Born to Explore
Chile: Flowering of the Llamas Trailer
Richard Wiese travels to the driest place on earth, Chile’s Atacama Desert. He explores the Valley of the Moons on horseback and meets the Atacamenos, a people who have survived in this harsh environment for hundreds of years. In a tiny oasis community, Richard joins a family in a sacred thanksgiving ceremony called the “Floramiento” or flowering of the llamas, where these beasts of burden are adorned with flowers.
Activities
Patagonia Activity
Level = Moderate-Strenuous
Atacama Activity
Level = Easy/Moderate
Family Trips
This trip can be adapted for families and groups very well; multifamily trips can
be arranged.
Note: Some lodges do not allow children under the age of 10.
Seasons
Chile has a number of different climate zones: Patagonia is the coldest, Atacama is the warmest, and Lake District is temperate. High Season is
November-March and the
Regular/ Shoulder Season is April-October.
Accommodation
The accommodations in Santiago are in hotels. The accommodations in Patagonia are a mix of lodges and semi-permanent tents. The accommodation in the Atacama will include hotels and non-temperature-controlled lodges. The Lake District and Easter Island will have lodges as well.
Food
Chilean food varies by region and includes fresh seafood, beef and an impressive variety of fruits and vegetables. The food quality will be the highest in Santiago and the Lake District. The food in the other areas, as they are more remote, will be flown in.
CHILEAN PATAGONIA
7 Days / 6 Nights
Pricing Starting at
$3,600 PER PERSON*
Day 1
Arrive at Santiago International Airport, clear customs and be transferred to your hotel.
Includes Accommodation
Day 2
After breakfast, you will have the option to spend the morning with Desafio Levantemos Chile on their current projects. The afternoon will be a private half day tour of Santiago.
Accommodation, Breakfast
Day 3
Following breakfast, you will be transferred to your flight from Santiago to Puerto Natales (PNT). Upon arrival, you will have a 2-hour transfer to Torres del Paine. The first night, you will acclimatize to the altitude and will discuss your customized itinerary for the next three days. The following itinerary is a suggestion and all shared excursions will be subject to guide assessment and local weather conditions, which in Patagonia, can change at a moment's notice.
Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Select Beverages
Day 4
After breakfast today, you will have a full day driving tour of the Torres del Paine National Park. Visit waterfalls, lakes, and viewpoints, accompanied by a picnic lunch in the park.
Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Select Beverages
Day 5
Today, you hike along the shores of Grey Lake to Grey Glacier. Lenga trees along the beach and icebergs along the shore are visible as you hike.
Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Select Beverages
Day 6
After breakfast, you take a morning hiking tour at the Mirador del Toro and an afternoon scenic drive in search of pumas and other wildlife.
Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Select Beverages
Day 7
Following breakfast, you will be transported to Puerto Natales (PNT) for your domestic flight to Santiago before flying home.
Accommodation, Breakfast
INCLUSIONS: Accommodation / Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Select beverages (soda, house wines & standard liquors included; premium wines & liquors available with an additional cost) / Optional visit to Desafio Levantemos Chile / Shared guided touring in Patagonia / 24/7 English-language travel support / Local English-speaking guides for all sightseeing tours and excursions
EXCLUSIONS: International Flights / All domestic and regional flights / Insurance (Trip cancellation, interruption, medical) / Cost of obtaining visas or passports / Items of personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls etc. / Gratuities / Optional excursions, tours and activities / Alcohol where not included above
ATACAMA DESERT
7 Days / 6 Nights
Pricing Starting at
$4,500 PER PERSON*
Day 1
Arrive at Santiago International Airport, clear customs and be transferred to your hotel.
Includes Accommodation
Day 2
After breakfast, you will have the option to spend the morning with Desafio Levantemos Chile on their current projects. The afternoon will be a private half day tour of Santiago.
Accommodation, Breakfast
Day 3
After breakfast, you will be transferred to your flight from Santiago to Calama (CJC). Upon arrival, you will have a 90-minute transfer to your Atacama Desert lodge and you will discuss a customized itinerary for the next three days. The following itinerary is a suggestion and all shared excursions will be subject to guide assessment and local weather conditions.
Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Select Beverages
Day 4
Today, after breakfast you may go on a guided hiking tour of the Cactus Canyon with a picnic lunch and an afternoon biking tour in the Quitor Pukara and the Devil's Creek.
Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Select Beverages
Day 5
Today, you may depart for a tour of the El Tatio Geyser Field for a picnic breakfast and then in the evening have a stargazing tour.
Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Select Beverages
Day 6
After breakfast, you may choose to tour to the brilliant Chaxa Lagoon, surrounded by salt flats and inhabited by two species of flamingos. You may then have an afternoon group visit to the petroglyphs of Talabre.
Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Select Beverages
Day 7
Following breakfast, you will be transported to Calama (CJC) for your domestic flight to Santiago before flying home.
Accommodation, Breakfast
INCLUSIONS: Accommodation / Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Select beverages (soda, house wines & standard liquors included; premium wines & liquors available with an additional cost) / Optional visit to Desafio Levantemos Chile / Shared guided touring in Atacama / 24/7 English-language travel support / Local English-speaking guides for all sightseeing tours and excursions
EXCLUSIONS: International Flights / All domestic and regional flights / Insurance (Trip cancellation, interruption, medical) / Cost of obtaining visas or passports / Items of personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls etc. / Gratuities / Optional excursions, tours and activities / Alcohol where not included above
EXTENSION
CHILEAN WINELANDS
4 Days / 3 Nights
Pricing Starting At
$3,100 Per Person*
Spend 3 nights and 2 full days in the wine region, just outside of Santiago. Many beautiful Chilean vineyards are clustered in temperate valleys around Santiago which makes it a wonderful extension to any trip. The region's landscape is ideal, sharing cultivation qualities similar to California and France—warm days, cool nights, sufficient rainfall, low frost risk and Chile's natural barriers—the Pacific, the Atacama Desert, and the Andes—have protected its vines from many of the pests common to Europe. Spend your days relaxing at the hotel and exploring the surrounding property. The extension includes roundtrip transfers and hotel accommodations. Winery tours can be added for an additional fee.
Inclusions: Accommodation in a luxury lodge/hotel, Breakfast, Dinner, Round trip transfers from Santiago/ 24/7 English-language travel support
Exclusions: International Flights, Lunch, Gratuities, Alcohol, Touring, Personal Expenses
EXTENSION
LAKE DISTRICT (NORTHERN PATAGONIA)
4 Days / 3 Nights
Pricing Starting At
$2,900 Per Person*
Enjoy 3 nights and 2 full days in the southern Lake District of Chile. This area is anchored by Puerto Montt, the principal port on the Bay of Ancud. Lakeside hotels in and around the charming town of Puerto Varas serve as a base for fly fishing excursions, horseback riding, rafting tours, and visits to Petrohue Falls. Other attractions include the lakes of Vicente Perez Rosales National Park, German-settled towns, and seasonal Huaso rodeos. The extension includes roundtrip transfers, flights, and hotel accommodations; touring can be added for an additional fee.
Inclusions: Accommodation, Breakfast, Airport transfers/ 24/7 English-language travel support
Exclusions: International Flights, Domestic Flights, Lunch, Dinner, Gratuities, Alcohol, Touring, Personal Expenses
EXTENSION
EASTER ISLAND
4 Days / 3 Nights
Pricing Starting At
$4,000 Per Person*
Spend 3 nights and 2 full days in Rapa Nui, also known to visitors as Easter Island or Isla de Pasqua. This island is the world's most remote inhabited island. Its position is 2,200 miles west of Chile's Pacific Coast—a rough midpoint between South America and Tahiti. Although the island has been under Chilean administration since 1888, Rapa Nui's heritage is unmistakably Polynesian. The island's original inhabitants are believed to have sailed from the Cook or Marquesas islands around 800 AD. Outside the town of Hanga Roa, nearly all of the island is protected as Rapa Nui National Park, which was established in an effort to protect the more than 20,000 archeological sites that dot the island. Your program will include accommodation, full board, and a group touring program each day to visit the moai sites around the island including the Rano Kau petroglyphs, the Orongo ceremonial center, and the quarries at Puna Pao and Rano Raraku.
Inclusions: Accommodation, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Select Beverages, Airport transfers in Easter Island, and Group-basis touring with an English-speaking guide/ 24/7 English-language travel support
Exclusions: International Flights, Domestic Flights, Gratuities, Premium Drinks, Personal Expenses
*The "starting at" pricing is a per person estimate of the land arrangements only based on double occupancy. Please note that international flights and insurance are always excluded and booked separately.
Exact pricing will be possible following a tailored quote that will include exact dates, number of travelers and specific itinerary. In general, pricing is subject to availability, currency exchange rate fluctuations and hotels may change their pricing at any time.
Groups of 4+ travelers may have better pricing.
The total cost of the core trip and the extensions will be quoted in USD.
Payment by credit card will be an additional fee. Payment by wire transfer will only incur bank fees.
For international air and domestic/regional flights, please contact us for current pricing.
Insurance quotes are available for American and Canadian travelers.
Trips to be planned in partnership with Glove Travel.
Photo credits above to Born to Explore, Abigail Jaffe, and Glove Travel.
