Classic Northern Chile and the Central Wine Valley

After breakfast at the hotel, we will head to the car rental office. We will continue to Santa Cruz in the Colchagua Valley. Our first stop will be at the Montes winery, known worldwide for their connection with the earth, their vineyards, their experience in the winemaking process, and always seeking the finest quality in each of their wine- a true adventure in winemaking. Your visit will be a great experience and an opportunity to discover, learn about, and enjoy the fascinating world of their wines. You can visit the vineyards and the cellar, ending with a wine tasting. After lunch, you can visit Viu Manent winery, where you’ll walk through its beautiful wine cellars. This traditional winery with colonial architecture and spectacular views is where you will be able to ride in a carriage, taste some wines or simply admire the Chilean countryside landscape. You may then visit the Colchagua Museum, located just steps from Santa Cruz hotel, for a journey back to the origins of life, starting from 400 million years ago, to the modern-day. The town of Santa Cruz forms part of this quintessential wine growing region and the Colchagua wine route, with 20 vineyards in the valley.

Today, we can visit the Santa Cruz winery where you can take a tour around the garden to see the different grape varieties, then continue to the harvest patio, the tanks and wine cellar, where you can taste some wines. The visit to this winery also includes riding the cable car up to the Chamán Hill, to see the indigenous villages. We then recommend a visit to the Laura Hartwig Winery, before you return to your hotel for the evening. 

At your preferred time, you can drive back to Santiago Airport for your flight to The Calama airport. On arrival, we will head to San Pedro de Atacama. We will visit the old plaza and learn about the customs of its local inhabitants. As we adjust to the slow pace of life here, we can visit the impressive old church, take in all of the local art, and take a stroll through the workshops of the Craft Village, to find out how they keep their traditions alive. 

Today we will drive towards the fortress of Quitor, built over 700 years ago to defend them from invading neighbourhood villages. We will then visit the archaeological site of Tulor, which dates back 3,000 years and surrounds the shores of the lagoons. 

In the afternoon, we will visit the Moon Valley, found within the Salt Mountain Range. Its impressive geological formations made of diverse shapes and colours, giant dunes and beautiful salt crystals, on the crisp ground, makes you feel like you are on another planet.

Today, we will head out to the High-plateau Lagoons of Meñique and Miscanti, amid volcanos and mountains. We will then visit The Atacama Salt Flats and Toconao, a village of volcanic stone. We will then head to see the habitat of the spectacular pink flamingos, on the Chaxa Lagoon. After lunch in Socaire, we will continue on towards the mountains, where The Meñique and Miscanti Lagoons are located at a whopping 4,500 metres elevation. These lagoons are surrounded by impressive volcanoes formed by the Andes' rising, thousands of years ago.

Today we can enjoy an excursion to El Tatio Geysers. We will leave early to arrive for the sunrise and will begin with a walk around the geothermal field, watching how these spectacular jets of steam shoot into the air. You can enjoy a soak in these natural thermal pools.  

Once we arrive back to San Pedro de Atacama, we will head back to The Calama Airport for your afternoon flight home, or on to your next exciting destination.