- Country
Chile - Departure
SANTIAGO - Arrival
ARICA - Theme
CULTURAL
Day 1. Welcome to Chile!
- Destination
SANTIAGO - Hotel
HOTEL PLAZA SAN FRANCISCO - Attractions
SANTIAGO CITY TOUR
On arrival in Chile, you will be welcomed by our agent who will escort you to the hotel where you will spend the night. In the afternoon, you will be able to visit the capital - Santiago. Founded in 1541, Santiago is a modern city sitting between the Cordigliera Andina and the Pacific Ocean. Its privileged position offers an ideal climate for producing quality wines. The main attraction of the day will be the Cathedral of Saint James, famous for its imposing architecture. It will be followed by the visit to the Palacio de la Moneda, the Presidential Palace, the Cerro Santa Lucia and the Cerro San Cristóbal (depending on opening times). Finally, visit to the Patio Bellavista. Overnight stay in a hotel.
Day 2. Santiago – Valparaiso and Viña del Mar - Santiago
- Destination
Valparaiso - Hotel
HOTEL PLAZA SAN FRANCISCO - Attractions
Viña del Mar
Breakfast and departure for Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. We head towards the Pacific coast, where both cities are located. A visit to Viña and Valparaiso is considered an obligatory point of vacation for the inhabitants of Santiago and for personalities from the world of entertainment. Viña del Mar is in fact internationally known for the International Song and Folklore Festival. The tour begins with a visit to Valparaiso, with the typical colourful houses perched on the hills that gradually descend towards the port. Here we visit the Sebastiana, where the house of the poet Pablo Neruda is located. Only the exterior view is provided (it can be visited upon request - entrance not included). The tour continues towards the modern Viña del Mar, with its beautiful beaches where you can breathe the air of the Chilean jet set. In the late afternoon return to Santiago where you will stay overnight.
Day 3. San Pedro de Atacama and Valle de la Luna
- Destination
SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA - Hotel
HOTEL DIEGO ALMAGRO - Attractions
VALLE DELLA LUNA
After breakfast, transfer to the airport to catch a flight to Calama, a mining town in the Atacama Desert. During the day, visit to the village of San Pedro de Atacama and in the afternoon an excursion to the Valle de la Luna, where geological formations created by the wind and the rain have drawn a unique lunar landscape. The sunset will be fascinating because of the awesome light and the colours of the Atacama desert.
After this memorable experience, return to the hotel.
Day 4. Gran Salar de Atacama: no 1 in the world for lithium production!
- Destination
SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA - Hotel
HOTEL DIEGO ALMAGRO - Attractions
SALAR DE ATACAMA
A day wholly devoted to an excursion to the Gran Salar di Atacama. Early morning departure and a first stop in the village of Tambillo, followed by the ancient church in Toconao, built in the Colonial period. The Gran Salar tour will continue with the Chaxa Lagoon, in the Los Flamencos National Reserve, where it is possible to admire pink flamingos. The Miscanti and Meniques lagoons are surrounded by the Andes and many species of birds and indigenous fauna can be found on their shores. Close by it will be possible to admire the Tagua Cornuda, as well as foxes and vicunas. Later, you will visit the Salar de Talar (or Piedras Rojas) whose name is due to the reddish colour of the stones that also contain the pale blue of the Lagoon and the white of the borax dunes.
Picnic lunch and return to San Pedro de Atacama.
Overnight in a hotel.
Day 5. Panoramic breakfast and Geyser del Tatio
- Destination
MACHUCA - Hotel
HOTEL DIEGO ALMAGRO - Attractions
GEYSER DEL TATIO
The day will start before dawn with a trip to the Geyser del Tatio. You will be able to observe these extraordinary natural phenomena: geysers, fumaroles and natural hot water pools. Breakfast will be served with a view of this impressive landscape and later it will be possible to bathe in the natural thermal pools of this geothermal field. Later, return to San Pedro with a brief stop in the village of Machuca.
Once at your destination, you can enjoy a free evening and overnight at the hotel.
Day 6. Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve – Humberstone Ghost town
- Destination
IQUIQUE - Hotel
HOTEL DIEGO ALMAGRO - Attractions
RESERVA NACIONAL PAMPA DEL TAMARUGAL
After breakfast, departure towards Northern Chile. The final destination will be Iquique, and on the way there will be a stop at the Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve, the land of the Tamarugo, the only tree capable of surviving in the desert thanks to its extremely long roots that can reach the water supplies deep in the ground. Later, a visit to the Pintados Geoglyps representing human and animal figures. Lunch will be served during travel. The tour will then continue to the ghost towns of Humberstone and Santa Laura that have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. You will be able to admire this totally abandoned towns and hear about their complicated history.
The day will end in Iquique, overnight stay in a hotel.
Day 7. Iquique and the Atacama Giant
- Destination
CARIQUIMA - Hotel
HOTEL TATA INTI - Attractions
GIGANTE DE ATACAMA
After breakfast you will visit Iquique. Later, the Casino Español; the Plaza Prat, well known for the Torre del Reloj (clock tower) and the Municipal Theatre in a neo-classical style dating back to 1890. You can then stroll in the Calle Baquedano, renowned for the buildings that were erected at the time of the saltpetre industry. The tour will continue with a visit to the Regional Museum and the Astoresca Palace. The palace houses an ethnographic exhibition and a very interesting sea shells collection from all over the world.
The tour will continue towards the village of Colchane with a stop at the Unita Center housing the largest anthropomorphic figure in the world: the Atacama Giant. This majestic figure is 86 metres high and represents the spiritual chief of the Tiwanaku civilisation. In the Isluga National Park you will visit the village by the same name situated at the foot of the volcano. Later in the day, departure to Cariquima.
Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 8. Amazing landscapes in the Salar de Surire
- Destination
PUTRE - Hotel
HOTELQ’ANTATI - Attractions
SALAR DE SURIRE
After breakfast departure towards the Salar de Surire where it will be possible to admire a number of lagoons surrounding the salt plane and the pink flamingos. A mesmerizing sight! You will then leave this marvellous beauty spot and travel to the Polloquere Hot Springs and enjoy a regenerating soak. The excursion will continue along the foot of the Guallatire Volcano and the visit of the village bearing the same name and situated in the “Las Vicuñas” National Reserve. The day trip will finish in Putre, an ancient Spanish settlement from where they could control the Indios. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 9. Lauca National Park and fauna
- Destination
PARINACOTA - Hotel
HOTEL DIEGO ALMAGRO - Attractions
PARQUE NACIONAL DE LAUCA
Today you will visit to the Lauca National Park, a natural habitat for many animal species and over 150 thousand bird species. Later the tour will take you to one of the highest lakes in the world: Lake Chungará, situated at 4500m above sea level and is fed by the snow melting off the Parinacota Volcano. On the shore there are many animals such as flamingos, taguas (giant coots), condors and vicunas. Later you will visit the village of Parinacota and its small church dating back to the Colonial era. The frescos painted by the Indios are a very special feature of this site and depict Roman soldiers taking Christ to the Calvary. Picnic lunch and departure towards the city of Arica, following the pre-Columbian route used to transport goods from the coast to the mountains and vice versa. Before reaching your destination, visit to the village of Socoroma, well known for the terraces where oregano is cultivated. Arrival in Arica and overnight stay in a hotel.
Day 10. Discovering Arica
- Destination
ARICA - Hotel
HOTEL DIEGO ALMAGRO - Attractions
ARICA CITY TOUR
After breakfast, the last day of this tour will be spent in Arica, known as the city of eternal Spring. This small town overlooks the Ocean and its history is linked to the Bolivian silver trade. In the Azapa Valley, you will be able to enjoy an archaeological visit of the Cerro Sagrado, the Fortress of San Lorenzo and the Archaeological Museum in San Miguel. Lunch will be served using typical local produce followed by a visit of the city centre and the Morro, a citadel overhanging the sea where the decisive battle for capturing the city took place and the Chilean army won over the Peruvians. Overnight stay in a hotel.
Day 11. Back home
After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport or to the bus station, if your trip will continue to Chile.
