Chile, Atacama Adventure Tour

Meet and greet your private English speaking guide upon arriving at Santiago International Airport, and transfer to your downtown hotel to drop off your luggage.

After you've settled at the hotel, go on a guided bike tour of Santiago, and visit the urban green spaces and cultural highlights of a vibrant downtown. Take in La Moneda's elegant neoclassical facades, and continue biking to Plaza de Armas, the bustling heart of Santiago, enveloped by government offices and historical buildings.

Return to your hotel.

Free evening and overnight in Santiago.

Transfer to Santiago International Airport for your 2-hour flight to Calama, a mining town on the north bank of the Loa River in northern Chile's Antofagasta Region. Situated in the Atacama Desert, Calama is known as one of the world's driest cities, with a mere 5 mm of average annual precipitation.

From Calama El Loa Airport, transfer to San Pedro de Atacama on a 1.5-hour journey, traveling some 106 km southeast of Calama. Spend your afternoon at leisure in San Pedro de Atacama, and explore the desert town that will be your base for the next 3 nights.

Overnight at your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama. 

Early this morning, make your way to Moon Valley in a private transfer for a half-day bike tour. Begin at Duna Mayor, a massive dune sandwiched between two peaks, and visit the Amphitheatre, a cliff formation that offers sweeping views of the entire Moon Valley. On your bike, pedal on to the Salt Caves, where you'll have the opportunity to weave your way through its winding narrow tunnels and see glistening salt crystals up close, then ponder the curiously shaped Three Marys, a series of three wind-worn rock formations that resemble three praying women.

In San Pedro de Atacama late afternoon, go on a 2.5-hour astronomical tour and learn from passionate astronomers how to observe the night sky. Together, you'll read sky maps and identify the different constellations in the dark night, then using the telescopes - the largest collection of any public observatory in all of South America, learn to photograph the moon. End the night with a warm drink while you discuss with your guide your incredible findings tonight.

Overnight at your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama.

Early this morning, embark on a 5-hour trek between the two rural villages of Machuca and Rio Grande, along the winding Peñaliri River. Along the way, spot feeding flamingos, wild alpacas, and frolicking guanacos in their natural habitat, and identify native plant species that have become well adapted to the extreme conditions of the harsh desert environment. Trekking at a consistent altitude of some 4000 m above sea level, come to unobstructed views of ancient terraced fields and the altiplano countryside, crisscrossed by a network of free-flowing rivers. Stop along one of these rivers to enjoy your box lunch, accompanied by the soothing sounds of the water.

Free evening and overnight at your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama. 

Begin your day with a thrilling hot air balloon ride, and reach the launch site just before sunrise by private transfer. With a hot drink in hand, take part in the safety briefing before the balloons are inflated and you're invited to climb aboard. Soaring at an altitude of 700 m, witness the early morning sunrise against a spellbinding backdrop of the Andes, Cordilleras, and the Salar. After an hour in the hot air balloon, indulge in a celebratory breakfast of croissants, fruits, and champagne. Then, return to your hotel.

This afternoon, journey to Piedra de la Coca on horseback and visit the ceremonial stone of the indigenous Atacameño. Start by passing Pukará de Quitor, a pre-Columbian stone fortress dating back to the 12th century, and zig-zag along Paso de Los Toros, an ancient cattle track that leads to the top of a cliff for an unobstructed view over the San Pedro plain and Atacama Salt Flats. Navigate through canyons on your way to Piedra de la Coca, where you can still see rock engravings and balls of chewed up coca leaves left behind as an ode to Mother Earth by early explorers. Enjoy a picnic and return to San Pedro by making your way down a massive dune behind Death Valley.

Overnight at your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama. 

Race through the driest desert in the world on an adrenaline fuelling quad ride to the impossibly blue lagoon of Cejar Lagoon, some 20 km from San Pedro in the middle of the Atacama Salt Flats - Chile's largest salt flat. Widely recognized for its high salt content, you'll naturally float in the waters of the Cejar Lagoon when you jump in for a swim.

Spend your afternoon at leisure.

Overnight at the hotel in San Pedro de Atacama.

Transfer to Calama El Loa Airport for your 2-hour flight to Santiago.

Upon arriving at Santiago International Airport, transfer to your downtown hotel.

Enjoy your evening at leisure.

Free evening and overnight at the hotel in Santiago. 

Your 8-day adventure tour ends with a transfer to Santiago International Airport, where your guide will assist with check-in for your onward journey.