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Welcome to Santiago, Chile’s capital. Vibrant, sophisticated and cosmopolitan, the city is emerging as a favourite destination of travellers to the region.

The city is situated in the centre of the Santiago Basin and surrounded by the snow-capped mountains of the Andes and the Chilean Coastal Range. Originally inhabited by the Picunche Indians, the city was established during the Spanish Conquest of Chile by Pedro de Valdivia.

After you arrive and settle in at your centrally located, superior accommodation, why not visit Barrio Bellavista in the evening? This trendy area is considered ‘the Soho of Santiago’ thanks to its street art and it features a number of good restaurants where you can grab a bite to eat.

*Please note Australian passport holders are required to obtain a Chilean tourist visa or if transiting for longer than 8 hours before arrival.

Today is free to discover more of Chile’s capital city on your own. Why not try the efficient metro system which runs for almost 8km from west to east right through the heart of the city. The 5-line Metro in Santiago does a remarkable job of reaching every remote corner of the city. Or visit Parque Metropolitano and take the cable car to its peak, San Cristobal Hill. View the city at night from the large viewing platform at Sky Costenra, the tallest building in South America. Visit a few memorable museums and markets. Contact us for more details.

On arrival at Calama Airport, your driver will be waiting for you in the arrivals hall to transfer you to the small oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama, the gateway tourist centre for the Atacama Desert. Overlooking the Licancabur Volcano, its dramatic surrounding landscape ranges from desert, salt flats, steaming geysers and hot springs to fascinating rock formations. The rest of the day is free to enjoy at your leisure. This evening you will be collected from your hotel for Astronomy in the Desert, one of the best places in the world to observe stars, planets, and constellations.

Start your day with a tour of San Pedro de Atacama, the archaeological capital of Chile. Located near the mouth of the main river that feeds the salt flat, this tour will orientate you and give you an understanding of the history, the town, and the surrounding areas. In the afternoon, travel across the Salt Mountain Range to reach the Valley of the Moon in time for sunset when the sun brings out the best of the valley's incredible colours. (B)

There are no activities planned for the morning, allowing time to wander the streets of San Pedro de Atacama and browse the local stores at your leisure. In the afternoon, you’ll visit the Salar de Atacama, one of the world’s largest salt lakes, home to a variety of bird species, including the three types of flamingos, and one of the most important lithium reserves in the world. En route you will stop at the picturesque village of Toconao, built from white volcanic stone and then on to Chaxa Lagoon, we you will have the chance to view another dramatic sunset. (B)

This morning you will be transferred from San Pedro de Atacama to Hito Cajon, the mountain pass on the border between Chile and Bolivia. After clearing Bolivian immigration, make your way to the village of Villamar. Along the way you will be rewarded with some of the most dramatic and beautiful landscapes in the world, stopping off for plenty of photo opportunities. This high-altitude desert environment is home to dozens of colourful lagoons, snow-capped mountains, llamas, flamingos, hot springs, and geysers. Tonight, your accommodation is unique as it has been built into a rock and offers a warm, cosy and comfortable refuge from the desert night. (B, L, D)

Today is packed with jaw-dropping scenery. Pass through the Valley of Rocks, stopping off to view famous rock formations caused by wind erosion. Villages like Culpina, where the houses have been built from natural materials and San Cristobal, which was relocated from its original location because of the zinc and silver deposits in the vicinity. From here we will set off across the Great Salt Flats to Colchani village, where we observe the methods of salt extraction and salt processing. We continue to Incahuasi Island, an oasis covered with giant cacti up to 10 metres high. Continuing north to visit the pre-Colombian ruins of Pucarade de Ayque fort on the foothills of Thunupa volcano. After a long day of exploration, finally arrive at your accommodation – the luxurious Palacio de Sal Hotel. Made from salt bricks and located on the shores of Salar de Uyuni, the perfect place to rest easy for the night. (B,L,D)

Today you will fly from Uyuni to La Paz, which has the highest international airport in the world at 4,080 metres above sea level. La Paz has a spectacular setting in a deep bowl surrounded by snow-capped mountains of the Altiplano. It lies in the shadow of the towering 6,438m high Mt. Illimani, always snow-covered and visible from many parts of the city. There are no other activities planned for the rest of the day. (B)

Embark on a city tour through La Paz, wandering through the street markets rich in handicrafts, weavings, and witchcraft items, followed by a visit to the colonial section of the city. Then, descend into the more modern, southern part of La Paz to reach and visit the Valley of the Moon, where a clay mountain has been impressively shaped by erosion. Ride by cable car for an excellent and beautiful view of La Paz.

Your tour will be conducted by a local English speaking guide and you will be joined by a 'Lustracalzado' or a shoeshiner, who can found on most street corners of the city. Often the lustras will wear a balaclava or face covering to hide their identities and the social stigma and discrimination that their profession attracts. We work with a social project, that helps to employ the lustras as tour guides. This allows them additional income and the project has even paid for some of them to pursue further study and learn English. We hope that by you taking a tour with a lustra guide that this will help break down the social stigmas in place and give them a better future. (B,L)

Today you will be met and transferred to the airport in time for your onward departure flight.