Contrasts of Chile

Stunning natural beauty: awesome glaciers, spectacular fjords, snow capped Andes Amazing culture and history: Inca fortresses, Indian villages, ancient rock art Close encounters with guanaco, llama, pink flamingo and Andean condor Fabulous wines, gorgeous cuisine and lovely traditional, boutique and family hotels

Chile’s incredible geography encompasses some of the most amazing contrasts imaginable. This guided walking holiday spends four days in lush wine country south of Santiago, five unforgettably vivid days in the thin air of the high Atacama and a final five days in wild Patagonia. Walking in the vineyards and Patagonia is 2 boot level, with walks between 3000m and 4000m adding extra challenges in the Atacama.

Following a day discovering glorious cathedrals and palaces in Santiago, we drive south into Chile’s world famous wine country, where cowboys tip their hats to steam train drivers, and where vines flow through steep valleys like emerald rivers, overshadowed by the snow capped Andes.

After three days exploring the coastal ranges and Andes foothills, we fly north to the frontier desert oasis of San Pedro in the moonscapes of the Atacama Desert. Here we’ll walk on 100m high sand dunes, enjoy breakfast by steaming geysers, and see bright pink flamingo mirrored in clear lakes below cobalt blue skies.

From San Pedro we fly south with stunning views of ice fields to Patagonia and traditional Coihaique for the final four nights. This is pristine walking country - serrated peaks, sparkling glaciers and clear lakes are interspersed with pine forest and poppy strewn meadows. Here we’ll discover three National Parks and Reserves, ending the trip with an amazing full day excursion to the San Rafael Glacier UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The 70m glacier wall is kaleidoscope of blues, and drinks on board are chilled with 10,000 year old ice from nearby icebergs!