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14 Days in Chile - Glaciers and Moai

This trip takes you to the Easter island, Santiago , Valparaiso, Patagonia and Tierra Del Fuego

Day 1: Arrival to Santiago de Chile – Transfer Airport Hotel – Half Day PM City Tour.

We need your flight details for to confirm this day, but thinking that you will arrive early this day include a Half Day tour in Santiago de Chile.

At morning our guide will be waiting you on the arrival gate for to give you the welcome to Chile and transport you at your Hotel, where you can leave your luggage. You will made the check in at back of your city tour.

At 12:00 our guide will be waiting you in the hall of your hotel for to go lunch and after start our 4 hrs. city tour through the main points of Santiago. If you want, our guide can go with the group to change money in a good place.

Santiago City Tour Half Day: Do you want to know how Santiago was founded and what life in this beautiful capital is like? This half day tour gives you an introduction to our wonderful city.  You will be able to explore the main neighbourhoods (financial, commerce, bohemian and historical) and have a good idea of what life in this city is like.

We will visit downtown, the Santa Lucia hill, La Moneda government palace, La Constitución square, Main Square, the Cathedral, Central Market and the old Congress. After that we will go to Bellavista, Providencia and Las Condes neighbourhoods, as well as the El Golf area (Sanhattan) where you can learn more about the modern Santiago.

 

Day 2: Transfer Hotel/Airport – Flights to Easter Island - Transfer Mataveri Airport / Easter Island Hotel

Depending our domestic flight our guide will be at morning in your hotel to transfer you to Santiago Airport to take your flight to Easter Island.

Approx. At 13:30 of Easter Island time, you will be picked up at the airport with a flower necklace according to local Polynesian tradition. Transfer to your hotel.

You will have the afternoon free to lunch, rest and enjoy your hotel.

At your arrival in the Easter Island Airport, you need to paid the Rapa Nui National Park fees valid for 10 days. The price nowdays is US$ 80 p/person (only cash) and allow you to enter in the island.

 

Day 3: Full Day Historic Pathways Tour

At 10:00 our local guide will pick up you for your Historic Pathways Tour:

Unearth some of the gems of Easter Island´s fascinating past with stops at several significant sites of interest. Head to Puna Pau, the small crater that acted as the scoria quarry for the moai's famous topknots, before continuing to the site of the island´s most intricate stone work at Ahu Tahira in Vinapu, where the moai platform is reminiscient of the legendary masonry of the Incas of South America. Take in the breathtaking views at the giant cauldron of Rano Kau, a miniature eco-system and the largest volcano crater on the island.

Experience the wind on your face at the clifftop ceremonial village of Orongo, and discover the significance of the Birdman Cult that emerged out of the ruins of the Moai building era. Peer off the precipice at the ocean below where once a year during the Birdman competition, brave warriors from the island's various clans would climb down the steep rocky cliffs to the swirling ocean below and swim out to the small islets off the coast in an attempt to bring back the first egg of the manutara bird, therefore winning the right for their clan to rule the island for the following year. Finish the day with a visit to Ahu Akivi, the renowned seven inland moai that stand gazing oceanwards, and explore the large and unique cave system of Ana Te Pahu, known affectionately as "The Banana Cave".

 

Day 4: Full Day Moai Monuments Tour - Polynesic Dinner Show

At 10:00 our local guide will pick up you for your Moai Monuments Tour

Uncover the secrets of Easter Island by piecing together the many clues given to us by the gigantic sculpted megaliths that cover this mysterious land. Start the journey by visiting the ahu platforms at Tahai, where the clear morning light brings alive the moai that look over this restored ancestral village of the Rapanui people. Visit the ruins of the fallen moai at Ahu Akahanga, where three platforms sit untouched since the Rapanui turned on the traditions of their ancestors and began toppling the moai. Stand in awe at the restored site of Ahu Tongariki, where fifteen stone giants stand watch over the land as silent sentinels, dwarfing all who come into their presence.

Spend a bulk of the afternoon absorbing the grandeur of the moai that sit half emerged from the soil Rano Raraku, the volcano crater that acted as a stone quarry and birthplace for these immense figures. Visit Ahu Te Pito Kura, the site of the largest moai to ever stand on an ahu, and see the legendary magnetic stone that according to island history, was brought to Easter Island from the original Polynesian homeland of Hiva by the first king, Hotu Matuʻa. Finish the day taking in the coconut palms, turquoise water and white sand at Anakena Beach, and gazing upon the post-modernist style moai of Ahu Nau Nau.

Between 19:45 and 20:00 hrs. your transfer will pick you up in your hotel for to go into a local restaurant for to have a Dinner Show with typical food, music & dance (regular services).

 

Day 5: Transfer Easter Island Hotel/Airport - Flight to Santiago – Transfer Santiago Airport/Hotel.

Depending your flight our local guide will pick you up to go to Mataveri Airport and back to Santiago. In the Santiago Airport our driver will transfer you to your hotel. The rest of the day will be free to enjoy the Santiago offers by your self or stay in the hotel.

 

Day 6: Full Day Valparaíso & Viña del Mar with Casablanca Wine Tour

At morning our guide will be in your hotel to go in Pacific ocean direction. Our first stop will be in Casablanca Valley. Casablanca Valley is famous for its wine production, especially for its white wines. Here, you can find a wide variety of wineries.

You will visit Emiliana Vineyards, which is known as one of the most important biodynamic organic vineyards in the country. This tour differs from other wine tours because it emphasizes the cultivation and management of grapes before they are harvested. This wine tour will focus on the importance of a biodynamic farm and the elements that make it up: animals, flowers, etc. After the tour we will taste some wines of the house.

After wine tour we will continue to Valparaíso City.

Valparaiso is one of the most culturally rich cities in Chile. It was declared as a World Heritage in 2003 by the UNESCO due to its historical importance as it was the principal port in the Pacific until the year 1914. This city was a melting pot, and a place where people from France, England, Germany, Yugoslavia, Holland and Chile were mixed among each other. It stands out for its spontaneous architecture built on 41 colorful hills.

At the North of Valparaiso you can find the "Garden City", called Viña del Mar. Its ornamentation, beaches and rich cultural activities make Viña del Mar an important place to visit.

In this tour we will visit the “Concepción” and “Happy” hills, Sotomayor square, Valparaiso harbor, Flower Clock, Municipal Casino and Ecuador walk. We will enjoy the best seafood on the harbor by visiting one of the local restaurants, where you can lunch with a beautiful view of the ocean.

 

Day 7: Transfer Hotel/Airport – Flights to Punta Arenas - Transfer Airport / Puerto Natales Hotel

Depending our domestic flight our guide will be at morning in your hotel to transfer you to Santiago Airport to take your flight to Easter Island.

Our local driver will wait for you at Airport to transfer you to your hotel. There you can make the check in, rest and go out to discover the Puerto Natales City by yourself.

 

Day 8: Full Day Torres del Paine National Park and Milodon Cave. Regular Service

The excursion begins with a visit to Milodón cave, a remarkable cavern of 200 meters long, 30 meters high and 80 meters wide, it´s located 25 km from Puerto Natales. A half-hour walk will take us into the cave, known for the discovery of fresh skin and bones from a prehistoric species of giant sloth, the milodón. There have also been found remains of other extinct animals, such as dwarf horse, bear, panther and saber-toothed tiger.

We continue towards Torres del Paine crossing Numerous Estancias and a landscape that goes from the steepy to the deciduous forest. Along the way it is possible to see local fauna including the South American ostrich and the guanaco, a wild camelid.

Torres del Paine is famous for the massifs that give it’s name, giant granite modeled by the force of glacial ice. After entering in the park we discover a series of intense colored lagoons, mountains covered with ice and abundant local fauna. Then you will stop for a 15-minute walk to the Salto Grande on the Paine River. After lunch you will continue to Lake Gray, where you will go for a walk leading to a panoramic point: from there you can see the icebergs and the glacier of the same name. Subsequently, the same route undertakes the return to Puerto Natales, or by the path that borders the lakes Toro, Porteño and Sofia.

 

Day 9: Sailing Serrano and Balmaceda Glaciers. Regular Sevices.

This spectacular trip is a must if you visit the city of Puerto Natales. We invite you to discover the incredible world of the fjords.

Sailing by boat to the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers, through Ultima Esperanza Fjord, sighting of beautiful mountains, waterfalls, estancias and Patagonian avifauna.

Visit Balmaceda Glacier and hike through leafy coihues and ñirres forest up to the foot of the Serrano Glacier.

The tour ends with a lunch, where you can taste a typical dish from the area, the Magellanic lamb, before going back to Puerto Natales.

 

Day 10: Full Day Perito Moreno Glacier.

Early in the morning your transfer will pick you up and will drive you to Argentina in order to visit the Perito Moreno glacier, a very active glacier on the south arm of Lake Argentino. 

One of the most traditional excursions to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier consists of navigating on a catamaran up to the highest walls and making a stop there to admire its grandeur.

The nautical safari, as other tours, waits for passengers to get on board at the bay called Bajo las Sombras (Under the Shadows). One of the most outstanding excursions available is hiking on the glacier with the aid of crampons to walk on the Perito Moreno itself: a memorable experience.  But the catamaran is an adventure with capital letters. At its own pace, slow but steady, the ice floes that float adrift on the surface of Lake Argentino are captured by the cameras coverting to a souvenir from this tour.

The catamaran gets as close as possible to the point where the glacier meets solid ground and the famous ice bridge is formed. Every now and then, this bridge collapses and this is known as “the rupture”. In fact, that’s not such a rupture; the glacier is constantly breaking off.

As you approached Canal de los Témpanos (the Channel of the Ice Floes), the boat stops in front of the glacier and started to tour along its front. Many passengers are on deck trying to capture this show starred by nature with photographic cameras and camcorders. Silence and expectation prevailed. Nobody wants to miss some great calving event and the truth is that this tour guarantees astonishing scenes. Here you will proceed with the group to the balconies viewing areas for approximately 45 minutes of viewing time. Later you return to spend the night in the town of Puerto Natales.

 

Day 11: Transfer Puerto Natales Hotel/Punta Arenas Hotel - HD City Tour Punta Arenas. 

At morning our driver will pick you up and transfer you to your hotel in Punta Arenas. After check in and lunch we will meet this special city.

The Colorful Punta Arenas is the southern most continental city in the world, also known as “the end of the world”. Its location along the Magellan Strait, places this city as a historic-cultural attraction for being the main shipping port between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Nowadays it maintains an European architectural style, represented in its neo-classical buildings, and its broad tree-lined streets.

The pick up will be at your hotel, where we will drive through the ¨Plazas de Armas¨ (Main Square). There, you will see the Bronze Monument called ¨The Patagon Indian¨ dedicated to Hernando de Magallanes. Continuing with our journey, you will visit ¨Cerro de la Cruz. It´s a beautiful viewpoint of the city, where you will also be able to see the Strait of Magellan. Then, you will drive to Municipal Cemetery, with its beautiful gardens and mausoleums.

To continue with the City Tour, you will Access to the ¨Ovejero Monument¨ where you can take pictures. Then, you will visit the Nao Victoria museum where you can appreciate an attractive and interactive real scale Boat and live the experience of the expedition led by “Hernando de Magallanes”.

Finally, you will visit the seafront of the City where you will see the replica of the ¨Goleta Ancud”.

After the City tour you can return to the hotel to have a rest or continue discovering the city and its markets by yourself.

 

Day 12: Full Day Fire Land and King Penguin. Regular Services.

You will be able to enjoy a nice and comfortable place, connected with Navigation through the Strait of Magellan.

The King Penguin is the second largest out of 18 penguin species around the world.

The pick up time at your hotel will be between 07:30 and 08:00 am to go to the “Tres Puentes terminal”. At approximately 09:00 a.m, we will begin 2 hours of crossing through the strait of Magellan. As soon as you arrive on Bahia Chilota village, you will have a 20 minutes driving to go and visit one of the most southern city in Chile, Porvenir”. Upon Arrival, you will visit the Museum Fernando Cordero and the Selknam Square. Then around 01:00 p.m, you will stop in a small and cheap restaurant for lunch.

Continuing with the trip, you will go to the Bahia Inutil to meet an incredible colony ¨The king Penguing Park”. After the visit, you will begin the trip back to Punta Delgada Area, around 20 minutes, and finally you will visit San Gregorio Residence, which is the last stop.

So you will arrive around 09:30 P.M in Punta Arenas.

 

Day 13: Transfer Punta Arenas Hotel/Airport - Flight to Santiago – Transfer Santiago Airport/Hotel.

Depending your flight our local guide will pick you up to go to Punta Arenas Airport and back to Santiago. In the Santiago Airport our driver will transfer you to your hotel. The rest of the day will be free to enjoy the Santiago offers by your self or stay in the hotel.

 

Day 14: Transfer Hotel/Airport – International Flight

Depending on your flight time our guide will be waiting at your hotel to go at Santiago Airport.