Luxury Chile Desert & Lake Adventure - 10 Days

Day 1: Arrive in Santiago, Gourmet Dinner at Boragó

Welcome to Chile! Arrive in the lively capital, Santiago, and meet your driver, who'll take you to the 5-star Hotel Ritz-Carlton in the high-end El Golf neighborhood. Chic rooms feature classic wood and marble decor, South American art, and views of the city skyline and the Andes. Head to the glass-domed rooftop pool to relax, complete with spa and sun deck. 

Tonight, you'll enjoy a gourmet dinner at Boragó, listed as one of the world's top 50 restaurants. Feast on a menu of regional dishes inspired by Indigenous hunter-gatherers, created by acclaimed chef Rodolfo Guzmán, the founder of Boragó. Highlights include pink Maule tomato steak, Patagonian lamb with figs, and sea strawberry cake. Dine with views of Santiago's tallest mountain, Cerro Manquehue.

Day 2: Santiago City Tour, Evening Culinary Experience

Start the day with a private city tour of Santiago. Accompanied by a local guide, you'll explore the Plaza de Armas in Santiago's historic center. Founded in 1541, it's home to the impressive Catedral Metropolitana, a neoclassical church whose twin bell towers dominate the plaza's north side. 

Continue to the Civic District, home to ministerial buildings and the presidential palace of La Moneda, an 18th-century work of art in itself. Next, ride the cable car to Cerro San Cristóbal Hill for 360-degree city views. Take in the urban sprawl and spot landmarks like the Gran Torre Costanera, the tallest building in Latin America.

Freshen up at your hotel before tonight's private food tour. Start with a Chilean wine-tasting session at one of the country's top producers, then head to an upscale bar to sample sophisticated cocktails and tapas prepared by a nationally renowned chef. Finish your evening in one of the capital's top restaurants, savoring a delicious dinner with local wines. 

Day 3: Wine Tasting & Lunch at VIK Vineyard

Venture two hours south of Santiago today to VIK Vineyard in the Millahue Valley. This peaceful hilltop retreat lies on 10,687 acres (4,325 ha) of grooved vineyards, complete with a lake, box canyons, and distant views of the Andes. Tour the estate with a private guide to learn about the winemaking process, from grape to bottle. During the tour, you'll taste three varieties of wine from the barrel: cabernet sauvignon, carménère, and syrah.

After your tour, head to the elegant Pavilion Restaurant for a three-course meal paired with fine wines. The menu has a farm-to-fork concept, focusing on signature Chilean meats and produce. As you dine, enjoy views of the surrounding vineyards and mountains. Afterward, you'll return to Santiago for a final night in the capital. 

Day 4: Fly to San Pedro de Atacama, Stargazing Tour

This morning, take a flight to Calama in the country's far north. Upon arrival, your driver will be waiting to take you to the secluded outpost of San Pedro de Atacama, the launching point for adventures into the Atacama Desert. This high-altitude desert features endless salt flats, towering Andean peaks, and the volcanic Cordillera Domeyko, where red-hued mountains form the base of El Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon).

Check into your remote lodge, Nayara Alto Atacama, built from adobe to blend into the surrounding desert and Salt Mountain range. Highlights include Inca artwork, a telescope for stargazing, and the Atacamenian quincho, a pavilion where you can feast on barbecue accompanied by live music and Chilean wines. The desert gardens are home to a saltwater pool with carved rock beds and firepits, a llama enclosure, and Spa Puri's healing mineral baths.

Tonight, you'll enjoy an astronomical tour in the Atacama, one of the best places in the world for stargazing. Using a laser pointer, your guide will teach you how to identify constellations with the naked eye. You'll also get to use high-powered telescopes and binoculars to spot an array of celestial objects, including planets, binary stars, and spherical clusters. End the session with hot tea or chocolate beneath the stars before returning to your wilderness lodge.

Day 5: Atacama Salt Flats, Lagoons & Traditional Villages Tour

Spend a full day traversing Chile's famous Salar de Atacama (Atacama Salt Flats) with a private guide. First, you'll visit the traditional villages of Toconao and Socaire, which are known for their mud-and-volcanic-rock buildings and the 18th-century church in Toconao. Meet the locals and peruse craft markets, where you can pick up alpaca-wool clothing and handicrafts.

Next, visit high-plateau lagoons in Los Flamencos National Reserve. Set at 7,500 feet (2,300 m) above sea level, Laguna Chaxa is one of the best places in the world to see flamingoes. The algae-rich water is a magnet for three of the world's five flamingo species: James's, Chilean, and Andean. The birds flock here to breed and feed on plankton, shadowed by volcanoes and moon-like salt crusts. Continue to the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons for more bird-watching, then end with sweeping salt-flat views from Salar de Talar and Piedras Rojas.

Day 6: Hot-Air Balloon Ride & Valley of the Moon Tour

Rise early for a sunrise hot-air balloon ride over the Atacama Desert. Your driver will drop you at the launch site just before dawn, where you'll have a safety briefing accompanied by tea and coffee while the balloon is inflated. Step aboard and rise into the sky as the sun breaks on the horizon, casting a golden glow over the rolling desert landscape, scattered with lagoons and chalk-white salt flats. The hourlong flight concludes with a Champagne breakfast back on land. 

After resting at your hotel, spend the afternoon exploring the desert by car on a private Valley of the Moon tour, where you'll marvel at impressive stone and sand formations in Los Flamencos National Reserve. With no life or humidity in the valley, it's considered one of the most inhospitable places on the planet. Watch the sunset over its hills and gorges before returning to your lodge for a restful evening. 

The pilot will land at a panoramic viewpoint within Cochamó's granite mountains, which are beloved by rock climbers. While your guides prepare a tasty picnic lunch, you'll take a short hike to admire the jagged peaks and forest-covered valley views. Afterward, hop back in the helicopter to your hotel, passing over Calbuco, a mammoth stratovolcano that last erupted in 2015. Take the rest of the day to chill out at your luxury hotel.

Day 9: Scenic Seaplane Flight Over Patagonia

Continue your scenic sky adventures today, boarding a seaplane to reach off-the-beaten-path corners of Patagonia. Take off from the topaz waters of Lago Llanquihue, soaking up more views of the hulking Osorno, Puntiagudo, and Calbuco volcanoes. Pass over the national parks, fjords, and forests; your experienced pilot will point out key landmarks below.

Spend the rest of the day as you please. Relax by the hotel pool or detox with a sauna and steam room session at the spa, followed by a massage. If you're feeling adventurous, explore Puerto Varas independently. Named "the City of Roses" after the flowers that line its streets, Puerto Varas offers a mix of German colonial architecture and Indigenous Mapuche culture.

Day 10: Kayaking on Reloncaví Estuary, Fly to Santiago, Depart

Spend your last morning in Chile on a kayaking trip. Begin in the small town of Ralún, where, accompanied by a private guide, you'll board a kayak and paddle from the mouth of the Río Petrohué along the Reloncaví Estuary. This sparkling fjord is surrounded by snow-topped volcanoes and continues alongside Alerce Andino National Park, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its 4,000-year-old alerce trees. 

After lunch at a local restaurant, continue to Cochamó, admiring views of the glaciated Yate volcano reflected on the water's surface. This kayaking adventure marks the end of your luxury Chile tour. A driver will be waiting to transfer you to the airport, where you'll fly to Santiago in time to board your homebound flight. Safe travels!

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