Charlie L, 2007.

Elaine & David S, Atacama Patagonia plus Lakes extension, 2008

Torres del Paine National Park - Atacama Desert - Santiago - Climb a volcano - Hike in breathtaking scenery - Soak in hot springs - Walk on a glacier

Chile Walking Holiday Itinerary

From	To	Description	Num Days	Price	Booking
06-Mar-2009	31-Dec-2012	From £3,000pp Prices include: All domestic flights in Chile; First class hotels (twin share) and 4 nights refugio accommodation; Full time Pura Aventura guide; Luggage porters in Torres del Paine; Private transport throughout; All activities mentioned; and Meals (b,l,d) as per itinerary. Not included international flights; personal expenses or tips. If you travel alone and prefer to have your own room in hotels Departure dates March - October Please enquire now for scheduled dates	17	£2700.00 what's included? Kind Points:607
Included in the price: Accommodation Activities Activity equipment hire Airport transfers Arrival starter pack Cots Electricity Ferry Insurance Logs NOT included in the price: Alcoholic drinks All meals Dinner Entrance/ Admission fees Government

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What makes our Atacama different?
At Pura Aventura we try to do things a bit differently.
The Atacama is a popular destination with a well-worn checklist of excursions. Whilst these are beautiful, we prefer to stay off the beaten track. We think that it’s better to be outside in the fresh air with a few people than travelling in a crowd.
Sunset in the desert
The usual way is to drive out of town to the rim of the Valley of the Moon, then walk just to the edge from where you watch the sun setting over the desert. On a busy day there can be over a hundred people sitting in a long line.
Our way is to drive out of town to the rim of a valley; walk down across a sand dune; over a short stretch of salt flat and into a narrow gorge in the salt mountains. As you follow the gorge, the air cools and the rocks crackle, with bats and owls flying overhead. Emerge into a natural amphitheatre hidden away in the middle of the hills, from where you watch the sunset.
The salt flats and lagoons
The usual way is to drive a dirt road to the large lagoons in the heart of the salt flats; have time to wander, take in the scenery and watch the large colony of flamingoes before returning by vehicle.
Our way is to ride bikes straight from your hotel to a series of small lagoons towards the northern edge of the salt flats, close to San Pedro where you have time to wander, swim and watch a smaller colony of flamingoes.
Special places
We also take you to places with nothing comparable on the usual tours. Walk down through the mountains from high oases to low villages following ancient Inca pathways. Most spectacular of all is the walk up to the heady heights of Toco volcano.
Tatio geysers
The one ‘checklist’ place we do take you to are the Tatio geysers.
We really think that our exploration of the Atacama desert is different and better than that offered by anyone else.
“The Atacama surpassed all our expectations, summiting Toco in glorious sunshine with snow on the ground was brilliant.”

Torres del Paine: the ‘W’ walk
Pura Aventura was founded because of a chance meeting in Torres del Paine so it holds a special place in our hearts.
Torres del Paine is unique because within a relatively small area, you find every aspect of Patagonian scenery: mountains, lakes, glaciers, forests and grasslands. There is really no other place you can see such variety in such a compact area.

Our way is to follow the famous ‘W’ route which cuts across the park from glacier to grassland.
In order to get close to the spectacular mountains and glaciers you have to leave behind the hotels and lodges which are in the south of the park. You have to sacrifice some creature comforts, but the guides, porters and refugios make it comfortable and civilised.
Walks are generally between four and five hours and are quite accessible for anyone who enjoys hill walking in the UK.
You stay in refuges or mountain huts during the walk. They are not luxurious but they do allow you to shower each day and to enjoy a hot meal and glass of wine at night.
You have a team of porters carrying your overnight things from refuge to refuge so that you can walk with just a daypack.
Your guides are experts in this area, and the Park in particular. They therefore know how to pace the walk, when to sit tight and wait for weather to clear and when to head out.
Rather than crossing over high passes, you are walking between the mountains and the lakes so the path is basically undulating without hard ascents and descents.
Most of Torres del Paine is just above sea level. The park is at roughly the same relative latitude as Manchester. Summer daytime temperatures are usually comfortably in the mid-teens celsius. There’s an average of 16 hours daylight in the summer months so the pace can be relaxed.

“I think the walks were correctly graded as moderate. It certainly helps their enjoyment not having to carry a full pack and I appreciated the opportunity to stop for photographs, look at the wildlife and so on.”

We are passionate about the places it visits. To help preserve the integrity of these destinations we:

* Keep groups small to minimise environmental impact.
* Work directly with local businesses and organisations to directly benefit local economies. We use small, locally owned hotels and restaurants. We know the owners except in the large cities.
* Work with local guides so that our holidays are more interesting for clients and more beneficial locally.
* Make payment to suppliers before our clients arrive.

Responsible Travel: General

We administer a carbon offset scheme to compensate for the impact of your flights.