Undiscovered Atacama and The Central Wine Valley

Today your driver will collect you from your hotel and take you back to the airport for our onward flight to Arica. In Arica, our local guide will collect you for your scenic transfer to Codpa. 

In the city of Arica, we will visit the central plaza, San Marcos Cathedral, Fisherman's wharf, Casa de la Cultura, and enjoy the panoramic view from El Morro. We will then head on to The Azapa Valley to visit the Alto Ramírez geoglyphs and The Cerro Sagrado with its archaeological museum of San Miguel. Here you can see an exhibition of the oldest mummies in the world, the Chinchorro Mummies. We will continue the journey through the desert with a stop in the Chaca Valley arriving at the Codpa Oasis. Once here, you can visit the small town of Guañacagua. Codpa Valley is renowned for its fertile lands, due to its mild climate and the Vítor River. Here you can find all kinds of fruits, such as guavas, citrus fruits and grapes, used to make Pintatani wine. The town of Codpa is of pre-Hispanic origin and was inhabited by the chief of the "Altos de Arica". The San Martín church, dating back to the fifteenth century, and the Codpa Valley Museum are the main attractions. 

Our tour takes us to the foothills stopping at the Ofragía and Cerro Blanco petroglyphs after breakfast. We will then head through the towns of Vitor, Tignamar and Belén. In the afternoon, we will make a stop in Chapiquiña and Putre, villages dedicated to livestock farming and agriculture, with fantastic terracing.

Today we will head out to the Lauca National Park, close to the Bolivian border and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Here we can appreciate a wide variety of Andean flora and fauna. We will stop at the ceremonial town of Parinacota, famous for its 17th-century Baroque-Mestizo style church. We will then visit the Cotacotani Lagoons and the Chungara Lake, which is one of the highest in the world. It is also blessed with spectacular views of the Twin Payachatas volcanos Parinacota and Pomerape. You can hike around the lake to take in the magnificent scenery. Jurasi hot springs visit is an optional stop off before we return to Putre for the evening.

Today, we will visit the remote towns of Socoroma, Pukara de Copaquilla, in the Atacama Desert before we continue to the Quebrada de Cardones to see the beautiful Candelabra Cactus. We will then head to The Lluta Valley and to the town of Poconchile where it is possible to see geoglyphs on the slopes of the Valley. We will make a stop at the Lluta River Wetlands to observe a large number and variety of seabirds and then we will travel along the coast until reaching Arica, where we will spend the evening.

In the morning we will head to the beaches of Arica before we go to the airport for the onward flight to Santiago. In the afternoon, we will head off on a city tour of Santiago

Where we will visit the city’s most outstanding attractions, including the downtown area, visiting the “Plaza de Armas”, the Cathedral, Ahumada Boulevard and the Government Palace “La Moneda”.  We will then head to “old” Santiago, crossing the bohemian neighbourhood of Bellavista, then we will drive up the San Cristobal Hill, for a magnificent panoramic view of the city and the spectacular Andean Mountain Range. After this, the tour will take you to the modern part of Santiago, including its chic neighbourhoods, shopping and financial centres.  

Today we will head to the city of Santa Cruz in the Colchagua Valley. Our first stop will be in the Montes winery. Renowned worldwide for their connection with the earth, their care of the vineyards, their experience in the winery and always seeking the finest quality in each of their wine… you will experience a true adventure in winemaking. You can visit the vineyards and the cellar, ending with a wine tasting. After lunch, you can visit Viu Manent winery, where you can walk through its beautiful wine cellars. It’s a winery of family tradition and colonial architecture where you will be able to ride a carriage, taste some wines and simply admire the Chilean countryside at its best. Then you can visit the Colchagua Museum, located just a few steps from our Santa Cruz hotel. The visit to this museum is a journey back to the origins of life, starting from 400 million years ago until the present day. 

The day starts with a visit to the Santa Cruz winery where you can take a tour around the garden of grape varieties, then we will continue to the harvest patio, the tanks and wine cellar, where you will have the opportunity taste some wines. The visit to this winery also includes a tour by cable car to go up to the Chamán Hill, where we can see the indigenous villages, a replica of the Aymara, Mapuche and Rapanui culture. We will visit the Laura Hartwig Winery before we return to the hotel. 

We will take you to the airport for your flight back to Santiago and on to your next destination!