Chile - Argentina Desert & Wine Tour - 12 days
Group tour /
Friday departures
from Santiago
Accommodation in 3 and 4 star hotels
Santiago (1) - Atacama (3)-
Santiago (2)- Mendoza (2) - Buenos Aires (3)
Category:
Cultural group tour,
Day 01: Santiago de Chile
Arrival in
Santiago
meet your greeter and transfer to the hotel.
Day 02: Santiago de Chile – Calama
– San Pedro de Atacama (B)
Transfer to the airport for the flight to Calama. Arrival and
reception by our local tour guide, transfer of approx. 1 ½ hours
to San Pedro de Atacama.
In the afternoon half day city walk of San Pedro de
Atacama. San Pedro de Atacama is the most important
Archaeological center in Chile situated 2,438 meters above sea
level and surrounded by a green fertile oasis picturesque, San
Pedro has been the center of a Paleolithic civilization with its
narrow streets that have preserved of its old style dating back
to the Spanish Conquerors and its beautiful colonial church that
was built in 1577. The village is the center for Indian culture
in the Atacama Desert.
Artifacts have been recovered and are now shown nowadays in the
Father
Le
Paige
Museum, which
you will visit during the walking tour. There are over 4,000
skulls; weapons and stone sand potteries that are found on
display. Afterwards, you will visit the beautiful white church
of the town, with an inside construction of cactus. Half day
excursion to the
Moon
Valley.
Right in time for the beautiful sunset, you will drive to the
Moon
Valley
in the late afternoon. It fascinates with silence, moonscape and
the snow-capped volcanoes in the background. The last sun rays
reaching the ground color the valley in shining orange, red and
purple hues. Don’t miss this unique experience!
Day 03: San Pedro de Atacama (B, L)
Full day excursion to Salar de Atacama, Lagunas and Toconao
Today you will start your tour visiting the huge
Atacama
Salt
Lake,
an inland sea dating back millions of years. Enjoy a unique
experience viewing this doubtlessly driest desert in the world.
The flatness, clearness and emptiness here are overwhelming.
Following the road in direction to Argentina, you
will get to know the Lagunas Miscanti & Meñiques, set at the
base of two immense volcanoes. These alti-plane lakes are
fringed with salt deposits and surrounded by brilliantly colored
clumps of “paja brava”, creating a singular visual experience.
Afterwards you continue to the small Indian village
of Toconao. The
inhabitants of Toconao are producing beautiful small sculptures
out of a white volcanic stone that can be found in a quarry near
the village. Lunch is included. Return to the hotel.
Day 04: San Pedro de Atacama (B)
Full day at leisure. Optional tours can be booked with your
guide.
Optional: Excursion to visit El Tatio
Early in the morning (04:00 AM) you will depart for a
drive of 78 miles northeast to visit the impressive Tatio
Geysers at an altitude of 4.321m! The steaming geysers are at
their best between 06:30 and 08:30 hrs.
On the way back to San Pedro you will stop at the Baños
de Puritama, where you may enjoy a bath in the hot spring water
pools!
Day 05: San Pedro de Atacama – Calama -
Santiago de Chile (B)
Transfer to Calama airport for the
departure flight. Arrival in Santiago and transfer to the hotel.
Santiago de Chile is a city of contrasts with
remains of its colonial past to the ultramodern, high-rise
buildings of the financial centre; Chile’s
capital city will surprise you. You will visit the main
highlights in this half day city tour. Afterwards, you continue
the tour by driving up to the San Cristóbal Hill. From one of
the hill’s view points, you will have the finest views of
Santiago and the
Andes
Mountains.
To round off the tour, you will pass through the modern
residential areas of the city with their daring architecture
and, finally, the bustling Providencia shopping zone.
Day 06: Santiago de Chile (B)
Day free for leisure – the following optional tour can be booked
through your guide,
Optional: Full day excursion to
Valparaiso and Viña del Mar
The tour leaves
Santiago
in western direction. Arriving in
Valparaiso, you pass by the main square
where you can view the monument honouring the Naval Battle
fought in 1879. Driving towards the southern side of the city
and seeing the old funiculars you will drive up a hillside for a
most spectacular view of the bay seeing
Valparaiso’s downtown district and its
adjoining hills. Then proceed to the lower level of the city
through the commercial heart of the port, where you’ll take the
coastal highway that links Valparaiso with the resort city of
Viña del Mar. Reaching the Concón beach, you can admire various
fish stands displaying a great variety of seafood. Summer homes
and restaurants are spread out along the coast. Afterwards,
visit the main square Plaza Vergara and the shopping avenue
before returning to
Santiago.
Day 7: Santiago de Chile - Mendoza (B)
Today you are going on a full day
panoramic bus journey crossing the majestic Andes and the border
to Argentina.
After breakfast, you will be picked up at the hotel and
transferred to the bus terminal in
Santiago
downtown. Board the comfortable public bus to Mendoza. Enjoy an impressive drive offering
spectacular mountain views. Passing the city of
Los Andes, your bus continues upwards on “Ruta 60”
along the hillside of the Andean
Mountains,
offering you panoramic views on the way. You drive past
Portillo, Chile’s
most important centre of winter sports. It is located at the
foot of the Aconcagua, the highest
mountain
of South America.
You are going to leave
Chile
crossing the Argentinean Border through a tunnel which was built
in 1980. Now, the road starts to lead downhill. You see the
“Puente del Inca” (“Inca
Bridge”), a strange rock formation resembling a
bridge crossing the
Mendoza
River.
Your bus passes Los Penitentes, Argentina’s best-known ski resort, before
reaching Mendoza,
your final destination for today. Arrival at the bus terminal in
Mendoza and transfer to your hotel.
Remark: It might occur that the transfer by bus must be
cancelled due to bad weather conditions (spring/autumn). In this
case passengers will need to take a flight from Santiago to
Mendoza, which must be paid on the spot
by themselves.
Day 8: Mendoza (B)
In the morning visit to a winery incl. wine tasting.
Optional: half day city tour in the afternoon.
Day 9: Mendoza - Buenos Aires (B)
Transfer from the hotel in
Mendoza to the airport for your flight to
Buenos Aires. Upon arrival in
Buenos Aires
transfer from the airport to the hotel.
Afternoon you will visit the most important sites
during a city tour. You will drive to the Plaza de Mayo, with
the Casa Rosada, the pink house, seat of the government, the
Cabildo (town hall) and the Metropolitan Cathedral, home of the
Archbishop of Buenos Aires. The tour goes onto the district San
Telmo. Until 1888 this part of the city was a river port, today
San Telmo is one of the most modern and desired places to live
in Buenos Aires. The worker district La Boca is famous for its
colourful tin-houses and its history as living district of
Italian seamen and dock workers in the 19th century. The Barrio
Norte called Recoleta is the quarter of the rich of Buenos Aires. On the
cemetery of Recoleta
one will find the grave of Eva Duarte who became famous as Evita
Perón. Continue along the widest avenue in the world, the
Avenida 9 de Julio, to the Plaza Lavalle with the Federal Court
of Justice and the Teatro Colón, to Palermo with its parks and
gardens. Return to the hotel.
Day 10: Buenos Aires (B)
Day at leisure or you can book the below optional tours directly
with your guide.
Optional: Full day visit of a typical Estancia incl. lunch
We leave the city and after a 2 hours drive to Los
Cordales we will reach the Estancia Santa Susana, where the
guests will be welcomed by Gauchos with a drink. There is time
to visit the Estancia and the daily life of the Gauchos will be
explained. Sulky and horse rides will show you the charm of
Argentine countryside, its scenarios, and the incomparable wild
aroma. After a rustic Barbecue (Asado) lunch with fine meat and
sausages a folklore show will present regional music and dances.
During the Fiesta Gaucha guests will experience these men's
agility with their horses on the Estancia. After the afternoon
coffee and tea time you will return to Buenos Aires.
Optional: Visit to the San Telmo market.
San Telmo is no doubt the best kept historical
neighbourhood and eldest district of Buenos Aires. Here one has
time to stroll around Plaza Dorrego, where each Sunday an
antique market takes place. Tango couples are dancing on the
street. Cafes invite to sit on their terrace and to relax by
enjoying this nice scenery. Another attraction are the numerous
antique shops, where one might find the right souvenir.
Day 11: Buenos Aires (B)
Today you will enjoy a half day Tigre
Tour. Drive along the Northern residential districts of the
city, until getting to
San Isidro, a colonial and aristocratic
area. You will see the mansions and houses in front of the River
Plate. You will continue the driving to
Tigre, a charming area near Buenos Aires city where a
great number of summer residences, yacht clubs and rowing clubs
attract the week-end activity of many “porteños”. The Tigre
Delta with its rivers, streams and numerous green islands is one
of the most attractive areas for visitors. The continuous
sediment of the Paraná River,
which gives the river and estuary their particular brownish-red
color, forms the Delta islands. Enjoy a boat excursion (1 hour)
along the innumerable channels of the Paraná-Delta to see some
of the hundreds of islands covered with luxuriant vegetation.
Drive back to the city via the Panamericana
highway.
In the evening the following optional tour can be booked
with your guide:
Optional: visit of a Tango Show incl. dinner at the Restaurant
Viejo Almacen.
Day 12: Departure (B)
Transfer to airport for flight back home.
Thank you for visiting Chile & Argentina.
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