10-Day Best of Chile Tour: Patagonia, Atacama, Santiago, and More

This agency arranged a wonderful trip for us to Argentina and Chile (Buenos Aires, Mendoza, El Calafate, Torres del Paine, Santiago and San Pedro de Atacama).  The itinerary was prepared with our input and budget considerations though a very easy interactive process with their team. The accommodations and tours were as promised and we had a wonderful vacation that included city tours, wine tasting and some more adventurous outings in Patagonia and the Atacama Desert.  I can certainly recommend them for your travel needs without any hesitation.  A big thanks to our travel planners and the rest of the travel team.

We had a marvelous, unforgettable trip overall, including visits to Santiago, the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, Easter Island, Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chile, and finally Antarctica. We experienced a great variety of Chile's vast geography and ecology, from the beautiful central valleys, to the northern desert, to the tropical Polynesian island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), to the forests and mountains of Patagonia. The lodges and excursions they provided in each destination were well organized, with knowledgeable, English-speaking guides. We visited Antarctica and it was spectacular. The tour operator offers expedition travel for people who want to experience the polar regions firsthand. Our expedition, 14 days that went below the Antarctica Circle, featured expert guides who enjoyed sharing their considerable knowledge of geology, glaciers and ice (!), mammals, birds, and plants, to name just a portion, and excursions twice daily on zodiacs to sail among glaciers and whales and seals and walk among penguins and skuas. It was not a leisure cruise, but an expedition for folks who want to experience and appreciate the Antarctica up close. That said, the ship was extremely comfortable, with a remarkably hospitable staff and delicious, copious food.

Our travel company was excellent in helping us to conceptualize, plan, and organize our trip. They offered many useful suggestions about where to go, how much time to spend in each destination, and which options to consider for hotels/lodges and the Antarctica expedition. We greatly appreciated their advice and assistance in putting together our trip. All of the hotel and transit reservations were made, and that part of the trip went smoothly.

However, there was a persistent problem with our air travel in Chile that was unnecessary, and which caused us needless aggravation. For our internal flights (to/from Calama/Atacama, and to Puerto Natales), our travel company purchased the cheapest LAN tickets that did not include baggage allowance. I discovered this a month before we were set to travel, when I was carefully reviewing the reservations (and about 5 months after they purchased the tickets). When I informed the travel company in early January 2018, I said we of course had baggage (especially cold weather gear for Antarctica) and needed the 23 kg allowance. After I informed them of the problem, they did work to correct the problem, telling us they had purchased baggage allowances for those flights that didn't originally have them. We got a receipt from them for baggage for one of those flights (to Puerto Natales), and were told it was resolved for the Calama flights but LAN couldn't provide a receipt. When we did check in for those flights, the baggage allowance was covered, but our concern before each flight could have been avoided if they had bought the correct tickets. 

This problem became more apparent, and more aggravating when we were checking in to fly from Atacama to Santiago, and then on to Easter Island. We were told we could not check our bags all the way through to Easter Island because our tickets for the two flights that day were not on the same record. (This was due to the fact that two different priced tickets had been purchased. The Easter Island tickets were regular, economy tickets.) So we had to check in our bags to Santiago, retrieve them from baggage claim at Santiago Airport, and then return to the Departures area of the airport and check them in for the flight to Easter Island. Santiago Airport is a huge, crowded, messy airport, and this process of literally running around the airport took us 1.5 hours (of what was a 2 hour layover). We arrived at our gate for Easter Island just as people were boarding. This was not what we planned for or expected—and it could and should have been avoided if the travel company had bought the proper air tickets from the start.

Our trip was outstanding. We tried doing this trip in 2022, with a cruise. We both got Covid and had to quarantine in Montevideo, Uruguay. Undaunted, we came back this year for a land trip only.

Our agent, Kieran, did an outstanding job. He helped us navigate through our experience and our 19-day itinerary was wonderful. We started out at Iguazu Falls, and went to Salta, Argentina, then Ushuaia and portions of Patagonia, including Tierra del Fuego. From there, we went to Chile and Puerto Natales. Torres del Paine was amazing, along with the fjords. San Pedro de Atacama was otherworldly. I can't say enough good things about this trip! You won't be disappointed.

Kieran checked in with us during the trip to ensure things were going well. What an unforgettable experience. We met wonderful people along the way, the food was excellent, and we had great wine! We had great accommodations for the whole trip. Really a great experience.

I was working on the suggestion of my son that we should consider a trip to Chile! What an awkward place to visit, I thought! It turned out to be the trip of a lifetime. In our planning the trip, I stumbled upon Zicasso  and with the help of our agent created an itinerary that we thought would suit our needs. Our agent had to persuade us a bit to spend some extra time in the desert in lieu of some days in the capital. That turned out to be the best advice ever. San Pedro de Atacama is a fascinating destination. Magnificent landscapes, towering mountains, salt lakes, varied wildlife and outdoor activities e.g sand boarding for those willing to skate down a 100metre sand slope in the Death Valley! The visit to the Moon Valley at sunset was a highlight,especially when our guides surprised us with a fantastic bottle of Carmenere complimented by superb cheeses and ham. After 3 days in the desert it was time to head south to Patagonia. Excellent care was taken of our travel arrangements, although the airline temporarily lost one of our 4 suitcases( 4 travellers). Our travel company was sure to keep a tab on that minor inconvenience and all worked out well after 2 days when the recovery was made. In the meantime, the hotel was a splendid choice for a base to explore Patagonia. Nothing was left to chance by the hotel staff and their guides to ensure our comfort. The south was equally impressive as the desert although poles apart in climate and scenery. The final leg in Santiago was short but sweet. The hotel there went far far beyond our expectations. What a splendid little boutique hotel: elegant,friendly and warm! I am grateful for the assistance that our travel company provided us in planning and executing this trip.