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Itineraries  /  Atacama & Patagonia
AC04 · Argentina & Chile · Desert to Ice

Atacama & Patagonia

Santiago · Atacama Desert · Torres del Paine National Park
Duration
14 Days · 13 Nights
The route
Santiago · Atacama Desert · Torres del Paine National Park
Style
The high desert and the deep south
Best season
September – November · best
The route

13 nights, 3 stops — the high desert and the deep south.

Santiago → Atacama Desert → Torres del Paine National Park → Santiago.

Round trip · returns to Santiago

SantiagoAtacama DesertTorres del Paine
What you're tracking

What you'll see

Andean condor
In the nearby Andes.
Andean flamingo
On the salt flats.
Vicuña
On the altiplano.
Viscacha
Among the rocks.
Day by day

The journey, one day at a time

01Arrive Santiago

Arrive Santiago

The journey begins.

Arrive in Santiago, met and transferred to your accommodation. Santiago pairs an easy capital with world-class wine country and an Andes backdrop.

02Santiago

Santiago

A full day in the field.

Explore Santiago's centre and hilltop views. Tour the capital and a nearby wine valley before flying on.

03Santiago → Atacama Desert

To Atacama Desert

On to the next.

Transfer to Atacama Desert. The Tatio geysers at dawn and the flamingo salt flats. Altiplano lagoons and vicuñas, with sunset over Valle de la Luna.

04Atacama Desert

Atacama Desert

A full day in the field.

Altiplano lagoons and vicuñas, with sunset over Valle de la Luna. Desert landscapes by day and world-class stargazing by night. Parts of the Atacama have never recorded rain — an alien landscape of salt, volcanoes and impossibly clear skies.

05Atacama Desert

Atacama Desert

A full day in the field.

Desert landscapes by day and world-class stargazing by night. A full day of salt flats, lagoons and lunar valleys.

06Atacama Desert

Atacama Desert

A full day in the field.

A full day of salt flats, lagoons and lunar valleys.

07Atacama Desert

Atacama Desert

A full day in the field.

The Tatio geysers at dawn and the flamingo salt flats.

08Atacama Desert → Torres del Paine National Park

To Torres del Paine National Park

On to the next.

Transfer to Torres del Paine National Park. Track wild pumas across the steppe, with guanacos and condors. Trek to the base of the granite Towers.

09Torres del Paine National Park

Torres del Paine National Park

A full day in the field.

Trek to the base of the granite Towers. Explore the park's lakes, glaciers and viewpoints. Torres del Paine has become the world's best place to see and photograph wild pumas, thanks to its protected guanaco herds.

10Torres del Paine National Park

Torres del Paine National Park

A full day in the field.

Explore the park's lakes, glaciers and viewpoints. A full day of Patagonian wildlife and scenery, pumas and guanacos.

11Torres del Paine National Park

Torres del Paine National Park

A full day in the field.

A full day of Patagonian wildlife and scenery, pumas and guanacos. A leg of the 'W' trek beneath the massif.

12Torres del Paine National Park

Torres del Paine National Park

A full day in the field.

A leg of the 'W' trek beneath the massif.

13Torres del Paine National Park → Santiago

To Santiago

On to the next.

Transfer to Santiago. Tour the capital and a nearby wine valley before flying on.

14Depart Santiago

Departure

The journey ends.

A final morning in Santiago — a last outing or a slow start as time allows — before the transfer onward and the journey home.

When to travel

The season changes what you see.

September – November

Peak season

Spring — clear Andes views and pleasant city weather.

March – May

Peak season

Autumn and the wine harvest in the valleys.

Wildlife you may see
Birds Puma

Make it yours.

Add nights, swap a park, extend to the coast — this route is a starting point, not a fixed menu. Tell us how you travel and we'll route the rest.

Field notes, now and then.

Where to go · When to go · Wildlife in season

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