Grand Chilean Adventure

Upon arrival at Santiago, after clearing customs and immigration, you will be met by a Big Journey representative and transferred to your hotel.

The rest of the day is at leisure for you to acclimatise, before we meet this evening for a welcome dinner to start our Chilean adventure.

This morning, we start our day with a guided tour of Santiago, Chile’s capital city. A vibrant and cosmopolitan city, it has become of Latin America’s most modern cities. Boasting numerous museums, theatres, and attractions, we’ll pass by classic sights such as the Moneda Presidential Palace or the Plaza de Armas before heading to the modern, east of the city. Here you’ll find the financial hub, with malls and many international names.

We’ll then head out to the coast, to enjoy lunch at a beachfront restaurant in Valparaiso. Founded in the 16th century and recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Valparaiso is a quirky site of historic squares and many ‘cerros’ (hills) covered in colourful houses, funiculars, and street art.

We return to Santiago for an evening at leisure.

This morning, we depart Santiago as we head to the airport to fly to north-eastern Chile, to Calama. From here we travel overland to San Pedro de Atacama.

Set on an arid plateau at high elevation in the Andes mountains. The dramatic landscape of the area offers both desert and salt flats, craters, volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs, which all form part of the Cordillera de la Sal, the Salt Mountain Range. It is part of the Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) in the nearby Los Flamencos National Reserve (Flamingos National Reserve).

Declared a natural sanctuary in 1982, the Valle de la Luna is a lunarlike depression with unusual rock formations, a huge sand dune and pink-streaked mountains. Due to the lack of humidity, there is no life there, which has turned it into one of the planet’s most inhospitable, yet beautiful sites.

We’ll enjoy a tour of the Duna Mayor and the Salt Sculptures known as the Tres Marias (the three Marys) and take in the views from the ‘Coyote Rock’ look out point. Finally, enjoy the colourful sunset as the sun goes down over the Andes before returning to the hotel.

We depart early this morning as we drive to the Tatio Geysers, the largest geothermal field in the southern hemisphere and third largest in the world! At 14,173 ft above sea level, they are also the highest.

Volcanos ring the over 80 geysers, making it quite the sight to see! We arrive before sunrise to see the fumaroles at their best. We continue beyond the park and top near the Putana Wetland to spot fauna such as vicunas and Andean foxes whilst enjoying an al fresco breakfast.

We return to the hotel for lunch at leisure, before heading out this afternoon to explore more of the fascinating landscapes. Cejar Lagoon is a unique sight amid the dusty plains and sandy plateaus of the Atacama.

With salt concentration around 20%, you will find yourself floating effortlessly on the surface of the water here.

We then make our way to Ojos del Salar, two round adjacent freshwater ponds, from which they get their name – Ojos means eyes.

The final stop of the day is Laguna Tebinquinche, a giant lake who’s flat, mirror-like surface reflects the mountains and colour changes in the sky above. Admire the sunset as the colours change over this remarkable landscape.

Today we will spend a full day discovering the stunning geography. Amongst the stops we will marvel at the vibrant Altiplanic Lagoons, straddle the Tropic of Capricorn, explore the famous Atacama salt flats, Chaxa Lagoon and enjoy the local charm in Toconao in the Atacama Desert.

After breakfast, we depart San Pedro and make our way back to Calama Airport for our flight back to Santiago. Here we will be met and check in to our airport hotel, ready for our flight south to Patagonia the following morning.

This morning, after breakfast we make our way back to Santiago Airport for our flight to Punta Arenas, located far south in of Chile's Patagonia region and on the Strait of Magellan, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Before the Panama Canal opened in 1914, Punta Arenas prospered as a coal refuelling stop for steamships and as the centre of the Chilean wool industry. We’ll pass through the town on a panoramic tour, seeing the historic port and its mansions built by the wool barons with time for lunch at leisure.

Later, we’ll continue our route from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales, our base for the next few days exploring.

We wrap up warm this morning as we head out to take in vistas of emerald hillsides, rugged mountains, and tall waterfalls as we cruise up the Ultima Esperanza Fjord (the Last Hope Fjord) to see the impressive Balmaceda hanging glacier.

Afterwards, an invigorating walk will lead us through the unspoiled beauty of Bernado O’Higgins National Park to see the spiky Serrano Glacier, nestled above a peaceful lake full of small icebergs.

We’ll enjoy a hearty lunch at a nearby traditional Patagonian restaurant before reboarding our cruise back down the fjord to Puerto Natales.

Spectacular wild scenery awaits us today as we head into the acclaimed Torres del Paine National Park. Covering some 935 square miles, the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve boasts an astonishing landscape of turquoise lakes, glaciers, rolling valleys, snow-capped summits, and amazing icebergs.
Its crowning jewels are the horn-like Cuernos del Paine mountains, and the craggy trio of steel-grey granite peaks, the Torres del Paine – the Towers of Pain.

An abundance of wildlife adds to the park’s allure, with approximately 25 species of mammals including the tawny guanaco, a relative of the llama, foxes and the endangered Patagonian huemul deer, as well as pumas. Andean condors swirl in the skies and flightless ostrich-like Lesser Rheas sprint across the grasslands.

At Salto Grande (the large waterfall), we’ll hear the water’s thunderous crash as it makes its way from Lake Nordenskjold to Lake Pehoe and soak in the amazing vistas.

After a day of stunning landscapes, we’ll return to the hotel for an evening at leisure.

We depart Puerto Natales after breakfast as we retrace our steps to Punta Arenas for our flight back north to Santiago
We’ll enjoy one final dinner together in Santiago to round off our week in this fantastic country.

Sadly, it’s time to say goodbye to Chile. After breakfast, you will be transferred back to the airport in time for your flights home.

Alternatively, extend your stay on our extension to the amazing Easter Island. See below or contact us for further information