Chile: Desert to Glaciers

Funicular to Cerro San Cristóbal

📍 Cerro San Cristóbal, Santiago

Ride the vintage funicular up Santiago's most prominent peak. The 360-degree views of the city against the Andes are spectacular.

La Chascona (Neruda's House)

📍 Bellavista, Santiago

Tour one of Pablo Neruda's three quirky houses. This one is named after his third wife's 'tangled hair' and is full of maritime treasures.

Bus to Valparaíso

📍 Santiago to Valparaíso

Take a comfortable bus 75 miles west to Chile's most photogenic city. The route descends from mountains to coast.

Ascensor Concepción & Street Art

📍 Cerro Concepción, Valparaíso

Ride one of Valpo's historic funiculars up the cliff. The cerros (hills) are an open-air street art museum—every surface is painted.

Flight to Calama

📍 Santiago to Calama (CJC)

Fly 1,000 miles north over the Atacama Desert. The landscape below shifts from green to brown to otherworldly red and white.

Transfer to San Pedro de Atacama

📍 Calama to San Pedro de Atacama

Drive 1.5 hours through lunar landscapes to this adobe oasis village at 7,900 feet elevation.

Lagunas Altiplánicas Tour Departure

📍 San Pedro de Atacama

Full-day tour to high-altitude salt flats and lagoons. The landscape is barren, beautiful, and completely surreal.

Salar de Atacama

📍 Salar de Atacama

Visit Chile's largest salt flat (1,200 square miles). White salt crust stretches to distant volcanoes. James flamingos feed in shallow lagoons.

Depart for El Tatio

📍 San Pedro to El Tatio

Wake up in the dark for the 90km drive north to the world's highest geyser field at 14,170 feet. Bundle up—it's well below freezing.

El Tatio Geysers at Sunrise

📍 El Tatio Geothermal Field

Watch 80+ geysers erupt as the sun rises. Steam columns shoot 30 feet into the air, backlit by golden light. It's otherworldly.

Sleep In & Slow Morning

📍 San Pedro de Atacama

Take it easy after several early mornings. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast.

Optional: Bike to Death Valley

📍 Valle de la Muerte

Rent a bike and ride to Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley). Massive sand dunes and dramatic rock formations. Climb the dunes for views.

Transfer to Calama Airport

📍 San Pedro to Calama

Early transfer back through the desert to catch your flights south.

Fly to Santiago

📍 Calama to Santiago

Return to Santiago for your connection to Patagonia. The airline routing is circuitous but necessary.

Drive to Torres del Paine

📍 Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine

Enter the national park as morning light illuminates the Paine Massif. The granite towers and turquoise lakes are impossibly photogenic.

Mirador Cuernos

📍 Mirador Cuernos

Stop at viewpoints overlooking the Cuernos (horns)—distinctive black peaks striped with granite. Lago Nordenskjöld glows turquoise below.

Early Start to Torres Trailhead

📍 Puerto Natales to Torres trailhead

Drive to Hostería Las Torres to start the most famous hike in Patagonia—the Base of the Towers trail.

Base of the Towers Hike

📍 Sendero Base de las Torres

Trek through lenga forests, cross rivers, and climb a boulder field to reach a glacial lake at the base of three massive granite spires. The payoff is legendary.

Sleep In & Slow Morning

📍 Puerto Natales

Your legs need rest. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and morning in town.

Cueva del Milodón

📍 Cueva del Milodón

Visit the cave where a giant ground sloth hide was discovered in 1895, proving these prehistoric creatures lived here until 10,000 years ago.

Bus to Punta Arenas

📍 Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas

Return across the Patagonian steppe to the airport.

Fly to Santiago

📍 Punta Arenas to Santiago

Reverse your journey north. The flight path over the Andes is spectacular.

Wine Tour Pickup

📍 Santiago

Full-day wine tour to either Maipo Valley (reds, especially Cabernet) or Casablanca Valley (whites, especially Sauvignon Blanc).

First Winery Visit

📍 Maipo or Casablanca Valley

Tour vineyards and cellars, learn about Chilean winemaking, and taste premium wines at a fraction of Napa prices.

Last-Minute Souvenir Shopping

📍 Barrio Italia or Lastarria

If your flight is later, explore Barrio Italia or Lastarria for design shops, vintage stores, and artisan crafts.

Final Chilean Lunch

📍 Santiago

One last meal in Santiago. Make it count.