Chile: From the Andes to the Atacama Desert

Arrive in Santiago and check in to your hotel. Remain at leisure to relax or explore the city on your own. Tonight, enjoy dinner at the home of a local chef. Relish every moment as he delights you with dishes prepared with locally sourced ingredients and paired with superb Chilean wines — a firsthand introduction to life in Chile, with great food and lively conversation.

This morning, walk the streets and neighborhoods of Santiago with a local expert, marveling at the outstanding architecture, inspired by the art and culture you encounter. Leave the city behind and drive out into the countryside to the nearby wine district and visit a vineyard to sample their organic and biodynamic wines. Savor a Chef ’s Table experience, with lunch served by the vineyard’s chef. As you explore the winery, learn about each stage of the winemaking process and the challenges of managing a biodynamic farm. Return to your hotel, stopping to view the vividly colorful and wildly inventive street art of the Museo a Cielo Abierto en San Miguel.

Fly to Osorno and transfer to your accommodations set in the Valdivian temperate rainforest, a unique and species-rich ecoregion that until recently lay isolated from only the most intrepid explorer. Prepare for an active three days of total immersion in this unspoiled wilderness, ranging through breathtaking natural landscapes, including vast expanses of pristine native forests and majestic mountains. Venture among beautiful lakes, turquoise waterfalls and spectacular lava fields. This remote and once-impenetrable land now hosts a network of exclusive hiking trails, so you can encounter nature firsthand like never before. Enjoy this afternoon at leisure, free to relax and settle into your new surroundings.

This morning, wind your way into the majestic native forest until reaching Pichi Lake, set at the foot of an amphitheater of mountains and waterfalls. Hike to the nearest lookout points to admire the richly forested landscapes, before returning to your lodge for lunch. Afterward, set out into pristine Futangue Park, a private reserve hidden in the heart of the rainforest, hiking past turquoise mountain lakes, on a trekking excursion that leads you to sparkling Riñinahue Falls. Stop amid the stunning surroundings for a tasting of Chilean Pisco and wines.

Continue your exploration of Futangue Park with a special excursion, as you Ride like a Local, sailing along Ranco Lake (weather permitting), absorbing beautiful views of the coast and surrounding villages. You may also choose from active treks visiting Cerro Mayo or Cascade Trail. Return to your lodge for lunch and rest. This afternoon, set out on an excursion in search of the Darwin’s Frog, an endangered forest denizen named for the famed naturalist. Endemic to the region, the tiny amphibian is distinguished by its bright skin and an unusual way of rearing its young: the male carries growing embryos in its vocal sack until they are tadpoles ready to emerge. Later, return to your lodge for some free time, and then gather tonight for dinner.

Fly to the remote Chilean town of Calama via Santiago, where you are transferred to your lodge near the quaint oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama. Surrounded and embraced by the Cordillera de la Sal (Salt Mountains), luxurious Alto Atacama rests in the driest place on earth, the Atacama Desert. Its design borrows from local architecture to help it blend seamlessly into its surroundings. Appearing almost as if it were part of the natural rock ridge looming over it, it is a sanctuary of tranquility and quiet, offering its guests sweeping desert views.

This morning is at leisure to explore the area on one of these Design your Day activities. Mountain Bike Along Winding Paths and through the gorges of Cordillera de la Sal, taking in the inspiring views. Walk in the High Catarpe, experiencing scenic lookouts and viewing age-old petroglyphs and rock carvings. Take a Rock Art Excursion to explore caves and view the mineral-colored hills and cliffs of the Rainbow Valley. Return to your hotel for lunch, and then depart for the Valley of the Moon, an amazing geological formation created through the conflicting pressure of the Andes and Domeyko Cordillera. Stop for a Scenic Sundowner at an overlook for breathtaking views of the region, as the sun sets over the Death Valley. Tonight, dine at your hotel as a prelude to perhaps the most spectacular stargazing opportunity of your life. The cloud-free skies above the Atacama Desert and the relative lack of development nearby make this one of the finest places in the world for observing astronomical phenomena. Take a short walk outside your hotel to join the on-site expert who explains how the atacameños (people of the area) still use the stars, constellations and moon to guide their agricultural work and other aspects of daily life. As you listen, relax in one of several chairs that encircle a telescope, gazing up at the dazzling firmament overhead and enjoying the refreshing night air. Then, take the opportunity for a closer look at celestial bodies through the telescope, as your guide shares insights into what you’re seeing.

Rise early for an excursion to the Tatio Geyser, and then pause for an al fresco breakfast at this beautiful locale, surrounded by the Andes Mountain range on the high plateau. This evening, visit the picturesque town of San Pedro de Atacama, and later perhaps avail yourself of a final opportunity to stargaze in this dark-sky region.

Enjoy a morning at leisure, free to simply relax. Later, transfer to Calama Airport to fly to Santiago, and then board your departing flight home.