Explore Chile from North to South: the Atacama, Chiloe Island & Patagonia

Early check-in. Private transfer and accommodation for two nights in a hotel in the fashionable Bellavista district, in the heart of Santiago. This is a charming hotel set in a building that has historic heritage status in the city. A 1929 family residence, now restored to a boutique hotel
Includes a private tour of Santiago, with a private guide. The city has quite modern tones with its classical and Gothic architecture and hints of Art Nouveau; past earthquakes have spared few colonial buildings. Take a stroll on the delightful Santa Lucia Hill or in the Parque Quinta Normal, visit the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art and La Moneda, the presidential palace, Plaza de la Ciudadania. The next day, head for the Pacific (75 miles away) for a private tour of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. A famous seaside resort with a very contemporary look before continuing on to Valparaiso. This large horseshoe-shaped bay, dominated by broad hills that descend to the sea, has been the most important harbour on the Pacific coast since the 19th century. Prior to the Panama Canal, all boats stopped there after making the arduous journey around Cape Horn. Its 15 rumbling funiculars still scale the countless hills that dominate the Pacific Ocean.

Transfer to the airport and flight to Calama, pick up the hire car and then drive to San Pedro de Atacama. Three-night stay in the heart of the village of San Pedro de Atacama, in a simple and friendly place with a country feel, a facade of adobe bricks, the terracotta hallmark of the desert habitat.

The Atacama Desert is one of the driest deserts in the world, and because of the dry air, the skies are exceptionally clear. San Pedro is an oasis. The church, made of adobe bricks, is one of the oldest in the country, dating from the 17th century. During these three days, you will visit the Museo Arqueologico R.P. Gustavo Le Paige, which documents in detail the ingenious civilisation of the Atacama Indians. The pre-Columbian sites of Quitor and Tulor are the perfect complement to the museum. The salt flats lagoons, which feed large colonies of flamingos, should also be explored. The salt concentration of the Laguna Cejar produces the same effects on the body as the Dead Sea. Early in the morning, the geothermal site ofEl Tatio, with its steam columns, is an impressive site.

Heading south. Transfer to Calama Airport and flight to Puerto Montt via Santiago. Collect the rental vehicle and make for Chiloe Island. Spend two nights in a hotel on stilts. This part of southern Chile has a majestic beauty. Its rivers are simply made for fishing or rafting. Chiloe Island is home to a wonderful architectural treasure of wooden houses and 200 Jesuit churches (and at least as many bars). Ancud, the port town of Chiloe and gateway to the southern archipelagos, is extremely isolated, enabling it to hold on to its customs.
In the Itinerary - Private tour of Castro with a guide.

Road to Puerto Varas. A church with a red roof set against the blue waters of Lake Llanquihue, and a backdrop of the snow-covered outline of the Osorno Volcano with the perfect cone: this is the scene that surrounds the small town of Puerto Varas, located at the northern end of the Patagonian canals. One-night stay in a traditional house beside the lake.

It's sixty miles or so along a well-maintained gravel track from Torres del Paine National Park to the small town of Puerto Natales. Turn your back on the iconic granite peaks to press on into an increasingly open landscape of wide windswept plains, the playground of the guanaco. Finally, arrive in Puerto Natales after a good two hours' drive offering beautiful views of Ultima Speranza Sound.