"Essential Chile" tour with Holidays in Chile - we are the Chile specialist tour operator from the UK.

Day 1 – Fly from the UK to Santiago

Day 2 - Arrive at Santiago International Airport to be met and transferred to your hotel. Once you have checked into your hotel and rested, we invite you to see something of one of the most modern cities in South America, surrounded by attractive green parks, it has amazing buildings and one of the cleanest and most beautiful subways to be found anywhere in the world, reflecting the modernity of Santiago wrapped by the gorgeous Cordillera de Los Andes.
Intense cultural life, good art, style, design and gourmet delicacies… Santiago is a nice luxury break during South American travel.
With about 40 art galleries and 30 museums of several styles to be visited, Santiago is also the gathering point for those who want to visit some of the best wineries in the world.

Day 3 – Santiago & Valle del Maipo. Chilean wine is very well known for its quality around the world, and the Maipo valley contains the most important vineyards, a small number of which wil be visited today. This valley is located pretty close to Santiago, and it is perhaps the warmest of Chile's well-known wine growing regions. The terroir is characterised by a poor, well drained soil which allows roots to grow deep and a micro climate which allows for very good exposure to sunlight, warm days, cool nights and no rainfall during ripening and harvesting.

Day 4 – Santiago – San Pedro de Atacama - into the Desert
The Atacama is driest desert in the world and occupies 181,300 square kilometres in northern Chile, composed mostly of salt flats, sand, and lava flows. It is virtually sterile because it is blocked from moisture on both sides by the Andes Mountain and by the Chilean Coast Range. In an oasis, in the middle of the desert, at about 2000 metres elevation lies the village of San Pedro de Atacama. Its church was built by the Spanish in 1577. In pre-Hispanic times, before the Inca Empire, the extremely arid interior was inhabited mainly by the Atacameño tribe. The tribe is noted for the construction of fortified towns called pucara(s), one of which can be seen a few kilometres from San Pedro de Atacama.

Day 5 – San Pedro de Atacama
San Pedro de Atacama is considered the “Archaeological Capital of Chile”, and the commune invites tourists to enjoy its archaeology, desert, natural sanctuaries, pre-Colombian village architecture and its incomparable and impressive natural attractions. Moon Valley: Enjoy the opportunity to walk in a very special geological area which looks much like the moon's surface. Death Valley and Moon Valley are only a few kilometres from San Pedro and both are part of the Flamingo National Reserve. At sunset a walk in this spectacular desert landscape gtives you the chance to see magnificent varying colours and shapes.

Day 6 – San Pedro de Atacama    A visit to the Atacama salt flats and lagoons.
A couple of small villages are en route to this amazing landscape, Toconoa and Socaire. Toconao is well known for its construction in Laparita, a volcanic stone, which is use for house construction. Socaire is other small village in the way into the salt flats. The lagoons are inside the Flamingos National Reservation, and are surrounded by mountains & volcanoes, making this area a unique place to be visited. When visiting the Atacama Salts, you can also see Chaxa Lagoon, where flocks of flamingos and other birds are seen.

Day 7 – San Pedro de Atacama
Tatio Geysers are located 121 kilometres from San Pedro at an altitude of 4,300 metres. To see the amazing vapour columns, fumaroles and hundreds of boiling water ponds it is important to arrive at the geysers before sunrise, this means the main part of the route must be done during the night.

Day 8 – San Pedro de Atacama to Santiago.
Return to Santiago today and on arrival check in to your hotel to overnight.

Day 9 – Santiago / Easter Island
Appropriately timed transfer to Santiago Airport, to fly out to Easter Island.
On arrival you will be welcomed by local people at the Mataveri airport with e flower necklace
and then transferred to the Iorana Hotel.   Accommodation in Deluxe double room, buffet breakfast inc.

Day 10 – Easter Island
Full Day exploration of the Anakena area with packed lunch.
Aku Akahanga, “platform of the King” is believed to be the grave of Hotu Matua, the first king of
the island, and can be found in a cave in Akahanga.
Four separate platforms with 12 Moai (statues) with different sizes, and 8 Pukao (Topknots).
Without a doubt one of the most interesting archaeological sites not only in Easter Island but in the
entire world is the Rano Raraku, where 396 Moai can be seen in the quarry which is an extinct volcano.

Day 11 – Easter Island
Akivi tour (Morning)   Built in 1460 this site was one of the later constructions built, probably at a time when the statue cult was beginning to unravel. Unlike other sites, Akivi is inland and has a commanding view of the western part of the island.
Orongo Excursion (Afternoon)   This tour goes back in time to Rapa Nui’s pre-history, where the Moais and the Ahu was destroyed and a new supremacy grows up, the Birdmen.

Day 12 – Easter Island / Santiago
Appropriately timed transfer to Mataveri airport, for your return flight to Santiago.
Once in Santiago you will be met and transferred to your Santiago Hotel.

Day 13 - Santiago at leisure

Day 14 - Appropriately timed transfer to Santiago International Airport, for your return flight to UK

Tour cost includes:
Santiago:
Private transfers and excursions, with bilingual guide.
Lodging in 4* hotel with breakfast.
Vineyards entrance fee – (group tour wine tasting)
Lunch where mentioned
National Park Entrance fee
Porterages airport/Hotel

Easter Island:
Private transfers and excursions (2 half day and 1 full day), with bilingual guide.
Lodging in Taha Tai Hotel or similar with breakfast
National Park entrance fee
Picnic lunch (1)

San Pedro de Atacama:
Private transfers and excursions, with bilingual guide.
Lodging in Altiplanico Hotel or similar with breakfast
Entrance fee

Tour cost does not include:
International and domestic air fares or airport taxes
Meals not mentioned
Personal expenses.
Any other item does not mentioned as included in the above program.