Package details include: Chile sits between the Andes Mountains and Pacific Ocean, providing it with a Mediterranean-style climate and a very dynamic wine region. Today, Chile is considered one of the five major wine regions of the world and is 9th in production with the U.S. as its biggest customer. Experience some of these delicious vintages on two full-day private winery tours of the Maipo and Colchagua valleys, where you’ll sample excellent Chilean reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile’s Carmenére, and vintages made from the pais varietal dating back to the time of the Spanish conquistadors. In the capital city of Santiago, discover excellent museums, historical sites, restaurants, shopping and nightlife. Visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Valparaiso, the mystifying Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon), Atacama Salt Lake, and the spectacular El Tatio Geysers. And in Santa Cruz, stay among the vineyards of a local winemaking family at a classic hacienda with a gourmet restaurant, swimming pool, barbecue area and more. “Laughter is the language of the soul,” said Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. You’ll visit the museum that was once Neruda’s home on this itinerary that fittingly fetes Chile’s robust wines. Throughout, the country’s rugged coastline, deep lakes, verdant mountains - and excellent wines - will bring joyful laughter to your soul, too. Price includes: • 10 nights accommodations in 4-star hotels; 4 nights in Santiago and 3 nights each in San Pedro de Atacama and Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz stay is at hacienda owned by local winemaking family) • Daily breakfast and 3 lunches • Private wine tastings and tours in the wine regions of Maipo Valley and Colchagua Valley • Visits to: Home of poet Pablo Neruda, port city of Valparaiso (a UNESCO World Heritage site), Vina del Mar, Valley of the Moon, Atacama Salt Lake, Tulor, Pukara de Quitor, Toconao, El Tatio Geysers, and Machuca • Private car and tour guide • Round-trip private airport/hotel transfers

Note: Wine lovers can select this itinerary or customize their own trip. See below for suggestions on additional or alternate activities or extensions.

Day 1 - Arrive Santiago, Chile
Upon arrival at Santiago Airport, collect your luggage and meet your private guide. You will be transferred to your hotel. Santiago, the capital of Chile, is the central point of a region filled with many attractive sights and activities. The heart of Santiago is the Plaza de Armas. Walkers pass down tree-lined paths along the Mapocho, past small squares and the Museo de Bellas Artes. Across the river, the Bellavista neighborhood is home to many restaurants and cafes. Get to know the Chilean capital during your stay by making visits to the city’s civic center, with the neoclassical La Moneda Palace, the Plaza de Armas, the exuberantly landscaped Santa Lucia Hill, and the traditional handicraft market Pueblito Los Dominicos.
Accommodation: Santiago area hotel - 3 nights

Day 2 - Wine Tour of the Maipo Valley
After breakfast, you will be taken on a private tour of two of the largest and most important Chilean vineyards, located in the fertile Maipo Valley. Our first stop is at Concha y Toro vineyard, an area ideal for production of the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes which produce the most traditional wine of the country. Visit the vineyard’s family park, historical museum, and the cellars and caves. Sample different wines and enjoy a picnic inside or on the vineyard grounds. Next, visit Perez Cruz Winery where you’ll walk the vineyards, and enjoy a tour and wine tasting. Return to Santiago later this afternoon.

Day 3 - Tour of the Central Coast
This morning, prepare for a private full-day excursion along the Sun Highway on the central coast. The first stop will be Isla Negra, home to Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, 1971 Nobel Prize winner. Visit the house which now serves as a museum. Then head north to Valparaiso, the oldest and most important port in Chile. Following the stop in Valparaiso, go to Viña del Mar, one of the most popular seaside cities of the central coast. Here, you’ll have a chance to see some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. In the late afternoon, pass through the agricultural valleys of Curacavi and Casablanca, a premium white wine region, before returning to Santiago.

Day 4 - Travel to Atacama
Today, fly from Santiago to Calama and then transfer to your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama. San Pedro, a colorful village 8,000 feet above sea level in the middle of a green oasis, features a significant archeological museum and nearby native ruins. This afternoon you will be escorted to the mystifying Valle de la Luna (the Valley of the Moon) with many stone and sand formations.
Accommodation: San Pedro de Atacama area hotel - 3 nights

Day 5 - Atacama, Toconao and Salt Lake
Your local guide will escort you on a tour of the Atacama region. Visit San Pedro de Atacama’s colonial church, the largest and most beautiful in the region, and the extraordinary Padre Gustavo Le Paige archaeological museum with its pre-Hispanic artifacts. Next, visit the pre-Columbian village of Tulor with its remains of the oldest human settlement in the valley. Tour the Pukara de Quitor, an Incan fortress conquered in 1540 by the Spanish conquistadors. This afternoon tour Toconao, where the local people manufacture white volcanic stone sculptures and see the Atacama Salt Lake, one of the most spectacular and dramatic landscapes in Chile.

Day 6 - Tour of El Tatio Geysers
Depart early this morning and climb to 14,108 feet to reach El Tatio Geysers, the highest geothermal field in the world! At dawn, powerful spurts of steam shoot from various blowholes and steaming ponds are encrusted with brilliant salt crystals. Next, head to the village Machuca where ancient llama caravans rested from their travels on the “Inca Highway.” You’ll return to San Pedro to enjoy the remainder of the day on your own.

Day 7 - Travel to Santa Cruz
This morning, fly from Calama back to Santiago where you’ll be met and escorted by private sedan to Santa Cruz and the Colchagua Valley. This valley is well-known for its excellent grape-growing soil. Pass through several small country villages surrounded by magnificent vineyards. While in Santa Cruz, spend three nights among the vineyards of a local winemaking family in a classic hacienda-style property with gourmet restaurant, swimming pool, tennis, barbecue area, gift shop and much more. Relax and spend the remainder of the day exploring your new surroundings. Be sure to stroll through the town with its beautiful arts and crafts center.
Accommodation: Santa Cruz area hacienda - 3 nights

Day 8 - Wine Tour of the Colchagua Valley
Today experience a full-day of wine tasting in the Colchagua Valley. This valley has a balmy Mediterranean climate, perfect for growing grapes. Visit three different and unique vineyards. The soil of the area produces many red wine varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Chile’s Carmenére. Lunch is included and will be served at a restaurant in the valley.

Day 9 - Santa Cruz at Leisure
Today you are free to enjoy the features of the hacienda and town of Santa Cruz.

Day 10 - Return to Santiago
This morning transfer back to Santiago. Your last day in Chile is free for sightseeing, shopping, golfing or other activities. You may wish to visit Barrios Bellavista, famous for its bohemian nightlife.
Accommodation: Santiago area hotel - 1 night

Day 11 - Depart Santiago or extend your stay in South America
Following check out of your hotel, your private guide will escort you to the Santiago airport for your flight back to the U.S.

Other Excursions, Options & Extensions
• Cooking classes, visits to open air markets, antique tours, art and cultural tours, sporting events, shopping. etc
• Helicopter tours
• Picnics
• Trek in the Foothills of the Andes
• Skiing extension
• Fishing in the Lake Region in southern Chile
• Patagonia extension
• Iguassu Falls
• Argentina and Mendoza wine region
• Pre-arrange dinner reservations at popular restaurants during your stay