Days 1-3 – Take a Break Amongst the Vineyards
From Santiago you’ll travel to the Maipo Valley; a wine valley about an hour’s drive from the capital. We’ll arrange for a transfer to take you directly to your simple but cosy B&B with its own swimming pool and views of the Andean peaks. There are no tours planned during your stay, so you can do as you please. Cycle through the vineyards or book a wine tour to sample some of the local produce.
Days 3-5 – Bohemian Hills of Valparaíso
You’ll be transferred to Valparaiso by a private driver. The journey time is around 2 hours. The maze of cobbled streets and colourful buildings give Valparaiso an endearing, bohemian charm. Climb up the steep hillsides and absorb the impressive vistas laid out before you. During your stay we’ll arrange for an English-speaking guide to take you round the city by foot and public transport. You’ll stay in a small hotel, a converted house, in the hills above the port.
Days 5-7 – Llamas on the Moon
Today you’ll say goodbye to this charming port city. After a leisurely breakfast, you’ll be picked up by a private driver and taken to Santiago Airport for your flight to Calama, the nearest airport to San Pedro de Atacama. This flight takes a little over 2 hours. Your flights within South America can be booked as part of your international ticket by your Travel Specialist. On arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel.
San Pedro de Atacama is a small and quaint town with lots of white houses. You’ll stay at a simple, yet cosy centrally located hotel. Its laid-back atmosphere, sand coloured walls and hammocks in the garden make it fit right in with its surroundings. This immense area is the world’s driest desert and you will soon feel the temperature range that it goes through every day.
On day 2, you’ll join an excursion to the Atacama Desert with a small group of international travellers. You’re going to stop off at some very scenic points so don’t forget your camera! Driving through the Valle de la Luna you’ll experience this surreal lunar-like landscape of barren rocks and valleys, and at sunset you’ll climb to up to great vantage point. As the sun sets you’ll see the colours of the valley change to red, purple, green and blue as the moon slowly rises in the sky.
Days 7-9 – Like a Gaucho in Sunny Salta
The next morning you’ll make your own way to the bus station in San Pedro for the direct bus to Salta, in Argentina. It’s a 10 hour journey, but the scenery is truly spectacular. When you arrive you will make your own way to your hotel. Ride on horseback through the green valleys and tobacco plantations of sunny Salta, steeped in folklore, colonial charm and traditional Gaucho spirit. During this trip, you’ll spend two nights in Salta with a day trip to a local estancia where you’ll horse ride, sample a tasty BBQ and learn all about local life on a ranch.
Days 9-12 – Iguazu Falls in the Rainforest
Today you’ll have time to have one final look round Salta before you are transferred to the airport for your next flight. It’s a 1 hour flight to the next destination, Puerto Iguazú. Feel the spray of roaring Iguazu Falls and explore the surrounding rainforest, where raccoon-like coatis play. A cluster of cascades set within rich National Park, Iguazu Falls will leave you deafened and utterly speechless. You’ll visit both the Argentinean and Brazilian side of the Falls, the latter with a guide, you’ll spend two nights on the Argentina side and the third night on the Brazilian side.
Days 12-15 – Buenos Aires: Romance and Tango
Next, you’ll make your own way to the airport for your flight to Argentina’s capital; Buenos Aires. Flying time direct from Puerto Iguazú is roughly 2 hours. Explore sexy and sophisticated Buenos Aires, a city of steamy tango, sizzling steaks and a nightlife that never stops. Take an eye-opening tour with a local Porteño (resident of the city) for an edgy glimpse into behind-the-scenes life and soak up the totally seductive atmosphere. You’ll stay in happening Palermo district, one of the most popular barrios in Buenos Aires.
At the end of your adventure, you’ll make your own way to the airport for your flight back home. When you request this itinerary our Chile travel specialists will check the cheapest flight options for you. Sometimes we find that it’s more economical to fly from Iguazu via Sao Paulo back to the UK. If this is the case we’ll alter the itinerary slightly so that day 23 will be free for you to explore the Argentine side of the falls under your own steam. You’ll then visit the Brazilian side, Foz de Iguaçu, on day 24 on a guided excursion. On day 25 you’ll fly back to the UK via Sao Paulo.
Accommodation
For this itinerary we offer the following options
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