Chile Custom Tour - Navigator Series (10 days)

Best Time to Go

The warm summer months, December to February, are popular times to visit southern Chile. Winds are also strongest during these months. In winter,

May to September, travel is limited as most trails are closed and waterways frozen. Ski season in central Chile usually begins in June.

October/November and March/April typically have slightly lower temperatures, less wind and fewer travelers. Northern Chile’s Atacama Desert and Easter Island are year-round destinations.

About Chile

Atacama Desert: The Atacama Desert sidles up to the coast along the Pacific Ocean and reaches up into the Andes Mountains. In this rugged and largely untouched wilderness, adventurers come to experience the stark and stunning landscapes. Some excursions by horseback take in Moon Valley, while other options include desert hikes.

Carretera Austral: The Carretera Austral in northern Patagonia is an out-of-the-way destination. Patagonia at its absolute wildest. Lush forests, glaciers, hidden lakes and the stunning marble caves are all part of the scenery in this region. Sailing through the fjords, trekking in pristine parks, ice camping, kayaking on Lake General Carrera, and rafting down the turquoise waters of Baker River.

Chiloe Island: This is the largest of 30 islands of the Chiloe Archipelago off the southern coast of Chile in the Pacific Ocean.

Easter Island: Few places have gripped the world’s imagination more than Easter Island with its giant stone figures. Some 600 mysterious, stone moai figures dot the island. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Rapa Nui National Park includes Ahu Vinapu’s Inca-like precise stonework; Rano Raraku quarry where the giant figures were carved.

Elqui River Valley: The Elqui River Valley presents beautiful landscapes that produce fruits and vegetables, especially grapes for export and for local pisco production. The skies here are among the clearest in the southern hemisphere, making this an ideal location for astronomical observatories in the summits of Tololo and Pachon Hills.

Futaleufu River: This river in the heart of Chilean Patagonia is one of premier whitewater rafting destinations in the world. The river is set in a breathtaking landscape of peaks and spires and the snow-packed crown of the Andes. The river is born in the glacial snow melt fed by a chain of lakes in the Los Alerces National Park and Chile. The turquoise-tinted waters are produced by the glaciers. Adventures include whitewater rafting, kayaking, hiking and horseback riding.

Northern Chile: This fascinating region is well off the tourism beat, yet offers a range of exceptional adventures. Small towns and villages such as Rio Hurtado and Pisco Elqui are set in the Andes amid striking mountain landscapes.

Patagonia: In the heart of the region, Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park boasts incomparable scenes of granite peaks, glaciers, lakes and waterfalls. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Patagonia Cruises: Cruises from four to seven days travel through the Southern Patagonia Ice Field. Each cruise navigates through channels, past fjords and glaciers, and sails through Montanas Fjord, past the enormous mountains. Trekkers can walk into the forest to the base of the Bernal Glacier, with its bluish ice free from contamination. The fjord is the furthest point of the Southern Ice Fields.

Pucon: Pucon is a small city in the middle of the southern lake region. This is a fashionable resort area with abundant outdoor activities such as glacier trekking, horseback riding, boating and mountain biking.

Santiago & Winelands: Set in a valley with a mild Mediterranean climate, the city’s charms are found in its old quarter, European-style districts, Spanish colonial churches, gardens and government palaces.

Valparaiso: For 500 years, Valparaiso has been a port of call for vessels from around the world. This colorful city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.