Pablo Neruda had a special affection for Chile as a country
“invented by a poet” (he was referring to Alonso de Ercilla
y Zúñiga, author of the epic La Araucana). But long before the 16th-century nobleman-poet arrived, Nature itself had engaged in some inspired poetic license in creating this elegantly thin, magnificently varied land. Which we will note and enjoy on this top-to-bottom
journey.
We begin by flying north from Santiago de Chile to the Atacama Desert, the world’s driest place (parts of it have gone centuries with no measurable rainfall). A high tableland dotted with snow-dusted 20,000-foot volcanoes, the Atacama, wrote Sir Martin Conway, a British far-fetcher in the great British tradition, is “amongst the strangest scenes in the world . . . the scenery of the Puna de Atacama counts as one of the most striking and wonderful . . . like nothing else in the world.” Traveling south, we enter northern Patagonia country, leaving the mainland for a days' exploration of Chiloe Island with its unique architecture and small island culture. Then its onward to explore Alerce Andino National Park: a mountainous wilderness of lagoons, ribbony waterfalls, and temperate forests. We end with a poetic masterpiece, the Torres del Paine, to which we pay tribute in Into Patagonia and The Town at the Bottom of the World and would ramble on about semi-endlessly, were space and time not limited (though sometimes we do anyway).
Note that we have a handy extension to Easter Island at trip’s end. A new Explora property there makes a visit to the famous moai statues easy and comfortable.
We begin by flying north from Santiago de Chile to the Atacama Desert, the world’s driest place (parts of it have gone centuries with no measurable rainfall). A high tableland dotted with snow-dusted 20,000-foot volcanoes, the Atacama, wrote Sir Martin Conway, a British far-fetcher in the great British tradition, is “amongst the strangest scenes in the world . . . the scenery of the Puna de Atacama counts as one of the most striking and wonderful . . . like nothing else in the world.” Traveling south, we enter northern Patagonia country, leaving the mainland for a days' exploration of Chiloe Island with its unique architecture and small island culture. Then its onward to explore Alerce Andino National Park: a mountainous wilderness of lagoons, ribbony waterfalls, and temperate forests. We end with a poetic masterpiece, the Torres del Paine, to which we pay tribute in Into Patagonia and The Town at the Bottom of the World and would ramble on about semi-endlessly, were space and time not limited (though sometimes we do anyway).
Note that we have a handy extension to Easter Island at trip’s end. A new Explora property there makes a visit to the famous moai statues easy and comfortable.
Days 1: arrive Santiago • Day 2: Valparaiso • Day 3: fly from Santiago to San Pedro de Atacama • Days 4 - 6: Atacama Desert • Day 7: fly to Santiago • Day 8: fly to Punta Arenas • Days 9 - 10: explore Torres del Paine • Day 11: fly to SantiagoOptional Easter Island Extension
Day 12: fly to Easter Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world's largest "open air museum" • Days 13 - 14: explore the island, its trails, stonework, archeological sites, beaches, pools, and craters • Day 15: fly to Santiago to connect with international flight.
Chile North to South
Trip Details
Departures:
11 Days
Activity Type:
Touring
Trip Price:From $6150
- Offered Daily. Please call us to schedule your Private Departure.
11 DaysActivity Type:
Touring
Trip Price:
From $6150
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