Mystical Chile Tour

Day 1: Santiago (-/-/-)

You’ll be met at the airport in Santiago de Chile by a guide from our local team and driven to your hotel in the heart of this charismatic capital. On the way, get the low-down from your guide who will be bursting with tips. The rest of the day is free for you to relax and settle in.

Day 2: Santiago (B/-/-)

Spend the day exploring this friendly and easy-to-navigate city. Admire the grand Plaza de Armas, watch the sunset from Cerro Santa Lucia, and wander through historical Lastarria and bohemian Bellavista. Optional: city-tour.

Day 3-4: Santiago to Valparaiso (B/-/-)

You’ll have an early pick-up for a 1.5 hour coach transfer up the coast to the lovely seaside town of Valparaiso. Reception at the coach station and transfer to a charming hotel in town. Discover Valparaiso on your own, shop in the markets and use your change to scoot up the hillsides in the rickety old funiculars. Visit the Pablo Neruda museum and spend the evening dining on freshly caught seafood. Optional: city-tour.

Day 5: Valparaiso to the Atacama Desert (B/-/-)

You’ll have an early pick-up at the hotel and transfer to the airport for a morning flight to Calama. Transfer to San Pedro de Atacama, a small town in the middle of one of the driest places in the world. Check-in to your B&B and enjoy a free afternoon. During the evening you will go on a private guided hike through Death Valley. The hike starts from a vantage point where we can see the Atacama salt flats, the Andes Mountain Range and the oasis town of San Pedro. Then descend to the valley through the dunes before going back to the B&B. This makes for an excellent introduction to the Atacama Desert.

Day 6: Atacama Desert (B/L/-)

Visit the Lickan Antay people who have inhabited the desert for thousands of years. On this private excursion, your guide will show you the story of his family and the economic activities carried out in the desert. You will learn how to grow corn and alfalfa crops, all about animal farming and typical Lickan Antay crafts and skills. Before a traditional lunch, you will experience an Atacamenian tasting, perfect to whet the appetite and discover local specialties. During the afternoon you will hike through Moon Valley and its ravines and enjoy sunset and star-filled skies. At night you will join a small group to experience Atacamenian astronomy. The Atacama sky is one of the best in the world for stargazing and your local guide will teach you Andean constellations and stars and how to understand the cosmos according to the ancient inhabitants of the Andes.

Day 7: Atacama Desert (B/L/-)

After breakfast, you’ll be met at your hotel for a private excursion. You’ll set out to explore on foot, hiking through a dramatic ravine and past volcanic rock formations. The ravine is full of cacti of several different species, the biggest of which is the Equinopsis Atacamensis, growing up to eight meters high. You’ll enjoy a traditional lunch in Solor with the locals and the rest of the afternoon and evening are free back in San Pedro.

Day 8: Atacama Desert (B/L/-)

After breakfast, you’ll be picked up for a small group excursion to the pretty village of Socaire where you’ll enjoy a typical hearty Andean lunch. Away from civilization and 3500 meters above sea level, you’ll explore the bird-filled altiplanic lagoons and see the mesmerizing and legendary Atacama Salt Flat. Free evening in San Pedro.

Day 9: Atacama Desert (B/-/-)

After breakfast join an Ancestral Caravan to walk through the desert with the local Lickan Antay people and their llamas. Your local guide will teach you more about the history of the desert and the relationship between the Lickan Antay people, llamas and travelling. After this journey through the desert you’ll visit the tiny village of Rio Grande. Check out the huge and mysterious petroglyphs carved into the hillsides of the chameleon-like Rainbow Valley. Return to San Pedro in the evening.

Day 10: Atacama Desert – Tatio Geyser Field (B/-/-)

An early start to catch the sunrise at Tatio Mallku, South America’s largest and highest geothermal field with around 100 active geysers. Here the fumaroles reach up to twenty or thirty meters high and the water springs at 85 degrees Celsius. The thin air, the water fumes and the mystic sun rising will make your experience simply unforgettable. Then, visit Machuca Village to taste llama meat (if you dare) and browse local handicrafts. Note: this is a small group excursion. Back in San Pedro you’ll have some time to relax before jumping aboard an overnight bus to Vallenar (comfortable reclining seats), in the Huasco Valley.

Day 11: The Huasco Coast (-/L/-)

Once your overnight bus arrives in Vallenar, your local guide will take you to Chañaral de Aceituno, a small fishermen’s town at the very place where the desert and the ocean collide. You will take part in their day-to-day activities and have time to relax and enjoy the food and beautiful landscapes. The evening is free and accommodation is in private rooms in a traditional country B&B.

Alternatively, you could add a two or three day excursion to the observatories around La Serena, where you’ll find some of the most beautiful night skies in the world.

Day 12: The Huasco Coast (B/-/-)

Take a guided visit to Chañaral Island, about 6km offshore and part of a marine park. Here you’ll get a chance to spot the resident Humboldt Penguins, marine otters, rare birds, whales and bottlenose dolphins. Back in the wharf, enjoy a delicious seafood lunch. In the afternoon, head north and discover the old smuggler’s harbour of Carrizal Bajo and delight in the flowering desert at the Llanos de Challes National Park. In the evening, arrive to the hidden village of Totoral to have dinner and enjoy a reposing silent night.

Day 13: The Huasco Coast to Santiago (B/L/-)

You’ll be picked-up for a guided visit to the different archaeological sites of the valley, then get back to the oasis for a rustic lunch beneath the shade of the trees. Later, take a guided tour along the beautiful coast towards the town of Caldera. From there, you’ll take a flight back to Santiago and transfer to your comfortable hotel.

Day 14 - 15: Santiago (B/-/-)

Back in Santiago, time to rest, relax and absorb the amazing experiences of the last two weeks. The following day it will be time to transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Information on money changing in each destination, as well as what it is customary to tip for various services, will be provided.

This tour of Chile, like most of our adventures through Latin America, has a low level of physical difficulty and participants can choose to do as much or as little as they like. If you have any concerns or require special arrangements please call or email us to discuss.

What to bring: Travel insurance, passport, binoculars, alarm clock, walking shoes, water bottle, daypack, sun protection, insect repellent, sun glasses and hat, swimwear, flip-flops, torch with extra batteries, wind and waterproof jacket, warm clothes to layer, warm socks, fleece, hat, gloves, scarf, comfortable light cotton shirts with long and short sleeves, comfortable trousers made of cotton or a light synthetic material (bring at least two sets of light clothes which can be washed and dried easily), shorts, rain coat.