chile?
The season runs June to September. But altitude matters more than the month, and that changes how you plan the trip.
What a day in the snow in Chile really costs
The tour is one part of the spend. Here is every line item, so none of them surprises you up there.
How many days do I need in Santiago?
Three cover the essentials and five let you breathe. But what shapes the itinerary is not the number of days: it is which days of the week.
Is Valparaíso worth it in winter?
Yes, if you are going for the hills and the street art. No, if you are going for the beach. It is a full day, and it helps to know what for.
What documents do I need to enter Chile?
Brazilians need no tourist visa. What does need checking before you leave home is something else.
How much money to bring to Chile, and how to pay
What takes a card, what needs cash, and the costs that appear up the mountain that nobody warns you about.
Is renting a car in Chile worth it?
For the coast and the wineries, yes. For driving up to the ski resorts in winter, no — and not because we sell tours.
What to pack for the Chilean winter
There are 16 degrees between Santiago and Valle Nevado. That, not the forecast, is what decides your suitcase.
Chile with children: which tour works at which age
Five of our tours do not admit under-18s and three more have a minimum age. Better to know now than at the door.
Which neighbourhood to stay in in Santiago?
It depends what kind of trip it is. And on one practical detail: where we can pick you up at five in the morning.
Is Santiago safe for a tourist?
It is a big capital and behaves like one. What helps is not a yes or a no, but knowing where you are and at what hour.
When is the best time to travel to Chile?
It depends what trip you want. Nine of our 25 tours are winter-only; the other sixteen run all year.