Flavors of Chile

Upon your arrival at the airport, you'll be greeted and escorted directly to your hotel. After settling in, you'll begin a private half-day city tour of Santiago, which includes a ride on a historic elevator and a cable car (Note: The cable car is closed on Mondays). Santiago de Chile is a city where modernity blends seamlessly with its colonial past, and this tour will give you a glimpse of both facets. Your first stop will be at the presidential palace, La Moneda, named for its history as the former national mint. From there, you'll explore the historic heart of the city, centered around Plaza de Armas. Here, you’ll discover the impressive cathedral, the charming old post office, the Palacio de la Real Audiencia (now the National History Museum), and the Casa Colorada, once the residence of the Spanish governor. Next, you'll head west toward the Andes, passing by Cerro San Cristóbal. This hill, a prominent feature of the city skyline, is topped with a large white statue of the Virgin Mary. You'll take the historic elevator and cable car to enjoy sweeping views of the city from above. The tour concludes with a visit to the stylish business districts of Providencia and Las Condes, where wide boulevards are lined with modern skyscrapers, and shaded side streets reveal fine dining and chic boutiques. This half-day tour offers a great introduction to the many facets of one of South America's most dynamic cities. In the evening, you'll dine at the acclaimed Restaurant Borago, recognized as one of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2022 and 2023. The extensive menu and expertly curated wine pairings will provide a memorable dining experience. ** Important: open Tuesday to Saturday only,

Santiago Panorama

La moneda

Boragó Restaurant

Boragó Restaurant

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Hotel Magnolia

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The Gourmet Experience Tour* introduces participants to some of Chile's most notable gastronomic experiences. The journey begins at Santiago's central markets, La Vega Chica and Vega Grande, where stalls overflow with fresh fruits and vegetables. The tour then continues through the food districts of Bellavista and Isidora Goyenechea, eventually arriving in the upscale El Golf area.  Here, a welcoming cocktail is served by the chef prior to a cooking class, accompanied by panoramic views of Cerro Manquehue and the Andes.  The cooking class focuses on traditional Chilean cuisine, starting with the preparation of Ceviche de Reineta, followed by Charquican, a dish rooted in Mapuche culture that combines vegetables and ground beef. After a delicious dessert, the rest of the afternoon is at leisure. In the evening, dinner is at Peumayen Ancestral Food restaurant, one of Santiago's top dining establishments, known for its diverse flavors, aromas, and ingredients from Chile's rich culinary heritage.

*This tour operates Monday to Friday.

Central Market

Cooking Class

Gourmet Experience

Peumayén Restaurant

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Hotel Magnolia

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This private tour is in the scenic Maipo Valley, located south of Santiago, for a visit to a renowned vineyard. The tour is dedicated to the iconic Carménère grape variety. It includes a guided visit to the historic wine cellars of Santa Rita and a horse-drawn carriage ride through the vineyard. The experience concludes with a tasting of three premium Carménère wines. Viña Santa Rita, nestled on the slopes of the Maipo Valley near Santiago, holds significant historical value. During Chile's fight for independence, national hero Bernardo O'Higgins and 120 of his soldiers faced capture by Spanish forces. The local landowner, Doña Paula Jaraquemada, offered them refuge, allowing the revolution to continue. The winery's restaurant, "Doña Paula," honors her bravery and is now a national monument. The "120" line of Santa Rita wines is named after O'Higgins’ 120 soldiers. The winery also features the Andean Museum (closed on Mondays), showcasing a remarkable collection of pre- and post-Columbian native artifacts. The exhibits provide insights into the ancient customs of long-lost cultures and include impressive Inca gold and Mapuche silver pieces.

Santa Rita Vineyard

Santa Rita Vineyard

Santa Rita Vineyard

Santa Rita Vineyard

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Hotel Magnolia

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You will be transferred from the hotel in Santiago de Chile to the airport for the onward flight to Calama, here there will be a private transfer to your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama. Once you have checked in there is some leisure time before a private half day excursion to Moon Valley (Valle de la Luna). This tour into the rugged beauty of the Atacama Desert begins at dusk. With the Licancabur volcano providing the backdrop, strange salt and rock formations in the middle of the valley’s barren sandy landscape really do look like a moonscape. After a tour past the bizarre natural rock and salt shapes, you will pass by the bizarre rock formation “Tres Marías” and end the excursion at “Coyote´s rock” (“Piedra del Coyote”). From the top of this rock, you overlook the Kari-Canyon and wide parts of the desert, you can even catch a glimpse at the Salar de Atacama. The setting sun bathes the landscape in a light that changes with every minute, providing a mesmerising play of colours. The return drive to San Pedro is after sunset, with cocktails and some local cuisine.

Moon Valley

Salar de Atacama

Sunset Moon Valley

Moon Valley

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Hotel Desertica

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In the morning there is a tour around San Pedro de Atacama. You will start the tour with a visit to the Iglesia San Pedro, the town’s white parish church dating from the year 1641. Of particular note is the roof made of cactus wood. The church is San Pedro de Atacama’s emblem, and looks directly onto the attractive Plaza de Armas and its centuries-old pepper trees. You guide will take you for a stroll across the plaza before showing you the adjacent craft market. This will be followed by a private half day excursion to Ayllu de Coyo and an Atacameñan farm. Here you will get an interesting insight into the daily life on a traditional farm in the Atacama region and to taste authentic homemade products. The visit starts with a tour through the farmland where you will learn about the regional fruit and vegetable cultivation as well as the livestock farming. Afterwards the meal recipes and preparation will be explained to you, and of course you will be able to try them during lunch in the restaurant. Bon appetit!

San Pedro Chile

San Pedro town center

La Granja (Farm)

Farm food

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Hotel Desertica

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Today there is a private full day excursion to the Atacama Salt Flat (Salar de Atacama) and Lagunas Altiplanicas You will set off with your guide early in the morning to the Salar de Atacama, a salt lake of huge proportions (3000 sq km/1,158 sq mi!), its surface is covered by a thick layer of light-coloured salt crystals, caused by the evaporation of the lake’s water. The world’s largest lithium deposits are found here, but the salt flat is also home to several flamingo species, including the Andean, Chilean and James flamingo, who feed on the micro organisms found in the saline lagoons. These beautiful birds and other species can be observed in their natural habitat at the Salar de Atacama’s Chaxa Lagoon, which is part of the Reserva Nacional de los Flamencos. The journey continues afterwards, to the tiny village of Socaire, set at 3218m/10,558ft, which is noteworthy for its strange architecture using rough stonework. The few inhabitants here still live by the age-old methods of planting terraced fields with corn, wheat and potatoes. before the tour continues for about another 30km/19mi, climbing an additional 1000m/3,281ft in altitude to reach the highland lagoons of Miscanti and Miñiques, with their two – almost 6000m/19,686ft high – volcanoes of the same name in the background. The twin lagoons are a deep blue, each framed by a white salt crust, which creates a memorable contrast to the yellow highland grass all around. It is completely silent here. Even the duck species that breed here, the foxes, and the grazing vicuñas (a type of lama), respect the majestic silence. During your return journey, you visit the green village square of the small oasis town of Toconao, with its large cacti and a white church with free-standing spire, and interesting constructions using cactus wood. The drive back to San Pedro is in the late afternoon.

Salt lake Atacama

Salar de Atacama

Lagoon in Atacama

Flamingos of Atacama

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Hotel Desertica

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Your guide will advise you of pick-up time from your hotel for transfer to the airport and onward flight to Santiago. There will be private transport to your hotel in Valparaiso, with a stop en route to visit the Bodega Re winery in the Casablanca Valley, one of the best wine-growing districts in Chile. Bodega Re is a family-run vineyard in Casablanca Valley, about 70 km from Santiago. The wine-growing tradition there is in its fifth generation and now combines modernity with the original founder’s processes. The wine matures here in so-called "Tinajas" (Mapuche barrels made of clay). This process yields a wine without the taste from conventional wooden barrels and produces a particularly pure wine. On this guided tour, guests can learn more about the family's own manufacturing processes followed by a tasting.

Bodega RE

Bodega RE

Bodega RE

Valparaíso

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Sheraton Miramar

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Today there will be a private half day excursion to Valparaíso. The historic city of Valparaíso is Chile’s oldest port. It is also home to the country’s Senate and Chamber of Deputies, which moved here from the capital in 1989, when Chilean democratic governance was re-established. The city’s many hills are covered with a multi-coloured panorama of painted houses crowding every nook and cranny, ensuring a spectacular backdrop to your visit. During your tour, you will see the historic city centre, whose fine 19th-Century architecture provides good reason for its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Then, you will travel to a view-point overlooking the city via one of Valparaíso’s signature funicular elevators, two dozen of which were built at the turn of the 20th Century to connect the upper and lower sections of the city. You will also visit the parliamentary building and Plaza Sotomayor’s memorial to the heroes of the War of the Pacific, before being returned to your hotel.

Valparaíso

Valparaíso

Valparaíso

Viña del Mar

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Sheraton Miramar

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La Sebastiana is Pablo Neruda’s house in Valparaíso, now open to the public as a museum. Neruda was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. High up on Cerro Florida, the house offers a marvelous view of the sea and an interesting insight into the life and work of this eccentric poet and diplomat. Pablo Neruda bought this place in order “to live and write in peace” and furnished every corner according to his taste and preferences. He sometimes celebrated New Year’s Eve here. Neruda called La Sebastiana “a house that seems to be floating in the air, but stands firmly on the ground”. In the evening you will have the opportunity to dine with a local family in Valparaiso and experience authentic Chilean life.

La Sebastiana

Pablo Neruda's House

Valparaíso

Valparaíso

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Sheraton Miramar

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There will be a private transfer from your hotel to Santiago de Chile International Airport for your flight. Happy travels!

Chilean Meal

Wine and Grapes

Santiago de Chile

Happy Travels!

highlights

Sheraton Miramar

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