The best of Chile

19 days - from € 9.760 per person

self-drive - Patagonia - Andes

Day 3: Santiago - Calama - San Pedro de Atacama

Today you will fly to the north of Chile. After arrival in Calama you will be welcomed and taken to San Pedro de Atacama. San Pedro is a picturesque village at 2,440 meters above sea level in the middle of a green oasis. At the end of the afternoon you will visit the Valley of the Moon (Valle de la Luna) on shared basis (with other tourists) and accompanied by an English speaking guide. The setting sun transforms the bizarre rock formations in a palette of countless shades of red, changing every moment. You will climb a sand dune to experience this spectacle. Afterwards, you will be brought back to your hotel.
Overnight stay: Hotel Kimal | bed & breakfast

Day 4: San Pedro de Atacama

After breakfast you will visit some of the sights around San Pedro de Atacama. First of all you will be taken to the archaeological site Yerbas Buenas, located 68km from San Pedro. In this area you will be amazed by the impressive variety of petroglyphs in the rocks. After this visit you will continue to the Rainbow Valley, an area surrounded by beautiful hills and multicolored rock formations. You will have the time to discover this incredible place and of course take beautiful pictures. In the afternoon you will visit Toconao, a village where the locals make statues out of white volcanic stones. You will continue to the huge Atacama salt flat, the remnant of an inland sea that dried up millions of years ago. The emptiness of white salt crusts reaches as far as you can see. It is one of the most spectacular landscapes in Chile. Afterwards you will be brought to your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama.
Overnight stay: Hotel Kimal | accommodation, breakfast and lunch

Day 5: San Pedro de Atacama

You'll leave for the El Tatio geysers before dawn. Translated El Tatio means godfather. The geyser field is located in the Andean Mountains in the north of Chile at an altitude of 4.200 meters. With more than 80 active geysers, El Tatio is the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere and the third largest in the world. It is, especially at sunrise, a fantastic spectacle. You will have time to enjoy this extraordinary natural phenomenon. After this you will drive to the village of Machuca, a resting place for the lama caravans of yesteryear. In the afternoon you will return to San Pedro de Atacama, where you will have the rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight stay: Hotel Kimal | bed & breakfast

Day 6: San Pedro de Atacama - Santiago

Today you travel back to Santiago. Santiago offers the charm and culture of Latin America with an interesting mix of colonial, Victorian and ultramodern buildings. In the real city center you will find the central square Plaza de Armas, with its colonial buildings and cathedral, about 5 blocks south of the Rio Mapocho which meanders from east to west and splits the city in two. You will also find the presidential palace of La Moneda, the Chilean Parliament building and the hill of Santa Lucia, where this city was founded. In the evening you can enjoy many good restaurants and nice bars that the city is filled with.
Overnight stay: Hotel Altiplanico Bellas Artes | bed & breakfast

Day 7: Santiago

After breakfast you will leave, together with your guide, for the center of Santiago, where you will visit the most famous markets of the city: Vega Central and Mercado Central. Of course you will be able to taste different fruits and vegetables, which are perhaps unknown to you. The guide will tell you more about the architecture of the Mercado Central and about the history of the building, which was built in 1872. You will have the opportunity to taste various fresh fish and seafood caught earlier that day.
Overnight stay: Hotel Altiplanico Bellas Artes | bed & breakfast

Day 8: Santiago - Punta Arenas - Torres del Paine

You will leave Santiago for the utmost south. You will fly to Punta Arenas, the southernmost city on the South American mainland, after which you will be taken to your lodge in Torres del Paine with a regular transfer. On the way to Hotel Las Torres, you will visit Estancia Cerro Negro, a nice place to get acquainted with daily life on an estancia, an authentic farm in Patagonia. Hotel Las Torres is located in the famous national park Torres del Paine. From the hotel it is about an 8 hour walk to the base of the granite massif with its famous three towers (Las Torres).
Overnight stay: Hotel Las Torres | full board incl. offered activities on shared basis

Day 9 and 10: Torres del Paine 

These days you will enjoy your stay in Torres del Paine. This National Park in Patagonia is considered one of the most special pristine natural areas in the world. Because of its unique flora, fauna and spectacular landscapes, it has been added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites (1978).  The area has beautiful cliffs, rocks, glaciers, waterfalls, rivers, lakes and lagoons. The Grey, Tyndall and Balmaceda glaciers are remnants of a once much more extensive system. If you want to discover the park in a more active way, you can choose for trekking, horseback riding and/or climbing. During your stay at Hotel Las Torres you can take advantage of the various activities offered by your hotel. The activities can consist of a full day or half a day. 
Overnight stay: Hotel Las Torres | full board incl. offered activities on shared basis

Day 11: Torres del Paine - Punta Arenas - Santiago

Today you will be taken to Punta Arenas airport from where you will travel back to Santiago by domestic flight. You will spend the night here in an airport hotel so that you can walk from your hotel to the check-in desk the next day for your domestic flight to Easter Island.
Overnight stay: Holiday Inn Santiago | bed & breakfast

Day 12: Santiago - Easter Island

You will fly to Easter Island today. You will be brought to your hotel and the rest of the day you will have free time to visit the nearby church and village. In the church you will see both catholic and indigenous symbols and statues. 
Overnight stay: Hotel Puku Vai | bed & breakfast

Day 13 and 14: Easter Island

These days you will visit the most important places of the island with a guide. You will visit the Moai statues scattered over the island and you will visit Rano Raraku. A volcano that serves as home base for the 'production' of the statues. Another famous sight is Rano Kau, a dead volcano from where you have a beautiful view over the ocean. The ceremonial village of Orongo. This village is the ceremonial center of the myth of the "Birdman", which began when the original inhabitants of Easter Island stopped making the statues.
Overnight stay: Hotel Puku Vai | bed & breakfast

Day 15: Easter Island - Santiago - Colchagua valley 

Your stay on Easter Island ends this day and you travel back to Santiago. Here you can pick up your rental car and drive to the Colchagua Valley (approx. 200 km | 3 hour drive), a famous wine region of Chile.  You will stay in Viña la Playa, surrounded by 321 acres of vitis vinisfera, on the Tinguiririca Riverbank, the main river of the Colchagua Valley. This region produces beautiful full-bodied Cabernet, Carmenère, Syrah and Malbec wines; global prize winners! Your accommodation has 11 rooms and has an excellent restaurant where typical Chilean dishes are prepared.
Overnight stay: Viña La Playa | bed & breakfast

Day 16 and 17: Colchagua valley

These days are freely scheduled. You can relax in the surrounding area, stroll through the gardens and vineyards or go out with your rental car. A nice way to end your journey in Chile.
Overnight stay: Viña La Playa | bed & breakfast
 

Day 18: Colchagua valley - Santiago - Amsterdam

Your Unique Journey through Chile is unfortunately over. You will drive to the airport of Santiago (approx. 200 km | 3 hour drive), where you will drop-off your rental car and board your intercontinental flight to Amsterdam where you will arrive the next day.

Day 19: Amsterdam

You arrive in Amsterdam today