Rundreise Santiago de Chile, San Pedro de Atacama & Torres del Paine

Chilean 3 must sees

Santiago de Chile, San Pedro de Atacama & Torres del Paine

11 Days / 10 Nights

Day 1 / SANTIAGO DE CHILE – CALAMA – SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

Arrival at Santiago de Chile SCL and connect with your flight to your next destination.
Flight Santiago/Calama (SCL/CJC) –

San Pedro de Atacama
Located in the heart of the Atacama Desert, San Pedro de Atacama is an oasis, a vital source of life in the driest desert of the world. It is the starting point to explore unique landscapes shaped by valleys, deserts, salt flats, geysers, lagoons and volcanoes. Thanks to its peculiar geography and singular weather conditions, Atacama has the clearest skies, and is therefore home to many international observatories, including ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) – one of the most important scientific facilities in the world.

Transfer Calama Airport – San Pedro de Atacama – Private Service Guide included

Cumbres San Pedro (4 nights)
Standard room with Breakfast included

Day 2 / SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

Full Day Atacama Salt Flat & Altiplanic Lagoons (11 hours) – Private Service Guide & Entrance fee & Box lunch included

Early in the morning, we will go to the Altiplanic Lagoons, “Miscanti” and “Miñique”, located 138km away from San Pedro de Atacama at 4,220m height. On the way to Toconao we will have a breathtaking view of the Licancábur volcano. During the tour we can observe native trees such as the Tamarugo and the Chañar and the contrast between the greenness of the Valle del Jere and the desert. Arriving at the town of Toconao we will visit the main square and the church. The houses built in volcanic stone (Liparita) are worth seeing. After that, we will ascend the Cordillera de los Andes to reach the Miscanti and Meñiques lagoons of intense blue colour and white coasts surrounded by imposing hills and volcanoes, creating a unique landscape. If there is no wind, we can observe a perfect mirror in its waters, photographing it is a must. These lagoons are protected by Los Flamencos National Reserve. We will then continue towards the Salar de Atacama, Chaxa Lagoon, where we can observe flamingos and other type of birds.

Dinner & Tango Show at Michelangelo – Shared Service Shared transfers & A la carte menu with beverages included.
Michelangelo is one of the most emblematic tanguerías in town. Located in a historic building from 1850 in San Telmo, it was first opened to the public in 1967. It has marked the cultural and nightlife of Buenos Aires for over 50 years. It was recently remodeled and reopened to offer an unforgettable tango and folklore show every night.

Day  3 / SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

Full Day Tatio Geysers (7:30 hours) – Private Service Guide, entrance fee & box breakfast included

Departure from the hotel at 04:30am to ascend to the Geysers del Tatio, located 97 km away from San Pedro and at 4,300m altitude. The journey begins with no sunlight, reaching the Chilean altiplano at approximately 06:45am, with temperatures below zero. In this place we will enjoy breakfast and then a guided walk along the geothermal fields, observing the impressive columns of steam (Geysers), fumaroles, hundreds of boiling water pools and high peaks surrounding us. This place offers a spectacular view of nature at dawn. Then, we will go to the thermal pools sector (water of 40Cº) where we will have the option of taking a bath. Afterwards, we return to San Pedro through the impressive landscape of the Andes Mountain range, and we will be able to see the Tocorpuri and Sairecahur volcanoes.  Arrival at San Pedro at approximately 12:00pm.
(*This Tour requires appropriate clothing for temperaturas below zero, up to -5º in spring-summer season. Layered clothing is recommended)

Day 4 / SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

Half Day Petroglyphs of Yerbas Buenas & Rainbow Valley (4 hours) – Private Service Guide & Entrance fee included

Departure at 08:00 am to the petroglyphs of Yerbas Buenas: the journey goes through one of the routes where pre-Columbian explorers left their mark of a valuable and mysterious cave art information. This excursion allows us to appreciate this valuable art developed and discovered near the Domeyko mountain range. The route will take us through beautiful landscapes in the Atacama Desert towards the mountain range up to approximately 3,200 meters above sea level. Then, we will take a detour to Rio Grande to visit the largest cave art center in the archaeological site of San Pedro de Atacama. The Petroglyphs of Yerbas Buenas are a set of figures carved in the rock of volcanic ash with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic forms of great beauty, such as camelids, foxes and caravans made by camelid hunters with an approximate antiquity of 4,000 years. We will continue through a beautiful gorge with lots of vegetation that contrast with its desert environment. Along the route we might see llamas and wild donkeys. Arrival at the Rainbow Valley whose name comes from the innumerable colours of its hills, rich in minerals, and return to San Pedro de Atacama at 12:00pm

HD Cejar, Ojos del Salar & Tebenquiche Lagoon (4 hours) – Private Service Guide & Entrance fees included

Departure at 4:00 p.m. to Cejar Lake, located approximately 20km. away from San Pedro de Atacama. This lake is of great scenic beauty, due to its calypso-coloured waters surrounded by salts of various shapes. Its geomorphological formation is a very particular case in the Atacama salt flat. It is the pink flamingos pathway which is so magical that is worth being photographed. You can experience a one-hour relaxing bath with a surprising floating effect similar to that of the Dead Sea, due to the high salt content. After this refreshing bath, you will visit the Ojos del Salar Lake some meters apart, which has two pools of fresh water. Finally, the tour concludes in the Tebinquinche Lake, outstanding for having a crust of salt as white as snow, hard and resistant. The immensity of the desert is phenomenal and incredible as you can feel a special connection with nature. Here you will be able to enjoy a fantastic sunset in which the entire chromatic range of reds, blends with the desert along with the whiteness of the salt flat. The return to San Pedro de Atacama is at approximately 8:30pm.

Day 5 / SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA – CALAMA – SANTIAGO DE CHILE

Transfer San Pedro de Atacama – Calama Airport – Private Service Guide included

Flight Calama/Santiago (CJC /SCL)

Holiday Inn Airport Santiago Hotel (1 Night)
Standard Room with Breakfast included

Day  6 / SANTIAGO DE CHILE – PUNTA ARENAS – TORRES DEL PAINE

Easy walking distance Holiday Inn Airport Santiago Hotel – airport (on client´s own), no guide assistance included

Flight Santiago/Punta Arenas  (SCL/PUQ)

Punta Arenas
Located on the shores of the Strait of Magellan, Punta Arenas got famous because it was the main port of navigation between the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean before the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. Nowadays, it is the most populous and cosmopolitan city in Chilean Patagonia, and gateway to Torres del Paine National Park, Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica. It is also a fantastic place for whale watching, spotting King and Magellan Penguins, visiting history and anthropology museums and even staying overnight at a typical Patagonian Estancia.

Torres del Paine National Park
Torres del Paine is a world-famous national park in Chilean Southern Patagonia, located 112 km north of Puerto Natales. The park extends over 181.414 ha and thanks to its unique landscape with glaciers, granite mountain peaks, pristine lakes and wild fauna including guanacos, condors and pumas, it is considered the 8th Natural Wonder of the World. With 17 hours of daylight during summertime and purple-coloured skies during sunset it is a paradise for hiking and photography lovers!

Transfer  Punta Arenas Airport – Torres del Paine – Private Service Guide included

Lago Grey Hotel (4 Nights)
Superior Room with Breakfast included

Day 7 / TORRES DEL PAINE

Half Day Navigation Grey Glacier (3 hours) – Shared Service Transfers NOT included
This 3 hour boat excursion takes us to Grey Glacier, the largest in Torres del Paine National Park. Starting at Hotel Lago Grey, we will cruise up the lake towards the glacier, which reaches 30m in height and 6km in width. Pieces of ice – both large and small – regularly break off from the front of the glacier, falling into the water with a crack and a splash, and floating away across the lake as fluorescent blue icebergs. We will pass as close as possible in front of the glacier for a close-up view of the majestic sight before returning to the hotel.

Day 8 / TORRES DEL PAINE

Full Day Torres del Paine (10:00 hours)  – Private Service Lunch included
We will pick you up to begin our Torres del Paine full day tour where we will enjoy the views of the landscape from the Sarmiento Lake, Amarga Lagoon and Nordenskjöld Lake viewpoints. In addition, we will pass by the Pehoé Lake and the Paine Waterfall, from where we will have a privileged view to the towers and the Paine River Waterfal.. After this complete day of Patagonian landscape, we return to the hotel

Day 9 / TORRES DEL PAINE

Half Day Great Waterfall & Horns Lookout (5 hours)  – Shared Service
We will drive about 45 minutes to the parking area of the Great Fall viewpoint. From that place, we start a simple trek. The landscape is of the Patagonian steppe, where it predominates, the
calafate (Berberis Microphyla), The Mata Barrosa (Mulinum Spinosum) and the marked burnt forests of Lengas (Nothofagus Pumilio) and Ñirres (Nothofagus Antarctica), that were burnt in the fire in 2011. We arrive at a viewpoint with an impressive view of Lake Nordenskjöld, with the Horns of the Paine behind in all their magnitude. Also to the left, we have an excellent view to Big Paine Mountain and to the right to Admiral Nieto. Back on the trail, we take a detour on the last stretch of our route and pass through one of the park’s main waterfalls, the imposing Great Fall. After visiting, we go back to the Van and return to the hotel. The return leg lasts approximately 45 min.

Day 10 / TORRES DEL PAINE – PUNTA ARENAS – SANTIAGO DE CHILE

Transfer Torres del Paine – Punta Arenas – Private Service Guide included

Flight Punta Arenas / Santiago de Chile (PUQ/SCL)

Santiago de Chile
Santiago, founded by the Spanish conqueror Pedro de Valdivia in 1541 on the banks of Mapocho River, is the capital of Chile. Ranked as a leading city in Latin America, it concentrates the economic and administrative activities of the country and is home to Chile´s largest percentage of population. The city is surrounded by the main wine valleys, with wineries that produce and export high-quality wines worldwide. To the east and across the majestic Andes Range, travelers can visit the city of Mendoza in Argentina.

Transfer Santiago Airport – Santiago Hotel – Private Service Guide included

Hyatt Centric Las Condes Santiago (1 Night)
Executive Room with Breakfast included

Day 11 / SANTIAGO DE CHILE

Half Day Santiago City tour (3:30 hs) – Private Service Guide included. Without San Cristóbal Hill
During this tour around the capital, you will get to know the historical, cultural and modern places of the city of Santiago. The tour begins at the Plaza de la Constitución, where the Government Palace is located, known as ”La Moneda”, the Plaza de Armas (Km. 0 of Chile), which is the core of the historical center of the capital, surrounded by historical buildings, such as the Cathedral of Santiago and the post office of Chile. Close to this historical center are the Central Market; the Museum of Fine Arts, the Lastarria neighborhood and the Santa Lucia hill, there are some stops planned. The tour continues along the most modern sector of the city, while the guide explains the most significant details of the city throughout its history.

Transfer Santiago Hotel – Santiago Airport – Private Service Guide included

End of program