Spectacular Spring Trip to 5 Distinct Chilean Regions
Chile
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Oct 21 - Nov 8, 2026
Spectacular Oct-Nov 2026 spring trip to five diverse Chilean regions - Santiago, Atacama desert, Puerto Varas lake district, Patagonia soaring peaks and glaciers, and Valparaiso colorful artistic colony. Each distinct in climate, geography, culture, people, cuisine and experiences.
We traveled as two couples - mainly private tours with our own driver and guide, occasionally small group tours (as in Patagonia glacier boat tour). Stayed in mid-level hotels - all comfortable with excellent breakfasts and great locations, and splurged on a few high-end tasty meals - La Cabrera (Santiago), UNAI (Atacama), Casas due Bosque (Casablanca winery).
Lorena Huidobro (Turismo Milodon) and team, our local Chilean travel specialist, designed and coordinated the 3-week trip, where we spent 3 to 4 days in each region, flying between locations. Their knowledge of Chile, and ability to customize and curate an itinerary based on our unique interests and capabilities, is exceptional, as is their responsive round-the-clock support via WhatsApp during the trip itself, which allowed us to ask questions, clarify details and figure out alternatives when inevitable hiccups arise. Lorena's team made our trip a phenomenal experience of the diversity of Chile.
Each region had its highlights, with friendly and knowledgeable local guides. Santiago included "Taste of Chile" - a unique introduction to Chilean cuisine at Chef Gloria's home. Atacama included sunrise at the other-worldly Tatio Geysers, at 14,000 feet in the desert, and flamingo watching at the Salt Flats., with home-cooked breakfasts and lunches in the desert en-route. Puerto Varas Lake District included a ski lift and hike up the snow-capped Osorno Volcano overlooking the lake, as well as drive out to Choloe Island to view penguins and absorb the local surroundings. Patagonia included an all day tour around the dramatic Torres del Paine National Park, boat ride to Balmaceda & Serrano glaciers, and traditional lamb on spit BBQ lunch. And Valparaiso included a walk around the eclectic artistic street art and a Chilean cooking class, ending with a winery tour and superb lunch in Casablanca Valley.
Logistics were exceptional, as were all our local guides, with special experiences in each region. Highly recommend this trip of a lifetime - orchestrated by Lorena.
Hotel Reviews
Comfortable boutique hotel
Simple and clean. Superb restaurant. Rooms/batroom are a little small & can be noisy.
Excellent location (beautiful view over lake, walking distance to local town). Comfortable lobby and lounge area, great restaurant, large comfortable rooms with lake view.
Comfortable apartment/hotel with awesome breakfast, and great roof-top deck with 360 degree view over entire Valparaiso city and bay.
Activity Reviews
Excellent informative guide, great overview of the best neighborhoods & art areas
Great fun, Antonia was a patient & supportive cooking coach
Beautiful views of flamingos in natural habitat, and the eerie color of the Salt Flats.
A wonderful day exploring Chiloe Island and its surroundings though we only saw a few penguins out on the boat
Sunrise in the outer-worldly Tatio Geysers is a unique experience. It is freezing at 14,000 altitude before sunrise - you need to be dressed in layers with beanie, scarves, gloves and down jacket.
The glaciers are spectacular - especially the khike up to Serrano Glacier after the boat ride up the fjord, and the lamb BBQ lunch is delicious
intriguing tours - both the Santa Rita impressive estate, and family owned Perez Cruz winery
Hiking up the snow-capped Osorno Volcano was a unique experience, with views over the surrounding lake (after taking a chair lift to the mid-station).
Awesome hike up the mountain, but condors were way in the distance
Great day, beautiful inlets, professional equipment and helpful guide.
Casablanca wine tour in Casas del Bosque was informative, lunch in their restaurant was superb in beautiful setting, but need reserve 48 hours ahead (we were lucky to get a table).
Taste of Chile - special intro to Chilean cuisine with delightful Chef Gloria hosting us in her home
Excellent overview of Santiago by our guide, Soledad.
Spectacular tour of soaring snow-capped Patagonia peaks
Thank you so much for this wonderful review, Doron! It was an absolute pleasure for me and the Turismo Milodon team to plan your three-week journey through Chile with Suki, Susan, and Eric.
I’m thrilled to hear you loved the diverse highlights—from sunrise at the Tatio Geysers to Torres del Paine and cooking with Chef Gloria—and that our local guides and support made the trip seamless. Thank you again for trusting us with your trip of a lifetime!
Warmest,
Lorena & Team