Chile, Bolivia & Peru

The journey begins in Chile’s cosmopolitan capital, Santiago before venturing out into the nearby Viña del Mar and Valparaíso.

You'll have plenty of time to settle into your South American journey in Santiago which is quite a European city and a pleasant base to start your journey.

Continue north to San Pedro de Atacama, an Indian village encircled by volcanoes and the base for exploring the stunning Atacama Desert.

After a stay in San Pedro de Atacama, start your overland trip through coloured lagoons and the surreal Uyuni salt plains in Bolivia, a real highlight of the trip.

Explore the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca, (the Sacred Lake of the Incas) and arrive at Puno before travelling across the Andes to Cusco.

You'll be based in Cusco for 4 nights where you have a city tour included. Using Cusco as your base, explore the Sacred Valley and magnificent Machu Picchu, one of the highlights of any trip to South America.

Complete your journey in Lima, exploring Peru’s finest museums and world class restaurants.

Please bear in mind that all of our Chile, Bolivia & Peru holidays are tailor made so just let us know if you would like to make any alterations to the duration, room type, board basis, or add on any other destinations.

Everything is possible, so just let us know.

Day 1: UK - Santiago

Fly from the UK to Santiago.

On arrival you will be met and transferred to your chosen hotel.

Overnight Santiago. Breakfast included.

Day 2: Santiago

Enjoy a morning city tour visiting Santiago's main attractions including the colonial city centre, the neo-classical La Moneda Palace, the Plaza de Armas and the artistic centre of Bellavista.

Spend the afternoon at leisure to explore independently.

Overnight Santiago. Breakfast included.

Day 3: Santiago - Viña & Valparaíso - Santiago 

Head northwest from Santiago to Viña del Mar and Valparaíso.

Admire the views on the way through the coastal mountain range towards the Pacific Coast.

Pass through Viña del Mar, an elegant and sophisticated seaside resort with fine hotels, palm tree-lines avenues and lovely villas.

Visit its famous ‘Quinta Vergara’, formerly home of Viña’s founding family and today internationally known for its annual music festival.

Continue to the historic port of Valparaíso (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), set on a crescent of hills and famous for its labyrinth-style streets and funicular railways.

Return to Santiago in the evening.

Overnight Santiago. Breakfast included.

Day 4: Santiago - San Pedro de Atacama

Transfer to the airport for your morning flight to Calama. On arrival you will be transferred to your hotel. 

In the afternoon enjoy a spectacular sunset in Moon Valley. 

This enigmatic landscape has bizarre rock formations and strange figures that nature has formed out of salt and clay.

See the salt figures ‘Tres Marias’ and the Salt Caverns at sunset, a beautiful time of day to be here.

There is also an optional short hike to one of the giant sand dunes in the valley.

Overnight San Pedro de Atacama. Breakfast included.

Day 5: San Pedro - El Tatio Geysers - San Pedro

Have a very early start around 4 am and head north to the famous El Tatio Geysers, at over 4,400 metres, to arrive for sunrise.

Super-heated water emerges powerfully from the frozen ground in over 100 geysers, boiling pools and fumaroles.

Enjoy breakfast next to the geysers and afterwards take a walk around the geothermal field close to this natural wonder.

If possible (depending on the activity of the geyser) you can take a bath in the hot thermal pools.

Afterwards drive on to visit Machuca, a former ancestral site, with houses built in the traditional way, before returning to San Pedro around midday, with the rest of the day to relax after the early start.

Overnight San Pedro de Atacama. Breakfast included.

Day 6: San Pedro - Hito Cajón - Siloli Desert

Today cross between Chile and Bolivia, where a 4WD jeep will be waiting.

Visit the White and Green Lagoon at the foot of Lincancabur Volcano.

Continue to the Dali Desert with its surrealist columns of stones sculpted bt the wind.

Also visit Red Lagoon famous as the main flamingo nesting site in the region.

Overnight Siloli Desert. All meals included.

Day 7: Siloli Desert - Uyuni - Colchani

Travelling on through the Siloli Desert, make some short stops to take pictures of the incredible landscape, before arriving at “Isla Incahuasi”, located in the centre of the Great Salt Flat.

Here you will find extraordinary calcareous rocks, large populations of Cactus, caves, tunnels and a spectacular panoramic view of the Salt Flat from the top.

Visit “Ojos de Agua” (Eyes of water), consisting of small salt water eruptions. 

View Itinerary in Detail

To view a sample holiday, click on one of the links below. This will open the itinerary up in a new window.

All of our South America Holidays are completely tailor made and we can put together any kind of itinerary to suit your interests and budget.

We have many other options so if you have a particular hotel in mind just let us know and we'll put together a price and itinerary for you.