Argentinean and Chilean Puna

Day 1: SALTA

Transfer from the airport to the selected hotel in Salta.

Accommodation in Hotel Posada del Marques

Day 2: SALTA

Breakfast. FD Excursion to Cafayate

Cafayate is the birthplace of the wines from Salta. We leave Salta at 07:30, going through the small towns of the Lerma Valley. We will arrive to the Quebrada de las Conchas (Conchas Gorge), a magnificent landscape where erosion has designed curious shapes in the reddish mountains. There have the opportunity to take a walk and take amazing photographs of the different shapes: Los Castillos, El Anfiteatro, la Garganta del Diablo, among others.

Once in Cafayate we will visit two wineries, where we get to taste the local wines and walk around the town. We go back to Salta in the afternoon.

Arrival at approx. 18:00 hs

Accommodation in Hotel Posada del Marques

Day 3: SALTA

Breakfast. Day at leisure

Accommodation in Hotel Posada del Marques

Day 4: SALTA

Breakfast. FD Excursion to Cachi

We leave to Cachi, going through typical villages and stunning panoramic views (more than 3000 m above sea level).

We drive through the lush Escoipe Gorge and then go up the Obispo Hill, its mountains seem to be carved in velvet. We get to see the enchanted Valley and go through the Recta del TinTin and Payogasta town to finally arrive in Cachi at noon. There we visit the Museum and the Church. In the afternoon we go back to Salta.

Arrival at approx. 18 hs

Accommodation in Hotel Posada del Marques

Day 5: SALTA

Breakfast. Day at leisure

Accommodation in Hotel Posada del Marques

Day 6: SALTA – PURMAMARCA

Breakfast. FD Excursion Tour to the Clouds

We travel in the same direction as the famous Train to the Clouds, zigzagging on lonely roads between the blue sky and the Puna. On our way, we visit magnificent ruins, scattered houses, small villages and amazing landscapes.

The day starts at 7:00 am when we leave Salta and reach the small town of Campo Quijano and later the impressive Quebrada del Toro. Soon we leave behind most signs of vegetation while we cross the solitary Puna. In Santa Rosa de Tastil, a preInca city of the XIII century, we do archeological hiking. Later, we reach San Antonio de los Cobres, a small miners’ town rich in tradition.

Farther ahead, a desert plateau will take us to the surreal landscape of the salt plains, where we stop again to walk around and enjoy the contrasts.

In the afternoon, we take the overwhelming Cuesta de Lipan and arrive at the Sevencolor Hill in Purmamarca, a landmark on its own. Night in Purmamarca.

Accommodation in Hotel Casa de Adobe in Purmamarca

Day 7: PURMAMARCA

Breakfast. FD Excursion to Quebrada de Humahuaca

Towns and relics of ancient cultures, superb mountains and the feeling of being in timeless places are the exquisite elements of this trip through the Humahuaca Gorge, UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We leave Purmamarca in the morning and head north to visit Tilcara, where we see the Pucara or indigenous fortress, Uquía, where we stop to admire the local church with its beautiful and ancient Cuzcan paintings, and Humahuaca where we revel in the extremely peaceful atmosphere, the typical colonial architecture and the charming people.

In our way back we also visit San Salvador de Jujuy to see its monuments and intriguing legends.

Accommodation in Hotel Casa de Adobe in Purmamarca

Day 8: PURMAMARCA – SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

Breakfast. Transfer to the Purmamarca Bus Terminal on your own (3 blocks away). Bus Ticket from Purmamarca to San Pedro de Atacama. Upon arrival, transfer from the San Pedro de Atacama Bus Terminal to the Hotel.

Accommodation in Hotel La Casa de Don Tomas

Day 9: SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

Breakfast. HD Excursion Moon Valley and Death Valley.

If you come to San Pedro de Atacama you can not miss visiting this unique place in the world, the Valley of the Moon, in the middle of the deep dryness of the salt mountain range we find a landscape of salt and clay shaped by water and wind over millions of years, in our journey we can enjoy the beauty delivered by extravagant forms that the cordillera mountain range gives us encouraging to imagination and reflection for your peace of mind. As we spend the afternoon we will go into the Death Valley Valle de la muerte and from there we will enjoy one of the best views of the Andes and its volcanoes, to finally finish watching the sunset that through its colorful gives us a wonderful end to our tour.

Accommodation in Hotel La Casa de Don Tomas

Day 10: SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

Breakfast. FD Excursion Salt Flat and Altiplanic Lagoons

On this occasion, we’ll visit the great Salar de Atacama in Los Flamencos National Reserve where you can enjoy its immensity surrounded by fauna in the Chaxa lagoon and surroundings between the flamingos that prove to be the main attraction of the salt with their beauty. Then we will take the road to the Highlands to visit the lagoons Miscanti and Miñiques at 4,200 meters above the sea level at the base of the volcanoes of the cordillera of the Andes, through its paths we will delight us with the nature of a landscape of contrasts. We will then enjoy lunch in the town of Socaire village highlighted for its traditional cuisine. Finally, before returning, we will visit the town of Toconao, its bell tower and Church of San Lucas, both national monuments since 1951.

Accommodation in Hotel La Casa de Don Tomas

Day 11: SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

Breakfast. FD Excursion to the Tatio and Machuca Geysers

Our trip to the highlands begins during the early morning hours to finally reach one of the most important geothermal fields in the world, “Geysers del Tatio” surrounded with water emanations and steam, we will enjoy the beauty of the Andes and with this natural stage we will offer you an agreeable breakfast. Then we will visit the «Pozon Rustico» where you will be able to enjoy the thermal waters that the mountain range gives us. Taking the road back to San Pedro de Atacama you will enjoy the beauty of the landscape, native flora and fauna to finally stop at the village of Machuca, shepherds of ancient llamas place, today this town of adobe, straw and cactus wood House is dedicated to the tourism offering local products such as Andean handicraft, Llama’s meat, Sopaipillas and empanadas. As an historical and architectural appeal we will visit the San Santiago Church, patron saint of the town.

Accommodation in Hotel La Casa de Don Tomas

Day 12: SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

Breakfast. HD Archaelogical Tour

San Pedro de Atacama is the archaeological capital of Chile, not only its landscapes are part of its appeal, its history enriches it and also to you, your stay and experience. We will visit the most important archaeological sites of the area and will travel to the past to learn about the origin of the Atacama or Licanantai culture, the Pukara de Quitor is not only important for the local history, but it is for the history of Chile through the battle of Quitor (1540) one of the first conflicts between Spaniards and Indians. In the Atacama farm we will see how a family combines the ancestral traditions of agriculture and livestock with tourism, tasting some local products, then the Tulor village, corresponds to the oldest settlement in the basin of the Salt Flat of Atacama and one of the first tests of sedentary lifestyles in the region. And finally we will move to the Centre of San Pedro de Atacama to travel back in time up to the time of the colony, where one of the most symbolic is the Church of San Pedro, built and preserved until today from adobe, cactus wood, chañar and algarrobo, a national monument since 1951.

Accommodation in Hotel La Casa de Don Tomas

Day 13: SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

Breakfast. Transfer from the hotel to Calama Airport.

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