Andean Deserts & Argentinian Valleys

Arrival in Santiago and private transfer to your hotel.

An English-speaking guide will accompany you during the transfer.
Visit of Chile's capital, nestled at the foot of the Andes. Although Santiago has become over the years a modern and bustling city, some older neighbourhoods have preserved their atmosphere and a romantic charm.
You will visit the Plaza de Armas, San Francisco Church, the Bellavista area, Cerro San Cristobal, etc.

Night at the Galerias hotel ***.

Included : transfer arrival, english speaking guide, guide expenses, entrance fees, private transport, room & breakfast
Included opts : International guide

Private transfer from your hotel to Santiago airport.

Domestic flight from Santiago to Arica (time to be confirmed, flight indicated in option).
5-day expedition in a private vehicle with a Spanish-speaking driver.
Meet your driver / guide at the Chacalluta airport located in the desert 15 km north of Arica, near the Peruvian border, or at your hotel in Arica. Immediate departure to begin an incredible climb to 3,500 m of altitude. In a little more than 150 km, you will reach the pleasant village of Putre (about 5-hour drive with stops). You will see, among others, geoglyphs and petroglyphs, the terraced fields of Socoroma, candelabra cactus on the edge of the canyon and beautiful views of the Nevado de Putre (5,824 m alt.).
Night in the village of Putre (3,500 m alt.). Excellent base to begin acclimatization.


Night at Hotel la Chakana **.
Included : transfer departure, domestic flight, airport tax, local guide, guide expenses, entrance fees, private transport, room & breakfast

Option 1: Start your day with the small village of Parinacota and its pretty church. Then, walk up to the Cotacotani Lagunas (4h walk - 10 km ). The guide will show you the way and pick you up at the end of the walk. Then, you will drive up to the Chungara Lake, and reach Putre at the end of the day.

Option 2: Take a short walk (around 30 minutes) to get to Las Cuevas. In the village Parinacota, the vehicle will pick you up and you will drive down to the Cotacotani Lagunas, without doing the hike.
You will then continue to the Chungara Lake, and Putre at the end of the day.


Night at Hotel la Chakana **.
Included : local guide, guide expenses, entrance fees, private transport, room & breakfast

Head south through the Las Vicuñas National Reserve and follow the active volcano Guallatiri, which peaks at 6,063 m alt. (fumaroles around the summit) before arriving at the Salar de Surire (4,245 m alt.) which takes its name from the presence of ostriches (suri in Aymara). Observation of different species of flamingos, as well as many llamas, alpacas and vicuñas. Lunch break near the hot springs. Continue on a narrow track that descends south, crossing the colonial villages of Enquelga (3,850 m alt.) and Isluga (3,980 m alt.). Arrival in Colchane in late afternoon.

Night at the hotel Isluga **.
Included : room & breakfast, dinner (no drinks), local guide, guide expenses, entrance fees, private transport, box lunch

From Colchane, the track takes you south to a No Man’s Land close to the border. You will drive around Cariquima Volcano (5,390 m.a.s.l.) then over the Potezuelo Pass (at an elevation of 5,075 meters!) to arrive in Huasco Salt Flat. This natural basin surrounded by volcanoes, at 3,700 meters above sea level, impresses by its loneliness. It is the most beautiful imaginable spot for an outdoor lunch!
In the afternoon, you will descend to 2,400m to reach Pica. The desolate Pampa gives in to a lush oasis of orange and lemon groves and guava trees. It is a pure pleasure!
Night in a small hostel.



Night at the Hotel Santa Rosa ***.
Included : local guide, guide expenses, entrance fees, private transport, room & breakfast

From Pica, keep on descending towards Pintados, where you can admire interesting gigantic geoglyphs. On the slopes of the surrounding hills, the pre-Columbian civilizations drew around 350 figures, representing human, animals and abstract shapes. You will reach the famous “Pan-Americana”, the road linking Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, and cross the whole Pampa de Tamarugal. This desolate area witnessed a real rush at the end of the 19th century, not for gold but for saltpeter. Numerous abandoned “oficinas” reflect this ephemeral and tragic past. You will then head towards Calama, and San Pedro de Atacama, where you will arrive at the end of the day.




Night at the Takha Takha Hotel in a superior room **.
Included : local guide, guide expenses, entrance fees, private transport, room & breakfast

At 9:00 a.m. departure to the north of the Salar de Atacama and the lagoon Cejar. Swimming break in the lagoon where you will surprisingly float, given the extreme salt concentration, an unforgettable moment in the desert! You continue to the Ojos del Salar, another lagoon where you can swim. End of the Tour at the Laguna Tebenquinche to enjoy the beautiful colors of the Licancabur volcano. Back to San Pedro.
In the middle of the afternoon, departure to the Cordillera de Sal (salt mountains) and the Moon Valley to have a walk in a magnificent landscape made of sand dunes and sculpted calcareous mountains. Make sure you watch the sunset project amazing colors over the tortuous scenery before going back to San Pedro.

Night at the Takha Takha Hotel in a superior room **.
Included : english speaking guide, guide expenses, entrance fees, private transport, room & breakfast

Departure from your hotel in the morning. Day fully dedicated to the discovery of the Atacama salt flat and its surrounding. The Toconao and Socaire villages, the Quebrada de Jerez, the Chaxa, Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons with their volcanoes, are the “must” of this visit. Lunch in a restaurant at Socaire. Return to San Pedro at the end of the afternoon.

Night at the Takha Takha Hotel in a superior room **.
Included : lunch (no drinks), english speaking guide, guide expenses, entrance fees, private transport, room & breakfast

Departure between 4.30 and 6.00 (time depends on the vehicle, the number of passengers and the season) from the hotel towards the Tatio. You will arrive at the perfect time to admire the sunrise and the geysers roaring in the cold air of the Altiplano. The valley looks like a giant pot. Water spurts here and there. This geological curiosity mixes a ground still frozen with boiling hot clear water springs (70°C/160°F). Observation of numerous volcanic formations.
After a few hours, return to San Pedro via the Machuca Valley.

Night at the Takha Takha Hotel in a superior room **.
Included : english speaking guide, guide expenses, entrance fees, private transport, breakfast, excursion (private), room & breakfast

Transfer in a private vehicle from your hotel to the bus station.

Regular bus from San Pedro de Atacama to Salta.
Included : transfer departure, bus ticket

Welcoming at Salta's bus station and transfer to your hotel in a private vehicle.
Transfer with an English speaking guide.

Night at the Delvino Boutique Hotel in standard room.

Included : transfer arrival, reception with english-speaking guide, room & breakfast
Included opts : English speaking-guide.

Departure to Cachi, located at 2200masl, at 157km from Salta.

We drive through spectacular landscapes such as those offered by the Piedra del Molino mountain pass at 3,600 meters, the Quebrada de Escoipe, a deep gorge where the green of the woods contrasts with the ochre of the soil on the bare mountains of “Cuesta del Obispo” and Los Cardones National Park composed of stark expanses scattered with candelabrum-shaped cacti…

Cachi is a tranquil Andean native village featuring low-whitewashed houses and the San José Church with its sculpted roof of cactus-wood dating back to the eighteenth century. We visit the small archaeological museum which has a wonderful collection of pre-Inca and Inca ceramics, especially those pertaining to the Santa María culture.

We head to La Paya Ruins. It is an important site, with many ring walls, circular stone tombs and the place known as the Casa Morada del Inca, a separate building from the rest, apparently built as a transit station in the Inca Trail.

We return to Cachi.

Night at the El Cortijo Boutique Hotel in standard room.

Included : english speaking guide, guide expenses, private transport, room & breakfast

Departure by private vehicle to reach the small town of Molinos, dating from 1659; there is a church, probably erected in the late eighteenth century, by the last royal governor of Salta, Don Nicolás Severo of Isasmendi, buried there. Around this chapel, the town of Molinos grew.

You cross the majestic "Quebrada de las Flechas" surrounded by a mysterious moonscape.

White dunes announce the nearness of Cafayate, the largest city in the valley of Calchaquies, whose economy relies on the wine industry. Wine tasting in the evening.

Night at the Killa Cafayate in standard room.

Included : english speaking guide, guide expenses, private transport, room & breakfast

This morning, we travel to Salta through the “Quebrada de las Conchas” which undoubtedly offers the visitor one of the most spectacular landscapes in the Northwest of Argentina, with its imposing semi-desert mountains featuring multi-colored rock formations sculpted by erosion.

A century-old sight conceived by nature for our benefit!

Night at the Delvino Boutique Hotel in standard room.

Included : english speaking guide, guide expenses, private transport, room & breakfast

Transfer from your hotel to Salta's airport in a private vehicle.

Domestic flight Salta - Iguazu.

Transport from Puerto Iguazu's airport to your hotel in a private vehicle.

Night at the Posada la Sorgente in standard room.

Included : transfer departure, domestic flight, airport tax, transfer arrival, room & breakfast

Departure to the Iguazú National Park, 18 km from the city centre. Walk along the lower and upper footbridges in the Devil’s Gorge. The Iguazu falls in the Misiones province are always beyond the expectation and the imagination of the visitors. It is often said that the falls are to be admired from the Brazilian side but experienced in the Argentinean side. A complete tour should thus include both sides of the falls. They are formed by a 70 meters drop in the elevation of the Iguazu River with 275 falls.
The first day of the tour is dedicated to the Argentinean side where the falls can be seen from various viewing, you can admire falls such as Bosetti, Mbigua and San Martin. We will continue with the lower circuit to observe the Dos Hermanas falls and the San Martin Island.
In the afternoon, the tour goes to the "Garganta del Diablo" circuit with a viewing point in front of the superb and powerful fall, over 150 meters long and 80 meters high. This impressive wonder is surrounded with a thick mist which is one of the biggest attractions of the National Park. The park does not only feature this stunning landscape but also an intense wildlife and flora.
Note: Please remember to take light waterproof clothing along.

Night at the Posada la Sorgente in standard room.

Included : english speaking guide, private transport, room & breakfast

Departure to the Brazilian side of the waterfalls. The 1,200 meters circuit takes the visitor along footbridges and viewing decks to admire the minor Floriano and Teodoro Da Fonseca falls and finally, the Santa María falls, from where the panorama onto Island San Martín and the entirety of the falls is absolutely breathtaking.

Note: from mid-October to mid-February, Brazil is one hour ahead of Argentina (daylight saving time).

Night at the Posada la Sorgente in standard room.

Included : english speaking guide, private transport, room & breakfast

Transfer from the Waterfalls to Puerto Iguazu's airport in a private vehicle.

Domestic flight Iguazu - Buenos Aires*.

*National o international airport depending on time schedule and availability.

Included : transfer departure, domestic flight, airport tax