Chile, as you will discover, is a country of both extremes and styles. A fascinating, thrilling and diverse country stretching from the Tropic of Capricorn in the North, and the arid Atacama Desert to the icy peaks and glaciers of the South.  In between an ideal climate to grow some of the best New World wines close to the vibrant capital city of Santiago.

Here you will take an extreme adventure in an authentic style which is captured perfectly during your stays at the sensational Awasi properties in both the Atacama desert staying in a hidden oasis and in Patagonia, where you will look out on the spectacular peaks of Torres Del Paine. But, what incredible moments await you in both regions and indeed throughout this extreme and stylish country. Chile may be new to you now but, believe us after this trip you will be looking to return! 

Let your South America Travel Specialist introduce you the variety and allow you to unearth the majesty of such a diverse country as you wind your way down this incredible and unique continent with our expert guides on hand to ensure you don’t miss anything that matters to you.

Chile in Extreme Style – Tour Highlights

• Stay in Awasi lodges these breathtaking lodges with a private guide and 4x4 all to yourself

• Ending the tour in a fabulous vineyard

• Featuring boutique hotels with character and style

• Going beyond the norm and finding out what Chile really is! 

• Soak in your hot tub in Awasi Patagonia looking out to Torres del Paine.

• Add an extension to remote Easter Island

Suggested itinerary – We customise this for you!

Day 1 – To Santiago de Chile

Overnight flight to Santiago, over the South American continent to the Pacific Ocean.

Day 2 – Santiago de Chile

Arriving in Santiago you will be greeted by your private guide to be transferred to a national monument. Not everyone will get the opportunity to visit but you can say we stayed in one, the Hotel Le Reve is just that!  Situated in a cool neighbourhood you will be feeling like a native and explore your surrounds at will.

Hotel: Le Reve

Day 3 – Santiago local life and culture – Santiago a history

Explore the city of Santiago with a private guide. In recent years Santiago has been one of the quickest growing cities in the world, yet it also has a turbulent recent history. European style squares and cafes combine with views of the impressive Andes mountains.

Choose from a few ways to see the city. Head out on a bike for a view of local life and the markets, explore the Patronato and Bellavista neighbourhoods. Visit the fruit market and seafood stalls and your guide will give you an insiders view of the history of Santiago, the different waves of immigration, and reveal surprising corners of the city. 

Another tour choice not for the faint-hearted, but a genuinely life-changing experience is to encounter the recent history of Santiago, with an expert guide to learn about the human rights challenges which Chile has worked through. Starting in the historic centre and the Palace of La Moneda which saw the 1973 coup and the rise of General Pinochet’s regime, a sobering yet fascinating insight into Chile including the excellent Museum of Remembrance and Human Rights. To conclude the tour, walk up to San Cristobal Hill where you’ll find fantastic views of the city skyline and those imposing Andes mountains.

Hotel: Le Reve

Meals: Breakfast

Plaza de Armas in Santiago old town

Day 4 – To The Atacama Desert extremely stylish

Fly north to Calama, where the team from sensational Awasi Atacama Lodge will meet you for the journey into the high mountains to the San Pedro de Atacama to begin your three-night all-inclusive desert adventure and what adventure you shall have. At Awasi Atacama Lodge a personal 4×4 and driver-guide accompany for your complete stay. It makes such a difference being able to set your own agenda, do your own thing at your own pace. But that is what an extreme yet stylish tour is all about, these moments!

At this altitude of 2,500 metres, it’s good to take it easy for a bit and eat and drink in moderation, but you can still eat well with Awasi’s delicious dining – it’s amazing how they manage the quality in such a remote place!

Hotel: Awasi Atacama

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 5 – Atacama Desert Adventure

Spend the day exploring the Atacama Desert. It’s a dramatic and beautifully stark landscape which looks like the surface of Mars, or at least they say.  Despite being the driest desert on Earth, it offers some mind-blowing signs of life to see. Head out in your private 4×4 with your guide past high volcanoes under intense blue skies. See the salt lakes like the Salar de Atacama which is home to flocks of flamingoes, and see the remote villages of the desert-like Tocano which is made from volcanic stone. It’s amazing to see signs of human life at these altitudes.

South America Travel Specialist recommend taking a gourmet picnic lunch with you with wine, setting up your table and enjoy a feast by a clear lake reflecting high mountains, or wherever you want to choose – miles and miles of uninterrupted space to choose from. Many view luxury in the space around, if so you are truly wealthy.

You don’t have to be out all day, spend a bit of time relaxing at Awasi Atacama. Whether it is on your private patio under a shaded tree, relaxing at the pool or simply sat at the bar. Ensure you take a seat at the bar as evening turns to night and the dazzling stars of the night sky start their show, it is a breathtaking display and reminds us how small we really are.

Hotel: Awasi Atacama

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Road across the high Atacama Desert lake and volcanoes Chile

Day 6 – Atacama Desert Adventure

Another day to explore. Explore wonderful out of the way places that tour groups and those on a flying visit won’t see. And if you want you can get out of the car and trek through hidden canyons to hot springs or head out on a mountain bike track.

The little town of San Pedro de Atacama where you’re staying is certainly worth a bit of time. It’s an oasis town which now serves as the traveller hub and feels like an old western town from the movies. You can half expect Clint Eastwood to strut down the dusty high street. As the sun sinks and the moon and stars rise, the red light cast on the volcanic peaks and desert is a photographer’s dream.

Hotel: Awasi Atacama

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 7 – To Punta Arenas

Travel back down to Calama and fly to the far south, look out for fantastic views of the Patagonia ice shelf and the Andes on the flight down.  The window seat is suggested! Arrive in Punta Arenas, one of the most southerly towns in the world. Stay at the Hotel Dreams del Estrecho and spend the evening exploring. Punta Arenas is a real frontier town with a seafaring history going back to the days of early Antarctic exploration.

Hotel: Hotel Dreams del Estrecho

Meals: Breakfast

Day 8 – To Torres del Paine and Awasi Patagonia

Puerto Natales awaits, the little town by the waters of Last Hope Sound and the gateway to Chilean Patagonia.  Meet the guys from Awasi Patagonia for the thrilling journey into Torres Del Paine National Park. It’s a wilderness journey under brooding skies, past glacial lakes and miles of the untouched wilderness until you arrive at the lodge with that million-dollar view of the granite towers, the Torres del Paine which gives this national park its name – it’s truly an icon of South American landscape.

Again having your personal guide and 4×4 jeep to take you around, meaning that most precious of recourses, time, is all yours to do what you want with the guidance of local experts.

Here at Awasi Patagonia, they’ve managed to combine funky minimalist architecture with incredibly cosy lodge featuring big picture windows revealing the stunning views. Check out the outdoor hot tub for that Instagram moment if that is your thing!

Hotel: Awasi Patagonia

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

The Torres del Paine and Awasi Patagonia hotel

Day 9 – Torres del Paine

Adventure awaits at the bottom of the world. Bring your walking boots here as it’s the best way to experience Torres del Paine National Park. From Awasi Patagonia, your guide will be able to take you on secret paths among the world’s most awe-inspiring landscapes.  You can also hop in the jeep and be driven over raging rivers towards glaciers and out on dirt tracks. Look out for the wildlife of the area from the flightless rhea bird to guanacos and if you’re very lucky you might see a puma.

Enjoy dinner at the lodge featuring locally sourced meat and seafood, with vegetables from the kitchen garden. You can head out at night to see the dazzling night skies set against dark mountain peaks.

Hotel: Awasi Patagonia

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 10 – Torres del Paine

More stylish and extreme adventures are possible by spending three nights in such a unique setting, a term that is overused and often underwhelms, here, you are sure to be left aghast with the natural beauty, take a mountain bike and explore at your own pace looking for the mighty condors that once ruled these lands and may do again.

We recommend taking out Awasi Patagonia’s sumptuous picnics. Open a bottle of Chilean wine with cheese and hams by one of Patagonia’s lakes or river and take it all in.  The serenity shall captivate you and your soul shall be enriched for the experience.

Hotel: Awasi Patagonia

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 11 – To Punta Arenas

Travel by car back to Puerto Natales and then on to Punta Arenas for an overnight stay. We’ll leave this day free to do what you want after a long journey through Patagonia. You can chill out at the hotel as you adjust back to civilization, perhaps doing some souvenir shopping or explore Punta Arenas a little. There’s even a replica of Magellan’s ship you can visit, the first explorer to head around Cape Horn, further down the wind-blown coast.

Hotel: Hotel Dreams del Estrecho

Meals: Breakfast

Day 12 – To Valparaiso

Take a morning flight to Santiago and then a short journey to the coast and with your guide and a few nights in Valparaiso. Spend a couple of nights at Casa Higueras, a charming boutique hotel with a good central location in this quirky old port city on the Pacific Ocean.

Hotel: Casa Higueras

Meals: Breakfast

Day 13 – Valparaiso and Chilean Vineyards

It’s worth spending another day to wind down and exploring Valparaiso on a private guided tour. Valparaiso is Chile’s oldest port and has a long history from the days when goods had to be sailed through the Straits of Magellan to sail between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, before the Panama Canal. Visit the pretty historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and see the colourful houses built on the precipitous hillsides. Take one of the many 20th century funiculars from the lower to the upper parts of the city for breathtaking views over the Pacific Ocean.

The day continues with a visit to one of the wineries of Chile’s Casablanca valley. Some household name wineries can be found here like Cono Sur and Casillero del Diablo,  take time for lunch at one of the more boutique wineries in the valley.

The evening is free and if you like seafood we know some great little restaurants to try! It is what South America Travel Specialist is about, the extra details. 

Hotel: Casa Higueras

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Old town hill in Valparaiso Chile

Day 14 – To Santiago and depart

Spend a lazy morning in Valparaiso, then transfer to Santiago for your departure flight.

Day 15 – Arrive home

Morning arrival, shake the desert and grasslands off your boots.