Leave London Heathrow in the evening by LAN/Iberia codeshare flights via Madrid (2 hours 20 minutes) to Santiago (12 hours 45 minutes).

Arrive Santiago in the morning. Your Tour Manager will meet and transfer you to the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Afternoon tour of historical Santiago, starting with the neoclassical La Moneda Palace, seat of the government, and continuing through the downtown area to the pre-Columbian Art Museum, whose collection contains ceramics and textiles from the Inca, Maya and Aztec cultures. The tour continues to the Plaza de Armas, surrounded by the 18th century cathedral, the National Historical Museum and the central post office.

Full day excursion to the coastal towns of Valparaiso and Viña del Mar, the town which Chileans refer to as their Garden City due its parks, flower beds and gardens. It is also famous for its beaches. Neighbouring Valparaiso is built on some 40 hills and you will have the chance to ride on one of the many lifts which link the higher and lower parts of the town. Lunch (not included) will be taken at a restaurant overlooking one of the beaches. Return to Santiago, stopping en route at a vineyard in the Casablanca Valley.

Free. Optional sightseeing tours can be arranged locally.

Early morning transfer to the airport for your LAN flight to Calama (2 hours). On arrival, you will be transferred through the arid but beautiful Atacama region (100kms -1¼ hours) to the attractive adobe-built town of San Pedro de Atacama, located in the foothills of the Andes at 2,250 metres. Stay at the Terrantai Hotel. In the afternoon, visit the Valley of the Moon, located on the outskirts of San Pedro. The erosion, caused here by water and wind has created a strange and beautiful landscape. The sunsets here can be an unforgettable experience with spectacular views of the Andes mountain range.

Morning tour of San Pedro de Atacama, the cradle of the Atacameña culture. Highlights in this compact oasis town – it is made of narrow alleys and adobe buildings – are the 17th century Church of San Pedro and the Gustavo Le Paige Archaeological Museum, a small museum, that between its world renowned collection of ancient Indian Mummies, particularly well-preserved due to the area’s extreme dry climate, and its pottery display which includes a rare set of “tabillas de Rape” (supposedly these were used to inhale hallucinogenic substances), provides a surprisingly thorough overview of the cultural evolution in this region. Continue on to Quitor, a 12th century fort perched on a hill above the San Pedro River and also visit Tulor, where you see the remnants of a 2800 year old village built with clay and buried by the sands of the desert. In the mid-afternoon, depart on an excursion to the village of Toconao and the Salar de Atacama, a giant salt lake. Depart for the oasis of Toconao, known for its beautiful bell tower and its alleys packed with small craft workshops. The tour proceeds with a stroll through the orchards (apples, pomegranates and quinces, grow in abundance) that line the ravine of Jeria. From there, visit the surprising Salar de Atacama, a huge lake hidden under a thick white mantle of salt (the largest salt flat in Chile). Proceed to the Chaxa Lagoon, habitat for three types of flamingos as well as a number of migratory birds.

Free. A pre-dawn optional visit to the Tatio geysers, the highest geothermal field in the world at 4,300 metres can be booked locally. (Bales does not include this tour in the cost of the holiday as the ascent to high altitude is not suitable for everyone).

Today you will fly almost the length of the country! After breakfast, transfer to Calama airport and fly to Santiago. Continue from Santiago by LAN flight to Punta Arenas (4 hours 20 minutes with stop en route). Stay overnight at the Hotel Cabo do Hornos.

By way of historical introduction to this remote windswept region, we visit the Braun Menendez Regional Museum and the Salesian Museum. Afterwards make the long drive (400kms / 6 hours) via Puerto Natales to the Torres del Paine National Park for a stay at the Hosteria Las Torres. Lunch is included en route.

Two days sightseeing in Torres del Paine National Park. We will visit the spectacular Salto Grande, and have excellent views of the Paine Massif and Lake Grey with its background of the Grey Glacier..

Enjoy some time to explore the area and a visit to the Laguna Azul.

Drive via Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas airport (6 hours) for the late afternoon flight to Santiago. Transfer to the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Depart Santiago by LAN/Iberia codeshare flights to London.

Arrive at Madrid, continuing by Iberia/BA codeshare flight to London Heathrow.