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 Culture Sports Clubs & Discotheques |
Sports
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Sports are hardly sponsored in Chile. Therefore there are only a few public sport centers, while private sport clubs are often exclusive and very expensive. The national sport is soccer, every weekend you will see people playing on any suitable field. If you prefer other sports, it will be difficult for you to find a group to join. To keep in shape you should stick to running or swimming. Of course, right behind Santiago the Andes are inviting…
Swimming
Public open-air swimming baths are rare, quite expensive and because of overcrowded pools in the summer not suitable for swimmers. The best tip for swimmers is the indoor swimming pool in Centro Deportivo Providencia Providencia (Santa Isabel 0830, Tel. 341 4790), where you can swim all you want for 50 USD per month plus a one-time membership contribution of 73 USD.
We further recommend the Stade Français at metro station Tobalaba (Sánchez Fontecilla, corner Errázuriz, Tel. 2337608), Club Spa Providencia (Jorge Matte 1650, Tel. 4692334) or Balthus (Escrivá de Balaguer 5970, Vitacura, Tel. 4101400). Students can try to get access to the swimming pools of Universidad Católica and Universidad de Chile.
Gymnastics and Fitness center
Fitness centers with treadmills and all sorts of professional weightlifting equipment, so-called "Gimnasios", can be found everywhere in Santiago. In the city they all underbid each other with their month or year contributions. Please check in the Yellow Pages at "gimnasios".
Skiing
From Santiago it takes about 1.5 hours to reach the Ski resorts Farellones-El Colorado, Valle Nevado and La Parva, which are all well above the tree-line. Skiers can enjoy great ski slopes and tracks for all skiing levels from June to October (see Around Santiago) It is a lot of fun, but not cheap: Count with approx. 30 US$ for a day ticket, equipment rental starting from 25 US$ per day in addition to hotel costs in one of the expensive hotels, if you plan to stay overnight. Winter season busses of Skitotal start every morning between 7:30 and 10:00a.m. leaving from Av. Apoquindo 4900 (Omnium mall; Escuela Militar subway station). For transport alternatives, see also www.skivan.cl. Don't forget: warm clothes, sunglasses and suntan.
Trekking and Climbing
Behind Santiago you can start with easy hiking tours in the foothills of the Andes mountains. East of Santiago over 6000 m high mountains challenge trekking and climbing enthusiasts. If you are looking for professional guides or just trip mates, you can contact the
Club Alemán Andino (German Andes Club), Arrayán 2735, Providencia, Tel. 2324338, www.dav.cl.
Federación de Andinismo, Almirante Simpson 77, Providencia, Tel. 2220888, www.feach.cl
Bigger universities have their own climbing associations. You can find a lot more information, descriptions of trails and other links in English at www.trekkingchile.com and in the Adventure Handbook Central Chile (available at ContactChile or in book shops). The book includes chapters about several outdoor activities, such as kayaking, rafting, surfing, windsurfing, deep-water-diving, mountain biking and paragliding.
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Leisure
