Which side of the plane to sit on: Lima to Santiago?
Flying from Lima to Santiago? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.
The best window changes along the way.
Confidence: lowTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of Lima toward the south over the Pacific, the left window looks out over the Lomas de Pacta, the Altos Yanacoto and Lima Monumental Zone (mountain ridges and peaks).
- leftView of Lomas de Pacta (mountain range)
- leftView of Altos Yanacoto (mountain range)
- leftView of Lima Monumental Zone (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- leftView of Pachacamac (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Flight path features
10:42 AMOut over the Pacific, the right window looks out over the Cordillera de Talinay and the Punta Morritos Norte (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cerros Altos de Talinay and the Bosque Fray Jorge National Park on the left.
- rightView of Cordillera de Talinay (mountain range)
- leftView of Cerros Altos de Talinay (mountain range)
- rightView of Punta Morritos Norte (peninsula coastline)
- leftView of Bosque Fray Jorge National Park (national park)
Landing views
1:20 PMDescending into Santiago from the north over the Pacific, the right window looks out over the Chilean Coast Range, Cerro Lo Aguirre and the coastline (mountain ridges and peaks).
- rightView of Chilean Coast Range (mountain range)
- rightView of Cerro Lo Aguirre (mountain range)
- rightView of the Pacific coastline
- rightView of Punta Pozo (peninsula coastline)
Good to know
- Based on the geometric great-circle route; real flight paths can differ with air-traffic routing and winds.
- "Left/right" means facing the direction of travel. Left is the seat A side, right is the F/K side (varies by aircraft).
- Glare advice assumes you want clear ground views; flip it if you'd rather watch the sunrise/sunset directly.
About this flight
The Lima–Santiago flight covers roughly 2,462 km along the great-circle path, heading broadly south (166°) out of LIM, with a typical time in the air of about 3h 29m. You'll cross time zones on the way (America/Lima → America/Santiago), which shifts where sunrise and sunset catch the aircraft - that's factored into the verdict above. Along or near this corridor the engine tracks sights such as the Lomas de Pacta, the Altos Yanacoto, Lima Monumental Zone, Pachacamac, the Cordillera de Talinay, the Cerros Altos de Talinay - each one is assigned to the left or right window based on its bearing relative to the aircraft's nose at the moment you pass it.
Does the season change the answer?
The best side of the plane on this route changes with the season and the time of day - the table above is computed from the sun's actual position along the flight path on each date. A morning departure and an evening departure can put the sun (and the glare) on opposite sides, so it's worth checking your exact date and departure time with the form above before you pick a seat.
New to picking window seats? Read the complete window-seat guide or see how these verdicts are computed.
Frequently asked questions
Which side of the plane should you sit on from Lima to Santiago?
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.. Out over the Pacific, the right window looks out over the Cordillera de Talinay and the Punta Morritos Norte (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cerros Altos de Talinay and the Bosque Fray Jorge National Park on the left.
What views will you get at takeoff from Lima?
Climbing out of Lima toward the south over the Pacific, the left window looks out over the Lomas de Pacta, the Altos Yanacoto and Lima Monumental Zone (mountain ridges and peaks).
What about on the descent into Santiago?
Descending into Santiago from the north over the Pacific, the right window looks out over the Chilean Coast Range, Cerro Lo Aguirre and the coastline (mountain ridges and peaks).
Does the best side change with the season?
The best side of the plane on this route changes with the season and the time of day - the table above is computed from the sun's actual position along the flight path on each date. A morning departure and an evening departure can put the sun (and the glare) on opposite sides, so it's worth checking your exact date and departure time with the form above before you pick a seat.