Itinerary

Day 1: Santiago de Chile is a beautiful colonial city
located in a privileged place close to the best ski resorts
in the country, and near the beaches that inspired Pablo
Neruda.
After our arrival, we will go for a nice breakfast, during
which our tour leader will give us a short briefing, before
going on a tour of Santiago. First, we will start with a
short visit to the Casa de la Moneda, which is a historic
building that reminds us of the political turmoil of the
70’s. After the visit, we will go to the famous Paris–
London district, which was built between 1920 and 1930. We will also make a short stop at
the Central Market, the most colorful market in the country where we will have an opportunity
to witness the variety, and quality of seafood that Chile has to offer. We will end our tour in the
Santa Lucia Hill, a natural viewpoint of the city used since the colonial era.
Then we will continue our trip towards the south and will stop to visit Santa Rita winery, one
of the best-known wineries in the world. Santa Rita’s main house remains intact as well as its
wine vaults which have been declared a national heritage. We will have lunch at Mrs. Paula’s
Restaurant famous for it’s authentic Chilean dishes and it’s wide selection of wines.
After lunch we will have the opportunity to visit the Andean Museum, which has more than
1,800 pre-Columbian pieces including textiles, wood, gold, and ceramics.
In the evening we will continue our trip towards the Valle of Colchagua. There have been
several articles written recently in well-known magazines that talk about this Valley. Wine Enthusiast,
published an article in it’s March 2002 issue titled “The Next Napa”. Wine Spectator,
also had an article on their April 2005 issue, categorizing the valley as the year’s “Wine Region
of the Year”. Travel and Leisure Magazine also named it as one of the 25 most interesting
destinations in the world in the XXI century.But this valley is not only famous for his vineyards but
also for it’s historic houses and haciendas. At night,
we will have dinner and sleep at the famous Hacienda
Los Lingues. It is not only the typical big house of the
Chilean countryside but it is a living testimony of the
colonial times. Being in the house is like being taken
back in time. The house has been remodeled several
times, but everything is perfectly preserved and impeccably
decorated. They have a wine cellar where it
is possible to taste some of the more 150 varieties of
Chilean wines.
The house is still decorated with extraordinary art pieces that have been collected by the
family for more than four centuries.

Day 2: After breakfast, we will take a walk through the hacienda and have a chance to
enjoy the pool and the beautiful gardens.
After a picnic lunch we will start our walk through the “La Ruta del Carbon”. It is named like
that because it has several adobe kilns along the way that local people still use to produce
charcoal. During our walk, we will get to see some of the most beautiful vineyards and estates
in the area.
After the walk, we will head back to Casa Silva; an exclusive hotel, which is part of the Casa
Silva winery, the most traditional winery in the Valley of Colchagua. This hacienda has only
seven rooms, but all of them are perfectly remodeled preserving their natural look and unique
style. From this cozy house with a central patio and long corridors, will be able to experiment
the authentic wine culture of Chile and taste some of the best wines in the area.
In the evening we will have an authentic Chilean dinner in the patio and spend the night at
the hotel.

Day 3: After having breakfast at Casa Silva, we will
walk along the Tinguiririca river. Our local guide is a
unique character. He is a modern Sheppard, who owns
almost 500 goats and he knows the valley better than
anyone in the area. The scenery is very special as you get
to see the contrast between the dry desert like areas and
the green forests that lie behind the mountains. At the
end of the walk, we will be able to see some of the most
beautiful vineyards in the area including “Casa Silva’s.”
We will return to the hotel in the afternoon and take a
special tour through the winery, which will end with a tasting of some of their best wines.

Day 4: Today we will leave Casa Silva early in the morning and go to Yaquil, a small town
surrounded by mountains and vineyards. We will take a special route called the “Canal Route”
which will allow us to see the vegetation in the area on our way and will take us to the peak
of a mountain, which has an incredible view of the Andes Mountains, the Valley, and to the
MontGrass, Bisquertt, and Siegel wineries. (Local people are very friendly and hospitable;
don’t be surprised if somebody stops you along the way to offer you their typical local drink
made of grapes (Chicha de Uva).
After that, our bus will be waiting for us to take us to MontGrass Winery for a short tour and
tasting of some of their best wines.
MontGras winery is one of the most modern wine making facilities in the world. It has always
had state-of-the-art technology in all its processes, set out from its conception to be the
winery with the best premium wine from Chile. It has very good reputation and has won a
great amount of international prizes throughout the years. MontGras was selected by Harvard
Business School, who carried out an in depth study and prepared the first “case study” of a
Chilean winery as an example of the Chilean wine making industry.After the visit, we will drive to Viña La Playa, a beautiful
boutique resort offering a special wine experience.
This unique wine-country facility is beautifully situated
among our vineyards on the Tinguiririca riverbank. The
hotel is a classic Chilean Hacienda-style house that has
a luxurious, yet inviting family atmosphere. The hotel is
where La Playa’s premium wine cellars are located.
The Tinguiririca dining room’s international cuisine is
world-class. Each dish is created not only for a delicious
taste, but also to complement perfectly with La Playa
wines.

Day 5: Today we will start the day with a visit of the vineyards. During our walk, we will have
the opportunity to talk to local grape experts about the process involved in making the wine
in the region.
Then we will visit La Playa Winery. The winery encompasses 597 acres of prime property in
the Valley, where its vineyards enjoy a unique micro climate that fosters the growth of premium
wine grapes. The special geography in the area allows grapes to ripen slowly thus enhancing
the generation of aromas and flavors. The Cabranet Sauvignon, the Merlot and the Carmenere
do very well as they can achieve the perfect ripeness without being rushed. Syrah is another
variety that achieves a great level.
La Playa’s red wines are famous for their complexity; they are aged in small oak barrels for
14-18 months and during the production process the finest European equipment is used.
During the visit, we will have the opportunity to try some of the wines from their special
premium line “Axel”, named after the Axelsen family, the founders of Viña La Playa. These
wines are said to be the ultimate expression of Chile’s Colchagua Valley. In the afternoon, we
will have some time off to enjoy the pool and the gardens of the hacienda.

Day 6: After breakfast and checkout, we will return
to Santiago and fly to Puerto Varas. This city is known
as the City of Roses, and was founded in the 19th
century. The city is the access point to the Lake District.
This attractive port and growing industrial center offers
picturesque crafts handcrafts markets, great seafood
restaurants and a long coastline with fine hotels. Many
of the places surrounding the Llanquihue Lake were
given to landlords from Germany, Switzerland, and
Austria, and their influence can still be seen in the
architecture, the cuisine and the appearance of small
villages, which is why Puerto Varas could be considered a small European oasis in Chile.
In addition to the endless tourist attractions, this region has enormous cattle, industrial,
fishing, and forest resources.
After lunch, we will have time to walk through the city and enjoy the view to the lake before
going to the local artisan shops to do some shopping.
We will have dinner and stay at the Puelche Hotel. A beautiful boutique hotel in Puerto Varas,
surrounded by lakes, volcanoes, rivers and millennial forest parks.

Day 7: We will leave the hotel early in the morning and drive along the Llanguihue Lake
towards the Osorno Volcano where we will start our four-mile walk through the most amazing
pine forests, and natural settings with a wonderful view to the volcano. After our walk, we will
visit Saltos de Petrohue, a beautiful waterfall in the upper reach of the Petrohue River, which
is supported by basaltic lava from the Osorno Volcano.
After our Journey we will drive to the Petrohue Hotel, where we will have a gourmet dinner
and stay for the night. The hotel is very cozy, it’s a place where you feel perfectly in tune with
nature and the ideal place relax. It has a main house with classic suites and nice living roomswith fireplaces from where you can enjoy the view to the
lakes and volcanoes, and little wooden cabins by the
lake. It also has a nice swimming pool.

Day 8: After breakfast, we leave the hotel and start
the treck skirting Lake Todos los Santos. We will walk up
the sandbank of the volcano until we get to the Magma
Canyon. From here, we continue walking until we get to
The Path Desolation, the place where Jesuits discovered
the lake in the seventeenth century. It has a fantastic
view of the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park. We
continue our walk towards the Osorno Volcano; on the
way, we will have the chance to enjoy the view of the Puntiagudo, Tronador, and the Calbuco
volcanoes, the lakes, and the Andes Mountains. When we get to the volcano we will stop for a
picnic lunch and after lunch return to Petrohue where we will spend our last night.

Day 9: After a nice breakfast, we will return to the airport to head back home or to
Bariloche, Argentina, for an extension of the trip.

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