Chilean Atacama Desert
Cerro Rojo 5300m

Itinerary

Day 1: SANTIAGO

You will be met at the airport and transferred to the Bonaparte Hotel (or similar). This afternoon you will have the opportunity to visit the sites of Santiago.
ACCOM - Hotel

Day 2: SANTIAGO - CALAMA - SAN PEDRO

Transfer to the airport early for your flight to Calama. This is an oasis city located more than 1,500 km north of Santiago. You will be met at the airport and transferred to San Pedro. During the transfer you cross an extensive desert called Llalqui Pampa; a preview of the extraordinary landscape which characterizes this area of Chile. After crossing the Salt Cordillera, you arrive at the small village of San Pedro d' Atacama. This afternoon you will have a visit of this village, including the archaeological museum Father Paige. This is one of the principal points of attraction here: this museum shows within its various showrooms the slow evolution of the Atacama culture during its 11,000 years of history.

Before the sun sets you depart towards the Salt Cordillera and the Valley of the Moon. The landscape here has a particular magic thanks to the various natural sculptures formed by the erosion of time and tinted by the last rays of the setting sun.
ACCOM – Hotel / Meals - B

Day 3 SAN PEDRO - SALAR D' ATACAMA - SOCAIRE REFUGE

This morning you have an excursion to the site of Pukara de Quitor. This is a pre-Incan fortress, used several centuries ago as a place of protection against various attacks. For a very long time this site was an important trading place of the Andean people and therefore subject to raids.

After lunch, you depart in the direction of Toconao. You will visit the sites of this small village, including seeing a volcanic rock, as well as a very pretty and pleasant agricultural valley. Here you will take a short walk through the Vallley of Jerez, a spectacular geological fault used for the cultivation of fruit trees. From here you continue on to the Salted Lake (Salar) of Atacama, the most important in Chile with a surface area of 3,000 km2. You stop for a visit of Chaxas, an old nesting zone of pink flamingos before continuing on to the village of Socaire, located at 3,500m. Here you will spend the night.
ACCOM – Refuge or Tent / Meals – B, L, D

Day 4 SOCAIRE – MISCANTI & MINIQUES LAGOONS – SORROW REFUGE

You depart early in order to have plenty of time to visit the two superb lagoons in the area, Miscanti and Miñiques, both located at more than 4,000m. After a short trek of 3 to 4 hours, you continue to the Toyatso Lagoon. After a picnic lunch you depart for Peine, a small village situated at the access of the Salar of Atacama.
ACCOM – Refuge or Tent / Meals – B, L, D

Day 5: SORROW REFUGE – PAINS – MACHUCA REFUGE

This morning you travel to the village of Machuca located at 4,000m. After lunch you trek to the watchtower which is located at 4,500m and has an extraordinary panoramic view.
ACCOM – Refuge or Tent / Meals – B, L, D

Day 6 MACHUCA – PURITAMA – GEYSERS EL TATIO REFUGE

You depart early to Guatin, where you will start your trek through the Quebrada of Río Puritama to the thermal baths. You have plenty of free time in order to enjoy a pleasant bath in these thermal springs which are made of an extraordinary natural framework. From there, you travel again by vehicle through the Cordillera to the Geysers del Tatio.
ACCOM – Refuge / Meals – B, L, D

Day 7 GEYSERS EL TATIO – CASPANA REFUGE

This morning you visit the geothermic field of El Tatio, where the violent vapor blasts at daybreak. There is a possibility of a bath. Afterwards, you depart by vehicle to the Las Vicuñas Pass, located at 4,500m. From here you have two hours of trekking to the village of Caspana, You depart Caspana during the afternoon and travel by vehicle to the canyon of Rio Salado. From here you travel to Chiu Chiu, then transfer to Calama and your hotel there.
ACCOM – Hotel / Meals – B, L

Day 8 CALAMA – TOCOPILLA – IQUIQUE

You depart towards Tocopilla, a small industrial port, having lunch on the way. Then, skirting the shore, you have a visit to Punta Patache, where guano still is collected, and you will have the chance to observe a colony of sea lions. Then you travel on to Iquique.

ACCOM – Hotel / Meals – B, L

Day 9 IQUIQUE – ENQUELGA

An early departure towards the altiplano and more particularly towards Enquelga. Visit the phantom city of Humberstone and stop at the gigantic petroglyph on the side of Cerro Unita. You cross the very arid Desert of Atacama then travel up to Enquelga, a small village located in an agricultural valley in the middle of a desert landscape. You camp near the thermal baths of the village.
ACCOM – Tent / Meals – B, L, D

Day 10 ENQUELGA – ISLUGA – ENQUELGA

During the morning you will take a four hour trek along the Arabilla River, from the thermal baths of Enquelga to the village of Isluga and returning to the thermal baths and your campsite.
ACCOM – Tent / Meals – B, L, D

Day 11 ENQUELGA – VIRGEN DEL CARMEN

A day of trekking across the altiplano to the hamlet of Virgen LED Carmen. During the trek through the Andean high plateaus you will see herds of llamas and alpacas, and you will be able to meet the inhabitants, the "Indian Aymaras" of the Isluga area. You will be camping not far from the hamlet of Virgen del Carmen.
ACCOM – Tent / Meals – B, L, D

Day 12 VIRGEN DEL CARMEN – SALAR DE SURIRE

Trek through the immense uninhabited plateau to the pass of Cerro Capitan which dominates the National Park of Surire. You camp on the banks of Salar de Surire, close to the thermal springs of Polloquere.
ACCOM – Tent / Meals – B, L, D

Day 13 SALAR DE SURIRE – CERRO ROJO – SALAR DE SURIRE

Your day consists of 8 hours of trekking in volcanic sands and through a bouquet of "queñoales", the fabulous shrub of the altiplano which grows at altitudes starting at 4,000m and whose trunk is a marvelous tortuous texture. The more enduring among you will try to reach the top of Cerro Rojo (5,100m).
ACCOM – Tent / Meals – B, L, D

Day 14 SALAR DE SURIRE – CHURUGAYA

Hiking around the Salar of Surire, a site classified as a National Natural Monument, you can observe the Andean fauna like pink flamingos, wild geese, viscachas, nandous, and vicunas. Picnic lunch at the edge of the salar before heading towards the village of Guallatire, then, traveling on a hidden track, you reach the hamlet of Churuguaya. Here lives our friend, Juan, who is always very happy to have company in this far off place! At the end of the day, for those who wish to, we start from 5000 m and head towards the active volcano of Guallatire until reaching the snow line, just in time to see the sun setting on Payachatas (twins in Quechua or Aymara).
ACCOM – Tent / Meals – B, L, D

Day 15 CHURUGAYA – LAKE CHUNGARA

Today you trek - 9 hours of walking towards the north to see the famous natural reserve of Lauca, classified World Réserve of the Biosphere by UNESCO. The path proceeds through a sector of volcanoes, ashes, blocks of lava and puna (flat grassy of the altiplano). The spectacle of Parinacota (6342m) being reflected on the turquoise waters of Lake Chungara, the highest non-navigable lake in the world, is superb. You camp close to the lake tonight. (4500m)
ACCOM – Tent / Meals – B, L, D

Day 16 LAKE CHUNGARA – PARINACOTA REFUGE

You skirt Lake Chungara and soon are engulfed with the views of the Cotacotani Lagoons, a natural feeding trough of the Andean fauna of this sector. You continue on to the village of Parinacota, whose principal characteristic is traditional Andean architecture like its superb small church.
ACCOM – Tent / Meals – B, L, D

Day 17 PARINACOTA – PUTRE – ARICA HOTEL

You depart in the morning for Putre, a village located at 3500m. There is time for a visit of the village and lunch. After lunch, you depart for Arica, stopping along the way to see the ruins of Tambo de Zapahuira, like those of the homonymous Pukara. You arrive into Arica at the end of the day, and to your hotel. Dinner on your own.
ACCOM – Hotel / Meals – B, L

Day 18 ARICA

A free day in Arica to enjoy and relax. Arica is a harbor city located in the extreme north of Chile. There are many things to see, like the valley of Azapa with their olive groves and the archaeological museum containing the mummies of the Chinchorro Culture and regarded the oldest of the world.
ACCOM – Hotel / Meals – B, L

Day 19 ARICA - SANTIAGO

In the morning you transfer to the airport for your flight to Santiago. You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel.
ACCOM – Hotel / Meals – B, L

Day 20: SANTIAGO – OUT

Transfer to the airport for your international flight.
Meals - B

Our Tour

......INCLUDES:

	Private Transport by minibus [Day 2 - Day 20]
	Meals as mentioned in itinerary
	Drinks during the meals at camps and refuges
	Entrance fees
	Flight Santiago/Calama and Arica/Santiago
	Two-person Tents, Dining Tent, Kitchen Utensils, Radios
	Driver and guide
	First Aid Kit

......DOES NOT INCLUDE: