Day 1 Santiago No meals

Arrive in Santiago and transfer to your hotel. Panoramic tour of the city center: Santa Lucía Hill, where Santiago was founded in 1541, La Moneda Presidential Palace, the Plaza de Armas and the bohemian Bellavista neighborhood.

Private tours also include the National History Museum and San Cristóbal Hill, with views over the city and the Andes.

Day 2 Santiago – Calama – San Pedro de Atacama Breakfast

Fly to Calama and drive through the Domeyko and Salt Mountain ranges to the desert oasis of San Pedro de Atacama. In the afternoon, explore Moon Valley's salt formations, the Three Marías and the Great Dune, then watch the sunset with a snack.

Private tours begin with a visit to Mars Valley (Death Valley).

Day 3 Atacama Salt Flat & Altiplanic Lagoons Breakfast, picnic lunch

Visit the volcanic-stone village of Toconao and its 1744 church, then the Atacama Salt Flat and Chaxa Lagoon, home to three species of flamingo. Continue to the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons at 13,800 ft in Los Flamencos National Reserve, and stop at the highland village of Socaire.

Day 4 El Tatio Geysers Breakfast

An early start for sunrise at El Tatio geothermal field, over 14,000 ft high, where the geysers reach up to 20 ft. Box breakfast on the way, then the shepherds' village of Machuca (the Putana wetlands on small-group tours). Free afternoon. In the evening we recommend the optional stargazing tour.

Day 5 San Pedro de Atacama – Calama – Santiago Breakfast

Archaeological tour of the 3,000-year-old Tulor village and the Pukará de Quitor fortress, plus San Pedro's church. Afternoon flight back to Santiago.

Day 6 Isla Negra – Casablanca Valley – Valparaíso Breakfast, lunch

Visit Pablo Neruda's seaside house-museum at Isla Negra, then enjoy a wine tour, tasting and lunch at a Casablanca Valley vineyard. Continue to Valparaíso, a UNESCO World Heritage city.

Day 7 Valparaíso – Santiago Breakfast, lunch

Ride a historic funicular up one of Valparaíso's hills for views of the Pacific, then tour Plaza Sotomayor, Muelle Prat and the craft market. Seafood lunch before returning to Santiago.

Day 8 Santiago – Puerto Montt – Puerto Varas Breakfast, lunch

Fly to Puerto Montt for a city tour and seafood lunch at Angelmó Cove. Stop at the Felmer Museum on the German settlers' heritage, then continue to Puerto Varas on Lake Llanquihue.

Day 9 Osorno Volcano & Petrohué Falls Breakfast, lunch

Drive up Osorno Volcano to the ski center viewpoints (optional chairlift), walk to the turquoise Petrohué Falls in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park and visit emerald-green Todos los Santos Lake.

Day 10 Puerto Varas – Chiloé Island – Castro Breakfast, lunch

Cross the Chacao Channel by ferry to Chiloé. Visit Quemchi, walk the bridge to Aucar Island, and see the wooden heritage churches of Colo and Tenaún. A local family welcomes you for a traditional Chilote lunch, then on to Castro and its stilt houses (palafitos).

Day 11 Dalcahue & Quinchao Island Breakfast, lunch

Explore Dalcahue's church and craft fair, then take the ferry to Quinchao Island and the villages of Curaco de Vélez and Achao, with their heritage churches and local artisans.

Day 12 Castro – Ancud – Puerto Montt – Santiago Breakfast, lunch

From October to March, take a boat to see Magellanic and Humboldt penguins at Puñihuil, the only place where both species nest together (April–September: Caulín Bay or the Lacuy Peninsula instead). Visit Ancud, then fly back to Santiago.

Day 13 Santiago Breakfast

Transfer to the airport for your flight home.