18-Nights Chile Superior Iconic Nature

San Pedro de Atacama

The charming village of San Pedro de Atacama, located at 2,450 meters above sea level, is one of the places in Chile which offers the widest number of attractions. The village is located in one of the many oases originated by the ‘Bolivian winter’, in the driest desert of the world: the Atacama Desert - an incredible place with exuberating vegetation. In the plains, covered by a green color that seems to come from more rainy areas, agriculture is practiced from ancient times, maintaining the same cultivation methods used thousands of years ago. The native inhabitants thank nature for this miracle through different religious festivities and ceremonies, mixing Catholicism and ancient beliefs into one of the most characteristic cultural manifestations of northern Chile. Walking around the farming lands and watching the traditional design houses, built in adobe, makes visitors feel transported into another age.

Easter Island

Easter Island is over 2,000 miles from the nearest population center, (Tahiti and Chile), making it one of the most isolated places on Earth. A triangle of volcanic rock in the South Pacific - it is best known for the giant stone monoliths, known as Moai, that dot the coastline. The early settlers called the island "Te Pito O Te Henua" (Navel of The World). Admiral Roggeveen, who came upon the island on Easter Day in 1722, named it Easter Island. Today, the land, people and language are all referred to locally as Rapa Nui.

Santiago

Santiago is a huge city of nearly five million inhabitants surrounded by immense Andean peaks creating a spectacular backdrop. The city centre is quite manageable with a collection of wide avenues, squares and parks all laid out in a grid pattern. Chile has a distinctly European flavour and Santiago will bring this home to you as you visit the churches, monuments and museums all designed in a certain familiar style.

Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas is the southernmost city on Earth, overlooking the Straits of Magellan. Situated astride one of the world's historic trade routes, its prosperity has risen and fallen with that trade. Punta Arenas enjoyed its first great boom during the California Gold Rush, when it served as a haven for great clipper ships. Although the port's importance diminished after the opening of the Panama Canal, the city reached even greater prosperity early in this century as the center of Chile's international wool trade. Today, Punta Arenas reflects a great mix of cultures, from English sheep ranchers to Portuguese sailors, and it remains an utterly fascinating testament to the Chile's rich history. Punta Arenas is also the starting point for excursions to some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.

Torres del Paine

Torres del Paine is internationally recognized as one of the most beautiful, uncontaminated places on earth with natural lakes, rivers, waterfalls, glaciers, forests and diverse wildlife. This biosphere reserve dominates most of South America's national park and sits 2000 meters above the Patagonian Steppe, the granite pillars of Torres del Paine.