Legacy of the Incas
Luxury Chile Tours & Travel
Machu Picchu - Lake
Titicaca
(11
days/10 nights)
Sacred Sites of the Incas
Luxury Chile Tours & Travel
Machu Picchu - Lake
Titicaca
(12 days/11 nights)
Empire of the Sun
Luxury Chile Tours & Travel
Machu Picchu - Lake
Titicaca
(14 days/13 nights)
Ancient Civilizations of Peru
Luxury Chile Tours & Travel
Colca Canyon - Machu
Picchu
Lake Titicaca
(16 days/15 nights)
Archaeological & Ecological
Treasures
Luxury Chile Tours & Travel
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
Lake Titicaca (or Amazon)
(18 days/17
nights)
Grand Tour of the Inca Empire
Luxury Chile Tours & Travel
Colca Canyon - Amazon
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(22 days/21 nights)
Ancient & Colonial Capitals
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Machu Picchu
(10
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Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
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Machu Picchu
(13 days/12 nights)
Machu Picchu & Galapagos
Luxury Chile Tours & Travel
Machu Picchu - Galapagos
(15 days/14 nights)
Galapagos & Machu Picchu
Luxury Chile Tours & Travel
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
(18 days/17 nights)
Enchanted
Isles of the Galapagos
Luxury Chile Tours & Travel
Galapagos
(11
days/10 nights)
Galapagos & the Kingdom of Quito
Luxury Chile Tours & Travel
Galapagos - Andes
(16 days/15 nights)
Galapagos
& the Amazon
Luxury Chile Tours & Travel
Galapagos - Amazon
(16 days/15 nights)
Historic Haciendas of the Andes
Luxury Chile Tours & Travel
Cotopaxi - Antisana
- Otavalo
(7 days/6 nights)
© 2012 Inka's Empire Corporation.
All rights reserved.
Chile Explorer
Atacama Desert & Torres del Paine
Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile.
Photo: Radek Tezaur. Luxury Chile Tours & Travel.Untamed landscapes...
-- Kimberly Fay, LuxuryLink.com
5-Star Luxury Tours
Sustainable Nature Tours
Land Price (12 days/11 nights)
De Luxe US$ 7,530 Imperial US$ 8,605 per person
The land price includes escorted transfers, private excursions with professional guides and chauffeurs, entrance fees, selected category of accommodations (De Luxe is shown first; if Imperial is different, it appears afterward in parenthesis), gourmet cuisine (see details), all land and water transportation, and travel insurance for guests through the age of 59 years (over that age, there is a supplementary fee). All prices are per person based on two people sharing a guest room. For a detailed description of our services, see Opulent Itineraries. Season: September through March.
Intra-Tour Flights & Fares
Air fares are in addition to the land price.
Santiago - Calama - Santiago & Santiago - Punta Arenas - Santiago
El Tatio Geysers, Atacama Desert, Chile.
Photo: Jorge Tutor. Luxury Chile Tours & Luxury Chile Travel.
This study of natural beauty in extreme environments begins in the Atacama Desert, the driest on earth, but where one confronts the paradox of its unusual manifestations of water. First is the oasis of San Pedro de Atacama, the center of a Paleolithic civilization that built impressive rock fortresses on the steep mountains encircling the green valley. Nearby is the eerily silent landscape of the Valley of the Moon, with its small but exquisite salt ponds and backdrop of snow-capped volcanoes. At the huge Atacama Salt Lake, an inland sea formed millions of years ago, it's a unique experience to view the vast plain of salt crusts formed of octagonally-shaped crystals, with lagoons reflecting the volcanoes. Finally, there are El Tatio Geysers, a geothermal field of fumaroles, small geysers and multicolored craters. So many forms of water in the world's driest desert!
The grand finale of our tour is at hand as we head ever further south, until we're not far from the end of the world. Driving through the pampas steppes of Patagonia's Magellan Province, we begin to encounter distinctive fauna -- ostriches, foxes, skunks, ducks, black-necked swans, flocks of flamingos, condors, eagles and herds of guanacos. Going back quite a few millennia at the Milodon Cave, we see the remains of a giant sloth that lived there around 12,000 years ago. The Paine massif, Almirante Nieto and the Torres del Paine come into view as we pass by the Amarga Lagoon and Lake Pehoe. Soon, we will be hiking in the Torres del Paine National Park; bewitched by its lakes, waterfalls and spires. After navigating Lago Grey past icebergs to massive glaciers, we return to Santiago.
Proceeding to the Matetic Vineyards, in the Rosario Valley, near the Pacific Ocean, have a gourmet dinner and stay in La Casona. In the morning, tour the vineyards and winery. In the afternoon, enjoy winetasting and lunch before departing to the airport for your flight home.
Our chosen hotels embody luxury and history. You will stay in the finest establishment at each destination, enjoying a deluxe room in our De Luxe category or a suite in our Imperial category (there may be exceptions -- see the itinerary for the exact accommodations). In Santiago, our hotel is the 5-star The Aubrey and in the Central Valley, the 5-star La Casona at Matetic Vineyards. In addition to luxury and history, we have chosen other establishments that provide a unique experience of traditional culture or ecology: in the oasis of San Pedro de Atacama, the rustic yet sophisticated 4-star Hotel Awasi; on a traditional sheep ranch on the border of the Torres del Paine National Park, the 3-star Cerro Guido Lodge; and in Puerto Natales, the 4-star Hotel Altiplanico Patagonia.
What our guests have to say:
Many magical memories created...
-- Donna & Barry Burtis
We greatly enjoyed the trip...
-- Rich & Becky Zahren
-- Glenn and Linda Thompson
-- David Waller
The Explora. What can we say? It was exquisite!
-- K. Ebel and S. Root
-- K. Ebel & S. Root
What Luxury Link has to say about Hotel Explora.
Grey Glacier, Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile.
Photo: Tony Costa.
Highlights
Santiago
Day 1: Flight to Santiago de Chile. International arrival in the afternoon or evening, reception and transfer to your hotel. Dinner (on your own) at Pasta e Vino. Overnight in the 5-star The Aubrey -- Marinelli Terrace (or San Cristóbal Suite).
Atacama Desert
Intra-tour flight to Calama, 7:00 am - 9:05 am, Lan Chile 344
Day 2: Santiago - San Pedro de Atacama - Valley of the Moon. Departure to the airport. Flight to Calama. Reception and transfer to San Pedro de Atacama and the Hotel Awasi, where guests will develop individual outings in consultation with their guide. A possible excursion today: Walking tour of San Pedro, the center of a Palaeolithic civilization. Visit the Father Le Paige Museum; Tulor, a 3,000-year-old village; and the Pukara de Quitor, a 12th century Inca fortress. Lunch. In the afternoon, enter the eerily silent landscape of the Valley of the Moon for sunset. Dinner and overnight in the 4-star Hotel Awasi -- Superior Round Suite (or Premium Round Suite).
Day 3: Toconao - Altiplano Lagoons - Atacama Salt Lake. A possible excursion today: Start with the white volcanic stone sculptures in Toconao, then continue to the Miscanti and Meñiques lagoons, in the highlands. Lunch. On the way back, proceed to the huge Atacama Salt Lake, an inland sea formed millions of years ago. At Laguna Chaxa, we may be able to observe flamingos. Dinner and overnight in the 4-star Hotel Awasi -- Superior Round Suite (or Premium Round Suite).
Day 4: Full-Day Hike from Machuca to Rio Grande. A possible excursion today: Drive to the village of Machuca, a former rest place for the ancient llama caravans that traveled the "Inca Highway". We start our trek here, following the Peñaliri River to reach our final destination of Rio Grande, a small village. Along the way, you will be fascinated by the changing landscape and panoramic views. Box lunch. Dinner and overnight in the 4-star Hotel Awasi -- Superior Round Suite (or Premium Round Suite).
Santiago
Intra-tour flight to Santiago, 6:00 pm - 7:55 pm, Lan Chile 353
Day 5: El Tatio Geysers - Pukara de Lasana - Santiago. A possible excursion today: Early departure for El Tatio Geysers, a geothermal field of fumaroles, small geysers and multicolored craters. On our way back to the Calama airport, we visit the typical villages of Caspana and Chiu Chiu, the Indian Cemetery and the Pukara de Lasana, a 12th century fortress. Lunch. Transfer to the Calama airport. Flight to Santiago. Reception and transfer to your hotel. Dine at El Caramaño. Overnight in the 5-star The Aubrey-- Marinelli Terrace (or San Cristóbal Suite).
Day 6: Santiago (Colonial Architecture & Museums). City tour, admiring the colonial monuments of Santa Lucía Hill, La Iglesia de San Francisco and El Palacio de la Moneda; the Plaza de Armas and the Catedral Metropolitana. Lunch at Akarana. Afternoon visits to the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, the 19th century Palacio Cousiño and Bellavista, the Bohemian quarter, to see La Chascona, once the home of Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. Dine at Astrid y Gastón. Return to your hotel. Overnight in the 5-star The Aubrey -- Marinelli Terrace (or San Cristóbal Suite).
Torres del Paine
Intra-tour flight to Punta Arenas, 7:30 am - 11:50 am, Lan Chile 081
Day 7: Santiago - Punta Arenas - Puerto Natales - Torres del Paine. Transfer to the airport. Flight to Punta Arenas. The city was once the boomtown of southern Chile because of the trade passing through the Strait of Magellan. Arrival, reception, city tour and private excursion to the Torres del Paine National Park. Driving through the typical pampas steppes of Patagonia's Magellan Province, we begin to encounter distinctive fauna. After lunch at Restaurante Las Llanuras, we reach Puerto Natales. Continue to the Milodon Cave to see the remains of a giant sloth that lived 12,000 years ago. At Lake Sarmiento, we catch our first glimpse of the Paine massif. Finally, we arrive at the Cerro Guido Lodge. Dinner and overnight in the 3-star Cerro Guido Lodge -- Standard Room (or Superior Room).
Day 8: Navigation to Grey Glacier & Torres del Paine Explorations. Depart across the lake on our vessel, the Grey II, for Grey Glacier, a natural marvel of impressive dimensions and millennial age. After sailing among icebergs, each with its unique shape and color, we'll approach the glacier's front wall, which is divided in two by a central island, where we land. Lunch. In the afternoon, a private exploration of Torres del Paine, according to your preferences and the weather. Dinner and overnight in the 3-star Cerro Guido Lodge -- Standard Room (or Superior Room).
Day 9: Torres del Paine Explorations - Puerto Natales. A full-day of private explorations in the national park, visiting Lakes Pehoe, Nordenskjold and Sarmiento, glaciers and the great waterfall of Salto Grande. Box lunch. Continue to Puerto Natales. Dinner at Cormorán de Las Rocas. Overnight in the 4-star Hotel Altiplanico Patagonia -- Standard Room.
Santiago
Intra-tour flight to Santiago, 12:40 pm - 4:55 pm, Lan Chile 080
Day 10: Puerto Natales - Punta Arenas - Santiago (Rosario Valley). Private excursion toward Punta Arenas, admiring the magnificent scenery and the penguin colony at Otway Sound (October to March only). Box lunch. Arrival at the airport. Flight to Santiago. Reception and transfer to the Matetic Vineyards, withiin its own Rosario Valley, near the Pacific. Enjoy the innovative recipes created by chef Matiás Bustos using the freshest local ingredients. Farewell dinner and overnight in the 5-star La Casona at Matetic Vineyards -- Standard Room (or Superior Room).
Day 11: Santiago (Rosario Valley). In the morning, visit the vineyards and winery. In the afternoon, wine tasting and a typical lunch before transferring to the Santiago airport for your Overnight Flight Home.
Home
Day 12: Santiago - Home. Flight and arrival home.
Details
New and old on the Plaza
de Armas, Santiago, Central Valley.
Photo: Radek Tezaur.
Day 1: Flight to Santiago de Chile
International arrival this afternoon or evening in Santiago, the capital of Chile. Reception and escorted transfer to your hotel. Dinner (on your own) of Italian fusion cuisine by chef Veronica Alfageme at internationally-acclaimed Pasta e Vino. Overnight in the The Aubrey.
Huge sand dune in the
Valley of the Moon, Atacama Desert, Chile.
Photo: Richard Alleman. Luxury Chile Tours & Travel.
Day 2: Santiago - San Pedro de Atacama - Valley of the Moon
Breakfast. Morning departure to the airport for the flight to Calama. Arrival, reception and transfer to San Pedro de Atacama, an unusually colorful village, 2,440 meters above sea level and surrounded by a green oasis. At the Hotel Awasi, guests will develop individual outings in consultation with their guide. A possible excursion today:
Visit San Pedro, the center of a Palaeolithic civilization that built impressive rock fortresses on the steep mountains encircling the green valley. Its colonial church was constructed in 1577. The village is the center of the native culture of Atacama, where mummies and artifacts have been excavated. You can admire them in the Father Le Paige Museum. Over 4,000 skulls, innumerable mummies, weapons, stone tools and ceramic objects are on display. Close by San Pedro is Tulor, a 3,000-year-old village that evidences the earliest human habitation in the valley, and the Pukara de Quitor, a 12th century pre-Inca fortress. Lunch.
In the afternoon, go into the eerily silent landscape of the Valley of the Moon, with its backdrop of snow-capped volcanoes, and enjoy this scene during sunset. Dinner and overnight in the Hotel Awasi.
Laguna Meñiques,
Atacama Desert, Chile.
Photo: Jorge Tutor. Luxury Chile Tours & Travel.
Day 3: Toconao - Altiplano Lagoons - Atacama Salt Lake
Breakfast. A possible excursion today: Start with a visit of the white volcanic stone sculptures in Toconao village, then continue to the highlands and the colorful Miscanti and Meñiques lagoons. Lunch. On the way back, proceed to the huge Atacama Salt Lake, an inland sea formed millions of years ago. It's a unique experience to view the vast plain of salt crusts formed of octagonally-shaped crystals, in the middle of the driest desert on earth. The flat emptiness here is overwhelming. At Laguna Chaxa, we may be able to observe flamingos. Dinner and overnight in the Hotel Awasi.
Valley of the Moon,
Atacama Desert, Chile.
Photo: Servicio Nacional de Turismo, Chile. Luxury Chile Tours & Travel.
Day 4: Full-Day Hike from Machuca to Rio Grande
Breakfast. A possible excursion today: Depart early in the morning and drive to the village of Machuca, at an elevation of 3,400 meters. Three people are still living at this former rest place for the ancient llama caravans that traveled the "Inca Highway". It is a breathtaking place in the middle of the highland. We start our trek here -- going downhill almost the whole day -- following the Peñaliri River to reach our final destination of Rio Grande, a small village of only fifty inhabitants. Along the way, be fascinated by the changing landscape and panoramic views. Box lunch. Dinner and overnight in the Hotel Awasi.
Valley of the Moon,
Atacama Desert, Chile
Photo: Servicio Nacional de Turismo, Chile. Luxury
Chile Tours & Luxury Chile Travel.
Day 5: El Tatio Geysers - Pukara de Lasana - Santiago
A possible excursion today: Early 4:00 am departure to El Tatio Geysers, a geothermal field flanked by soaring peaks. Drive toward the high Andes, across the High Plateau, crowned by the superb Putama Volcano, ascending to the geysers, at an elevation of 4,300 meters. After breakfast, hike among fumaroles, small geysers and multicolored craters. At dawn, powerful spurts of steam shoot out from various blowholes. The steaming ponds are encrusted with brilliant salt crystals, which reflect the metal-blue sky at dawn. Alongside rising columns of steam, they make a breathtaking sight. On our way back to the Calama airport, visit the typical villages of Caspana and Chiu Chiu, with Chile's oldest known church, built by the Spanish conquerors in the 16th century. Continue to the Indian Cemetery, where mummies' bones have been kept intact by chuca, dry desert dust, for over 20 centuries. Following the Lao Riverbed, visit the partially rebuilt Pukara de Lasana, a 12th century fortress. Lunch. Transfer to the Calama airport for the flight to Santiago. Dine on Chilean fusion cuisine by chef Don Vicente Gómez at the bohemian El Caramaño. Overnight in the The Aubrey.
Atacama Desert.
Photo: Miranda Loh. Luxury Chile Tours & Travel.
Day 6: Santiago (Colonial Architecture & Museums)
Breakfast. Begin a cultural tour of the city by heading west on the Alameda, the main avenue, to the lavishly landscaped Santa Lucía Hill, where Santiago was founded on behalf of the Spanish crown by Pedro de Valdivia in 1540. Pass the 16th century La Iglesia de San Francisco and the 18th century El Palacio de la Moneda (originally the Royal Mint) on your way toward the old neighborhoods of Santiago. Afterward, cross Santiago's Plaza de Armas or main square, which dates back to 1541 and is surrounded by historic structures, notably the 18th century Catedral Metropolitana. Lunch at Akarana. Afternoon visits to the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, the 19th century Palacio Cousiño and Bellavista, the Bohemian quarter, to see La Chascona, once the home of Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. Dine on the gourmet fusion cuisine of chefs Gastón Acurio and Astrid Gutsche at Astrid y Gastón. Return to your hotel. Overnight in the The Aubrey.
Cuernos Mountains and Lake Pehoe, Torres del Paine, Patagonia.
Photo: Radek Tezaur.
Day 7: Santiago - Punta Arenas - Puerto Natales - Torres del Paine
Breakfast. Early transfer to the airport for the flight to Punta Arenas. The city was once the boomtown of southern Chile because of the trade passing through the Strait of Magellan, a passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific discovered in 1520 by Ferdinand Magellan during his search for a western route to the Spice Islands (India, Ceylon and the Moluccas). Punta Arenas is still filled with buildings erected in its glory days -- mansions now converted to hotels and government buildings. An important visit will be the Museo Regional Salesiano, a collection gathered by Salesian monks in the early days of European exploration and colonization. It covers what little is known about the former residents of this far-off land, in addition to exhibits on local flora and fauna. Arrival, reception, city tour and private excursion to the Torres del Paine National Park.
Riders, Torres del Paine,
Patagonia.
Photo:
Radek Tezaur.
Driving through the typical pampas steppes of Patagonia's Magellan Province, we begin to encounter distinctive fauna -- the native ostrich, called the ñandu, black-necked swans, flocks of flamingos, condors and eagles. After lunch at Restaurante Las Llanuras, we reach the picturesque city of Puerto Natales, situated on the banks of the Bay of Ultima Esperanza, or Last Hope. Continue to the Milodon Cave to see the remains of a giant sloth that lived there around 12,000 years ago. After the border crossing at Cerro Castillo, look up to the sky -- we are entering condor territory. As we get closer to the park, we see the first guanacos, which will accompany us for the next few hours.
Grey Glacier, Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile.
Photo: Radek Tezaur. Luxury Chile Tours & Travel.
At Lake Sarmiento, we catch our first glimpse of the Paine massif. Driving along the shore of Lake Nordenskjold, we have magnificent views of the Paine massif before visiting the administration center to get a better idea of the national park. Finally, we arrive at the Cerro Guido Lodge. In 1905, German pioneers as well as others of British, French, Chilean and Spanish nationality formed large sheep ranches in the territory of Ultima Esperanza. These "estancias" made it possible for Chile to establish sovereignty over one of the most attractive and rich areas of Patagonia. Cerro Guido Lodge was developed by the owners of the Estancia Cerro Guido in order to preserve the estancia's historical patrimony and traditions. It continues to be a fully functioning farm with some 220,000 acres and 50,000 sheep. The estancia has conserved the English style and structures which characterized its first years in the early 1900s. Any modernization carried out has not affected the taste of that era. Dinner and overnight in the Cerro Guido Lodge.
Navigation to Grey Glacier,
with boat in distance, Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile.
Photo: Radek
Tezaur. Luxury Chile Tours & Travel.
Day 8: Navigation to Grey Glacier & Torres del Paine Explorations
Breakfast. This morning, we arrive at the Grey Peninsula, where a walk along the beach at Grey Lake allows us to see the Grey Glacier. At the beach, in a primordial scene, huge blocks of ice are stranded like battleships run aground. We depart across the lake on our vessel, Grey II, for the glacier, a natural marvel of impressive dimensions and millennial age, that constitutes the end of the Southern Ice Field. Weighing anchor from the pier and after sailing for a half-hour among icebergs, each with its unique shape and color, we'll approach the glacier's front wall, which is divided in two by a central island, where we land. Here, it is possible to appreciate the glacier's true magnitude and its apparent infinitude of crevasses.
Lunch. In the afternoon, your guide will arrange a private exploration of Torres del Paine according to your preferences and the weather. Choose among hiking, trekking or a 4 x 4 excursion. Horseback riding and kayaking are available at additional cost. Dinner and overnight in the Cerro Guido Lodge.
Salto Grande, Torres
del Paine, Patagonia, Chile.
Photo: Claudio Almarza. Luxury Chile Tours & Travel.
Day 9: Torres del Paine Explorations - Puerto Natales
Breakfast. A full-day of private explorations in the national park; visiting Lakes Pehoe, Nordenskjold and Sarmiento, glaciers and the great waterfall of Salto Grande, ever under the enchanting gaze of the Paine mountain range and the incredible, vertical spires of the Torres del Paine. Box lunch. Continue to Puerto Natales. Dinner by chef Alexis Paredes at Cormorán de Las Rocas. Overnight in the Hotel Altiplanico Patagonia.
La Casona at Matetic Vineyards, Rosario Valley, Chile.
Photo: Matetic Vineyards.
Day 10: Puerto Natales - Punta Arenas - Santiago (Rosario Valley)
Breakfast. Depart on a scenic private excursion toward Punta Arenas, admiring the magnificent scenery and the penguin colony at Otway Sound (October to March only). Box lunch. Upon reaching the airport, board the flight to Santiago. Box lunch. Upon reaching the airport, board the flight to Santiago. Arrival, reception and transfer to the Matetic Vineyards, withiin its own Rosario Valley, near the Pacific Ocean. Enjoy the innovative recipes created by chef Matiás Bustos using the freshest local ingredients. Farewell dinner and overnight in the 5-star La Casona at Matetic Vineyards -- Standard Room (or Superior Room).
Matetic Vineyards, Rosario Valley, Chile.
Photo: Matetic Vineyards.
Day 11: Santiago (Rosario Valley)
Breakfast. In the morning, visit the vineyards and winery. In the afternoon, wine tasting and a typical lunch before transferring to the Santiago airport for your Overnight Flight Home.
Day 12: Santiago - Home
Flight and arrival home.
© 2012 Inka's Empire Corporation, Luxury Peru Tours & Travel. All rights reserved.
