CHILE:  THE NORTHERN TRAIL 

TOUCLNT9 - 9 days / 8 nights
Rates per Person From     US$ 2526.00
Departure Day: DAILY

Meeting Point:  Calama Airport

A more adventuresome itinerary for those wanting to experience some adventure in the desertic north. The hotels are good but between the Atacama and the North accommodation is the best available, which in some cases is quite basic, with classic Hosteria and a basic Hostal. The experience, though, is worth any lack of great hotels! Altitude should be your only concern as the highest point reached will be about 15,000 ft during the Lake Chungara excursion. For this reason the program  is not recommended for small children, pregnant women and people suffering from heart conditions.

Highlights:

HOTELS:

Day 1: Calama
Breakfast at the hotel. At the agreed time transfer to the airport for the departure flight (not included). Arrival to Calama. Reception at the airport and transfer to the hotel in Calama. Overnight. (B)

Day 2: Calama / Toconao / San Pedro de Atacama
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to San Pedro taking the route to the Moon Valley. During the trip we can observe the salt mountains and we will have a wonderful panoramic view of the huge saltpan and further on a beautiful view of the imposing Licancabur volcano. After arriving to San Pedro de Atacama, situated at the mouth of the largest river, which flows into the saltpan, we will visit the Father Le Paige archaeological museum, named after the Belgian missionary who founded it. Here you will witness the 11,000 years of evolution of the Atacamanian culture. We will also visit the church, the main square, Pedro de Valdivia's house and Pukara de Quitor. In the afternoon, we will visit the small rustic village of Toconao, where we will see interesting Liparita-stone constructions. Box lunch included. Return to the hotel in San Pedro. Overnight. (B,BL)

Day 3: San Pedro de Atacama / Tatio Geysers / Calama
Early morning departure for the Tatio Geysers to experience this spectacular demonstration of volcanic activity. Snack breakfast. We will also visit the village of Caspana with its fertile terraces, architecture in Liparita stone and characteristic mud-roofs. We will continue with visits to the villages of Toconce and Vegas de Turi on an awe inspiring route which takes us through Chiu-Chiu and Lasana, with their important cultural and historical legacies. Box lunch on route. Arrival to the hotel in Calama in the afternoon. Overnight. (B,BL)

Day 4 : Calama / Tocopilla / Iquique
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure in the morning to visit Chuquicamata, the largest open pit mine in the world. The different stages in the extraction, refinement and smelting processes of copper are shown. We then head for the Pacific coastal town of Tocopilla from where we head North to Iquique visiting some small fishing villages on route. Lunch included. Overnight at the hotel in Iquique. (B,L)

Day 5 : Iquique / Pintado Geoglyphs / Pica Oasis / Mamina
Breakfast at the hotel. Early morning departure for the pampas, where we will visit the former Chile saltpeter mining ghost town of Humberstone, which is a National Monument, and where we will discover the splendid past of the White Gold era. Then, we will continue on to the Geoglifos de Pintado, the great masterpiece of pre-Columbian art. On the hillsides there are more than 400 figures, gathered together in "panels" or thematic groups. They represent human beings, animals, birds and abstract drawings, which all together form the most important archaeological heritage of the area. We will then visit the Pica Oasis, prehispaic Indian village at the feet of the mountains where springs irrigate this oasis. You will see guavas, mangos and citrus fruits in the surrounding fields. Lunch included. We will also visit the village and sanctuary of La Tirana. We then head for Mamina, a small village in the Altiplano where we will bathe in the local hot springs. Overnight in a hostel in Mamina. (B,L)

Day 6 : Mamina / Arica / Putre
Breakfast at the hotel. We begin the long journey along the Altiplanic desert to the city of Arica. Our route then continues along the Azapa valley where we will observe geoglyphs, prehistoric cave paintings and drawings on the hillsides. We will also visit the archaeological museum of San Miguel where we will see an exhibition of the "Chinchorro Mummies", which are vestiges of a mysterious group of fishermen who developed this mummification process approximately 5000 BC. The mummified bodies and fragile remains of their material culture were preserved in excellent condition by the desert sands. Lunch included. We will then depart to Putre. On route we will visit picturesque villages and sites of archaeological interest such as the Lluta Valley, Cardones Gorge with its cactus candelabra, Pukara de Copaquilla, Tambo Inca de Zapahuira, until we finally reach our destination. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Putre. (B,L,D)

Day 7 : Putre / Surire Salt Flat / Putre
Breakfast at the hotel. We will take a full day excursion to the salt flat of Surire with a box lunch included. The local fauna on route includes Guanacos, Llamas, Alpacas, Vicunas and Vizcachas (a hare like rodent). Visit to the town of Guallatire from where we will have an impressive view of the active Volcano of the same name. We then arrive to the Surire Salt Flats whose whiteness will astonish you and where we will have a chance to bathe in hot springs before returning to Putre. Dinner and overnight in Putre. (B,BL,D)

Day 8 : Putre / Lake Chungara / Arica
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning we will depart visiting Parinacota and then continuing on to Lake Chungara above, one of the highest in the world at 4570 meters (15000 feet) sea level and also declared a World Biosphere Reserve. We will enter the Lauca National Park where we will be surrounded by snow capped volcanoes- and mountains. We will also be able to appreciate the majesty of Lake Chungara overlooked by the spectacular Payachatas volcanoes, which are the "Malikus" (Gods) of the Andes. We will stop for lunch in the village of Chucuyo before heading for Arica where we will visit the famous hillock. Overnight in Arica. (B,L)

Day 9 : Arica / Depart
Breakfast at the hotel. At the agreed time, transfer to the airport for the departure flight. (B)

INCLUDED:

Not Included:

PLEASE NOTE: All tours are usually presented as LAND ONLY (no airfare is included) and best airfare from your departing city will be included at time of departure. All tour programs are subject to your acceptance of our Terms and Conditions, which is understood when you progress into the reservation. Please review Terms & Conditions

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