Chile in nine days, top to bottom: colonial Santiago and a sunset over the Andes from Cerro San Cristóbal, a sunrise climb to the steaming El Tatio geysers and an afternoon floating in the hyper-saline waters of Laguna Cejar, a night of telescope views under some of the clearest skies on the planet, then a long travel day south to Chilean Patagonia for the granite spires of Torres del Paine and a catamaran crossing to the calving face of Grey Glacier — with real hotels, licensed operators, and 2026 prices for every stop.
Day 1Arrive in Santiago
Land in the Chilean capital and settle into the leafy Barrio Lastarria in time for a sunset over the Andes and a first dinner of Chilean classics.
🚕 Private Airport Transfer — Turismo Cocha
~35 minutes · From $45 USD, private car for 2
A private transfer meets arrivals at Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL) for the short drive into downtown Santiago's Barrio Lastarria.
Turismo Cocha · +56 2 2464 1000 · www.cocha.com
🌄 Sunset at Cerro San Cristóbal
~2 hours, funicular + self-guided · Funicular from $10 USD round-trip
The century-old funicular climbs from Bellavista to the summit of Cerro San Cristóbal, where a viewing terrace beneath the hilltop Virgin Mary statue looks out over the Andes and the full spread of the city as the light fades.
Funicular de Santiago · +56 2 2730 1331 · funicular.cl
🍽️ Dinner — Casa Lastarria
~1.5 hours · $30–$45 USD / person
A restored 19th-century house turned restaurant on a quiet corner of Barrio Lastarria, serving Chilean staples like congrio (kingclip) and pisco sours on a candlelit patio.
Casa Lastarria · +56 2 2632 9964 · casalastarria.cl
🛎️ Overnight — The Singular Santiago Lastarria
From $220–$280 USD / night, for 2 people
A boutique hotel on a quiet street in Barrio Lastarria, with a rooftop terrace and easy walking distance to the Museum of Fine Arts, the GAM cultural center, and the neighborhood's restaurants and bars.
The Singular Santiago Lastarria · +56 2 2306 8800 · www.thesingular.com/santiago
Day 2Santiago to San Pedro de Atacama
A morning in the colonial core of Santiago, then an afternoon flight north to the high desert town of San Pedro de Atacama.
🏛️ Walking Tour — Plaza de Armas & Mercado Central
~2.5 hours, self-guided · Free (lunch extra)
A morning loop through the colonial core past La Moneda Palace and the Metropolitan Cathedral on Plaza de Armas, ending with a seafood lunch of ceviche and sea bass under the wrought-iron arches of the 1872 Mercado Central.
✈️ Flight — Santiago to Calama (LATAM Airlines)
~2 hours · From $95 USD / person, one-way
LATAM's frequent afternoon departures connect Santiago's Arturo Merino Benítez Airport (SCL) to Calama's El Loa Airport (CJC), the gateway to the Atacama Desert.
LATAM Airlines · +56 600 526 2000 · www.latamairlines.com
🚕 Private Transfer — Frontera del Norte
~1.5 hours · From $60 USD, private car for 2
A private transfer covers the drive south from Calama across the desert plateau to San Pedro de Atacama, climbing in elevation with views of the Licancabur volcano along the way.
Frontera del Norte · +56 55 285 1000 · www.fronteradelnorte.com
🛎️ Overnight — Cumbres San Pedro de Atacama
From $180–$230 USD / night, for 2 people
An adobe-and-stone hotel built low against the desert on the edge of San Pedro, with a pool, spa, and a restaurant serving Andean-influenced Chilean cuisine.
Cumbres San Pedro de Atacama · +56 55 285 1100 · www.cumbreshotel.com/san-pedro-de-atacama
Day 3El Tatio Geysers & Valle de la Luna
A pre-dawn climb to one of the world's highest geyser fields, then a return at dusk to the wind-carved dunes of Valle de la Luna.
🌋 Sunrise Tour — El Tatio Geysers
~7 hours, guided, breakfast included · $85 USD / person
A 4:00am departure climbs to 4,300 meters for sunrise over one of the world's highest geyser fields, when the geothermal columns of steam stand tallest in the cold morning air, followed by a included breakfast at the site before the drive back down.
Nomades Expediciones · +56 55 285 1200 · www.nomades.com
🏜️ Sunset Tour — Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley)
~4 hours, guided · $45 USD / person
An evening walk through wind-carved salt formations and dune ridges inside the Los Flamencos National Reserve, ending at a lookout point as sunset turns the surrounding mountains shades of pink and gold.
SanPedroAtacama.com Tours · +56 55 285 1300 · sanpedroatacama.com
🛎️ Overnight — Cumbres San Pedro de Atacama
From $180–$230 USD / night, for 2 people
Second desert night, with the day's dust washed off in the outdoor pool before dinner.
Day 4Salt Flats & Stargazing
A morning float in a hyper-saline lagoon, an afternoon among flamingos on the Salar de Atacama, then a night of telescope views under some of the darkest skies on Earth.
🩵 Laguna Cejar & Ojos del Salar
~5 hours, guided, swim included · $70 USD / person
A half-day trip to the hyper-saline waters of Laguna Cejar, dense enough to float in without effort, with stops at the twin sinkhole pools of Ojos del Salar and the flamingo-dotted shallows of Laguna Tebinquiche.
Atacama Magic · +56 55 285 1400 · atacamamagic.com
🦩 Los Flamencos National Reserve — Salar de Atacama
~2 hours, self-guided add-on · Reserve entrance ~$11 USD
The edge of Chile's largest salt flat hosts three species of flamingo wading through shallow brine pools against a backdrop of volcanoes — best seen in the late afternoon light on the way back from Laguna Cejar.
✨ Stargazing Tour — SPACE Observatory
~2.5 hours, guided, telescopes included · $55 USD / person
The Atacama's near-zero light pollution and famously clear skies make this one of the best places on Earth for amateur astronomy — a bilingual astronomer guides the group through telescope views of Saturn's rings, the Magellanic Clouds, and the dense core of the Milky Way.
SPACE (San Pedro de Atacama Celestial Explorations) · +56 55 256 6278 · www.spaceobs.com
🛎️ Overnight — Cumbres San Pedro de Atacama
From $180–$230 USD / night, for 2 people
A final desert night before tomorrow's long travel day south to Patagonia.
Day 5Atacama to Patagonia
A long travel day the length of Chile, connecting through Santiago to reach Chilean Patagonia by evening.
✈️ Flight — Calama to Punta Arenas, via Santiago (LATAM Airlines)
~6 hours total, one connection · From $180 USD / person, one-way
There's no direct route between Chile's two ends — the day's connection routes back through Santiago before continuing on to Punta Arenas, gateway to Chilean Patagonia.
LATAM Airlines · +56 600 526 2000 · www.latamairlines.com
🚌 Transfer — Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales (Bus Sur)
~3 hours · From $12 USD / person
Comfortable coaches run the flat, windswept route north from Punta Arenas along the Strait of Magellan to Puerto Natales, gateway town to Torres del Paine, several times a day.
Bus Sur · +56 61 261 4224 · www.bus-sur.cl
🍽️ Dinner — Afrigonia
~1.5 hours · $35–$50 USD / person
A Zambian chef's African-Patagonian fusion restaurant on Puerto Natales' waterfront, pairing local king crab and lamb with the spices of East Africa — reservations recommended.
Afrigonia · +56 61 241 2877
🛎️ Overnight — The Singular Patagonia
From $420–$580 USD / night, for 2 people
A converted 1915 sheep-processing plant on the shore of Puerto Natales' fjord, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the water and a spa built into the old machine hall.
The Singular Patagonia · +56 61 272 2030 · www.thesingular.com/patagonia
Day 6Torres del Paine National Park
A full day inside Chile's most dramatic national park, from turquoise lakes to the granite towers that give it its name.
🏔️ Full-Day Tour — Torres del Paine Viewpoints
~12 hours, guided, park entrance included · $120 USD / person
A full circuit through Torres del Paine National Park, stopping at the turquoise waters of Lago Pehoé, the thundering Salto Grande waterfall, and the classic lookout over the three granite towers that give the park its name.
Nomades Expediciones · +56 61 241 4300 · www.nomades.com
🦙 Wildlife Spotting — Guanacos & Condors
Throughout the day, from the vehicle · Included in tour
Herds of wild guanaco graze the open steppe along the park road, and Andean condors are a regular sight riding thermals above the Cuernos del Paine massif.
🛎️ Overnight — The Singular Patagonia
From $420–$580 USD / night, for 2 people
Back in Puerto Natales after a full day in the park, with dinner looking out over the fjord.
Day 7Grey Glacier & Milódon Cave
A catamaran crossing to the face of a calving glacier, then a prehistoric cave on the drive back to town.
🚥 Catamaran Navigation — Grey Glacier
~4.5 hours round-trip, guided · $130 USD / person
A catamaran crosses ice-flecked Lago Grey to the face of Grey Glacier, a wall of blue-white ice more than 100 feet tall calving into the lake — glasses of whisky chilled with glacier ice are poured on the return crossing.
Turismo 21 de Mayo · +56 61 261 4184 · turismo21demayo.cl
🦴 Cueva del Milódón Natural Monument
~1 hour, self-guided · ~$13 USD entrance
A cavernous rock shelter 30 minutes from Puerto Natales where 19th-century explorers found the preserved skin of a giant ground sloth extinct for over 10,000 years, with a life-size replica now standing at the cave mouth.
🛎️ Overnight — The Singular Patagonia
From $420–$580 USD / night, for 2 people
A last night on the fjord before tomorrow's drive back to Punta Arenas.
Day 8Punta Arenas & Fly to Santiago
A penguin colony on the Strait of Magellan, then a direct evening flight back to the capital.
🐧 Magellanic Penguin Colony — Otway Sound
~3 hours round-trip, guided · $35 USD / person (seasonal, Oct–Mar)
A gravel road leads to a private nature reserve on the Strait of Magellan where thousands of Magellanic penguins nest in burrows along the beach between October and March, viewed from a boardwalk that keeps a respectful distance.
Reserva Otway · +56 61 261 1000 · www.reservaotway.com
🚕 Transfer — Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas Airport
~3 hours · From $70 USD, private car for 2
The return drive follows the same coastal steppe road back to Punta Arenas' Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Airport (PUQ) in time for the afternoon flight north.
Bus Sur · +56 61 261 4224 · www.bus-sur.cl
✈️ Flight — Punta Arenas to Santiago (LATAM Airlines)
~3.5 hours, direct · From $110 USD / person, one-way
A direct evening flight retraces the length of Chile back to the capital, arriving in Santiago after dark.
LATAM Airlines · +56 600 526 2000 · www.latamairlines.com
🛎️ Overnight — The Singular Santiago Lastarria
From $220–$280 USD / night, for 2 people
A last night back in Barrio Lastarria before the flight home.
Day 9Departure
A last quiet morning in Lastarria before the transfer to the airport.
☕ Morning in Barrio Lastarria
~1.5 hours, self-guided · Free
A final walk through Lastarria's tree-lined streets and weekend antique market, with coffee at one of the neighborhood's corner cafés before checkout.
🚕 Private Airport Transfer — Turismo Cocha
~35 minutes · From $45 USD, private car for 2
A private transfer collects you from the hotel for the short drive to Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL).
Turismo Cocha · +56 2 2464 1000 · www.cocha.com
✈️ Departure — Santiago International Airport (SCL)
Self-guided
Closes a nine-day loop that ran from Santiago's colonial core and Barrio Lastarria to the geysers and salt flats of the Atacama Desert and the granite towers and glaciers of Chilean Patagonia — check international carriers' recommended arrival times, typically 3 hours before departure.
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