Chile Adventure Tour

On arrival Santiago’s International Airport you will be met and assisted through passport control and baggage claim, and continue to your vehicle for the short drive into the city and your hotel, Cumbres Lastarria.

This afternoon explore Santiago with your guide on a private city tour, contrasting the older, centrally located neighborhoods and the modern uptown neighborhoods of this megapolis. The tour will be conducted in chronological order, from the origins of the city, and the urban sprawl over the past 200 years that Santiago turned from town to megapolis, with over 7 million inhabitants. Highlights will include Cerro Santa Lucía, where the city was founded in 1542, the Plaza de Armas, the Central Market, Estación Mapocho (a former railway station), and La Moneda, the Presidential Palace. The second half of the tour will visit the residential areas of Providencia and Ñuñoa, and the cosmopolitan financial districts of Las Condes, before reaching La Dehesa, where the city reaches the foothills of the Andes, and offers a superb vantage point for a panoramic view of the city.

After breakfast, you will leave the hotel and drive to Santiago airport for the 1 ½ hour flight to the southern city of Puerto Montt. Upon arrival to Puerto Montt you will be met and transferred to the charming town of Puerto Varas, and Hotel Awa. Tucked between scenic Lago Llanquihue and the snow-capped Osorno and Calbuco volcanoes, the enchanting village of Puerto Varas blends a rich German heritage with the stunning natural beauty of southern Chile’s Patagonia region.

The tidy town center features charming wood-shingled homes, a public plaza teeming with rose gardens and unparalleled access to world-class recreation like kayaking, canyoning, rock climbing, fishing, hiking and skiing. Escape to a refined haven and experience the enchantment of Puerto Varas.

After an early breakfast, head out on a guided horseback riding exploration of the Valdivian Rainforest Reserve. Our local guides are patient and knowledgeable, and will interpret the local flora and fauna that surrounds you. After lunch, enjoy an excursion called the “Microcosmos”, the inspiration for this tour comes from the Patagonian saying “those in a hurry lose their time.” This saying was the inspiration to slow down and observe those tiny living beings, sometimes invisible to the naked eye. Fungi, lichens and moss have been living on Earth for millions of years, and through this guided tour, you’ll “meet” them. Later, a guided walking tour will take you through the unique history of the town of Frutillar before returning to the “present” as we visit the Teatro del Lago cultural center.

Today you will enjoy a full day of rafting or kayaking. Lunch is included in the excursion.
Experience the adrenaline rush rafting a class lll in the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park! This is one of the most beautiful rivers in southern Chile. Pure water volcanoes and native forests accompany you for two hours along 13 kilometers of exciting rapids. White water expert guides make this day a great experience.

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Spend a day leisurely paddling and discovering in a kayak! From the Bay of Frutillar, we hug the northern edge of the peninsula Punta Larga before entering the bay in search of volcanoes and photogenic old houses. Spend the day discovering the magnitude and beauty of Lake Llanquihue.

This morning your guide will meet you at the hotel for the transfer to Puerto Montt airport for your flight to Punta Arenas, gateway to Chilean Patagonia. Upon arrival to Punta Arenas, you will be met and transferred into Torres del Paine National Park, a fascinating and scenic 5-hours journey, and to your hotel Las Torres.

In 1926, with the birth of Antonio Kusanovic, the son of Croatian immigrants, an impressive history in the Torres del Paine area began. In 1976 Don Antonio purchased the beautiful Estancia Cerro Paine, located at the foot of the majestic Torres del Paine. With more than 4,000 hectares it was a thriving cattle ranch, but in the 1990s the Don Antonio and his wife built 9 rooms and a small restaurant to receive visitors from around the world who came to experience the beauty of Torres del Paine. Their goal was to keep the customs and traditions of the countryside in Patagonia alive and share them with visitors.

In 1997, after the passing of Don Antonio, the property came under the management of his four children: Liliana, Mauricio, Jose Antonio and Vesna. Today the Hotel Las Torres Patagonia (expanded from the nine original rooms) is one of the most important in the region and still keeps the principles of its founder: “share the warmth of the people and customs of Patagonia” On the way to National Park, stop at the Cerro Negro Ranch. The ranch is the midpoint between Punta Arenas and Torres del Paine National Park, and has been in the Kusanovic family since 1944. Estancia Cerro Negro possesses 6,000 hectares with 1,600 sheep and 300 cattle. After a visit to the ranch, continue to Hotel Las Torres.

You will have three full days to enjoy the myriad excursions available at Las Torres Hotel including a variety of challenging, full day treks to the French Valley, Los Cuernos, Las Torres and the Full Paine Exploration with boat navigation to the base of the Grey Glacier. Half day excursions include horseback riding to Lago Nordenskjöld, a walk to the impressive Salto Grande waterfall, visiting Laguna Azul, hiking or horseback riding in the endemic Lenga Forest, or spend the day with the Patagonian gauchos participating in traditional cowboy activities! Be as active as you like daily and retire, exhausted and filled with a sense of adventure, to the comfort of the historic Hosteria each evening.

Morning transfer to Punta Arenas for your flight to Santiago. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel located in Lastarria neighborhood, Cumbres Lastarria. Afternoon and dinner at your leisure, to explore the barrio (neighborhood) and surroundings.

Sadly, on day 10 it’s time to depart. This morning you will be transferred to Santiago International Airport for your flight home.