Your trip starts with an overnight flight from Heathrow to Santiago.
Welcome to Santiago! Upon arrival you will need to collect your bags and pass through customs into the arrival hall. Here your English speaking driver will be waiting for you, and will transfer you out of the city in the heart of Chilean wine growing! You will be dropped off at your boutique hotel nestled within a working vineyard.
Awake for your first morning in Chile, after a delicious breakfast you will be taken the short distance to the working centre of the vineyard, for a tour of the vines and to see the wine making process. After this enjoy a tasting of some of the vineyards classic wines. Return to the hotel and in the afternoon you have a choice of activities, such as hike through the vines.
Transfer back to Santiago airport this morning where you will fly north to Calama, gateway to the Atacama Desert. Upon arrival a representative of the lodge will meet you and transfer you, along with other guests arriving on the flight, to the hotel - a journey of around 1 hour 45 minutes. Upon arrival at the lodge, you will be briefed on what to expect for the next few days and discuss the variety of excursion available.
Included in your stay at Tierra Atacama are a series of excursions from which you can choose, too many to list here, so below is just a taste of the excursions available to you.
-Tatio Geysers
The Tatio Geisers are located at an altitude of 4300m. /14,190ft. The geothermal field has close links to the volcanic activity in the zone and consists of huge steam columns which reach heights of 12m/almost 40ft. Breakfast is served as dawn breaks. On the way back to the village, there is the opportunity to spot families of vicuñas and if we are lucky, foxes, vizcachas and Andean ostrich. We stop in the hamlet of Machuca before returning to the hotel by vehicle. The average temperature on arrival at El Tatio is -8°C (17°F) make sure that you take the appropriate clothing (gloves, hat, down jacket etc.)
This excursion is not suitable for children as the altitude will affect them.
- Moon Valley
This journey allows participants to appreciate the surreal beauty of the landscape from many viewpoints in the Salt Mountain Range, such as the scenery of Death Valley, Moon Valley and the Andes mountain range. Includes short walks in areas with rocky outcrops, scenery formed by the wind the rain and the temperature changes of the desert. A must for photo buffs
- Horseriding
We can arrange a selection of rides with Atacaman horses. Our saddles are Chilean (Western) style. The horses are mounted at the hotel and we travel with our guide to discover the desert scenery. In keeping with our philosophy we work with a local small business for this service.
- Salar de Atacama.
The journey starts with a brief visit to Toconao village where the square and the historic church are the main attractions. Also visit a local family who lives o the sales of their handcrafts. Continue to the National Flamingo Reserve in the Atacama salt flat. There are three types of flamingo to be found here, living o the microscopic lagoon life. The views of the Andes as the sun sets are truly amazing.
Please note that all excursions are operated in small groups, usually of around 8 people.
If you require a complete list of excursion let us know, and if you wish to undertake a specific excursion do let us know in advance as some excursion are not always offered.
Tierra will take you back to Calama airport in time for your flight south to Santiago. Once again your driver will meet you in the arrival hall and transfer you into the city to your hotel in the chic residential area of Las Condes.
Your guide will meet you at your hotel today and take you on a tour of Chile's capital. You will explore the historical and modern sights of Santiago de Chile. Your trip starts on Santiago`s main avenue, Alameda Bernardo O’Higgins from where you will visit La Moneda, the Government Palace. Following this, enjoy a walk through the pedestrian streets of Huérfanos and Ahumada, where the main commercial activity of the city is concentrated. These streets lead to the famous main square of the city called Plaza de Armas, which is surrounded by the Metropolitan Cathedral and other historical buildings. From here you continue on, visiting Santa Lucia hill, upon which the Spanish founded Santiago in 1541. It is a lone steep outcrop rising steeply from the city below, covered in shady gardens and park and crowned with viewpoint over the city . Next up you will cross the Mapocho River into Bellavista, the cultural and artistic heart of Santiago. Bellavista lies at the foot of the San Cristóbal Hill, the highest in town,which forms the focal point of the metropolitan park. Ascend the hill to explore the surroundings while enjoying beautiful panoramic views of the city. Finally return to your hotel via the neighbourhood of Providencia, with its top restaurants, elegant shops and modern high-rise buildings.
Should you wish you could ask your guide to leave you in the centre of the city and enjoy some time in the Bohemian neighbourhood of Lastarria, before taking a taxi or Santiago's modern metro back to your hotel.
Once again your driver will collect you from your hotel and transfer you to Santiago airport. From here you will fly south to Temuco, gateway to the stunning Chilean Lake District. Your driver from Vira Vira will be waiting for you and transfer you the 1 hour to the hotel.
A huge range of excursions are included at Vira Vira, spanning a wide range of options, from hiking and horsriding, kayaking and rafting, to getting behind the scenes at this working farm . Upon arrival a chat with a guide will help conjure up an exciting itinerary for the next few days.
Some excursions, such as climbing Villarica Volcano, are not included in your package an incur an additional cost. If you require a full list of included excursion please let us know.
Activities at Vira Vira
Activities at Vira Vira
Activities at Vira Vira
Today is quite along travel day, to get you to the South of the country. You will retrace your steps to Temuco and fly to Punta Arenas via Santiago, a total flight time of around 5 hours. From here you will then have a 4 hour transfer north to Tierra Patagonia. We appreciate this is a long travel day, but unfortunately this is just a case of the distances that need to be covere in Chile.
Similarly to Tierra Atacama, all activities at Tierra Patagonia are offered as part of small group. Once again a sample of the type of activities included are as follows:
- Mirador Cuernos Half Day Hike
This is one of the classic short hikes in the heart of the park covering 4 km and taking 2 - 3 hours. After a scenic drive, passing by the Sarmiento and Nordenskjöld viewpoints, you arrive at the starting point. The terrain is fairly flat with only one steeper part, and you can always see the famous “cuernos” or horns of Paine in front of us. You`ll visit the “Salto Grande” or “Big Waterfall” and continue along the shores of Lake Nordenskjöld. On arrival at the viewpoint, you can appreciate from close up the geology that formed the massif. You return along the same path, with the “horns” at your back.
-Sailing to Lago Grey
This is a scenic full day trip by road and boat which concentrates on the west side of the Torres del Paine National Park. It is the best option to see a large part of the park in just one day, with stops at various places for taking great photographs. Starting out by road from the Lodge, the road ends at Lake Grey, where you embark on the Grey II, sailing towards the Grey glacier. On board you will see glaciers, ice floes and feathery nothofagus woods. If you are lucky, we could see a huemul, native deer in danger of extinction. The return journey to the hotel is on the road to the south of Lago del Toro.
-Horseriding to Hosteria Lazo
Patagonia is home to the legendary Gauchos famed for the skills in the saddle, so what better way to experience the region than on horseback. From the hotel you drive southwards to the Estancia Lazo. It is a scenic drive, with great views of Lake Sarmiento. The ride starts from the Lazo Hosteria and passes through an ancient forest of lenga trees. After an hour or so, you will arrive at a lookout point with panoramic views of the Paine Massif. Return through the forest back to the farm, with your Gaucho guide constantly at your side.
- Base of the Torres Full Day Hike
This world famous hike demands stamina, but the rewards are the impressive views of the three granite towers. This hike ascends strongly for one hour bordering the Rio Ascensio until reaching the Paso de los Vientos. From here it takes 30 minutes to reach Campamento Chileno where you can have a little rest. The walk continues to ascend through the forest for 1.5 hours, gaining altitude very quickly and with amazing views of the geological formations in the area such as folds, fractures and granite intrusions. The last hour is the most challenging and dicult, where the trail winds up thorough a moraine section of loose rock, there is exposure to the wind and the weather is unpredictable. Arriving at the lookout you will have the classic view of the Torres del Paine and weather permitting, you can lunch with this fantastic landscape in front of you. Descend along the same trail, which takes about four hours to reach the starting point. This is certainly a trek for the keen walker.
Travel to Puerto Natales, around 1.5 hours from Tierra Patagonia, where you will fly north to Santiago. A guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel.
Enjoy a free morning in the city before your driver collects you from your hotel and transfers you back to the airport. From here you will fly back to the UK overnight.
Arrive back in the UK
