Chile boasts diverse environments. Santiago enjoys a Mediterranean climate, the Lake District has snow-capped volcanoes, pristine lakes and rushing white water, and the Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth. Each offers a variety of activities. Visit the anthropological museum in Atacama where your personal guide discusses pre-Columbian art.
Board a flight to Temuco, the gateway to Chile's Lake
District, and embark on a scenic drive past snow-capped volcanoes
and ancient forests to your hotel on Lake Villarrica. Its small resort
town location is a perfect base to explore the Lake District.
Day 3
Spend three days visiting the Lake District and
Huerquehue National Park, rafting or hiking. The park contains
20 lakes fed by waterfalls, rivers and streams and offers unbeatable
panoramic views. Walk through the tranquil native woodland to
see rare outcroppings of "fly wing" rock crystal and the assorted
wildlife, including puma.
Days 4-6
Fly to Calama, your gateway to the geological and
archaeological wonders in the heart of the Atacama Desert. This is
the world's driest landscape, with no precipitation recorded since the
days of Spanish colonization. Transfer to your desert lodge. You may
also visit the village of San Pedro de Atacama, home to the impressive
Gustavo Le Paige de Walque Archaeological Museum, housing
a collection of 2,000-year-old Indian mummies, extremely well-preserved
by the dry desert air.
Day 7
Spend three full days discovering Atacama's natural
environment and the sites of pre-Columbian, colonial and
contemporary cultures.
Days 8-10
Your day is at leisure before returning to Santiago this
evening.
Day 11
Explore Santiago or enjoy the amenities of your
hotel before flying home.