On arrival in Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Chile’s vibrant capital, Santiago, you will be welcomed at the airport by your Wendy Wu representative and transferred to your hotel. Transfer time is approximately 45 minutes. Any time after your transfer is at leisure until this evening’s welcome dinner.

Travel three hours to the coast to visit the famously bohemian port town of Valparaíso. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Valpo (as it is often called) is a unique and delightful tangle of neighbourhoods draped over a series of hills. Funiculars connect the industrial seafront with the cerros (hills) neighbourhoods, each a maze of colourful, artfully-dilapidated mansions and enchanting street art. Ride the funicular up into the hills to explore, stopping to visit ‘La Sebastiana’, the former home of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. Return to Santiago this afternoon.

Rise early today to transfer to the airport and fly to the northern city of Calama (2 hours 10 minutes). From here, drive on to the desert oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama, before enjoying a local lunch in Ayllu de Coyo. This afternoon, explore some of San Pedro’s most famous landscapes with a drive out to Death Valley and Moon Valley, some of the driest spots on the planet. With lonely volcanoes populating the horizon, enjoy the views and the silence as the afternoon sun turns the hues of the rock from orange, to red to purple.

Travel approximately 2 hours to the otherworldly Salar de Atacama, the largest salt flat in Chile. Stop at Chaxa lagoon, part of the Los Flamencos National Reserve and home to wild flamingos, en route to the altiplano lagoons of Miscanti and Miniques. These lagoons sit between the Miniques Volcano range and Miscanti Mountain, and are kept partially warm by the magma chambers of the volcano. The dramatic blue waters are well loved by photographers. Continue to the village of Socaire, where you will see ancient agricultural terraces with irrigation channels. After lunch, travel to Toconoa, another peaceful village with typical colonial architecture built in Liparita (volcanic stone), Toconao. Explore the village before returning to your hotel in San Pedro.

Rise at approximately 4.30am and travel for around two hours deeper into the Atacama to visit El Tatio Geysers. The region’s 80 lively geysers and fumaroles are set within a ring of volcanoes and are most active and impressive at sunrise. Enjoy a guided walk amongst the mud craters and bubbling geysers. Continue travelling through the Andes Mountain Range with impressive views of Putama Volcano and Tocorpuri Mountains. Visit the small desert village of Machuca to see the typical terrace farming system, mud houses with straw roofs, and its local fauna such as llamas, alpacas and flamingoes. This afternoon, travel to Yerbas Buenas to see prehistoric petroglyphs of animals, among others, left by the yaris (shamans) of civilisations who inhabited this altiplanic region thousands of years ago. Continue to the Rainbow Valley, which owes its name to the multicoloured minerals in its hills, in a range of hues from red to violet. Keep an eye out for the wild vicunas as you drive – these distant relatives of the alpaca were considered endangered until recently, but numbers are recovering. Enjoy an evening of guided stargazing after dinner. Thanks to its dry climate and lack of light pollution, the Atacama Desert is considered to be one of the best places in the world for astronomy. Marvel at the stars and learn a little more about our universe. Today is a full day of touring. This day you will be reaching an altitude of 4320 metres above sea level for a short period of time.

This morning, transfer back to Calama and board your flight to Puerto Montt, the gateway to Chile’s spectacular Lakes District. The flight is approximately 5 hours via Santiago. Continue about an hour to Puerto Varas, a charming town on Llanquihue Lake. The town’s skyline is dominated by two snow-capped volcanoes.

Travel further around Llanquihue Lake to the village of Ensenada at the foot of Osorno Volcano. Here, you’ll take an easy hike on the volcano’s verdant slopes to reach the Osorno Ski Mountain Centre at 1,240 metres. Later, travel through Perez Rosales National Park to Petrohué Falls. Stroll along the boardwalks to admire the turquoise waters and lush greenery of the Petrohué River.

Visit the City Central Market this morning on the way to Puerto Montt. Fly to Punta Arenas followed by a four-hour ground transfer to Puerto Natales, arriving at your hotel in the late evening.

Today sail on the Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) Sound, a stunning and dramatic fjord carved out by glacial action. Cruise to Mount Balmaceda Glacier, which marks the end of the Sound and is home to sea lions and soaring cormorants. From here, take a short walk through native forest to the foot of the magnificent Serrano Glacier, part of the Southern Ice Field, before returning to Puerto Natales.

Enjoy another full day excursion, this time to the UNESCO World Heritage-designated Torres del Paine National Park. Spend the day amongst this breathtaking example of resplendent nature spotting large herds of guanacos as you go. Visit the Salto Grande of the Pehoé River, with the impressive mountains of Torres del Paine in the background. Then visit Lake Pehoé, Lake Grey and Grey Glacier. After lunch, on the way back to Puerto Natales stop at Milodon Cave where the remains of a prehistoric animal were found in the last century. Today includes lots of walking on uneven ground; sturdy walking shoes are recommended.

Transfer back to the airport in Punta Arenas and board your flight to Santiago. The road transfer will take approximately four hours. The flight is approximately 3 and half hours. On arrival, transfer to your hotel, where the rest of the day is at your leisure, with a farewell dinner this evening to round off the trip.

Today you will transfer to Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, Santiago for your flight home. Alternative extensions in Latin America and Antarctica are bookable via our reservations team.