| Day
1 |
Arrive Santiago. Airport
greeting and transfer your Santiago hotel, overnight
|
| Day 2 |
Transfer to the domestic air terminal and
fly to Calama.
Airport greeting and transfer by van to Explora en Atacama
for 4 nights
|
| Day
3 |
Full day of exploration
in Atacama
Overnight Explora Lodge
|
| Day 4 |
Full day of exploration in Atacama
Overnight Explora Lodge
|
| Day
5 |
Full day of exploration
in Atacama
Overnight Explora
|
| Day 6 |
Depart for Argentina. High-altitude walk
to lakes, salt flats and volcanoes. Lodging at The Tambo
La Quesera campsite (3,500 meters) in Poma, Argentina,
after passing Abra De Acay (4,895 meters).
|
| Day
7 |
Explorations and high-altitude
walks in the Poma area. Visit to the village of Cachi,
an important testament to Spanish colonization. Lodging
at the Finca Rancagua house, a traditional hacienda
in the outskirts of Cachi.
|
| Day
8 |
Explorations in the
Calchaquies Valley, part of an ancient travel route
that features an imposing landscape with traces of the
Atacaman Indian culture and other pre-Columbian cultures
that once inhabited this region.
Lodging at the Finca Rancagua house.
|
| Day
9 |
Additional explorations
in the Calchaquies region.
Lodging at the Finca Rancagua house.
|
| Day
10 |
Depart for Salta, Argentina,
one of the oldest colonial villages in Argentina. Explorations
in the Cuesta del Obispo. You will be dropped off at
the Sheraton Hotel in Salta, overnight
|
| Day
11 |
(Half-day). Travel
with your Argentinean guide to the small village of
Purmamarca, The terrain here is untainted. Enjoy the
landscapes and wonderful rock formations as you hike
with your guide. Lodging tonight is at La Comarca Hotel,
located in beautiful Purmamarca.
|
| Day
12 |
Full day trekking in
the Quebrada de Humahuaca, with a picnic lunch. This
spectacular valley of the Rio Grande follows the line
of a major cultural route, “The Camino Inca.”
Here, there are visible traces of prehistoric hunter-gatherer
communities, of the Inca Empire (15th -16th centuries)
and of the fight for independence in the 19th and 20th
centuries. Overnight La Comarca Hotel.
|
| Day
13 |
After breakfast travel
south about 5 hours to Cafayate, a beautiful village
in the heart of the Calchaquies Valleys. En route, pass
through Cerrillos, Alemania and the Rio Las Conchas
Gorge, which has been declared a national monument because
of its extraordinary formations on the rocks eroded
by the wind and time. Stop for lunch on the way. Balance
of the day at leisure. Lodging tonight is at Patios
de Cafayate, an elegant estate, rich in culture and
tradition.
|
| Day
14 |
In the morning, take
a walking tour around the Indian ruins of Quilmes. Dating
from about AD 1000, Quilmes was a complex urban settlement
that occupied about 30 hectares and housed as many as
5000 people. Lodging tonight at Patios de Cafayate.
|
| Day
15 |
Today, you can choose
to relax and enjoy your hotel or you can do a hike.
Your guide is at your disposal. Lodging at Patios de
Cafayate.
|
| Day
16 |
Travel about 4 hours
into Tucuman, Argentina’s smallest province and
to the city of Tucuman. Fly from Tucuman to Buenos Aires
and on to Mendoza.
Transfer to the Vistalba Winery and check into the Inn,
the family estate of Carlos Pulenta. Lodging tonight
at Vistalba Winery.
|
| Day
17 |
Full day wine tour,
including lunch. First visit Achaval Ferrer and on to
Ruca Malen, where you will have lunch. Return to Vistalba.
Overnight at Vistalba Winery.
|
| Day
18 |
Trekking tour in the
area, with a box lunch. In the afternoon, drive to Rancho
e Cuero. The lodge is located only 16 km. from the base
of Nivero del Plata glacier and the natural reserve
around the lodge is home to lake trout, guanaco troops
and the majestic condor. Overnight at Rancho e Cuero.
|
| Day
19 |
Today will be a very
special trekking day. You can decide, with your guide
which of the treks you would prefer. Mid-afternoon,
visit Salentein winery, an absolutely gorgeous winery,
located very near the ranch. This winery was originally
started by the Jesuits. Dinner and overnight at Rancho
e Cuero.
|
| Day
20 |
After breakfast, transfer
to Mendoza (2 hrs.) and fly to Buenos Aires
Transfer to hotel and overnight
|
| Day
21 |
Spend the day in Buenos
Aires and transfer in the evening to the airport for
your return flight.
|
|
