The key moments
This trip gives you the opportunity to discover Chile and its wonderful regions. In three weeks you have the time to experience the traditions and different cultures of the country through visits and interaction with local communities.
From a tour of the Maipo Valley and its vineyard through the Atacama desert and its starry sky, the mountain and the forest, you will not want to go home! This trip to Chile will allow you a total immersion in the Chilean way of life!
- Private driver and English speaking guide at almost every excursion for your better comfort
- 3 star hotels
- Visit of the city of Santiago
- Discover the Mapuche community living in La Pintada
- Valley of the Moon and its mountains of salt in the Atacama desert
- The Valley of Maipo, visit of the vineyard with a local guide
- The Matrix Valparaiso, UNESCO World Heritage
- Los condors trail, observation and admiration of the landscape
- Kelu Trufken Trail, a walk in the mountains and forests of local communities
- Petrohue Falls and Todos los Santos, visit to Chiloe Island
Detailed itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival in Santiago, capital of Chile
You arrive at the airport of Santiago, the capital of Chile, with your international flight. Our driver picks you up and drives you to your hotel.
The afternoon is free.
Included: transportation, room and breakfast
Day 2 – Visit of the city of Santiago
You will certainly be impressed by this city of more than 7 million inhabitants in the center of the country.
A private driver will pick you up from your accommodation in Santiago and will accompany you to La Pintana for the day’s activities (around 40 minutes).
You will visit La Pintana where the Mapuche community lives. Here you will discover how locals live, cook and share Rukas (typical local construction) and learn more about their history, culture and crafts.
Graciela will welcome you to the Ruka Kiñe Pu Liwen and you will discover the history of the Mapuche people, traditional crafts and traditional preparations with natural ingredients. You will have the opportunity to learn the technique of weaving and become familiar with the activities taking place in this community area, well known in Chile. After this cultural exchange, you will enjoy a delicious typical meal based on natural ingredients.
Then we return to Santiago for a city tour. The tour begins with the traditional center of Santiago along heritage buildings such as La Moneda, Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, etc. Then, we will go to the emblematic cultural center Gabriela Mistral, passing by the Cerro Santa Lucía and its magnificent views. of Santiago, Barrio Lastarria, Parque Forestal and the Museo de Bellas Artes. This district, full of art, shops and alternative cafes, has the most beautiful architecture of the city. Barrio Bellas Artes is connected to Cerro San Cristóbal and Museo Casa la Chascona by the poet Pablo Neruda.
Included: transportation, excursion, lunch, English speaking guide, room and breakfast
Day 3 -Valley of Maipo, visit of the vineyard
Our driver picks you up at your accommodation to reach Isla de Maipo (1 hour).
Isla de Maipo, a rural town located 80 kilometers from Santiago. Once there, the local guides will welcome you to La Espina del Arte, an art gallery located in the middle of an old family home. Together with Constanza and Rodrigo, owner artists, enjoy a delicious coffee under a centenary Ceibo tree. Then you will be invited to visit the gallery where other local artists share the space.
After this peaceful reception, you will enter one of the original buildings of Isla de Maipo, Chichería de Los Mesa. Stroll among old oak barrels, wrapped in the aroma of local wine, chicha and pipeño.
Then we will visit the house of Don Rolando, who has been working in his garden for many years. Take the time to discover his orchard and his enormous avocados and small cacti. Everything in the orchard has a purpose and Don Rolando will teach us why!
Viña La Era, the vineyard that we will visit next, is closed since the 70’s and is more than 100 years old, that is to say that it is an establishment that truly represents the origin of the wine In the region. He still keeps his old machines, his pipes and his vines. You will taste three wines in the old cellar.
We will lunch in a country house and enjoy the local gastronomy in a small farm, with a large avocado plantation and an organic garden.
To end this day, you will meet a producer, Elizabeth, in her chocolate factory, and Francisco, dedicated to the production of honey and bees.
You have already completed your visit to the beautiful valley of the Maipo River. We are now ready to return to Santiago.
Included: transportation, excursion, lunch, english speaking guide, room and breakfast
Day 4 – The Matriz Valparaiso – Visit of Valparaiso, Chile
Today, early in the morning, you will take public transport to the bus station, then a bus to Valparaiso (2 hours), the second largest city in Chile.
Valparaiso, a UNESCO World Heritage Site – a city on the edge of a cliff. Our local guide will be waiting for you to visit the oldest part of the city with a local poet. Interesting characters and a magnificent view of the colorful hills await you.
You will begin the journey in the founding sector of Valparaiso, visiting the oldest temple of the city, the church of La Matriz. We will then move on to the « Social Dining Room 421« , where we will learn about the social work done by neighbors and volunteers in support of homeless brothers.
Then we will climb the stairs of the hill of Santo Domingo, which preserves innumerable secrets of architecture and heritage and which is the first inhabited of the city. You will arrive at « La Chinita », who will welcome you to her home for lunch and discuss pleasant life in the neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
We will go to downtown Valparaiso through the heritage area of the hill. In the company of the local guide, we will continue our walk by enjoying the street art that highlights Valparaiso as a bohemian city and cultural center of the country. Subsequently, a visit to the museum of the house of Pablo Neruda, La Sebastiana, is organized (depends on the day).
Included: transport, English speaking guide, local guide, lunch, room and breakfast
Day 5 – Valley of the Moon – Astronomical Tower
Your private driver will take you to Santiago airport for your flight to Calama.
Once in Calama, head to Transvip’s office and take your shared transfer to San Pedro de Atacama (1h).
This small group excursion will take you to the Moon Valley and its ravines, to the Salt Mountain Range in the Atacama Desert, the driest place in the world, to discover one of the most picturesque spots. The names already give you an idea of how the landscape is shaped by the eroding rock formations, the salt mantle covering the ground and views that will make you feel like you’re on another planet.
We will visit its most famous rock formations: Las Tres Marías, El Cañón, El Amphitheater and the Coyote Stone. Finally, we will enjoy the sunset from a natural view point, where you can see how the desert changes colors, with large volcanoes on the horizon, offering a show without a voice.
Astronomical Tower: The sky of Atacama is one of the best in the world to observe stars. Still in your small group, local guides will teach you the Andean constellations and the western stars, and explain how to understand the cosmos from the ancient inhabitants of the Andes. Using modern telescopes, they will teach you and show you the most amazing objects in the universe. You will be back in your accommodation late at night.
Included: transport, excursion, english speaking guide, room and breakfast
Day 6 – Lickan Antay Experience – Atacamenian Lunch – Ancestral Caravan
The Atacameños, or Lickan Antay, have lived in the desert for thousands of years. Throughout this time, they have learned to live with and to discover all the secrets. During this excursion, Wildo will show us the story of his family and the economic activities they have developed in the desert. We will learn more about maize and alfalfa crops, animal husbandry and other trades typical of an Atacamenian family.
You will enjoy an Atacamean « fusion » lunch, with preparations based on products traditionally used by Lickan Antay, such as corn, quinoa, llama or lamb meat, as well as fruit and vegetables produced in orchards. from the community. After lunch, you will return to the hostel to rest or stay in the restaurant’s gardens.
In the evening we leave for the ancestral caravan. It allows us to relive the beautiful experience of walking with llamas in the Atacama Desert. Sandra and Carlos, our local guides, will tell us stories of the desert and the relationship of men with llamas and travels. While we enjoy a beautiful sunset in the colors of the desert.
Included: transportation, excursion, lunch, english speaking guide, room and breakfast
Day 7 – Lake Altiplanic, Saltacia Atacama and Red Rocks
With a small group, you will visit the Miscanti and Meñiques lakes, the city of Socaire, the big Salar of Atacama, the Chaxa lagoon and the city of Toconao. You will have all day to enjoy the impressive landscapes that the desert offers, choosing a good place for lunch. You will be back in the afternoon.
Included: English speaking guide, lunch, transportation, room and breakfast
Day 8 – Hierbas Buenas, Rio Grande & Rainbow Valley
After breakfast, you will take a private transfer to Hierbas Buenas (1h30), where you will meet your local guide, Pamela Condori. She will guide you in visiting old petroglyphs and the beautiful Rainbow Valley, admiring the many colors.
On the way back, you will visit the small village of Rio Grande. It was built in a deep ravine. You will walk in its small streets by visiting its houses and orchards. We will enjoy a typical lunch prepared by Pamela.
Included: transport, local guide, lunch, english speaking guide, room and breakfast
Day 9 – Geothermal field of the Tatio geysers
Today, we will get up very early, before sunrise.
We will pick you up at your accommodation to head north-east with a small group, climbing the hills and mountains of the Andes, to reach the geysers of Tatio after about 1h30 of travel.
Located about 89 km from San Pedro de Atacama and 4,230 meters above sea level, this geothermal field includes more than 80 active Geysers of different magnitudes. In summer, the temperature can be -6ºC and in winter -20ºC.
On the way back, you will cross the village of Machuca.
Return to the hotel.
Included: excursion, English speaking guide, room and breakfast
Day 10 – From Calama to Quinquen – Dinner and Homestay
Today will be a transfer day. We leave Calama to take a first plane to Santiago, then a second to Temuco. From Tecumo airport, take a bus to Lonquimay that will take you to the Pehuenche community of Quinquen (1 hour).
Before you rest, enjoy a dinner with the local family where you will stay. You will sleep in a home in the community.
Included: transport, bus tickets, dinner, english speaking guide, room and breakfast
Day 11 – Kelu Trufken Trail – Lunch – Matetun – Dinner and Homestay
With Alex, our local guide, we will go to the mountains and old-growth forests of the community, listening to the stories of the people of Pehuenche and their relationship with nature. Try a delicious, typical lunch prepared by the community.
On the way back, we will enjoy an unforgettable conversation with one of the elders of the community, while we drink an infusion of mate. Before you rest, enjoy a dinner with the local family where you will stay.
You will sleep in a home-based home in the community.
Included: English speaking guide, transportation, excursion, local guide, lunch, dinner, room and breakfast
Day 12 – Mountain Life – Los Condores Trail – Lunch – Weaving and spinning workshop – Dinner and Homestay
We will get up early to work on the farm: feed the animals, collect the chicken eggs and discover the typical livelihoods of Pehuenche.
Watching the landscape shaped by Lake Galletué and Batea Mahuida volcano is a real spectacle. With our local guide, we will hike through this light trail and enjoy the beautiful views and stories of the region.
We will participate in a wool spinning and weaving workshop run by a woman from the community. The wool here is completely natural and we try to use only natural fibers for dyeing.
Before you rest, enjoy a dinner with the local family where you will stay. You will sleep in a home-based home in the community.
Included: English speaking guide, excursion, local guide, transportation, lunch, dinner, room and breakfast
Day 13 – Ad Mahuida Trail – Lunch – Mapuche Cosmovision
This path has been specially prepared to see the forest and spiritual beings that inhabit these mountains. The trees Araucaria, Lenga and ñirre will accompany us throughout this beautiful hike.
You will be able to have a deep conversation with an elder about the Mapuche Pehuenche worldview, his stories and his understanding of nature and life in these wonderful territories.
Before you rest, enjoy a dinner with the local family where you will stay. You will sleep in a home-based home in the community.
Included: English speaking guide, transportation, excursion, local guide, lunch, dinner, room and breakfast
Day 14 – Transfer from Quinquen to Lonquimay
Today will be a transfer day. We will leave Quinquen to take a private transfer from Quinquen to Lonquimay, then a bus to Temuco.
From Tecumo, you take another private transfer to the bus to Puerto Varas (4 hours).
You will sleep in a guest house.
Included: transport, bus tickets, room and breakfast
Day 15 – Full day in Petrohue Falls and Todos los Santos Lake
Today we will visit the Petrohue Falls. During our journey, we will skirt Lake LLanquihue through beautiful forests, with the volcanoes of Osorno and Calbuco in the background. We will also visit the Todos los Santos lake.
Once in Vicente Perez Rosales National Park, we will make a short hike through the native forests to the impressive turquoise waterfalls of the Petrohue River, which flows through masses of crystallized lava. Then we will visit the lake Todos los Santos with its green colors, where you can share an optional navigation.
Included: excursion, english speaking guide, lunch, room and breakfast
Day 16 – Full Day on Chiloe Island
After breakfast we will pick you up at your accommodation. The trip starts in Pargua, where we will take the ferry that will take us to Chiloe Island. During the navigation, you will be able to observe sea lions, birds and a typical marine fauna of the area.
We will stop at Chacao and will be welcomed by some of Chiloe’s famous churches, national monuments and traditional buildings. We will continue to Dalcahue, to see the seaside and visit its famous market, with products made by locals and with an incredible gastronomic offer. Later, we will visit the church Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, declared heritage patrimony.
Our journey continues to Castro, capital of the island of Chiloe. We will see the classic palafitos of Pedro Montt (houses built on the sea) and visit the church of San Francisco, located on the main square. Then we will visit the largest handicraft market on the island and the traditional view of Gamboa, where you will have the chance to take pictures in this beautiful bay. Then, our return to Puerto Varas begins.
Included: excursion, English speaking guide, room and breakfast
Day 17 – Transfer from Punta Varas to Punta Arenas
Today, you will have a private transfer to take your plane from Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas (2:10), then take a bus to Puerto Natales (3:15).
Included: transportation, room and breakfast
Day 18 – Half-day trip to Torres del Paine
You will share a transfer from Puerto Natales to Hosteria Pehoe (2 hours).
This tour allows you to visit some of the main places and views of the Torres del Paine National Park. You can choose between two options:
1) Salto Chico, walk to Playa Gray and Mirador Serrano
2) Amarga Lake, Nordeskjorld and Salto Grande Viewpoint
Included: transport, excursion, english speaking guide, room and breakfast
Day 19 – Full day trip to Torres del Paine, Chile
During this trip, we will enjoy a full day excursion in the National Park of Chile within a small group. It is an excellent option to visit most of this amazing and pristine land, starting with the Serrano River with an unobstructed view of the Paine Mountain Range. Later, we will make a short hike to Gray Lake to observe the glacier and many icebergs. We will then visit the information center to learn more about the park’s ecosystem.
Lunch will be served in the Cascada Paine area, where you can observe the majestic peaks of Torres del Paine. On the way back, and weather permitting, we will visit the waterfalls of Salto Grande.
Included: excursion, English speaking guide, lunch, transportation, room and breakfast
Day 20 – Transfer from Hosteria Pehoe to Puerto Natales
You will take a shared transfer from Hosteria Pehoe to Puerto Natales in 2 hours, then take a bus to Punta Arenas. From there you will have a private transfer to Punta Arenas.
Included: transportation, room and breakfast
Day 21 – Magdalena & Marta Island Navigation
Today, we will drive you to the Solo Expediciones office for navigation in the Strait of Magellan to Magdalena & Marta Island in Chile.
The Magdalena Island is home to more than 150,000 penguins each year and the island of Marta is home to more than 1,000 sea lions. Watching penguins in Patagonia is an unforgettable experience.
During navigation, it is possible to see imperial cormorants, hundreds of southern gulls, southern dolphins and Overas.
For reasons of protection of the fauna, only Magdalena Island is landed, Marta Island is circumnavigated. You will have a private transfer to Punta Arenas airport to catch a plane back to Santiago.
Included: excursion, transportation, room and breakfast
Day 22 – Departure from Santiago, Chile
End of your grand tour of Chile. You will have a private transfer to Santiago airport and take your international flight.
Included: transport
Budget
Our travel programs are given as an example, to inspire you and give you ideas.
Then we create with you together the trip of your dreams. Depending on the duration of your trip, we advise you on the sites to visit, you choose your accommodation, the means of transport and if you want a guide who accompanies you during your discovery of Chile.
Contact us by email at info@phimavoyages.com or by our contact form. We return to you within 24 hours.
This program includes
- English speaking guide and local guide as indicated
- Private transfers
- National flights
Santiago – Calama
Calama – Santiago
Santiago – Temuco
Puerto Montt – Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas – Santiago - Entrances for excursions
- Accommodation in 3-star hotels in a double room or a bed and breakfast, including breakfast
- Meal as indicated
- Personalized assistance during the trip 24 hours a day
- A donation to the WINTA (Global Alliance for Indigenous Tourism) organization, with which we have a strategic alliance of collaboration to strengthen the global tourism network.
This program does not include
- Food not specified in your program
- Alcoholic beverages
- Expenses for souvenir purchases
