Wild Chile: Off The Beaten Track

Met on arrival in Santiago and transfer to hotel. Rest of the day at leisure.

Transfer to Santiago Airport. Fly to Calama and transfer by road to San Pedro de Atacama at an altitude of 2440 metres. In the afternoon explore the strange stone and sand formations of Moon Valley and enjoy the vast, beautiful landscapes as the sun sets over the desert.

Today will involve approximately 45km of cycling. Leave the village in the early morning and pedal to the Atacama Salt Flats. After 18km into the ride, stop to have a dip in the salt water at the pristine Cejas Lagoon. From there drive to Tambillo and the National Flamingo reserve, which also happens to be full of tamarugo trees whose seeds are a good source of nutrition for the Atacameño people. After lunch in Toconao, ride to a village in the Talabre Gorge located at 3,500m.a.s.l. and from there everything starts going downhill (in the best sense). Coast down to the edge of the Salar de Atacama and witness a spectacular sunset amongst pink flamingos before heading back to San Pedro.

Before dawn head north to the famous El Tatio geysers situated high on the altiplano at 4,300 metres elevation. At dawn, observe steaming salt-encrusted ponds and powerful jets of steam that shoot up to 40 metres high from numerous blowholes. Return to San Pedro de Atacama in time for lunch, enjoying magnificent views of the Tocopurri and Sairecabur volcanoes en route. In the afternoon enjoy a bike ride across the immense, sparkling white Atacama salt flat to Laguna Cejar which has so much salt in its waters that a person can float with no effort, rather like the Dead Sea.

Depart San Pedro early in the morning and drive to Death Valley, part of the Cordillera de la Sal (Salt Mountain Range) for astounding ancient rock formations. Receive instruction before enjoying some thrilling sandboarding down the immense dunes. Transfer to Calama airport and fly back to Santiago.

Fly to Temuco in time for the shared transfer to Neltume in the Valdivian Ecoregion – 34 million hectares of temperate moist forest, one of only seven such reserves left in the world. Biologically important for its high levels of endemism, in 2007 UNESCO declared it a Biosphere Reserve. Within the 2,000,000 hectares of the Austral Andes Temperate Moist Forest Biosphere Reserve lies the 100,000-hectare private reserve of Huilo Huilo. Its eponymous waterfall, clear rivers and snow-capped mountains form a backdrop for exhilarating excursions and discovering the unique flora and fauna of the southern forest. One rare species found there is known as Darwin’s frog, the male of which incubates the tadpoles in his vocal sac and ejects them as fully formed frogs ready to fend for themselves.

There are a large number of tours and excursions on offer at Huilo Huilo, some included, some optional. Enjoy guided nature walks through native forest to the spectacular waterfall; relax at the spa or by the pool; visit the micro-brewery and Mapuche tribal museum; ride horses along the valley; drive up to the snow-capped mountain for stunning views; cruise by ferry along forest-lined shores across Piriheuco Lake; try the exciting yet safe zip-lining tour (separate child and adult lines); go mountain biking and kayaking – there are so many activities to enjoy, you’ll be spoilt for choice.

Another day to enjoy the large number of tours and excursions on offer at Huilo Huilo.

Return to Temuco, fly to Santiago and connect with flight to Punta Arenas in the far south of Patagonian Chile. Met on arrival and transfer to hotel.

After breakfast transfer north to Torres del Paine National Park. Stop en route in Puerto Natales for a hearty lunch, and at Cueva de Milodon, a large prehistoric cave where the remains of an extinct giant sloth were discovered in the 1890s. Arrive at your accommodation within the National Park in the late afternoon.

Torres del Paine National Park is home to 26 species of mammals including guanaco, puma, Chile’s largest carnivore, the endangered South Andean deer (the huemul, Chile’s national animal), two species of fox, and the Patagonian skunk. Bird species number 118 and include wading birds such as the Chilean flamingo which live in the numerous lakes and lagoons across the park, 15 species of birds of prey including the Andean condor, and South America’s largest bird, the flightless rhea, which lives on the Patagonian steppe.

After breakfast drive to Estancia Laguna Amarga where mountain bikes await, and pedal across the Patagonian plains for about 13 miles to Laguna Azul. Along the way stop to see the Paine waterfall and admire the stunning views, and look out for wildlife that includes guanacos, rheas, and perhaps even a puma. Enjoy a packed lunch and time to climb to a nearby viewpoint with a panoramic view of the lagoon and the Towers of Paine in the distance. The energetic can return to EcoCamp by bike, or alternatively return by van.

Head off to Grey Lake in the western sector of the park. Cross the glacial lake by boat and enjoy stunning views of the Paine massif, and the impressive glacier which forms part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Leave the boat, don kayaking gear, then paddle out onto the lake and head towards the eastern face of the glacier. Paddle on through icebergs close to the face of the glacier before returning to dry land to take the boat back to the dock, and the van back to EcoCamp.

Departing in the morning, ride through forests, ford streams and cross wide open grasslands where experienced riders are welcome to gallop. Lunch is served at the Seron campsite with spectacular views of parts of the Towers, Mount Admiral Nieto, Laguna Azul and the Paine River. Return to EcoCamp in the late afternoon.

After breakfast hike from EcoCamp towards Hostería Las Torres before ascending Ascencio Valley on the Towers’ eastern side. Mountain ridges, beech forests and small rivers line the scenic uphill walk through the valley. The final part of the hike is through a steep moraine, a huge mass of boulders which lead to a stunning, iconic view from the base of the Towers. The Towers are three gigantic granite monoliths, the remains of a great cirque sheared away by the forces of glacial ice. After a tough uphill climb, the Towers eventually come into full stunning view with the glacial lake visible below.

After enjoying a packed lunch, backtrack down through the Ascencio Valley and return to EcoCamp for a well-deserved rest.

Return to Punta Arenas and fly to Santiago. Met on arrival and transfer to hotel.

Transfer to Santiago Airport for flight home.