Day by day...

Day 1 : SANTIAGO DE CHILE / ARRIVAL – CITY TOUR

Arrival to Santiago de Chile in the morning (flight time and number to be confirmed, flight not included). Meeting with your driver/guide and transfer to the hotel. First glance of the Chilean capital, metropolis located at the Andes bottom, with an unequal charming. Even if throughout the years it has become a modern city, certain neighborhoods still have an ancient and romantique atmosphere. Visit of the Plaza de Armas, the Bellavista neighborhood and the Cerro San Cristobal.
Night at the hotel. Meals not included.

Day 2 : SANTIAGO – CALAMA (FLIGHT) – SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA / MOON VALLEY

Departure from your hotel and transfer to the airport 1.30 hours before scheduled departure to Calama (flight time and number to be confirmed, flight not included, see flight options down below). After a flight slightly over 2 hours, we meet your guide at Calama airport and transfer to San Pedro de Atacama, a small village nestled at 2,500 meters above sea-level. Check-in at the hotel. Spare time.
At 3.30 pm, departure to the Cordillera de Sal (salt mountains) and Moon Valley to have a walk in a magnificent landscape made of sand dunes and sculpted calcareous mountains. We admire the sunset (superb colors over the contorted scenery) before going back to San Pedro.
Night at the hotel. Meals not included. Optional: At nightfall, we follow an astronomer to a semi-professional astronomical observatory in San Pedro for a discovering session of the Austral sky, the clearest sky in the world. After 2 hours of observation, we finish by listening to the explanations of our guide while drinking a hot drink, before going back to the village.
Note: Excursion open to others participants (15 people maximum in total). Impossible during harvest moon.

Day 3 : SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA / SALAR DE TARA - MONJES DE LA PAKANA

In the morning, we leave the hotel to go to the Salar de Talar, one of the most impressive landscapes of the Altiplano. It is situated at 4,300 meters of altitude and surrounded by volcanoes. Some volcanic rocks have a particular shape such as the Monjes de la Pakana (Monks of Pakana) or Tara’s Cathedrals. We also admire the Tara Lagoon that helps wildlife maintain in such an hostile environment. Return to San Pedro at the end of the day. Night at the hotel.
Cold lunch included, dinner not included.

Day 4 : SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA / TATIO GEYSERS

Departure at 5.00 am towards the Tatio where we admire 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 to clear water springs at more than 70°C (160°F). We observe numerous volcanic formations.
Return to San Pedro at the end of the morning and free afternoon to enjoy the charms of this oasis village and visit the museum of Father Le Paige which gathers an impressive collection of objects from the Atacamena culture. Night at the hotel. Meals not included.

Day 5 : SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA (REGULAR BUS LINE) – ARGENTINA – SALTA

In the morning, transfer to the bus station to take a direct bus line to Salta. Pick up at Salta terminal and transfer at the hotel. Night at the hotel in Salta. Meals not included.
Note 1 : unaccompanied journey – 630km – 10 hours of bus (depending on the border crossing).
Note 2 : only on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, departure at 9.00am

Day 6 : SALTA – CACHI – CACHI ADENTRO - CACHI

Departure from your hotel in an All-Terrain Vehicle to Cachi, small colonial village situated at 2,200 meters of altitude (7,220 feet) and 150 km (90 miles) from Salta.
We cross spectacular landscapes such as the Piedra del Molino pass, the Escoipe Ravine, mountains of the Cuesta del Obispo (Bishop’s hill) and Los Cardones Regional Park.
Visit of Cachi, its church and its small archaelogical museum. Then visit of Cachi Adentro, another village and return to Cachi, admiring snowy peaks and translucent torrents on the way. Night at the hotel in Cachi. Meals not included.

Day 7 : CACHI – MOLINOS – CAFAYATE

Departure from your hotel in an All-Terrain Vehicle to Molinos, small village dating from 1659. Visit of its majestic church and elegant Isasmendi’s farm, last governor of Salta.
We cross the spectacular « Quebrada de las Flechas » to go to Cafayate, the most important city of the Calchaquies valleys, known for its wine-producing activities. Wine tasting in the evening.
Night at the hotel in Cafayate. Meals not included.

Day 8 : CAFAYATE – QUILMES – QUEBRADA DE LAS CONCHAS – SALTA

Departure from Cafayate to go to the archaelogical site of Quilmes, old fortification from the Incas. Visit of the site. Departure to Salta. Night at the hotel there.
Meals not included.

Day 9 : SALTA – SAN ANTONIO DE LOS COBRES - SALINAS GRANDES – PURMAMARCA

We leave Salta, situated at 1,200 meters of altitude to reach in 166 kilometers the village of San Antonio situated at 3,774 meters of altitude. On our way, we go along the railway line of the Train to the Clouds.
We stop at the village of Santa Rosa de Tastil (3,200 meters) and visit the pre-Inca site dating from the 13th and 14th centuries AD (about half-an-hour walking).
We arrive at San Antonio de Los Cobres and visit the small museum dedicated to the construction of highest railway line in the world. We continue our trip to reach one of the largest Argentinian salty desert (1 200 km2).
We then go through the Lipán pass at 4,170 meters to arrive at the last stage of our journey: Purmamarca, which means village of the Holy Land in the Aymara language. It is famous for its seven-colored mountain, the « Cerro de los Siete Colores ». Night at the hotel in Purmamarca. Meals not included.
Note 1 : 365 km, of which 150 km of difficult and aloft trek, about 7h30 of route.
Note 2 : From November to March, the access to Salinas Grandes can be difficult or even impossible because of the rainy season.

Day 10 : PURMAMARCA - TILCARA – HUMAHUACA – LA QUIACA – VILLAZÓN – BOLIVIA – TUPIZA

Spare time in the morning to enjoy the Cerro de los 7 Colores and the village of Purmamarca.
Departure in our vehicle to go to Pucará de Tilcara, far from 20 kilometers. This pré-Hispanic village of the Omaguaca civilization dates from more than 900 years. Visit of the site and the remarkable collections of its museum.
We also stop at the village of Humahuaca, situated at 2,940 meters and which was one of the most important trade centers of the High Peru.
At the beginning of the afternoon, we arrive at the Argentinian border to enter Bolivia where we meet our Bolivian driver. Transfer in a private All-Terrain Vehicle to the town of Tupiza (3-hour trip).
Night at the hotel in Tupiza. Meals not included.
Note : 235 km, 3h00 of route.

Day 11 : TUPIZA – ATOCHA - UYUNI

Today we reach the Altiplano. We then head north to pass through the Colcha pampas (6/7-hour trip). Night at the hotel in Uyuni.
Cold lunch included. Dinner not included (we suggest you La Loco Restaurant).

Day 12 : UYUNI – SALAR - SAN JUAN

Departure from your hotel at 9.00 am in a private All-Terrain Vehicle to visit the cementery of locomotives, next to the town before leaving to the Salar de Uyuni (3,650 meters of altitude), the largest salty desert in the world. On our way, we visit a salt exploitation in Colchani and the “hotel of salt” (closed since 2001). Then, we stop in the Salar on the Incahuasi Island of volcanic origin.
In the afternoon, we head south towards the village of San Juan, where you can admire the spectacular mummies of the “Lords of Lipez” (1200 D.C) and visit a small museum. Night at the hotel in San Juan.
Cold lunch and dinner included.

Day 13 : SAN JUAN – ROAD OF JEWELS – SILOLI DESERT

We leave San Juan and pass through the Small Salar de Chiguana. Than we go up to 4,200 meters of altitude, at the foot of the Tomasamil volcan (5,900 meters of altitude). We stop at the watchtower of the Ollagüe volcan (5,865 m alt.), which is still active and includes one of the highest sulphur mines in the world. We then go along the Chilean border towards the South by taking the “Road of Jewels”: Cañapa, Hedionda, Ch’arkota and Honda lagoons, sanctuaries of 3 varieties of flamingos. Our trip keeps on through the beautiful landscapes of the Siloli Desert where our hotel is situated. Night at the Hotel del Desierto.
Cold lunch and dinner included.

Day 14 : SILOLI DESERT – LAGUNA COLORADA - LAGUNA VERDE - CHILE - SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

We head south through the magnificent landscapes of Siloli desert and its famous “rock tree” to reach Laguna Colorada (Coloured Lagoon). Then we go to Sol de Mañana geysers and Polques hot springs before going along the Salada Lagoon and crossing the Dali desert (in reference with one of Dali’s paintings). At the end of the morning, we reach the White and Green Lagoons, next to Juriques and Licancabur Volcanoes.
At the beginning of the afternoon, border crossing at Hito Cajon. Then one-hour walking to reach San Pedro de Atacama. Night at the hotel.
Cold lunch included, dinner not included.

Day 15 : SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA – CALAMA (FLIGHT) – SANTIAGO

Departure from your hotel and transfer to Calama airport 1.30 hours before scheduled departure to Santiago (flight time and number to be confirmed, flight not included, see flight options down below). Pick up at the airport and transfer to your hotel.
Night at the hotel. Meals not included.

Day 16 : DEPARTURE FROM SANTIAGO

Transfer from your hotel to the international airport three hours before your scheduled departure (flight time and number to be confirmed, flight not included). Meals not included.