Chile Santiago, Patagonia and Atacama Desert - Itinerary
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Day 1: Santiago de Chile On your arrival at the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport (SCL), you will be met by our chauffeur for your private transfer to our stylish hotel in the center of Santiago de Chile. After some time to refresh and relax, we'll meet the rest of the group for our introductory tour of the city of Santiago, tracing the city through its historical development, as we tour Santa Lucia Hill, conquered by the city's founder Pedro Valvidia in 1540 and Plaza de Armas, the central point of the city's earliest urbanization. From there, we will follow historical milestones from independence to the present day, seeing landmarks such as Catedral Metropolitana, Pablo Neruda's house La Chascona, and La Moneda government palace. We'll take a funicular to Cerro San Cristobal to experience a fantastic view of the city, and in the evening we'll toast the vibrant spirit of Santiago with Chilean wines at our welcome dinner. Day 2: Maipo Valley Today, we will tour the Maipo Valley, one of the most emblematic in the central region of Chile and famous for its wines. The area is where the conquistadores founded the first vineyards in colonial times, as they discovered the valley's perfect climate and geography which allow for growing different strains of grapes because of varying elevation. Throughout the day, we'll enjoy visiting storied vineyards with their wineries and, of course, sampling their wines. After a delicious lunch of local specialties paired perfectly with Chilean wines, we'll continue learning about the wine production, and how the tradition of artisan processes merge with modern equipment to produce such staples as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, or Pinot Noir. On the way back to Santiago, we'll stop at the Pueblito Los Dominicos, an artisanal crafts market in the city's atmospheric heritage zone. Day 3: Valparaiso After breakfast today, we'll journey to the beautiful city of Valparaiso, where we'll have the chance to enjoy this bohemian, colorful port town with the best street art in South America, as we take a guided walk through its labyrinthine streets and ride on one of the traditional funiculars to miradors with gorgeous vistas of the city and the ocean. Known as the "Jewel of the Pacific," Valparaiso was declared a world heritage site due in part to its unique architecture: built upon dozens of steep hillsides overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the city features a system of funicular lifts that connect different levels and are also considered a historical treasure. After touring the city, we'll have a private cooking class, featuring the culinary techniques and tasting of Chilean cuisine specialties, such as empanadas, pisco sours, delicious seafood, fresh fruit, and fine Chilean wines, and before coming back to Santiago, we'll tour the photogenic Vina del Mar shoreline along the Pacific Ocean. Day 4: Santiago to Puerto Natales; Patagonia In the morning, we'll transfer to the airport to take a flight from Santiago to Puerto Natales, in the heart of the scenic Patagonia, where we'll check into our elegant seafront hotel. In the afternoon, there will time to explore the town, stroll along its scenic waterfront with views of the Ultima Esperanza Fjord, spotting sea birds and marine life. The town itself has a charming atmosphere with colorful houses, local craft markets, and a variety of restaurants serving Patagonian cuisine. We'll end the day with dinner at the hotel's restaurant showcasing Chilean, and the specialty Patagonian, cuisine. Day 5: Patagonia: Torres del Paine National Park We'll begin our exploration of Patagonia with a full day visiting the Torres del Paine National Park which features diverse landscapes from the deciduous Magellanic forest to the Patagonian steppe, each home to an abundant local fauna such as the guanaco, a South American camelid, and the rhea, a cousin to the African ostrich. Turquoise lakes, waterfalls, and astounding ice-covered mountains are the dominant landscape in the park, as we'll approach the Salto Grande waterfall and Lake Nordenskjold Pehoé. After a delicious lunch at a restaurant overlooking the photogenic Grey Glacier, we'll take a walk on the shores of Lake Grey, forming a vast backdrop to the Patagonian glaciers, and we'll be able to admire the icebergs of the Southern Patagonian Ice Fields. Day 6: Patagonia: Serrano and Balmaceda Glaciers Today, we'll rise early to take a sea journey through the Señoret Channel and towards Bernardo O'Higgins National Park. We'll admire high granite cliffs and the Condores waterfalls, before continuing on to the spectacular Mount Balmaceda, over 6,600 feet in height, where we'll be able to appreciate the spectacular views of the Balmaceda Glacier. We'll disembark in Puerto Toro for a guided walk along the banks of the Tempano Lagoon through a native deciduous forest of coihues, Antarctic beech, and Chilean firebush towards the Serrano Glacier, where we can take in the natural beauty and the contrast between the vividly blue sky and the sea ice of the imposing Serrano glacier, before returning to the boat and enjoying a well-deserved appetizer made with glacial ice. In the afternoon, we'll return to Puerto Natales to celebrate the new friends and the exhilarating Patagonian adventures with a gourmet dinner. Day 7: Puerto Natales to San Pedro de Atacama This morning, we'll check out of our waterfront hotel in Puerto Natales and transfer to the airport to fly back to Santiago, where we'll connect to another flight, taking us into the heart of Atacama Desert and the town of Calama. From here, we'll transfer to the oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama, to check into our boutique hotel in the heart of town. In the afternoon, we'll have time to explore this atmospheric town which captivates with its otherworldly landscapes and ancient archaeological sites. The town is considered the gateway to the incredible Atacama Desert and a living monument to the pre-Colombian cultures that have left their mark with many historical native buildings Alternatively we can relax by the hotel's pool, and in the evening, we'll celebrate another iconic site on our adventure with dinner of local specialties. Day 8: Valley of the Moon and Atacama Stargazing After a morning at leisure, we'll meet in the early afternoon and set out to explore the photogenic Mars Valley, one of the most desolate and arid landscapes on Earth. Then, we'll continue to the mysterious and haunting Valley of the Moon, famous for its unusual rock formations, colorful hills, and dry lakes covered with a white mantle of salt that gave this eerily beautiful landscape its name. We'll visit the salt caverns and climb the sand dunes to marvel at the kaleidoscope of colors that appear over the Andes at sunset. After a short break for dinner, we'll continue our exploration with the unparalled experience of the Atacama Stargazing, as the clear and unpolluted skies reveal a mesmerizing celestial panorama, offering us a front-row seat to the wonders of the universe in one of the world's best locations for observing stars and galaxies. Day 9: Salt Flats and Altiplanic Lagoons After a hearty breakfast, we'll spend the day exploring the Atacama Desert in depth. As we drive south, past the impressive views of the Licancabur Volcano and Toconao, a village and oasis in the middle of the desert, where people have been living for more than 12,000 years, and famous for locally made handicrafts, we'll soon approach the massive Atacama Salt Flat and the serenely beautiful Altiplanic lakes. Receiving less than 1mm of rain a year, the Atacama Salt Flat is the driest place on Earth, yet it is home to an astonishing number of flamingos and other birds. After lunch, we'll continue higher into the highlands to visit the deep blue waters of the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons, situated high in the Andes, 13,800ft above the sea level. The Altiplanic lakes provide a stunning contrast to the snow-capped mountains that surround them, and we'll have ample opportunities to enjoy this otherworldly scenery, before returning to San Pedro in the evening just in time for dinner. Day 10: Tatio Geysers; Return to Santiago In the early morning, we'll venture out to admire the active Tatio Geysers, featuring over 80 active geysers, making it the world’s third largest geyser field. El Tatio is a native American word for ‘oven’, and in the local ancient language, it means ‘old man who cries’. Tatio Geysers are the source of the nearby Puritama hot springs, a rejuvenating oasis amidst the untamed Atacama Desert, fed by natural hot springs. After some time to relax here, we'll return to the hotel, and after a short break, we'll transfer to the Calama airport for our flight back to Santiago, where you can connect to your international return flight.
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