Journeys: Discover Chile!

Discover Chile!
Itinerary: January 4-18, 2006
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January 4
Depart from your home city for Santiago, Chile, with an altitude of 1706 feet above sea level and a temperature ranging between 54ºF to 85ºF in January. This is Santiago’s warmest and driest month with very little precipitation expected.

January 5
Arrive in Santiago and transfer to your hotel. Perhaps explore Cerro San Cristobal in the afternoon with your escort. We can walk, ride, or ascend by the funicular which Pope John Paul II used to rise to the top and bless the city in his 1987 visit.

January 6
The tour of Santiago begins with the interesting architecture in the older residential areas and continues on to the Cousiño Palace and many historic buildings before reaching the heart of Santiago. We see "La Moneda" governmental palace, originally designed to be Chile’s mint, the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, the San Francisco Church, and finally the Santa Lucía Hill, where Santiago was founded in 1541. We will also drive along the Mapocho River and pass by fabulous homes with well-kept gardens and shopping area in the districts of Vitacura, Las Condes and Santa Maria de Manquehue. We will spend some time in Santiago’s best museum, the Pre- Colombian Art Museum. Although many of you have seen the museums in Lima, Cuzco, Quito and Cuenca, some of the artifacts here are incomparable. The best Inca knotted string record, or "quipu" I have ever seen is housed in this museum. We will be taken to the Mercado Central to purchase lunch and make our way back to the hotel on our own. Santiago’s modern subway system and the efficient bus lines will make this easy for us.(B)

January 7
This morning we drive toward the Maipo Canyon up to Las Vertientes, a small town with a pool surrounded by grass and flowers in the foothills of the Andes, with a spectacular view of the Maipo River and beautiful Chilean landscapes. We continue to the Santa Rita winery, located in the Maipo Valley, reknown as one of the finest viticultural areas in the world. Santa Rita is an impressive estate with 800 hectares of vineyards for the production of high quality wines, as well as the old family mansion, surrounded by acres of beautiful, ancient parkland and ornamental gardens. The winery was founded in 1880 by the prominent public figure and entrepreneur, Domingo Fernandez Concha, who built the houses, the chapel and the viticultural facilities. Santa Rita has been awarded many international prizes confirming the quality of its wines.

Next we proceed through the Colchagua Valley, visiting one of the principal vineyards of the wine route, Bisquertt. Driving through the Central Valley in springtime, fields of flaming orchards perfume the air making a brilliant display. The dark, hot pink of peaches and nectarines, the lighter rose-colored cherry trees, the white flowering almond, apple apricot and plum trees all proclaim the fertility of the area. In one day you will be able to see and understand the process of elaboration of the best wines of the country, visiting the Bisquertt vineyards in Colchagua after the Santa Rita vineyards in Maipo. In the afternoon we may opt to visit the Colchagua Museum, the largest private museum in Chile, organized into various sections among which are PreColombian Art, Paleoindigenous Peoples, and Folklore and clothing of the "Huaso" or Chilean cowboy. The largest collection of amber in the world is also housed here.

In the evening we are treated to a 5 course Maridaje Reserve Dinner at Bisquertt wineries, serving a Reserve Syrah and 3 Grand Reserve wines. This dinner is a true "marriage" of wine with each course. It will be your most memorable dinner ever! See enclosed flyer for an example (B,D)

January 8
Today you have some time at leisure before our flight to Bariloche, Argentina, a gem of a lakeside resort town on the eastern slopes of the Andes. We might opt to pay a visit to the former home of Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda. He built this home for his mistress, Mathilde Urrutia, and named it after her wild, untameable tresses "La Chascona." Neruda’s wake was held here and his funeral became the first march against the Pinochet regime. It is now the headquarters of the Neruda Foundation. In Bariloche we will be transferred to Hotel Edelweiss. (B)

January 9
Begin the famous "Lake Crossing" between Argentina and Chile at Puerto Pañuelo pier where you will board a private launch and cross beautiful Lake Nahuel Huapi. On arrival in Puerto Blest you will board another coach for a short ride to the boat that will take you across Lago Frias to reach Puerto Frias. After leaving Argentina there, we cross into Chile over the Perez Rosales Pass. Then on to the Swiss- style Hotel Peulla, where lunch will be served. We have the afternoon to fish, ride horses, go hiking or take a motorized excursion on a "puma" to El Encanto Lagoon. (optional excursions) (B,L)

January 10
Morning in this idyllic spot is at leisure. In the afternoon we continue our crossing by cruise through the emerald waters of Lake Todos Los Santos to Petrohué. We will visit the unusual Petrohué Falls, not the standard waterfall, but a series of oddly twisting chutes formed by a crystallized black volcanic rock, unaffected by erosion. Finally we board a private vehicle which skirts Lake Llanquihue to arrive at Puerto Varas, our stop for 2 nights. All along the route from Bariloche to Puerto Varas are spectacular snow- capped volcanos, such as Osorno, Thunder Mountain, Calbuco and Cerro Puntiagudo.(B)

January 11
We take a day trip to the island of Chiloé, a Chile in miniature, a peculiar time capsule preserving some of Chile’s best traditions, shaping them into song, dance, crafts, and a mythology which has become one of the main strands of the country’s national identity. We will have a private meeting with Sr. Carlos Lincoman, the Head Chieftan of the General Council of Caciques of Chiloé to learn more about the Huilliche people who live there. He will provide us with a unique viewpoint on Native American culture. We will visit the sunken graveyard here and learn how the 1960 earthquake changed the lifestyle of the people in the area.

In Chadmo, we will talk with Sra. Hilda, a community leader and local school teacher who will present us with a folk performance in the native language. Still later we are scheduled to meet the Peace Master or ñukemapu, the living bond between religion and community. Back to Puerto Varas for the evening. (B,L)

January 12-15
Flight from Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas, where we will be transported north to the Explora Lodge in Patagonia at the foot of the fabulous Torres de Paine. The road trip is long, and will be broken by a stop for tea along the way. You will see why we have saved the best for last when you arrive. Our stay in the lodge includes all meals, cooked by a French chef, as well as all our outings with bilingual guides. There will be approximately 5 choices of diverse day trips every day. You could opt to hike and ride horses in an area of condors and eagles. You could travel by boat and foot to the French Glacier. You could go by vehicle to Grey Glacier, or you could bask in the large, outdoor hot tub while others do the hiking! The owners have a vineyard and all of their wines, as well as liquor, are included during your stay. We offer an optional, private, one day fly-fishing trip in this area if as many as two people are interested. (All meals)

Jan 16
You will be sorry to say goodbye to the Explora Lodge, but today we motor back to Punta Arenas for our flight to Santiago, where we will be met and transferred back to our hotel.(B,L)

Jan 17th
We have most of the day free as almost all flights leave in the evening. It’s a good day to do that last minute shopping at Blue Stone Designs which specializes in jewelry and household items made from lapis lazuli, or at Los Domenicos, a village set up to advertise the artisanry from all parts of Chile. You can buy some antique items here, alpaca shawls, silver stirrups or that copper wall-hanging that you have wanted since the first day! Transfer to the airport for your flight home. (B)

Optional Excursion to Easter Island will depart Jan 17th and return Jan 19th or 20th. There may be an overnight in Santiago before returning to your home city. Prices on request.