18D/17N Atacama – Salt Lake Uyuni – Machu Picchu

Arrival in Santiago. We will welcome you at the airport to transfer you to your hotel. From there, we will start tour through the beautiful city of Santiago to visit the main attractions, enjoy some of the best views over the city and get to know historical sites. You will discover the Cerro Santa Lucia, the Plaza de Armas (market place), the Moneda (government palace) and the central market. The tour ends with a spectacular view over the city from the Cerro San Cristobal. Then, we will bring you back to your hotel.

Starting our second day of the tour, we leave the hotel in Santiago to drive 120km to the Pacific Ocean. On the way, we will appreciate the Valley Curacaví, followed by the Valley Casablanca that is known for the great production of the Chilean white wine Souvignon Blanc. We will stop at the guesthouse Millahue to try a glass of the traditional Chicha Chilena.

We will get to Valparaiso. It is the legislative capital and main harbor of the country, and was recently declared National Cultural Heritage by the Unesco. This picturesque city will amaze you with its colorful houses covering the hills. Get to know the Victorian Square, the Sotomayor Square, and the Monument to the Naval Honors of May 21st (from here you can enjoy an beautiful view over the port). Also, we will take a walk on the symbolic Cerro Alegre (Happy Hill) and use some of the old elevators to appreciate the ambience of the city. Afterward, you will have time to get to know the house of Pablo Neruda, “La Sebastiana”.

We will continue out tour to Viña del Mar, known as the Garden City. Here, you can discover the famous Flower Clock and the Casino, then we will have lunch. After a nice walk on the beach, we return to Santiago de Chile. En route, take the chance to visit the Quinta Vergara, the place where an International Music Festival takes place every year. We will finish the tour at your hotel in Santiago.

Transfer to the airport of Santiago, where you take your flight Santiago – Calama. We will pick you up at the airport of Calama and bring you to the town of San Pedro de Atacama. We are going to explore the village and visit the archaeological museum Padre Le Peige, then we leave for the Cordillera of the Salt.

In the afternoon, our tour will continue at 4:00pm towards the Cordillera of Salt. This mountain range was formed millions of years ago. Due to a continuous exposure to the rain, the wind and the sun, it has developed into a geological phenomenon full of impressive natural formations. From a viewing point, you can enjoy views over this cliffy and rough landscape made of salt and adobe.

We will move on to one of the most beautiful natural sceneries in the world, the Moon Valley. The valley is located 4km west of San Pedro de Atacama. Discover the enormous sand dunes and the undeniable beauty of this place, surrounded by small mountains and geological formations that have been created by the wind.

After appreciating this exceptional place, we will visit the neighboring Death Valley. This valley is another attraction of the driest desert in the world and its mystical ambience is simply indescribable. We will get to the surprising salt statues known as “Las tres Marias” (“The three Marys”). They were formed out of adobe and salt, and are one of the most symbolic formations of San Pedro. On a short hike of about 30 minutes, we reach the so-called salt caves.

To end the day, we will watch the fascinating desert sunset from the Great Dune in the Moon Valley. The beauty of the rough landscape, the intense colors, the sound of the wind, and the sun setting on the horizon is an unforgettable sight. We will return to San Pedro around 8:30pm.

The next day of our tour starts in San Pedro de Atacama. Our destination are the altiplanic lagoons Miñiques and Miscanti, natural lakes of an intense blue color. To get there, we will take the route via Toconao, a colonial village with an unique architecture. All its buildings are made out of stone from volcanoes, so called Liparitas, including its old colonial church with its impressive bell tower.

On the horizon, we will get to see the great peaks of the cordillera of the Andes at 4.300m above sea level. Spot the silhouette of volcano Lincancabur, the symbol of San Pedro, and enjoy views over the Jere Valley in the surroundings of the village Toconao. The fresh water that flows through this valley helps to grow an extraordinary flora.

We will reach the biggest treasure of the driest desert in the world, the impressive Salt Lake of the Atacama. Without doubt, this enormous lake covered in salt creates a unique and majestic natural ambience. The intense color contrast and the numerous small canyons in this area create a fascinating setting. The salt lake of the Atacama is one of the biggest in Chile, and is partly protected as part of the Flamingo National Reserve.

Next, we stop in the pre-cordilleran village Socaire, where you can enjoy a great view over the white salt lake. The town is known for its handicrafts mainly made out of llama wool. Here, you will have the possibility to taste the typical food of the region. Afterward, explore the fantastic lagoon Chaxa, a place that is home to ducks, alpacas, vicuñas, foxes and ostriches. Also, pink flamingos can be spotted resting at the shore.

Finally, we will reach our destination, the fabulous lagoons of Miscanti and Miñiques. The lagoons were formed about a million years ago through the eruption of the volcano Meñiques. They form part of the Flamingo National Reserve and are beautifully located between impressive volcanos. Their blue color contrasts with the brown mountains, creating a truly unique natural setting. Take your time to contemplate the beauty of nature before we make our way back to San Pedro de Atacama.

Today, our tour starts at 4:00am from the hotel. We will travel into the mountains to experience one of the most fascinating natural spectacles of the Atacama Desert: the Tatio Geysers. This geothermic field stems from volcanic origin and is located at more than 4.000m above sea level. Here, hot water and steam shoot up into the sky, reaching temperatures of about 85 ºC in the morning hours between 6:00 and 7:00am. The field includes more than 40 active geysers that actually represent 8% of all the active geysers in the world. Also, you will find a set of thermal baths and a natural pool. Enjoy your breakfast while watching the geysers erupt over and over again.

Afterward, we will visit the village Caspana, located at the flanks of an impressive canyon in a fertile valley at an altitude of 3.305m. This natural paradise is known for its cultivation terraces and its beautiful architecture of Inca origin. Here you will get to know the marvelous bell tower that is more than 400 years old, without doubt an impressive colonial remain in this little town.

Our next stop will be San Francisco de Chiu Chiu, a small town that was the first settlement along the river Loa. The village is located in the middle of an oasis. Its main attraction is the little church that was constructed before 1675 and is known to be the most ancient church of Chile. It is built out of adobe and cactus wood and was declared National Monument.

Afterward, we move on to beautiful petroglyphs, located around 10km from Chiu Chiu in the surroundings of the river. Here, you can learn about the pre-Hispanic art that was during the time between 400 a.C. and the arrival of the Spanish to South America.

Also, we will be visiting the fort of Lasana, a construction of the 12th century that also was declared National Monument. It is made out of stone and coverts the surrounding village into a beautiful, mysterious place. After enjoying and getting to know a great part of the ancient culture of this area, we will have lunch in the restaurant of Lasana. Then we will return to San Pedro de Atacama.

In the morning of day four, we will make our way to Hito Cajon to enter the country of Bolivia. After all the formalities we continue our expedition through the deserts in the southeast of Bolivia. We will enter the National Reserve of the Andean Fauna Eduardo Abaroa. Here, we will visit the Laguna Verde (“Green Lagoon”) that is located at the foot of the volcano Lincancabur (5.800m) which forms part of the mountain range that marks the limit between Bolivia and Chile.

We will move on northward and cross the desert Los Lipez, passing the Lagoon Polkes where, depending on the time, you can take a bath in its natural waters (38⁰C). Continuing our trip we will get to the geysers Sol de Mañana (Sun of the Morning) where you can observe impressive geothermic activities. Finally, we reach the Colored Lagoon, containing the most important colony of Andean Flamingos of the National Reserve. Here you will find hundreds if not thousands of flamingos and other species of birds. The night we will spend in the desert Los Lipez.

The second day in Bolivia will take us further north to the Stone Tree (Árbol de Piedra), a famous rock formation shaped as a tree. We will cross the region of the lagoons, discovering the lagoon Charkota, Hedionda y Cañapa where we can observe the precious fauna. In the afternoon, we are going to arrive in the village of San Juan, passing the Salt Lake Chiguana, a native site in the desert Los Lipez. Night in San Juan.

On day eight, you will get to know the salt lake Uyuni, the biggest salt deposit in the world with an extension of more than 12.000 Km². This salt lake is of an enormous mineralogical richness, for example it contains 50% of the world lithium reserve, a highly valued metal. Also, we will be visiting the islands Incahuasi and Lomo de Pescado, both full of giant cactuses that have been growing here for more than thousand years. On a small walk we reach the highest point of the islands to enjoy fascinating view over the idyllic landscape of the salt lake and the surrounding mountains. Finally, we will move on to the volcano Thunupa. We will spend the night at the foot of the volcano in Jirira or Tahua.

We will continue the journey towards the city of La Paz, crossing the region of the river Mulatos, Sevaruyo and Huari. We will reach the mining city Oruro around noon. This town is especially famous for its carnival that, due to its high cultural value, was declared National Cultural Heritage. In the afternoon, we will continue the drive, passing Sica Sica and Patacamaya. We will get to the vibrant city of La Paz in the late afternoon.

Today, we will explore the multicultural city La Paz. Discover interesting places like the Plaza de Armas (market square), the Government Palace, the Legislative Palace, the Cathedral de Nuestra Señora of La Paz, the viewing point Killi Killi, the Witch Market, the local market, the church of San Francisco and Moon Valley. In the afternoon, you will enjoy some free time to roam around the city.

We will start the next day of our tour moving on to Copacabana. This town is sanctuary of the Catholics and located at the shore of Lake Titicaca, about 150km from La Paz. In the afternoon, we will take a boat to get to the Island of the Sun. Here, we will visit the old Inca temple of Pilkokaina and the Spring of the Three Waters, both two ancient ceremonial places that tell interesting legends. The night will be spent on the island in the community Yumani.

After breakfast, we will realize a small hike across the island. Enjoy fabulous views over the blue Titicaca Lake and the surrounding mountains, and learn about the Roca Sagrada (Holy Rock) or the Chincana. Later, we will return to Copacabana and make our way to Puno (Peru), where we will spend the night.

Our tour continues in Peru, traveling towards the old Inca capital Cusco. On the way, we visit the La Raya pass, which is the highest point on the route (4.300m abote sea level). Also, we will stop at the archaeological site Racchi and the church Andahuaylillas before we get to the imperial city of Cusco. Accommodation in the hotel.

We will start our next day getting to know the city of Cusco and its most important archaeological sites. In the morning, you will take a guided tour though the city, exploring the main market square, the cathedral and its colonial architecture. Afterward, we will visit the famous Temple of the Sun, also known as the Koricancha. We will finish the city tour with a walk through the most symbolic streets of Cusco. In the afternoon, we leave the heart of the city to discover the forts Sacsayhuman, Kenko, Pukara and the Tambo Machay, the most important archaeological spots in the area.

We depart from Cusco to visit the Valle Sagrado, the “Holy Valley of The Incas”. En route, we will stop in the village of Chinchero. This town is known for its colonial church and the beautiful handicraft market. After a stroll through the streets we move on to Pisac, visiting its archaeological site that is one of the most important in the region. Finally, we get to the fort of Ollantaytambo, a huge ancient fort strategically placed on the peak of a hill. Here, we will spend the night.

Machupicchu is probably one of the most famous sights in the world, and without doubt one of the highlights of this tour. We will take the train to Aguas Calientes in the morning. From there, a bus takes us up to Machupicchu, where you can discover the history and legends of this fascinating place on a guided tour of about 2 ½ hours. Afterward, there will be enough time to explore the ruins on your own. We will return through the Valle Sagrado, arriving in Cusco again at the end of the day.

A morning flight will take you from Cusco to Lima, the capital city of Peru. Here, you will be picked up and brought to your hotel. In the afternoon, you can get to know the city on a city tour. We visit the Plaza de Armas (main square), the Cathedral and the government palace. On a stroll through the old town of Lima, you can appreciate the beautiful balconies and colonial architecture. Also, we will enter the old abbey of San Francisco and explore the vibrant district of Miraflores before we return to the hotel. Night in Lima.

The last day of the tour ends with the transfer to the airport of Lima.