Compare Essential Chile: The Atacama Desert, Lake District & Patagonia by Myths and Mountains vs Hidden Chilean Fjords With Skorpios Cruises by Qwerty Travel Argentina

Day 1:  Arrive in Buenos Aires – Afternoon city tour

Meals: Dinner

Upon arrival in Santiago this morning, you’ll be transferred to your hotel to rest up before your comprehensive afternoon city tour. Among the highlights are the city’s most best-known attractions. Start with a leisurely walking tour downtown visiting the Main Square, commonly referred to as the “Plaza de Armas,” as well as the Cathedral, Ahumada Boulevard, “La Moneda,” the Government Palace. Then, by vehicle, visit old Santiago’s main avenues, crossing the bohemian neighbourhood of Bellavista with its plethora of art galleries and handcrafts and San Cristobal Hill for a magnificent panoramic view of the city and the Andes Mountain Range. For a look at modern Santiago, you’ll tour elegant neighbourhoods, shopping and financial centers. End the day at the artisan village of “Los Graneros del Alba, where artisans can be seen at work. Return to the hotel in time for dinner.

Day 2: Fly to Calama, transfer to San Pedro De Atacama – Visit Salt Mountain, Death Valley and Valley of the Moon

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

After breakfast at the hotel, you will be transferred to the airport in time for your flight to Calama. Reception at Calama airport and transfer to the village of San Pedro de Atacama through the Domekyo and the Salt Mountain Ranges.

Snow-capped volcanoes merge with pastel-colored expanses that are interrupted only by the outlines of hills that  fade  into  emptiness.  The  solitude  of the altiplano becomes infinitely powerful in the areas around San Pedro de Atacama, (about 8,000 feet) the bizarre rock formations  of  the  Valley  of the Moon, or the huge Salt Lake of the Atacama, with its slender, stylized, rose-coloured flamingos silhouetted against the  clear  blue  sky. Archaeology, pre-Columbian villages, abandoned villages, ancient fortresses, geyser fields, amazing scenery all converge to give a truly unique experience. In the afternoon, you’ll visit the Valley of the Moon to admire the spectacular sunset reflected on this wonderful landscape – it’s nature’s own spectacular light show. Return to the hotel.

Day 3: Atacama Salt Flats, Chaxa Lagoon, Toconao and Socaire Village

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Today you will visit remote villages and see more of this spectacular salt flat and desert. Visit the villages of Toconao and Socaire, famous for its volcanic Liparite stone, and travel on to the Atacama Salt Lake and the Chaxa and lagoons, part of the Atacama Desert’s salt flats where three of the world’s five species of flamingos live (Andean, Chilean and James). The flamingos thrive by eating algae and tiny shellfish that subsist in the small saline pools of the desert. Their diet contains a chemical, which turns them pink. The pinker the flamingo, the older it is. Enjoy a short walk in the Jeri Valley before you return to San Pedro de Atacama. Dinner included in a local restaurant. Tomorrow is a very early day, so rest well tonight. Return to hotel.

Day 4: Sunrise at Geysers Del Tatio and hike area – Afternoon free

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

It’s a very early departure from the hotel (4.00 AM) in time for an unforgettable sunrise at the Geysers del Tatio. Box breakfast on arrival at the Geysers. Your guide will take you on a leisurely walking tour around the geothermal field to watch the spectacular jets of steam shoot up. These geysers are considered the highest in the world. They are formed as a result of water percolating through the porous volcanic rock until it’s trapped above a layer of impermeable rock. As it comes into contact with intensely hot rock and is heated up, pressure builds until the water explodes to the surface between cracks and fissures.Upon returning to San Pedro, the rest of the day is at leisure. You may want to try visiting the market in San Pedro for souvenirs and handicrafts found nowhere else in Chile! Dinner included in a local restaurant.

Day 5: Fly to Puerto Montt – Rest of the day at Leisure

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

After breakfast in the hotel, you’ll be transferred to the airport of Calama for a connecting flight to Santiago, continuing on to Puerto Montt, gateway to the Lake District. Upon arrival in Puerto Montt, reception and transfer to the hotel in Puerto Varas. The rest of the day is at leisure. Dinner & overnight in the hotel.

Day 6: Explore Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Begin the day with explorations of Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt. Puerto Varas’ streets and avenues are adorned with blooming rose bushes and a must-see is Phillipi Hill with its panoramic views of Lake Llanquihue and the almost perfectly cone shaped Osorno Volcano. Continue on to Puerto Montt and the quaint fishing village of Angelmó with its wonderful selection of arts and crafts. En route you’ll wander around upper and lower Frutillar, famous for its church and the museum devoted to German pioneers. In the afternoon, return to Puerto Varas. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 7:  Full Day Exploration of Chiloe Island

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Depart from Puerto Varas for your visit to Chiloe Island! Travel via Puerto Montt, following the Pan Americana route to the south, where you’ll board a ferry to the village of Chacao before continuing to Caulin, where birders delight in sighting the Flightless Steamerduck and the beautiful Silvery Grebe, while the likes of Black necked Swan, Snowy crowned Tern, Ringed Kingfisher and flocks of wintering Hudsonian Godwits further enhance wetland bird watching. If you’re game, you might even want to try a taste of the local oysters (optional).

Continue on to the villages of Quemchi, famous for its 1700-ft long wood pedestrian bridge that is connected to a picturesque cemetery. Continue to Colo, with its traditional churches from the 14th century. In Castro, visit the palafitos, colorful houses built over the water on stilts and the main square with its impressive cathedral. From the Gamboa lookout, there is a wonderful opportunity for photographs before returning to Puerto Varas.

Day 8:  Fly to Punta Arenas – Take 4 Hr. Bus ride to Puerto Natales

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Today is a travel day. You’ll be picked up and transferred to the airport at Puerto Montt for a flight to Punta Arenas, the gateway to Patagonia. Founded in 1847, the city flourished thanks to the regular maritime traffic between Europe and the Pacific Ocean region, via the Strait of Magellan which was the only link between both oceans at that time. In the nineteenth century, it was considered one of the most modern cities in the southern extreme of South America. Its architecture is still intact and reflects the wealthy society of those days.

In Punta Arenas, a local representative will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the bus station and help you and the others in the group board a regular bus (four-hour drive) to Puerto Natales. Reception at the bus station and transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 9: Sail around Fjords and Glaciers

It’s an early wakeup call as you get ready to sail from Puerto Natales to the beautiful Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) Fjord. After a 3-hour navigation, you will arrive at the thousand-year-old glacier of Mount Balmaceda, inhabited by noisy cormorants and raucous sea lion colonies. At the end of the fjord, you disembark and walk approximately 1 kilometer (3/4 mile) to the foot of the vast Glacier Serrano. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 10: Torres Del Paine National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Your focus today is one of South America’s best national parks, Torres del Paine National Park. Departure from Puerto Natales. The journey continues through barren steppes and Patagonia scrub, full of abundant wild life and herds of sheep. In Torres del Paine, a large variety of native fauna, especially large herds of guanacos, can be observed.

Visit the Salto Grande of the Pehoe River, guarded by the impressive mountain massif of Torres del Paine in the background. Continue on to Lake Pehoe, Lake Grey and Grey Glacier, where glaciers and ice fields abound. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Cisne Cuello Negro.

Day 11: Travel by bus and plane back to Santiago

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Transfer to the bus station to board the regular service bus, which connects travelers to the Punta Arenas airport, where you will connect with your flight to Santiago. In Santiago, you’ll be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel. Enjoy a farewell dinner and overnight.

Day 12:  Transfer to Airport for your flight home

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to the airport to board your onward flight to the USA.

Day 1: SANTIAGO

Upon arrival a driver will be waiting for you and will transfer you to your accommodation.
Rest of the day at leisure.

Day 2: Santiago city tour

The city tour is a tour of the historical, commercial and zones.- tour and outer courtyards of the Government Palace “La Moneda” (visit determined by the activities of the President), view the historic center with the Plaza de Armas areas Cathedral, Central Post Office, City Hall, etc. It then passes through the main avenue of the city “La Alameda”, Santa Lucia Hill, Forest Park, Museum of Fine Arts, the bohemian Bellavista neighborhood and then continue to Cerro San Cristobal, natural view of the city.- We follow the modern residential and commercial areas, sectors that reach the foot of the Cordillera de los Andes. New neighborhoods such as Santa María de Manquehue, Las Condes and Vitacura, Bicentennial Park, mixed with areas of advanced architecture as in the Barrio El Golf For those who wish may end the tour in a modern shopping center or return to the hotel. Afternoon at leisure.

Day 3: Valparaíso & Viña del Mar tour

We will start our tour from your hotel towards the coast to get to Valparaiso, a city that was the main port of the Pacific Ocean during the 19th century and that today is one of the main tourist destinations in Chile thanks to its vibrant culture and particular architecture. . We will also visit Viña del Mar, a beautiful coastal city known for its gardens and pleasant beaches. We will cross the fertile wine valley of Casablanca and arrive in Valparaiso, obtaining beautiful views of the city from the viewpoints located on one of the 43 hills that surround the bay. We will visit some of its historical and commercial areas and also the National Congress, and we will go up one of the most famous elevators in the city. We will go to Cerro Alegre and we will achieve an extraordinary view from Paseo Yugoslavo, continuing to Cerro Concepción and strolling through the picturesque Paseo Atkinson, obtaining one of the best postcards of Valparaíso. We will go to La Sebastiana, an original construction that today is a museum and cultural center that houses collections of the renowned Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, and then we will continue to the neighboring spa city of Viña del Mar. There we will visit the Games Casino and the main avenues and gardens of the coastal sector, to then stroll through residential neighborhoods with modern architecture, reaching Reñaca beach. We will finish visiting the city center, Plaza Vergara and Av. Alvarez, returning later to the hotel in Santiago.

Day 4: Santiago de Chile - Puerto Natales

After breakfast, transfer to the airport to take your flight to Punta Arenas. After arrival transfer to the bus station for the bus to Puerto Natales. Upon arrival a driver will transfer us to our accommodation.

Day 5: Torres del Paine National Park

The excursion begins with a visit to the Cueva del Milodón, a remarkable cavern 200 meters long, 30 meters high and 80 meters wide located 25 km from Puerto Natales. A half-hour walk will take us into the cave, known for the discovery of fresh skin and bones from a prehistoric species of giant sloth, the mylodon. Remains of other extinct animals have also been found there, such as the dwarf horse, the bear, the panther and the saber-toothed tiger.
In Cerro Castillo where we make a stop at a cafeteria and then continue towards Torres del Paine crossing numerous ranches and a landscape that goes from steppe to deciduous forest. Along the way it is possible to spot local fauna including the rhea, or South American ostrich, and the guanaco, a wild camelid.
Torres del Paine is known worldwide for the massifs that give it its name, giant granite shaped by the force of glacial ice. After entering the park we discover a series of lagoons of intense colors, mountains covered with ice and abundant local fauna. Then we will stop for a 15-minute walk to the Salto Grande on the Paine River. After lunch we continue to Lake Grey, where we will take a walk to the beach from which you can see the glacier of the same name in the distance. Subsequently, the return to Puerto Natales is undertaken by the same route, or by the road that borders the Toro, Porteño and Sofía lakes.

Day 6: PUERTO NATALES

Start the Cruise Adventure

At 10.30 a.m. Start of boarding. At 1:00 p.m. Set sail from Skorpios terminal. Security ship talk. At 2:00 p.m. Lunch. Navigation through the Almirante Gulf Mont. At 4:30 p.m. Arrival at Caleta Juárez in Fjord Guardamiro and disembarkation in boats to see a colony of elephant seals up close. At 6:00 p.m. Set sail, crossing Kirke Narrows, channels Morla Vicuña, Union, Collingwood and Sarmiento.

Day 7: Guillard Glacier - Sarratea Bay

We continue sailing north through Pitt channel. On the port side, the island Chatam, to enter the Guillard Fjord at 10:00 a.m. Navigation inside the fjord to Guillard Glacier. 11:00 a.m. Disembark in Glacier and walk through the place. 1:30 p.m. Lunch. 3:30 p.m. Disembarkation in boats for a tour through the channels of the Glacier. 5:00 p.m. Navigation towards Sarratea Bay. 6:00 p.m. Disembark to take a boat ride around the place. (this excursion depends on the conditions of sunlight and weather) 19.00 hrs. Return to the boat. 8:00 p.m. Dinner on board. 12:00 a.m. Set sail heading south through Pitt Channel.

Day 8: Amalia Glacier - El Brujo Glacier - Sorcerer Glacier - Fernando Glacier

08:00 a.m. Arrival at the Amalia Glacier. The ship approaches the glacier. Panoramic view from the ship. 09:30 a.m. Landing on a nearby beach to walk on the sand, vegetation and rocks, reaching a viewpoint from where you can appreciate this beautiful glacier. 11:30 a.m. The navigation towards the El Brujo Glacier begins. 2:00 p.m. Arrival at El Glacier Sorcerer, if the weather and ice conditions allow it, you can go down to see this glacier from a nearby rock. 3:30 p.m. Set sail for the spectacular Calvo Fjord. 5:10 p.m. Landing in Calvo Fjord, where an excursion is made in a boat suitable for sailing
among the ice, called Capitan Constantino, visiting the glaciers Fernando, Capitan Constantino and Alipio, among others. 8:00 p.m. Set sail to the Fjord of the Mountains.

Day 9: Mountains Fjord - Alsina Glacier - Bernal Glacier

Visit to the Fjord of the Mountains, where you can see four glaciers, those that descend from the Cordillera Sarmiento to the sea, two of them being in our binnacle. 09:30 a.m. Visit the Alsina Glacier, disembark in our exploration boats to tour this small bay and its colorful glacier appreciating all its beauty and its enormous surrounding mountains. 10.30 a.m. Return to Skorpios III, we continue sailing through the fjord de las Montañas towards the Bernal Glacier. 11:15 a.m. Landing on the Glacier. The walk starts in the middle of a small native forest, to later cross a path that crosses a small lagoon of glacial water. We continue the walk over the frontal moraines and sides, until reaching the front of the Glacier. From here we will have the opportunity to play some ice and be watching the withdrawal phase of a glacier that no longer reaches the sea. 12:45 p.m. The passengers return to the ship, which is undergoing a pure water supply maneuver and natural descent from a waterfall. This water is what is consumed on board for all service ship's. 2:00 p.m. The Skorpios III Motor Ship continues to navigate the Mountain Fjord and we will be able to see the Herman and Zamudio glaciers from the boat. 5:45 p.m. Angostura Crossing White. 9:00 p.m. Farewell party, Captain's dinner, dance. Navigation through the Almirante Gulf Mont.

Day 10: PUERTO NATALES

Cruise ending

Arrival to Puerto Natales between 02.00 hrs. and 07.00 hrs. depending on wind conditions, to reach Skorpios Terminal. 08.00 hrs. and 09.30 hrs. Passengers leave the ship and will be transferred to your hotel.

Day 11: Puerto Natales - Punta Arenas

After breakfast, transfer to the bus station. Take the bus to Punta Arenas airport to take your departure flight.