Tour Overview
Santiago will be the starting point of a fascinating 11-day journey in one of the world’s most unique countries. Chile is a land of contrasts and striking beauty that offers an enviable combination of natural wonders, excellent services, and security, making for a splendid travel experience. A land of extremes, in terms of both its geography and its climate, with the heat of the deserts in the north and the cold of the glaciers in the south, earning Chile the reputation as a Land of Fire and Ice.Day by Day Itinerary
Day 01: Santiago, ChileUpon arrival to Chile’s capital city, you are met and transferred to your hotel for check-in.
Enjoy an afternoon city tour. This comprehensive tour begins with a visit to the neoclassical La Moneda Palace, home of Chilean presidents until 1958 and today the seat of the government. Also visit the Pre-Columbian Art Museum, one of South America's finest museum with exhibits of pre-Columbian cultures from Central America to the Andean region. After this interesting visit, walk with your guide to the heart of Santiago and to the recently remodeled Plaza de Armas. From here view the Cathedral (finished in 1789) and the buildings which house the Central Post Office and City Hall, both national monuments of colonial vintage. Also visit the conical San Cristobal Hill with an impressive panorama of the city. On its 1145-foot crest stands the huge statue of the Virgin; beautifully lit at night.
Welcome dinner at Restaurant “El Otro Sitio” this evening.
Overnight Santiago (Dinner) Day 02 : Santiago
Full day Winelands tour. Head south of Santiago where the soil and climate produce wine of the highest quality, the best known of which is Concha y Toro. Here you will find vast fields of grapevines of the purest French ancestry, because Chile was one of the very few countries not affected by the worldwide philoxera plague in 1863. Viña Concha y Toro was founded in 1883 at Pirque, in the Maipo Valley, by the Spanish nobleman Don Melchor de Concha y Toro.
The visit begins in the Plaza Don Melchor where you are welcomed by your expert, bilingual guide. With a glass of Casillero del Diablo in hand, you can immerse yourself in the aromas and flavors of this centennial setting. Stroll through the dense parkland and gardens that have been maintained as they were in the days of Don Melchor. You will also have an opportunity to visit the old casona, the former residence of the Concha y Toro family. It was here that, over a hundred years ago, the largest wine-making company in Chile was born.
Continue to Viña Santa Rita and enjoy a traditional lunch at restaurant Doña Paula. After lunch, tour the vineyard. Located in the Andes foothills, in the town of Alto Jahuel, Santa Rita is one of the main wineries in the Maipo Valley. The Mediterranean climate, with warm, dry summers and an average rainfall of 330 mm per year, has given this area recognition as being one of the best grape growing areas in the world, especially for Cabernet Sauvignon.
Overnight Santiago (Breakfast, Lunch) Day 03: Santiago - Temuco - Villarrica
Transfer to the airport for your flight* to Temuco. Upon arrival in Temuco transfer to your hotel in private vehicle. En route stop for a visit ay the Hueche Ruka Community for a fascinating insight into the traditions of the Mapuche peoples of Chile’s South. "The People of the Earth" is what the Mapuche call themselves. These native people were here in the south of Chile long before the conquistador Pedro de Valdivia discovered the region in the mid-1500s. Enjoy a demonstration of the community’s principal artistic and creative activities, its gastronomy and handicrafts. Continue to Villarrica, some 60-minutes drive southeast of Temuco, in the shadow of the beautiful Villarrica Volcano on the eastern side of Lake Villarrica.
The city of Villarrica was founded by Geronimo de Alderete in 1552. The city is located at the edge of Villarrica Lake and surrounded by the snow-capped cone of the active Villarrica Volcano (2,700 meters above the lake). Pucón is Villarrica’s more modern neighbour; a lively town that is now regarded as Chile’s active adventure capital.
Overnight Villarrica (Breakfast) Day 04: Villarrica
Half-day tour of the Lake District. The Chilean Lake District, located 700 miles south of Santiago and one of the world’s scenic jewels. Here you will find crystal waters, lush green forests, rapids and waterfalls, snow-capped volcanoes and azure blue skies.
Morning visit to Pucón and surroundings, including the Volcanic caves of the Villarrica Volcano. Discover the exciting sensation of entering one of only two volcanic caves open to visitors in the world. Make the 300 meter descent and to observe the geological constitution. Set upon the volcano’s hillsides, at 2,847 meters above sea level (8,540 feet), is the most well-known ski center in the region, offering a wonderful view of the valley and lakes on a sunny day.
The balance of the day is at leisure.
Overnight Villarrica (Breakfast)
Day 05: Villarrica
Full day excursion to Huerquehue National Park. An early start this morning to visit the national park, a mountainous 12,500-hectare (30,900-acre) natural reserve, located a short drive from Villarrica. The park offers a wide variety of hikes that traverse dense beech forests containing native vegetation such as coigües, lingues, and araucarias. Araucarias are unique old-growth trees that live for more than a thousand years. The araucaria is known as the Tree of the Mapuches because its Pehuén seed has sustained the Mapuche people for generations. The hiking paths in Huerquehue National Park lead to pleasant waterfalls and gurgling brooks or to splendid vistas of the Andes and Volcano Villarrica. Enjoy the evening at leisure.
Overnight Villarrica (Breakfast, Box Lunch) Day 06: Villarrica
You will have today to relax at the Huife Thermal Springs. This is the most modern and complete thermal center in the area. It has three big pools, one with water reaching 40ºC, another at 38ºC, and the final one much cooler.
For the truly active, alternatively (at additional cost) there is an opportunity to climb the Villarrica Volcano. The ascent of this active 2,840-meter mountain is not technically difficult, but it does demand good physical condition. A 6.30am start is required in order to reach the base camp where you will be kitted out with boots and other equipment. The sight of the crater is overwhelming. It has a diameter of 200 square metres and deep within it you can see red lava bubbling and a sulphurous smoke climbing towards you. The views from the top are sensational. The climb is roughly 4 hours, and the descent 2-3 hours.
The evening is at leisure to wind down after the day’s activities.
Overnight Villarrica (Breakfast , Lunch) Day 07: Villarrica - Temuco - Santiago - Calama - Atacama
Transfer to the airport in Temuco to board your return flight* to Santiago. Upon arrival you will be met and assisted to your connecting flight* to Calama. Calama is your gateway to the geological and archaeological wonders of the central desert. Upon arrival in this oasis town, you will be welcomed by the hotel or lodge personnel and transferred overland to your lodge, in the heart of the Atacama Desert. Prior to dinner this evening, your guides will describe the excursion options available to you over the next three days.
Overnight San Pedro de Atacama (Breakfast , Dinner) Day 08, 09, 10: Atacama Desert
Three full days of adventure in the desert lie ahead. There are many activities available; something for all tastes, interests, ages and levels of fitness. Mountain biking, hiking, visits to archaeological sites, thermal springs, spectacular salt flats, and walking tour of San Pedro de Atacama are just some of the options available.
Overnight San Pedro de Atacama (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) Day 11: San Pedro de Atacama - Calama - Santiago - Depart
Transfer to Calama airport for your flight* to Santiago. Upon arrival to Santiago airport, you will be met and assisted with your international connecting flight.
(Breakfast) *Flights are not included in the Land only price.
