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Playa Matanzas, general beach viewPhoto by Aeveraal, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Chile

Chile's four spots run the length of its cold-water Pacific coast, from Arica down to the O'Higgins caleta of Matanzas, with Puclaro Reservoir near Vicuña as the freshwater outlier.

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Matanzas anchors it: a brutally reliable wave break that runs nearly year-round (Nov-Mar core, Aug-Oct shoulder) out of a real fishing village, not a resort town.

Ritoque, near Concón, mixes open-ocean waves with flatter lagoon water and lets riders commute in from Viña del Mar's nightlife. This suits wave-hungry intermediates and advanced riders chasing empty water over comfort, with Puclaro's thermal wind the one flat-water concession.

SeasonAugust to Aprilsomewhere in the country
How we count
Places
2 towns and 2 single spots
Beginners
where a spot record says a beginner can ride; the Beginners page also asks for a school there, so it lists fewer
Best forWaves4

When to go

month by month, from the towns' own wind series

  1. Jan63
  2. Feb58
  3. Mar69
  4. Apr58
  5. May, no figure—
  6. Jun, no figure—
  7. Jul, no figure—
  8. Aug45
  9. Sep67
  10. Oct65
  11. Nov78
  12. Dec68

The windiest town in season each month: its share of windy days

Windiest single town in any month: Matanzas, 78% of days in November, from the Matanzas series.

No place here is in season in May, June and July, so those months carry no figure rather than a zero.

How this is modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Which place is yours

the most spots first

How this list is ordered

The places are in the order of how many spots each place holds. None of them carries a wind score: the atlas scores wind reliability one spot at a time, against a named weather station and the distance to it, and a place that groups several spots has no single station to stand behind one number.For wind by month, see When to go above.

Matanzas Established1 spot · 4 schools · August to Marchwaves advanced buzzing scene 4x4 needed gear rental mid-range Ritoque Local favourite1 spot · 2 schools · August to Marchbeginner-friendly sociable car helps budget to mid

Standalone spots

Single spots with no town of their own

La Rinconada1 spot · October to Aprilchoppy waves beginner-friendly Puclaro Reservoir1 spot · September to Aprilflat water choppy waves beginner-friendly

Best for

Pages that pick the places in Chile for one kind of riding

Waves in Chile4 places

Destinations

All 4 places, by name

Every place in the lists above, by name only, in the order the country guide keeps them.

MatanzasRitoqueLa RinconadaPuclaro Reservoir

Visa & entry

EU passportVisa-free, 90-day tourist entry permit granted at the border (PDI Tarjeta Única Migratoria / tourist card); no reciprocity fee
US passportVisa-free, 90 days; reciprocity fee no longer charged (removed some years back; as of Sept 2025 Chile also dropped its remaining reciprocity fee for Australians, confirming the general trend of eliminating these fees)
UK passportVisa-free, 90 days, no reciprocity fee
Entry or eco taxesNone identified for mainland Chile / the listed kite spots (a separate entry fee applies to Easter Island/Rapa Nui National Park, not relevant to Matanzas/Ritoque)
Tax residency daysCommonly 183 days within a 12-month period for Chilean tax residency; unconfirmed against the SII.
NotesKeep the PDI tourist card (issued on entry) - hotels ask for it because foreign tourists paying in USD are exempt from Chile's 19% accommodation IVA tax. Stays can typically be extended up to 180 days total in a calendar year for a fee.

Money

CurrencyChilean Peso (CLP)
Card acceptanceHigh in Santiago and larger towns, more limited in small beach towns like Matanzas and Ritoque; unconfirmed.
Paying by phoneBank-to-bank 'Transferencia' and fintech apps (MACH, Mercado Pago) are the local norm, but generally require a Chilean bank or RUT-linked account, which puts them out of reach for short-term foreign tourists. Unconfirmed.
TippingCommonly ~10% in restaurants, often added as a suggested or optional line on the bill; unconfirmed.

SIM & internet

Operators, best coast coverage first
  • Entel
  • Movistar
  • Claro
  • WOM
eSIM options
  • Entel eSIM (free in-store SIM-to-eSIM swap for contracted lines)
  • Movistar/Claro/WOM eSIM largely limited to postpaid/contract customers rather than easy prepaid tourist eSIMs
  • third-party travel eSIMs widely available
NotesAll 4 major carriers offer nationwide 4G with 5G in major cities; getting a local eSIM as a short-term tourist is harder than getting a physical prepaid SIM, since local-carrier eSIM activation for prepaid tourists mostly requires an in-person store visit or agent contact.

Health

VaccinesRoutine vaccines; Hepatitis A recommended for unvaccinated travelers; Hepatitis B suggested for unvaccinated travelers under 60; typhoid considered for poor-sanitation/long-stay travel; yellow fever vaccine not needed for Chile
Mosquito-borne diseasesCDC guidance does not flag mosquito-borne disease as a primary Chile risk; other risks noted are leptospirosis (contaminated water), Chagas disease (triatomine bugs), hantavirus (rodent exposure, relevant to rural/outdoor camping near kite spots) and TB
Tap waterCommonly safe to drink in Santiago and most of central Chile; unconfirmed.
Emergency numbersAmbulance 131, Fire (Bomberos) 132, Police (Carabineros) 133 (mnemonic 'ABC123')

Regulation

Drone rulesGoverned by DGAC standard DAN 151. Drones up to 750g flown for private/recreational purposes generally don't require DGAC registration, provided you don't endanger anyone and stay below the height of obstacles within a 50m radius; general rules include no night flying, staying within visual line of sight, and max 500m from the operator. Heavier/commercial drones require DGAC registration and authorization.

Calendar & costs

BeerCLP 3,500
MealCLP 8,000, inexpensive restaurant meal
CoffeeCLP 2,828.51, regular cappuccino
One-bedroom rent, per monthCLP 327,799.36, 1BR outside city centre
CurrencyCLPSee Money
Year2026

Kite bag rules for your airline

Flying into Chile

Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.

Checked so far for Chile:LATAMSky Airline

Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →

Still being checked

We have not verified these yet — tell us if you know.

Show the 4 open questions
  • Does Chile offer a formal digital nomad or remote-worker visa?
  • Kiteboard-specific baggage policy for LATAM and Sky Airline not explicitly published - only inferred from general sports-equipment/surfboard rules.
  • What are Chile's ATM fees and limits, SIM ID rules, driving rules and tipping norms, and is the tap water safe?
  • What launch rules or protected-area status apply at Matanzas and Ritoque?

Not written yet

Nothing has been written about Insurance and Driving for Chile yet, so there is no section for them above. That is a gap in what we hold, not a sign that there is nothing to know.

Last updated September 2026