DAY 1: Arrive in Santiago
![Arrive in Santiago]()
Welcome to Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city! Make your way to your hotel to meet up with the rest of your Expat Explore tour group. Get to know each other over an included welcome dinner, and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime..
Experiences
Welcome dinner. This welcome dinner is the ideal opportunity to sample your first Chilean meal and get acquainted with your tour mates. These fine folks will be adventuring alongside you for the next 18 days, so buddy up!
Included Meals
Accommodationi
Hotel Providencia Panamericana
DAY 2: Santiago City Tour
![Santiago City Tour]()
Grab breakfast and embark on a tour of Santiago with a local guide. Encounter the downtown area, the famous Alameda Avenue, Plaza de Armas, Santiago Cathedral and the Central Market. Not to mention the Bellavista district and San Cristobal Hill! Lunch will be included on the go. This evening, you are free to enjoy dinner wherever you choose.
Experiences
Santiago City Tour. Set off on foot for a tour of Chile’s vibrant capital city! Your local guide will show you Santiago’s highlights and share the city’s rich history with you. See Santiago’s downtown area, visit Saint Lucia Hill and traditional neighbourhoods around the city centre. Stop by top attractions including the busy Plaza de Armas, the Santiago Cathedral, and the La Moneda Palace. The views alone would be enough to keep you captivated for hours with the Andes Mountains providing an incredible background to the city.
Included Meals
Accommodationi
Hotel Providencia Panamericana-
DAY 3: Santiago: Free Day
![Santiago: Free Day]()
Take the day to explore at your own pace, or join in on an optional excursion to the UNESCO World Heritage-rated quarters of Valparaíso, and Viña del Mar. The scheduled trip will depart after breakfast and head for the Pacific coast, where the vibrant city of Valparaíso awaits. The town is studded with funiculars that link the port and hills with its colorful, clifftop homes. Next, we head north to visit the resort city of Viña del Mar, famous for its gardens, beaches, and museums. Lunch is included in the optional excursion; dinner can be enjoyed wherever you please.
Included Meals
Accommodationi
Hotel Providencia Panamericana-
Optional Excursions
- Valparaiso and Viña del Mar Day Trip i US$65
* Stated prices and availability are subject to change.DAY 4: Santiago - Flight to Calama - San Pedro de Atacama
![Santiago - Flight to Calama - San Pedro de Atacama]()
Make your way from Santiago to Calama via a short flight. Disembark in northern Chile and travel from Calama to San Pedro de Atacama via coach. Keep an eye out for the wonderful desert scenery along the way. Take an orientation tour and enjoy some free time over lunch before booking in at the hotel. Next up is a trip to the nearby Moon Valley. Enjoy your own time this evening or join the group for dinner and/or a mesmerising stargazing experience.
Experiences
Moon Valley afternoon and sunset visit. Pay a visit to the El Valle De La Luna (Moon Valley) just outside San Pedro de Atacama. From here you can appreciate the incredible views of this region and see the sun set like never before. Elevated 2,250 metres above sea level, the valley contains the Salt mountain range, deep valleys, salt caves and a variety of rock and stone formations. The scenes you’ll lay eyes on here closely resemble the surface of the moon - which explains the romantic name.
Included Meals
Accommodationi
Hotel Don RaulOptional Excursions
* Stated prices and availability are subject to change. DAY 5: San Pedro de Atacama - Bolivian Desert
![San Pedro de Atacama - Bolivian Desert]()
Rise with the dawn to take a road trip to the Bolivian border. Enjoy a packed breakfast on the way and jump straight onto rugged 4x4 vehicles upon arrival. Travel deeper into Bolivia through Eduardo Avaroa National Park to drink in the beauty of its striking vistas and natural fauna. Pack your swimsuit - there may be some time to stop over at the Polques hot springs to take a dip. Tonight we stay with a local family who will dish up tasty traditional foods and teach you more about their way of life.*
*Please be aware that the remote location limits accommodation options. Homestays are fairly basic, with multi-share rooms, limited hot water and less extravagant amenities. We afford our gracious hosts the respect they deserve and request that our tour members do too.
Experiences
Visit the Laguna Hedionda and see the Ollague Volcano. With your 4x4 vehicles roaming the desert in convoy, allow your local guide to point out some of the region’s most spectacular lagoons and vistas. This day includes views of the famous Ollague Volcano which sits on the border of Chile and Bolivia at a height of 5,868 metres above sea level. We’ll stop at several lakes, including Laguna Hedionda which hosts a large population of bright pink flamingos!
Train Cemetery. A visit to the Train Cemetery allows us to wander amongst these huge, abandoned carriages - some of which were imported from as far away as Britain, over 100 years ago.
DAY 6: Bolivian Desert
![Bolivian Desert]()
Tuck into a hearty breakfast before continuing onwards with the 4x4s to explore southern Bolivia. Encounter three striking lagoons - Laguna Hedionda, Canapa and Honda respectively. Enjoy a picnic lunch and continue onwards, glimpsing the majestic Ollague Volcano along the way. Stop over at the Uyuni Train Cemetery where abandoned trains tell the story of the mining economy collapse of the early 1900s. Spend a final night in the desert at the home of another local family.*
*Please be aware that the remote location limits accommodation options. Homestays are fairly basic, with multi-share rooms, limited hot water and less extravagant amenities. We afford our gracious hosts the respect they deserve and request that our tour members do too.
Experiences
Visit the Laguna Hedionda and see the Ollague Volcano. With your 4x4 vehicles roaming the desert in convoy, allow your local guide to point out some of the region’s most spectacular lagoons and vistas. This day includes views of the famous Ollague Volcano which sits on the border of Chile and Bolivia at a height of 5,868 metres above sea level. We’ll stop at several lakes, including Laguna Hedionda which hosts a large population of bright pink flamingos!
Train Cemetery. A visit to the Train Cemetery allows us to wander amongst these huge, abandoned carriages - some of which were imported from as far away as Britain, over 100 years ago.
Included Meals
Accommodationi
La Magia de San Juan
DAY 7: Bolivian Desert - Uyuni
![Bolivian Desert - Uyuni]()
Ready, set, let's go on a full-day trip into the heart of the magnificent Uyuni Salt Flats. Follow your local guide into the vast expanse of the Salar de Uyuni - one of the largest salt flats in the world. Make your way to the village of Colchani, where the locals will teach us more about the important salt economy. Next, travel to the cacti oasis of Incahuasi Island. Disembark at the hotel in Uyuni this evening and take some time to spend at leisure.
Experiences
Uyuni Salt Flats Day Trip. Join a local guide to explore the Uyuni Salt Flats (Salar de Uyuni) with the assistance of a 4x4 vehicle. Welcome to the world’s largest salt flats and one of Bolivia’s most famous tourist attractions. When it rains, the flats become a lake and creates the world’s largest mirror - bright, endless and spellbinding. Take time to wander about on the flats and take the most amazing photos. On the way there and back you can see magical landscapes made up of colourful lakes, local fauna, flora, mountains and rock formations.
Included Meals
Accommodationi
Hotel Girasoles
DAY 8: Uyuni - Flight to La Paz
![Uyuni - Flight to La Paz]()
Enjoy breakfast and wave farewell to Uyuni as we board a plane to travel north to La Paz, the highest administrative capital in the world. Embark on a city tour with a passionate local. This guided foray features some of the city's major attractions, including the Witches’ Market, the San Francisco church, as well as the Moon Valley with its spellbinding geological rock formations.
Experiences
Landing at La Paz airport. Land at La Paz Airport. Experience a breathtaking flight! Fly from the world’s sixth-highest airport in Uyuni (3,954m) into the world's fifth-highest airport at La Paz (4,061m). Take in the scenery below as we pass over lakes and the Andes Mountains before touching down under the shadow of Mount Illimani, which stands high over La Paz at 6,438m
Included Meals
Accommodationi
Hostal NairaDAY 9: La Paz
![La Paz]()
Spend another day in pretty La Paz. Explore some more of the local attractions on another tour. This includes the famous cable car ('the subway in the sky'), as well as the Teleferico Viewpoint. Grab lunch from a local vendor and eatery and explore some more at your own pace afterward. Sit down to an optional farewell dinner with the group this evening if you wish.
Experiences
La Paz City Tour: EJoin an expert local guide on a city tour of La Paz which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site! See the top attractions and learn all about La Paz’s history. Wander through the Mercado de Bruja (Witches Market) and discover the colourful powders and natural herbs on sale. See Plaza Murillo, the 16th century San Francisco Church and more! Ride the cable car above the city to reach Teleferico Viewpoint. Take in the sweeping views of the city and surrounds from here.
Included Meals
Accommodationi
Hostal Naira
Optional Excursions
- Tiwanaku Archaeological Site i US$55
* Stated prices and availability are subject to change.DAY 10: La Paz - End of Tour
![La Paz - End of Tour]()
Your Santiago to La Paz tour ends today. Enjoy one last breakfast with your tour mates and be sure to take each other’s details so you can share photos and memories once you arrive home. We look forward to seeing you back on an Expat Explore coach tour soon!
Experiences
If you would like to extend your stay in La Paz after the tour, please contact us to confirm the hotel. By this point you will have enjoyed 10 incredible days exploring the very best of Chile & Bolivia. A true delight!