Magic Desert & Santiago Top

Description

This trip invites you to discover the main aspects of the central zone of the country. Santiago and its development over the years from different perspectives. Including its classic highlights and our main port city, Valparaíso. Where the biggest firework show on the country takes places each new year.  

All this joined to a trip on the driest desert all over the world, San Pedro de Atacama. This tour will teach you about the Atacameños culture to understand the huge love they have for the desert. Stunning visit to places like the Moon Valley, Chaxa lagoon & Geyser del Tatio are included to fulfill this learning with unique landscapes.  

 

Day 1: Santiago City tour  

Welcome to Chile! 

Upon your arrival to Santiago airport. Condor Travel’s staff will be waiting to take you to your hotel. Please look for the sign with your name on it.  

Dynamic and cosmopolitan Santiago is a vital and versatile city. Home to many events showcasing the very best of Chilean culture, it also hosts superb international festivals of sound, flavor, and color. The Chilean capital breathes new life into all its visitors! 

 The city’s diversity shines through in its many contrasting neighborhoods. Set out to explore the city streets and you will discover beautiful and original art galleries, design shops and handicraft markets, as well as a great selection of restaurants, bars and cafes. Night owls can enjoy a taste of lively Latino nightlife in hip Bellavista! 

Half day Santiago city tour 

Described by the international media as a surprising destination, Santiago stands out for being a cosmopolitan and modern city that perfectly combines its traditions with a modern outlook. The tour will take you to visit the heart of the city and its emblematic sites such as the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, Santiago’s Central Postal Office and its Municipality. We will also visit the Moneda Palace, which is the government’s headquarters as well as the traditional neighborhoods of the historic city center. The tour also includes a visit to the Santa Lucia hill, named Huelén by the natives. It is a real urban oasis in the center of the city. There we will learn more about Chile’s history and enjoy some of the best views in the city. After knowing Santiago, we will arrive to Barrio Lastarria, famous by it cultural, inherited and gastronomical offer. The second part of the tour will take you to the eastern side of the city, to the financial heart of Santiago, known for its modern buildings, impressive glass skyscrapers and its impressive sculptures designed by prominent national architects. There, you will see exactly why this area is known as “Sanhattan” among the locals. 

 Overnight at Santiago. 

 Day 2: Full day tour Valparaíso & Viña del Mar 

 Known as the “Garden City”, for originally being surrounded by largely green areas and for now preserving its extensive and beautiful urban gardens, with the Pacific Ocean as its backdrop, Viña del Mar is undoubtedly one of Chile’s unmissable destinations. Viña del Mar stands out for its beautiful architecture, its impressive palaces and famous Flower Clock, photographed by tourists from all over the world. During the tour, you will have the option to have lunch in one of the numerous restaurants in the city, with a variety of delicious sea food on offer. We will travel along the sea front, and enjoy the views of the Pacific Ocean, before arriving at the most important ports in Chile; Valparaiso. It was listed as a Unesco World Heritage site thanks to its colorful beauty and the uniqueness of its location on the hills, which create a natural Amphitheatre with the ocean as its stage. We will visit Cerro Alegre, where you can truly appreciate the magic of the city, with its picturesque funiculars, multi-colored neighborhoods and unforgettable sea views. We will then head to the Sotomayor Square, to see the Monument of the Heroes of Iquique. Once in the port, there will be the option to take a boat out around Valparaíso’s bay to enjoy the views of the colorful hills from a different perspective. 

Overnight at Santiago. 

Day 3: Santiago – Calama – San Pedro de Atacama 

 After breakfast, get ready for flying to Calama. A private transfer will take you to the airport on time. 

 Upon your arrival to Calamaour staff will be waiting for you to take you to San Pedro de Atacama. This transfer takes 1,30 hours. The power of the desert and its impressive stone color will make you take more than 1 photo! 

 At approximately 100 kilometers from Calama, the driest desert in the world jealously hides a small oasis called San Pedro de Atacama. 

 A village of dirt streets and adobe housing that have stolen the heart of thousands tourists with the charms of the Atacama and Spanish culture evidenced in each one of its buildings. 

 Half day Moon Valley 

 On your visit to the driest desert in the world, you cannot miss the opportunity to see the geologically spectacular Moon Valley. 

 A couple of kilometers outside of San Pedro de Atacama, between the jagged rocks and unusual shapes of the Cordillera de la Sal (Salt Mountains), we find the Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley), a geological wonder of the Los Flamencos National Reserve. 

During the tour, you can take in the extraordinary shapes of the landscape, which will make you feel as if you were walking on the moon. During the afternoon, you can enjoy the unbeatable views of the Andes and its volcanoes. As dusk falls you will be overwhelmed by the red and golden colors of the desert sky. 

Overnight at San Pedro de Atacama. 

Day 4: Altiplanic Lagoons & the Atacama Salt Flats 

Discover the magical shadows of the desert, we will visit the town of Toconao, the great Salar de Atacama with its Chaxa Lagoon, the imposing Miscanti and Miñiques mountain lagoons located in the Los Flamencos National Reserve. 

The trip will begin with a visit to the Chaxa Lagoon, a scene of spectacular beauty that is divided into several bodies of water where large numbers of flamingos and other birds like large and small parinas live. 

We head towards the Altiplano to reach the Piedras Rojas viewpoint, where you can see a volcanic conglomerate formed by the oxidation of the iron present in that place. We will visit the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons at more than 4,200 meters above sea level, surrounded by imposing volcanoes caused by the elevation of the Andes, and habitat for a wide variety of birds, they are a truly amazing destination. 

Although the landscape gives us impressive views of the Licancabur and Lascar volcanoes, you will visit the town of Toconao, built with stone of volcanic origin, notable for its heritage architecture, with the church of San Lucas and its bell tower, declared a National Monument, here the Agriculture and crafts are the main source of work for its residents. 

Overnight at San Pedro de Atacama. 

Day 5: Geyser del Tatio tour 

Our journey to the Altiplano starts in the early hours, so we can watch the sun rise in one of the most important geothermic fields in the world: the Tatio Geysers. There are over 70 geysers with pools of boiling water spurting vapor. 

It is best to see them first thing in the morning, so you can truly appreciate the beautiful contrast of colors between the intensely blue sky and the pristine vapor from the geysers. We will then enjoy a deserved breakfast in this amazing setting, in the shadows of the Andes. This will allow us to warm up, as the temperatures in the zone can range from 28°F to 75°F. On our way back to San Pedro de Atacama, we will travel through some beautiful landscapes, seeing the valleys, flora and fauna. We will then stop off in the village of Machuca, a truly atacameño village of just 20 houses built from clay, straw and cactus wood.  

Overnight at San Pedro de Atacama. 

Day 6: San Pedro de Atacama, Calama, Santiago 

 After breakfast, our staff will pick you up on time to catch your flight back to Santiago. 

 ***FIN DE NUESTROS SERVICIOS*** 

$914
price per person

6

DAYS

/

5

NIGHTS

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