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For nature lovers (and wine enthusiasts, too), Chile, with its spectacular landscapes, is a must-see destination in South America. It comes with an excellent tourism infrastructure, and we have sought out beautiful luxury accommodations along the way — in a similar vein to luxury African safari camps. Add to that a strong economy, a stable political environment, a lack of corruption, warm and inviting people, and you’ll see why Chile is making its mark as the new hotspot in South America.
In Chilean author Benjamin Subercaseaux’s memorable phrase,
Chile embodies una loca geografia, an expression that literally translates as “a crazy geography.” Less
literally, it means “a geographical extravaganza,” and that is indeed what it is. The equivalent North American latitudes would be from Cancún, Mexico up to Hudson’s Bay, Canada! Within this 2500-mile-long spindly “shoestring” country, we will experience on this incredible adventure the:
• Vast northern reaches in the surreal Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth with its bizarre, high-altitude “moonscapes”;
• Mediterranean-like heartland with its excellent vineyards in fertile lands trapped between the Pacific and the Andes;
• Famed and lush Lakes District with its deep mountain indigo lakes and ancient virgin forests at the foot of soaring volcanoes
• Stupendous remote landscape of the majestic Patagonia wildlands, where the “end of the world” descriptor is not unreasonable.
Such geographic variety provides not only breathtaking scenery but also the ingredients for a distinctive, varied national cuisine. Ocean delicacies are vitally important here, but European immigrants brought with them a love of robust country cooking. International cuisine has caught on here as well. And if you’re a wine lover then you know you’re in for a treat here where you can enjoy Chile’s excellent wines!
This trip will appeal to outdoor enthusiasts who love being in nature yet who also enjoy luxury lodgings and very nice meals along the way.
This program is subject to change. While the broad stroke of the itinerary will not be altered, we reserve the right to revise some of the specific sights visited at each destination.
Day 1 - Monday, April 3, 2017
Santiago is Chile’s bustling capital and by a long shot is also its largest city with about five and a half million people. An underrated metropolis with quality museums, lively neighborhoods and nightlife, and good food, Santiago doesn’t get the same press as Buenos Aires
and Rio, but it’s as cosmopolitan as its flashier South American neighbors.
If you’re coming from the United States most flights arrive in the morning, and a private transfer is included from the airport to our excellent hotel in the trendy Lastarria neighborhood in the city
center.
We’ll meet around 6:00pm for our welcome drink in the hotel and then head out for a delicious dinner not far away.
Please Note: If you wish to come in a day earlier in order to explore more of what Santiago has to offer than what we will be doing as a group — or just to recover from the long plane trip — we can arrange an extra night for you at the group hotel.
Meals: Welcome Drink, Dinner
Hotel: The Singular Santiago Lastarria Hotel, Santiago, 5*
Day 2 - Tuesday, April 4, 2017
This morning we’ll just touch on some of
Santiago’s highlights such as:
• the neoclassical Palacio de la Moneda (presidential palace) in Constitution Square, the country’s most formal plaza;
• the Plaza de Armas, where the city’s Cathedral presides and the symbolic heart of Chile since the city was established on this spot in 1541;
• and the massive hilly park (and the city’s lungs) known as Cerro San Cristobal, an iconic spot with great views of both the city and the very nearby Andes Mountains.
We’ll then drive out to one of the nearby wineries in Chile’s Maipo Valley,
one of the country’s prominent wine-producing regions tucked into the foothills of the Andes. Our destination is a beautiful and sprawling estate with an impressive museum, and it dates back to 1880, when vines and winemakers were brought in from France. Here we’ll have lunch in their fine restaurant and a tour of their winemaking process followed by a wine tasting. The cellars here are national monuments, built by French engineers in 1875.
Afterwards we head back to Santiago. Dinner is open this evening, and there are a good number of restaurants in our Lastarria neighborhood as well as other notable ones scattered around the city.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Hotel: The Singular Santiago Lastarria Hotel, Santiago, 5*
Days 3 - 5 - Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - Friday, April 7, 2017
The nearly surreal arid north of Chile seems like something from another planet. Its sand and rock formations create a remarkably moonlike landscape. This very high desert area was an outlier of the Inka and earlier Andean civilizations — and it is unique and very beautiful. The Spaniards left their own monuments as colonial churches, but indigenous llama and alpaca herders have outlasted them. The region is the closest Chilean counterpart to Peru and Bolivia in terms of surviving indigenous communities. Here in Chile’s Norte Grande (“Great North”), the altiplano or high steppe exceeds 13,000 feet in elevation in some
areas, punctuated with soaring volcanoes of nearly 20,000 feet.
We are based for three nights a couple of miles outside the town of San Pedro de Atacama, with a population of just about 2,000, to explore this marvelous area. The town sits at one end of the Salar de Atacama, an immense sprawling salt lake that has nearly evaporated.
Our beautiful luxury lodge is all-inclusive (meaning meals, drinks, guided activities, spa access), with a wide array of excursions to choose from each day to suit your interests, whether they be tame or on the high-octane side; whether adventure-oriented or more cultural in nature. You can choose from something
as mellow as their “spa activity” on the property to rigorous high-altitude hiking. In general, though, the more you like the outdoors and the more willing you are to do some walking / hiking, the more you’ll appreciate the offerings.
Meals: Day 3: Breakfast, Lunch; Days 4 & 5: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Hotel: Alto Atacama Desert Lodge & Spa, San Pedro de Atacama, 4*
Days 6 -7 - Saturday, April 8, 2017 - Sunday, April 9, 2017
Resembling Oregon and Washington
somewhat, Chile’s famed Lake District is a land of snow-capped, cone-shaped volcanoes towering above ancient and lush conifer forests and sapphire blue glacial lakes and rushing rivers. Here you’ll find the temperate rainforest of alerce trees, the Southern Hemisphere’s equivalent of the sequoia tree, which can live 3,000 years. The other noteworthy tree here is the araucaria, or monkey puzzle tree — very distinctive looking with its gangly branches and waxy, thorny leaves. This area, also known as Sur Chico (“Little South”), is the homeland of the Mapuche Indians, and indeed, this was the last area in the country to come completely under the control of the Chilean government.
The picturesque lakeside town of Puerto Varas, one of Chile’s most charming towns with its rose arbors and stunning views of Osorno and Calbuco volcanoes, is our base for two nights of
accommodation. Some of the town’s historic shingle houses are national monuments, recalling the 19th-century German origins of its first non-native settlers. Indeed, the rich, fruit-filled pastries known as küchen
are prevalent here, an enduring contribution from these European immigrants. An overall Bavarian-Tyrolean sheen is still evident in this Southern Lakes area today.
A drive along the southern shore of Lake Llanquihue (pronounced something like “Yankee Way”) with its clear, shimmering water takes us past Osorno Volcano. At 8,700 feet in elevation this iconic mountain, with its almost perfectly symmetrical Mt. Fuji-like form, soars above the lake. It hasn’t erupted since the mid 19th century, but it does have active fumaroles.
Also on our itinerary is what some consider to be Chile’s single most beautiful body of water — the fjordlike Lago Todos Los Santos with its emerald hue. The lake lies inside Chile’s oldest national park, Vicente Pérez Rosales, and is home to 33 mammal species (including puma) and 117 bird species. While here we’ll enjoy a lovely walk along the Petrohué River Falls.
Our one full day in the Lakes District also includes a visit to the charming town of Frutillar, an enchanting little lakeside retreat with picture-perfect views of Osorno Volcano.
The architecture has a German flavor to it – as do the küchen pastries. Indeed, we’ll stop in at the German Colonial Museum, considered to be the best museum on 19th-century German settlement activity in the region. Also noteworthy here is the state-of-the-art Teatro del Lago, an impressive modern
theater hosting concerts, art shows and films year-round, and which put Frutillar on the global cultural map with its world-renowned, 10-day annual music festival.
Meals: Day 6: Breakfast, Dinner; Day 7: Breakfast, Lunch
Hotel: Hotel Cumbres Puerto Varas, Puerto Varas, 5*
Days 8 - 10 - Monday, April 10, 2017 - Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Thanks to the phenomenal granite needles of Torres del Paine National Park, one of the scenic masterpieces on the planet, Chile’s most southerly region has become an international emblem of pristine alpine majesty. Here are epic landscapes in some of the world’s wildest remaining country, a marvelous granite-and-glacier world. Toget here, we first need to fly
into Punta Arenas — 1,400 miles south of Santiago.
Puerto Natales, which has something of a frontier-town appeal, is our base for three nights. Stunningly situated on the Seno Ultimo Esperanza (Sound of Last Hope), it enjoys a magnificent water setting, with grand views of the snowcapped Cordillera Sarmiento and the Campo de Hielo Sur (southern Patagonia ice cap) over the water to the west.
Just like in the Atacama Desert we are based at an all-inclusive luxury lodge (meals, drinks, guided excursions, spa access) for three nights in Patagonia. Here again there’s an impressive roster of activities to choose from each day with varying degrees of physical exertion involved. Most of them, though, will be enjoyed if you have an appreciation for nature and the outdoors and are willing to participate in walking or hiking.
Meals: Day 8: Breakfast, Dinner; Days 9 & 10: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: The Singular Patagonia Hotel, Puerto Natales, 4+*
Day 11 - Thursday, April 13, 2017
We transfer back to the Punta Arenas airport. From Punta Arenas you can fly to Santiago and then homeward, or you might be interested in extending your stay in Chile or elsewhere in South America.
Possible extensions might include further time spent inside Torres del Paine National Park
(as we don’t stay in the park itself but have it as a day-trip option from our lodge); a cruise around Tierra del Fuego; a trip to Easter Island; or perhaps an overland trip into the Argentine side of Patagonia and the Perito Moreno Glacier. We might be able to assist with such arrangements depending on your plans.
Most flights to the United States leave Santiago in the evening. If your flight schedule dictates that you need an extra night in Santiago, please let us know.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodations for this trip are high-end throughout, including luxury all-inclusive lodges in the Atacama Desert (3 nights) and Patagonia (3 nights) — in a similar vein to luxury African safari camps.
The Singular Santiago Lastarria Hotel, Santiago
We’ve selected a luxury 5-star boutique hotel
in the city’s trendy Lastarria neighborhood that made its way onto Conde Nast Traveler’s Hot List of new hotels for 2015. The 62 spacious rooms are appealing with their blend of classic and contemporary – modern
comforts but with the flavor of a bygone era. There’s a great rooftop bar and pool (although it will probably be a bit too chilly for swimming at this time of year). The restaurant is excellent should you wish to eat here on your free evening, but the neighborhood is known for its dining options. The hotel’s spa might be an appreciated amenity to help recover from your air travel
Alto Atacama Desert Lodge & Spa, San Pedro de Atacama
In a serene narrow valley location flanked by the orange Cordillera de la Sal mountains, this luxury all-inclusive resort feels remote and at one with nature but is only a couple of miles from the center of San Pedro de Atacama. This is a real high-desert retreat (elevation 8,000 feet) with
surrounding mountains and a sky full of stars at night that will utterly amaze. The resort appears on the Fodor’s 100 Hotel Awards for 2012.
There is a strong sense of place here, from the stone and wood blending into the natural landscape to the use of native plants already growing in the region instead of more showy ornamental ones from elsewhere. The 42 lovely rooms are 500 square feet and have spacious furnished terraces, double vanities in the bathroom, and local arts and crafts as décor.
A variety of half-day and full-day excursions are offered. All are guided. Some require acclimatization to the altitude and thus aren’t recommended for the first day. Here are a few of the most
popular excursions:
• Lickanantai Culture (sightseeing)
• Chaxas Lagoon – Atacama Salt Flats – Toconao village (sightseeing / walking)
• Valley of the Moon (hiking)
• Tatio Geysers (sightseeing / walking)
• High Andes Lagoons (sightseeing / walking)
• Los Cardones Ravine (hiking)
• Termas de Puritama (hot springs)
• Stargazing lecture at the resort’s own open-air observatory with a guide (subject to moon phase)
• Mountain biking in various locations
• Spa “activity”
More details of these and other excursions can be provided after your trip enrollment
Hotel Cumbres Puerto Varas, Puerto Varas
While not quite at the same level of luxe as the other accommodations on the tour our
hotel in Puerto Varas certainly holds its own as an appealing high-end property. Opened in 2009 the hotel has a cozy Patagonian-lodge feel and sits on a slight bluff overlooking beautiful Lago Llanquihue with outstanding views of Osorno and Calbuco volcanoes. The nice combination of native woods, stone, warm colors, and large windows help bring the outside in. The lounge area is very attractive with its great stone fireplace and overstuffed armchairs, and the restaurant (with an excellent breakfast buffet) faces out to the lake. The 90 spacious guest rooms also face the lake and have small balconies. There’s an indoor pool and spa on the top
floor also with lake views. Service is pleasant, and the hotel is an easy five-minute stroll down into the charming town center with its many shops and restaurants.
The Singular Patagonia Hotel, Puerto Natales
A most commendable job indeed for this recently opened, all-inclusive luxury lodge that used to be a cold-storage plant in the early 1900s and located right on the Sound of Last Hope near the frontier town of Puerto Natales, gateway to the Torres del Paine National Park. What was being stored and exported were the meat, hides, and wool of sheep. It’s been restored and resurrected by fourth-generation family members of the original pioneers who settled the area and built the sheep farming industry more than 100 years ago. After a 10-year refurbishment it’s now a sleek, modern hotel inside a historic structure – and one of the most talked-about hotel properties certainly in Patagonia and perhaps all South America. There are wonderful views from the 500-square-foot guest rooms that have 20-foot glass-panel windows; a gourmet restaurant (open to the public); attentive, personalized service; and a roster of half-day and full-day guided excursions to choose from. “Industrial” décor (like chairs in the lobby fashioned out of old radiators), vintage photos, and an on-site museum showcasing the workings of the former plant combine with 21st-century comfort and amenities to create a unique experience. The lovely spa and pool area look out onto the icy waters of the Sound and fjords. The lodge appears on the Fodor’s 100 Hotel Awards for 2012, among numerous other accolades.
Just like at our lodge in the Atacama Desert our accommodation here also has quite a range of guided activities to choose from as part of their all-inclusive arrangement. Some of the most popular excursions include:
• Torres del Paine National Park (sightseeing / walking)
• Torres del Paine National Park (trekking)
• Mylodon Caves (walking)
• Puerto Natales town (walking)
• Puerto Natales town (cycling)
• Serrano and Balmaceda Glaciers with estancia (ranch) visit (speed boat / walking / hiking)
• On-property historical museum tour
• Horseback riding around Laguna Sofia
• Cycling around Laguna Sofia
• Kayaking in various locations
• Condor perching point (hiking)
More details of these and other excursions can be provided after your trip enrollment.
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• The stupendous landscape of the majestic Patagonia wildlands, where the “end of the world” descriptor makes total sense
• The vast northern reaches of the surreal Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth, with its bizarre (and beautiful), high-altitude “moonscapes”
• The famed and lush Lake District with its deep indigo lakes and ancient virgin forests at the foot of soaring snow-capped volcanoes
• The Mediterranean-like heartland surrounding the capital with its excellent vineyards in fertile lands trapped between the Pacific and the Andes
• Luxury accommodations, delicious meals, and excellent wines.
• 10 nights’ high-end accommodations including three nights each at two luxury, all-inclusive lodges
- 2 nights at The Singular Santiago Lastarria Hotel in Santiago;
- 3 nights at Alto Atacama Desert Lodge & Spa in San Pedro de Atacama
- 2 nights at Hotel Cumbres Puerto Varas in Puerto Varas
- 3 nights at The Singular Patagonia Hotel in Puerto Natales
• Most meals (as indicated in the day-to-day program)
• Unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages at the all-inclusive lodges (except premium brands)
• Limited alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages at other group meals
• Sightseeing as noted in the program with entrance fees to sights
• An extensive roster of half-day and full-day guided excursions at the lodges in the Atacama Desert
and Patagonia
• Ground transportation in Santiago and the Lakes District using private comfortable coaches
• Ground transportation in the Atacama Desert and Patagonia using the lodges’ own vans
• Local tour guides at each stage of the program and for all excursions in the Atacama Desert and Patagonia
• Use of spa facilities at all accommodations
• Winery tour and wine tasting
• Welcome drink
• Airport transfers throughout the program, including private individual transfers upon arrival in Santiago according to your flight arrangements
• Venture Out tour manager throughout the itinerary
• International airfare
• 3 domestic flights within Chile. Please allow approximately $500. Venture Out will book these
• A few meals (as indicated in the day-to-day program)
• Any extra hotel nights that may be needed or desired before or after the tour
• Gratuities
• Spa treatments (but one spa activity, including massage, is included at the Atacama Desert lodge)
• Expenses of a personal nature (laundry, phone calls, room service, etc.
• Pre-trip expenses such as travel insurance, passports, etc.
What kind of traveler will enjoy this trip? This trip will appeal to outdoor enthusiasts who love being in nature yet who also enjoy luxury accommodations at the end of an active day and appreciate very nice meals along the way. In the Atacama Desert and Patagonia we’ve selected
luxury all-inclusive lodges that offer a variety of guided daily activities to choose from - from the tame to the high-octane. So wherever you fall on the physical-activity scale you should be able to find something that suits you as long as you’re a nature lover. The more you like the outdoors and the more willing you are to do some walking / hiking and brave the elements, the more you’ll appreciate the offerings.
Weather Weather is another important factor when
considering this trip. In Patagonia the winds can be very strong, and sometimes certain activities are cancelled due to these strong winds. So a flexible attitude is important. We’ll be there during their autumn season, which
typically has less intense winds than the summer and also comes with the benefit of fall colors, but of course the wind is always unpredictable, and the exact timing of the peak foliage is hard to pinpoint. Daytime
temperatures are usually in the 60s F, but if there’s wind it will feel colder.
Rain is also a possibility in both the Lakes District and Patagonia.
In the Atacama it will be warmduring the day –probably in the mid-to-upper 70s F. The sun is intense, being at high elevation, but this also means evening temperatures are pleasant in the 50s. The chance of rain here is pretty much nil as we’re in one of the driest corners of the planet.
Altitude Our lodge in the Atacama Desert is at 8,000 feet. Some of the excursions that are offered go up to 13,000 feet and are best done on the second day after the arrival day, allowing one full day to acclimatize.
Flights As Chile is 2,500 miles long we’ll be taking a few flights to get us around. Venture Out will book these internal flights, and the pricing for them will be separate from the tour cost. The flights are on comfortable jets such as Boeing 737s or Airbus 320s.
Approximate flight times are as follows:
• Day 3: Santiago to Calama - 2 hours
• Day 6: Calama to Santiago - 2 hours
• Day 6: Santiago to Puerto Montt - 1 hour 45 minutes
• Day 8: Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas - 2 hours 15 minutes
Please Note: When booking your air arrangements to/from Chile you should book your arriving flight into Santiago and your return trip should commence from Punta Arenas.
Also, there have been plans for the airport in Puerto Natales to re-open in 2016, but there has been talk of this for quite a while, and it’s still uncertain whether it will happen at the time this itinerary is being written. Please check with us for any updates before purchasing your international air.
Ground Transportation In addition to the flights we also have ground transfers to get us to/from our accommodations.
These are the road travel times:
• Day 3: Calama to San Pedro de Atacama - 1 hour 15 minutes
• Day 6: San Pedro de Atacama to Calama - 1 hour 15 minutes
• Day 6: Puerto Montt to Puerto Varas - 30 minutes
• Day 8: Puerto Varas to Puerto Montt - 30 minutes
• Day 8: Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales - 2 hours 30 minutes
• Day 11: Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas - 2 hours 30 minutes
As mentioned just above the Puerto Natales airport might be re-opening in 2016. If that happens -- and if we are able to change the group flight into Puerto Natales instead of Punta Arenas --
then the ground transfer time to and from the lodge is just a few minutes.
Itinerary Changes While as accurate as possible at the time of publishing, this itinerary should be considered a close indication of the schedule and scope of activities, trip routing, and meals, rather than an inflexible schedule of events. It is subject to change. We also reserve the right to maintain flexibility in order to take advantage of unforeseen opportunities. This trip is subject to the Limitation of Liability and all the Terms and Conditions as detailed in the Trip Enrollment Form.
Traveling Single Costs are based on double occupancy of a room. If you are traveling solo and wish to have your own room throughout the tour then the single supplement will apply. If you are traveling solo and wish to share a room, we will match you with a roommate if one is
available. Should there be no one to pair you with, the single supplement fee will apply.
About our tier pricing: There are certain fixed costs involved with operating a trip of this nature regardless of the number of participants who have signed up. With a smaller number of group members, the fixed costs (per person) are higher. In order to cover those fixed costs for a smallersized group, we prefer to charge a bit extra in order to ensure that the trip can run rather than have to cancel a trip due to a low number of sign-ups.
And Finally... To realize the maximum enjoyment from your Venture Out trip, we encourage participants to have flexibility, a sense of humor, curiosity and enthusiasm about new people and places, and an openness to the unexpected. With a spirit of adventure and positive attitude, we're sure you will have a very special travel experience. If you are uncertain about the level of comfort, difficulty, or any of the activities described in this itinerary, please email us to discuss your concerns.
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