"The Andean Legacy" tour from Holidays in Chile - we are the Chile specialist tour operator from the UK.

Day 1      Santiago
You will be met and greeted by your guide at the airport and then transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon, you will be taken on a city tour, visiting the highlights of the Santiago city and the Pre Colombian Museum.   Note: Museums closed on Monday.

Day 2      Santiago / Arica
Morning transfer to the airport, to fly out to Arica city. You will be met and greeted by your guide at the airport and then transferred to your hotel. In the afternoon, you will be taken on a Archaeological Arica City tour, including a visit to the Azapa Archaeological Museum.

Day 3      Arica / Putre
Early departure to discover the highlands, with its myriad pre-Hispanic villages and pastoral settlements. On route we visit the picturesque and typical villages of Ticnamar, Saxamar and Belen, the only village in the area founded by the Spaniards. Visit Pachama surrounded by fields and eucalyptus trees, continuing through Chapiquiña and the Socoroma villages, with a 17th century church, to finally arrive at Putre, 3,500 metres above the sea level at the foot of the 5,800m high Taapaca volcano.

Day 4     Putre – Chungara Lake – Parinacota – Arica
This morning we will drive up toward Chungara Lake, located at 4,517 metres above sea level, inside the Lauca National Park. Chungará is one of the highest lakes in the world, surrounded by snow-capped volcanoes like the Guallatire with its constant fumaroles and more than 6.000M high. Then a visit to Parinacota village and its 17th century church, now declared National Monument, and an opportunity to meet with its inhabitants, the Aymaras, with their traditional custom and beliefs.
To complete the day we will offer you a traditional altiplano lunch in a local restaurant.

Day 5    Arica – Tiliviche – Nitrates – Pintados Geoglyphs – Calama
We drive on wards through the dessert today where you will see the Chiza geoglyphs, once again supporting the theory that pre-Hispanic peoples used the valleys as natural access routes to the coast. On route to Iquique is the Tiliviche Ravine and another well preserved panel of geoglyphs that illustrates a herd of llamas. Driving through La Pampa, a wonderful contrast of desert and forest, visiting Humberstone, a nitrate ghost town where it is possible with a little of imagination see the splendour of this period of the Chile’s history, continuing on to the Pintados geoglyphs, consisting of some 400 figures distributed along the hillsides in thematic groups of panels. Just before arriving at Calama you can see the last of the geoglyphs at Quillagua.

Day 6    Calama / San Pedro de Atacama
Morning transfer to San Pedro village, the archaeological Capital of Chile.
The visit to the village will begin with an archaeological tour, visiting the main square, the ancient church and then drive 3 kilometres outside San Pedro, to vist the Quitor Pucara, built in the 12th. century, as a defensive fort covering 2.5 hectares, defended by a river cliff. The main attraction here is the impressive construction in the hill-climbing houses and walls made only with stones and a 'concrete' mixture of only soil and water.
Then we visit the Tulor archaeological village, originally built 3000 years ago, and miraculously preserved by being buriied by the sands of the desert. The unique houses have round rooms and are connected by common patios.
A very special place to see the sunset is Moon Valley, just a few kilometres from San Pedro, a spectacular desert landscape of diverse colours and shapes. At Death Valley eroded by wind and water, the dunes and mountains can be trekked.

Day 7    San Pedro – Atacama Salt and Lagoons
Today we are driving even further into the desert, to the Atacama Salt flats to visit the lagoons.
A couple of small villages, Toconoa and Socaire are in route to this amazing landscape. Toconao is well known for its construction in 'laparita', a volcanic stone, which is use for house construction. Socaire is other small village on route goes to the salt. To reach to the lagoons, it is necessary to drive up the mountain range where the Miscanti and Miñique logoons, with their intense blue colour and white edges, are found. These lagoons are inside the Flamingos National Reservation, and are surrounded by mountains & volcanoes, making of this area a unique place to visit. When visiting the Atacama Salt flats, you will also see the Chaxa Lagoon, where flamingos and other birds can be seen.

Day 8    San Pedro – Geysers
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.
This experience could end with a thermal bath at the Puritama hot springs, where the waters have different temperatures before returning to the village.

Day 9   On route to El Loa Airport, the villages of Chiu Chiu & Lasana Pukara will be visited
The small village of Chiu Chiu was founded by Spain, when its church was built in 1675, and is its principal attraction. Also it was the first village in the Loa zone, where 1000 years B.C. hunter and collector groups settled down. Next, travelling 10 km by the river edge and between big cliffs, we can look at and admire a number of petroglyphics, which were made from the year 400 until the arrival of the Spanish.
The Lasana Pukara is a fortress village of the 12th century, comprising a group of more than 100 rock-built buildings, next to a river cliff and with defensive walls.
Fly back to Santiago and transfer to your hotel to overnight.

Day 10   Santiago
Day free at leisure until your transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK.