Chile New Year Tour 2027: Patagonia, Santiago and Atacama

Our New Year tour in Chile begins today with the group's arrival in Santiago.

One group transfer from Santiago Airport to the hotel will be arranged on the arrival day. We will confirm the approximate departure time in advance. Guests whose flights arrive within the indicated time frame will be able to join the transfer.
You are also welcome to arrive the evening before or on a different flight. In that case, the transfer to the hotel will need to be arranged separately.
Guests arriving in Santiago before midday can join a short city tour at 4:00 pm. We will take the cable car up San Cristóbal Hill, one of the city's most famous viewpoints. From the top, beside the statue of the Virgin Mary, we will look out over Santiago and the mountains surrounding the capital.
There will also be free time for lunch or dinner in Providencia, one of Santiago's most pleasant neighbourhoods, with plenty of restaurants and cafés to choose from.
At this time of year, Santiago is warm, bright and sunny. While it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, Chile is in the middle of summer, with long days and festive decorations still around the city.
Our New Year tour begins just after Christmas, so we may even have the chance to take a few unusual holiday photos, with Christmas decorations, summer sunshine and Santiago in the background.
Overnight in Santiago.

As New Year approaches, we leave Santiago and fly to Punta Arenas, where our journey through Patagonia begins.

The flight takes about four hours. We cross almost half the length of Chile to reach the far south of the country, a region of islands, channels and open sea.
Around Punta Arenas are places known all over the world: Tierra del Fuego, the Strait of Magellan, Cape Horn and the Drake Passage.
Punta Arenas is a port city on the Brunswick Peninsula, in the Magallanes Region. On a clear day, we may see our first Patagonian landscapes from the plane. Antarctica is still far to the south, but from here it already feels closer. We plan to arrive in Punta Arenas in the afternoon. Summer days are long in Patagonia, so there will still be time for an evening city tour. We will learn how Punta Arenas grew and how people from different countries came to settle in this remote part of South America.
The weather can change quickly, even in summer. Strong winds, large clouds and trees bent by the wind are typical of the coast along the Strait of Magellan. In the city, we will also see maples, alders, birches and ash trees, which give some streets a northern European feel.
In the evening, we will have dinner together. Dinner is included and will feature southern king crab, known in Chile as centolla.

Overnight in Punta Arenas.

In the morning, we leave Hotel Cabo de Hornos and go to the pier. From there, we take a boat across the Strait of Magellan to Magdalena Island, part of Los Pingüinos National Reserve.

On the island, we walk along a marked trail to the lighthouse. The path passes between the burrows of thousands of Magellanic penguins. They return here every year to nest, raise their chicks and moult.
After returning to the mainland, we drive to Estancia Olga Teresa, near Río Verde. The road passes through open fields, low hills and the quiet countryside of Patagonia.
At the estancia, we will have a traditional Patagonian lunch. Lunch is included in the programme.
After lunch, we will look for Andean condors near the Palomares cliffs. The birds often use the air currents here to glide above the rocks. With a little luck, we will see them from a safe distance and use binoculars for a closer view. We then continue north along Route 9 towards Última Esperanza. The road crosses the open Patagonian steppe, and by evening we begin to see the landscapes around Torres del Paine.
We spend the night in Villa Cerro Castillo, a small village near the park. Our hotel is surrounded by nature and designed in the style of a traditional Patagonian estancia. It is a good place to rest before the next day's tour.
Overnight in Villa Cerro Castillo.

After breakfast, our New Year tour in Chile continues with a full-day visit to Torres del Paine National Park.

We will drive through the park and stop at lakes, waterfalls and viewpoints along the way. There will also be several short hikes. The exact stops and walking routes will be chosen according to the weather, visibility and conditions in the park.
Our route may include Lake Pehoé, Lake Nordenskjöld, Salto Grande waterfall and Laguna Amarga, with views of the famous granite peaks of Torres del Paine.
We may also see some of Patagonia's wildlife from the minibus or during the stops. Guanacos and rheas are common in the park. With some luck, we may also spot a huemul deer, an Andean condor or a caracara.
There will be plenty of time for landscape and wildlife photography. All animals live freely in the park, so sightings depend on the day and the conditions.
During the tour, we will stop at a café where you can buy lunch.
Pumas also live in Torres del Paine, although they are rarely seen. Their colour blends with the dry grass and low bushes, making them very difficult to spot.

After breakfast, we drive to Lake Grey and take a boat to Grey Glacier, part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.

During the cruise, we will see icebergs floating on the lake, the mountains around us and the glacier ahead. From the deck, we can see the blue wall of ice, which rises about 30 metres above the water.
The cruise is easy and does not involve long walks. As it is December 30, we will have a glass of whisky with ice and raise a toast to the year that is coming to an end.
After the cruise, we drive to a traditional Patagonian ranch. Lunch and the afternoon programme are included.
We will have Patagonian lamb cooked over an open fire, with a glass of Chilean wine. After lunch, we will see local horsemen, working sheepdogs and a sheep-shearing demonstration.
When possible, we will also visit the ranch workshop. Old restored machines are still used here to turn local sheep's wool into natural yarn.
At the end of the day, we return to the hotel.

On New Year's Eve, we leave Southern Patagonia and fly back to Santiago.

After breakfast, we drive towards Punta Arenas. On the way, we stop at Llanuras de Diana to see a large open-air metal sculpture with moving spheres, created as a tribute to the strong winds of Patagonia.
We then stop for lunch at Río Penitente Farm. A simple country-style lunch is included in the programme.
After lunch, we continue across the Patagonian steppe to Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Airport.
Our flight to Santiago leaves at 5:00 pm and is scheduled to arrive at 9:40 pm. From the airport, we go to our hotel in Lastarria, one of Santiago's most lively and bohemian neighbourhoods.
You can welcome the New Year at the hotel restaurant. The New Year's Eve dinner is not included in the tour price and can be arranged separately.
We spend the night here before continuing our journey to the Atacama Desert.
Overnight in Santiago.

After welcoming 2027 in Chile, our New Year tour continues north to the Atacama Desert. Before the flight, we will spend the morning in the historic centre of Santiago.

We start from the hotel and walk to Santa Lucía Hill. Along the way, we will talk about the founding of Santiago, the Spanish conquest and the history of the Mapuche people.
We then continue to La Moneda Palace. Here, we will hear about the military coup of 1973 and see the monument to Salvador Allende.
From there, we walk along Nueva York Street and through Santiago's old financial district. Its early 20th-century buildings are a good place for photos.
We then continue to Plaza de Armas, the main square of Santiago. Here we will see the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Central Post Office and the former Royal Court. Around the square, old colonial buildings stand next to modern glass towers.
After the city tour, you will have free time for lunch at the hotel restaurant.
Later, we go to Santiago Airport for our flight to Calama, scheduled for 5:30 pm. From the plane, we may see mountain ranges, salt flats and the dry landscapes of northern Chile.
A comfortable minibus will meet us at Calama Airport. From there, we drive to San Pedro de Atacama, a small oasis in the desert.
The sun sets late at this time of year, so on the way we may see the silhouettes of volcanoes and the colours of the Atacama Desert at sunset.
On arrival, we check in at our hotel in San Pedro de Atacama and rest.
Overnight in San Pedro de Atacama.

The morning is free, so you can take it easy after the journey and get used to the altitude. Sleep a little longer, walk through San Pedro de Atacama or visit the local craft market.

San Pedro grew around an old oasis and was an important stop on routes across the Andes and northern Chile. The free morning is a good chance to get a first feel for the village before the afternoon tour.
After lunch on your own, we head to Moon Valley. We will walk up the Great Dune, stop at a few viewpoints and talk about the dry climate of the Atacama.
We stay in the valley until sunset. Wine and light snacks will be served during a small picnic in the desert.
As the light changes, the dunes and salt formations take on warmer colours and the whole valley looks different. It is a quiet and beautiful way to end the day.
Overnight in San Pedro de Atacama.

In the morning, we drive up to the Altiplano and into Los Flamencos National Reserve. This day of our New Year tour through Chile takes us into a world that looks almost unreal.

Around Salar de Aguas Calientes and Piedras Rojas, red rock, white salt and clear blue sky come together in some of the most amazing views of the Atacama.
We then continue to the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons. They lie at the foot of the two volcanoes. Long ago, this was one lake, until a lava flow from Miñiques split it in two.
Miscanti has a nearly perfect cone, while Miñiques rises just to the north. For the people who lived in the Puna before the Spanish arrived, these mountains had a special spiritual meaning, and ceremonies were once held here.
Many place names in this area come from Kunza, the old language of the Atacameño people. As we travel through the Altiplano, we will see lagoons, volcanoes, salt flats and rock formations shaped by wind and time.
We will stop on the way for a picnic lunch outdoors. Lunch is included.
Overnight in San Pedro de Atacama.

Today begins before sunrise. We leave San Pedro while it is still dark and drive up to El Tatio, more than 4,000 metres above sea level.

Early morning is the best time to see the geysers. The air is still very cold, so the steam rises high above the valley as the first light appears.
A few kilometres away stands Tatio Volcano, an old extinct volcano in the Tocorpuri area. The name El Tatio comes from Kunza, the language of the Atacameño people, and is often translated as "the crying old man."
We will have time to walk through the geyser field and watch the steam and boiling water from a safe distance. Some of the jets can rise more than ten metres into the air.
After the visit, we stop for breakfast near the geysers. It is served outdoors and is included in the programme.
On the way back, we visit Puritama Hot Springs in the mountains. The pools are naturally warm, and there will be time to rest and swim after the early start.
We then return to San Pedro de Atacama. You will have free time for lunch before we leave for Calama Airport. The drive takes about an hour and a half.
From Calama, we fly back to Santiago. We spend the final night of our New Year tour in Chile at a hotel near Santiago Airport.
The tour ends here. The next morning, you will check out and take the hotel shuttle to the airport terminal for your flight home.