CHILE & EASTER ISLAND
Day 1 SANTIAGO, CHILE
Once you arrive in Santiago, Chile we’ll get you safely to your hotel for a short rest. Then, we’ll go explore the city together. You’ll get to see Plaza de Armas, a famous square in the heart of Santiago, the historic Cathedral, the Post Office building, and La Moneda Palace. We will also go to the Paris-London district and see the historic San Francisco church. And, at the end of our trip, we’ll take the cable car to the top of the 850m San Cristobal hill for beautiful panoramic views of the city and the Andes. Afterwards, we’ll return to the hotel for a comfortable overnight stay.
★★★★ NOVOTEL PROVIDENCIA
Day 2 SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA – VALLE DE LA LUNA
We’ll head to the airport and take a flight to Calama. Upon arrival, you’ll be transported to San Pedro de Atacama, a trip that takes about an hour and a half. On the way, we’ll admire the panorama of the Salar de Atacama and the Andes mountain range. From there, you’ll enjoy a short break at the hotel before going on a trip to the Valle de la Luna, or Moon Valley, which features a breathtaking, otherworldly landscape. The night ends back at the hotel.
★★★★ CUMBRES SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA
Day 3 ATACAMA DESERT
In the morning, we’ll take a day trip into the Atacama Desert. First, we will go to the Laguna Chaxa flamingo reserve, which is located in the Salar de Atacama terrane (2300-2500m). There, you’ll enjoy a picnic breakfast and delectable cocoa leaf tea before venturing into the town of Socaire. Afterwards, we’ll travel toward Piedras Rojas until we reach Laguna Miscanti I Meñiques at an altitude of 4200m above sea level. We’ll take a break for a picturesque picnic lunch and then begin our return journey.
★★★★ CUMBRES SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA
Picnic Lunch
Day 4 EL TATIO GEISER – SANTIAGO, CHILE
Early in the morning, we will go on a trip to El Tatio Geyser, located at 4320m above sea level. It’s the third largest geyser field in the entire world and is quite a sight to see.
At dawn in the summer months, the temperature in the geothermal field is often negative, which gives you the opportunity to admire the extraordinary spectacle of steam coming out of the geysers, making the area look like the landscape of an alien planet. We’ll take a breakfast break here and let you bask in the scenery. Then, we will go to the geothermal field where you can take a thermal bath. We’ll continue our journey past the Putana area, where you can see the fauna of the region. Our last stop of the day is the village of Machuca at 4000m above sea level.
★★★★ CUMBRES LASTARRIA
Picnic Breakfast
Day 5 SANTIAGO, CHILE - PUERTO VARAS
After breakfast, you will fly to Puerto Montt. Upon arrival, we will drive to the charming city of Puerto Varas. After check-in, you’ll have some free time to explore the town on your own. Be sure to spend some time admiring Llanquihue Lake and the beautiful view of the Osorno Volcano.
★★★★ SOLACE
Day 6 ALERCE ANDINO NP TREKKING
On day six, you will go on a trekking trip to the Alerce Andino National Park, established in 1982 and part of the Southern Andes Temperate Rainforest Biosphere Reserve. l. Our tour will be dominated by a forest consisting of larch, evergreen, coigüe de Magallanes, and lenga. With a bit of luck, you might be able to see a pudu, gray fox, or chingue. Also keep your eyes peeled for a puma, guinea, or mountain monkey. And, don’t forget to look upward for a chance to see the condor, black woodpecker, huet huet, kingfisher, peuco, caiquén, cachudito, and torcaza.
The total route will be almost 8 kilometers to Laguna Triangulo, and you will return along the same path. One of the main goals will be to discover one of the oldest species on Earth: Larch or Lahuen, with some specimens reaching over 60 meters and 2600 years old!
Difficulty level: ✱✱✱✱✱
Distance: 8km
★★★★ SOLACE
Lunch BOX
Day 7 NATIONAL PARK VINCENTE PÉREZ ROSALES – TREKKING VOLCANO OSORNO
On this day, we’ll visit a real volcano. Located in the Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, the Osorno volcano allows you to admire the mountains from a great location. Slightly west of the Andean mountain range, the volcano divides the waters of Todos Los Santos and Llanquihue lakes, shapes a turquoise river, and gives way to the Petrohue Falls. Early in the morning, you will hike to the glacier to see the first light of day in the mountains. You’ll enjoy beautiful orange colors and projected silhouettes or fleeting clouds and Patagonian winds, depending on the weather.
From there, we’ll travel to the glacier tand, when the conditions are favorable, take a walk on it. If it’s snowy and rainy out, you’ll get to experience the thrill of winter mountain trekking. Push your limits, but relax when you need to. We’ll stop to rest at a cozy shelter where you can change your clothes and enjoy a warm drink.
Difficulty level: ✱✱✱✱✱
Distance: 8km
★★★★ SOLACE
Lunch BOX
Day 8 – PUERTO MONTT – PUNTA ARENAS - ISLA MAGDALENA-PUERTO NATALES
In the morning, you will fly further south to wild and windswept Patagonia. After arriving in Punta Arenas, you will sail by catamaran to the Magellanic Penguin colony on Magdalena Island in the Strait of Magellan. Then, we’ll return to the mainland and continue our journey towards Puerto Natales. This friendly city is located on the famous Bay of Last Hope, or "Ultima Esperanza," which is the gateway to the magnificent Torres del Paine National Park. After exploring, you’ll enjoy an overnight stay at a hotel.
NOTE: The cruise to Magdalena Island requires confirmation 24 hours before the scheduled departure.
★★★★ WESKAR LODGE
Day 9 NATIONAL PARK TORRES DEL PAINE
After breakfast, we will go on a day trip to the most beautiful national park of the South American continent, Torres del Paine. This mountainous national park has been entered on the UNESCO list, and according to National Geographic, it is the fifth most beautiful place in the world. Called the eighth Wonder of Nature, it delights every visitor.
During the trip, you will visit Cueva del Milodon, which features the famous caves where the remains of the extinct giant sloth were discovered. You’ll also take in the views at Lago Nordenskjold, see the floating ice blocks at Lago Gray, and trek to the Grey Glacier. We’ll visit another beloved viewpoint at Lago Pehoe, where you’ll be able to look down on the majestic Cuernos del Paines and Paine Grande Mountain. Our last stop is a trip to the Cascada Paine waterfall. Afterwards, we’ll make our way back to Puerto Natales for an overnight hotel stay.
★★★★ WESKAR LODGE
Lunch BOX
Day 10 BASE LAS TORRES
Today you will face a demanding trail worthy of its reputation to one of the most important places in the Torres del Paine National Park, -Base las Torres. We will start our uphill journey from Hosteria las Torres. You will overcome the Valle Ascencio and cross the Ascencio River. Panoramic views of the pampa, lakes, and the valley itself will reward us as we take a 2.5 kilometer walk up the gusty wind. The trail then descends to Refugio El Chileno. The vegetation here corresponds to the Pre-Andean matorral, then quickly changes to forest. The last step is the hardest. It runs 0.8 km, takes about 45 minutes, and takes you to the Las Torres viewpoint where you’ll be able to see three giant granite towers. After a rest, we’ll head towards Hosteria Las Torres and return to Puerto Natales.
Difficulty level: ✱✱✱✱✱ - ✱✱✱✱✱
Time: 8-9h
Distance: 20km
★★★★ WESKAR LODGE
Lunch BOX
Day 11 NAVIGATION BALMACEDA & SERRANO
In the morning, you will go on a cruise to the Ultima Esperanza fjords at the foot of the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers located in the Bernardo O'Higgins National Park. First, you will reach Monte Balmaceda and the glacier. Then, we’ll continue to Puerto Toro. You’ll disembark and make a short trek through the forest until you reach the wall of the Serrano Glacier. After returning to the boat, we will enjoy a unique aperitif made of glacier ice before returning to Puerto Natales for a comfortable overnight stay at the hotel.
★★★★ WESKAR LODGE
Lunch
Day 12 PUNTA ARENAS – VIÑA DEL MAR
After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to Punta Arenas airport for the return flight to Santiago, Chile. Upon arrival, we will continue traveling towards the Ocean to the Pacific resort, Viña del Mar. You’ll have ample time for leisure before settling in for the night at the hotel.
★★★★ PULLMAN VINA DEL MAR SAN MARTIN
Day 13 VALPARAISO – SANTIAGO, CHILE
After breakfast, you will go on a trip to picturesque Valparaiso, which features historic districts that have been inscribed on the UNESCO list. You will go for a walk on one of the most interesting hills of Valparaiso, known as Cerro Alegre, and will use the famous elevator. Then, you will go to the historic Plaza Sotomayor with access to the port. On the way back, you will visit the Casas del Bosque vineyards where you will see the wine production process and participate in a wine tasting. You’ll then enjoy an overnight stay at a hotel in Santiago.
★★★★ ALTIPLANIC BELLAS ARTES
Day 14 RAPA NUI
This day marks one of the most exciting and popular parts of the trip. You will fly to the famous Easter Island, one of the most mysterious islands in the entire world. You’ll also enjoy a traditional welcome at the airport before transferring to the hotel for some downtime.
★★★ VAI MOANA
Day 15 RAPA NUI NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, you will go on a full-day trip to see the most important and interesting places in the south-west part of Easter Island. Just a few of the places you will visit include:
- Ahu Akivi, which features sculptures of Moai looking towards the ocean
- Puna Pau, a small volcano where the red scoria stone was mined for Moai sculptures
- Tahai,- a village of famous constructors
- Orongo, a ceremonial village dedicated to the cult of the bird-man.
After this first exploration of the island, you will head back to the hotel.
★★★ VAI MOANA
Lunch BOX
Day 16 RAPA NUI NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, you will depart towards the south coast and east side of Easter Island to tour the work of the ancient Rapa Nui society, known for its advanced megalith engineering. You will also visit many unique places, including:
- Hanga Poukura: a beautiful coast with interesting volcanic rock formations and an unusual phenomenon called Blowhole
- Rano Raku: a volcano area that has been transformed into a megalith factory
- Ahu Tongariki: Featuring 15 mighty Moai, this is the largest and most impressive monument of Rapa Nui.
After your exciting day of exploration, you’ll enjoy free time back at the hotel.
★★★ VAI MOANA
Lunch BOX
Day 17 RAPA NUI – SANTIAGO, CHILE
After breakfast, it's time to buy your last souvenirs and bid goodbye to the Polynesian island. We’ll take you to the airport for a traditional farewell before you fly back to Santiago. There, you’ll enjoy one last overnight stay at a hotel.
★★★★ HILTON HOTEL
Day 18
After breakfast, it’s time to say good-bye and head to the airport for your return flight. But, don’t worry, you’ll never forget this adventure or the memories you made along the way!
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