Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael

Despite the difficulty and expense of getting here, this glacier-filled, 1.7-million hectare (4.2 million acre) park in southern Patagonia is the most popular attraction in the Aisén region. It encompasses some of the most spectacular fjord and mountain scenery in the world and is dense with floating icebergs. The terrain is unforgiving for hikers, but the rewards are many: in the water there are ducks, albatross, Magellanic penguins, otters, sea lions and elephant seals; in the surrounding forests and uplands there are pudús, pumas and foxes. Charter flights are available from Coyhaique and there are a number of ferry services from Coyhaique and Puerto Chacabuco.

Parque Nacional Lauca

This world biosphere reserve, 160km (99mi) northeast of Arica, near the Bolivian border, encompasses Lake Chungará, one of the highest lakes in the world, spectacularly situated at the foot of the dormant twin Pallachata volcanoes. It supports vicuña, condor and vizcacha, and Aymara alpaca and llama herders. There is extensive bird life along the shores of Lake Cotacotani, and panoramic views from the 5300m (17,384ft) summit of Cerro Guane Guane.

Parque Nacional Torres del Paine

Near Chile's fragmented southern tip, this park is Chile's showpiece: a world biosphere reserve with all the diverse scenery of Alaska in only 180,000ha (444,600ac). The Torres del Paine are spectacular granite pillars which soar almost vertically for more than 2000m (6560ft) above the Patagonian steppe. Cascading waterfalls, sprawling glaciers, dense forests, and the chance to see Patagonian guanaco make it a truly wonderful experience.

Viña del Mar

Chile's premier beach resort is just a short distance from Santiago. The bustling commercial centre isalso
known as the Garden City, for reasons that are immediately obvious to any visitor. Viña del Mar developed as a playground for wealthy santiaguinos when nearby Valparaíso was linked to the capital by rail. It isn't a sinuously terraced marvel like Valparaíso, so its two distinct sectors of traditional mansions and commercial activity are easy to navigate. Horse-drawn carriages trot past attractive turn-of-thecentury mansions on both river and beach frontages. The town is also the home of Chile's national botanical garden, comprising 61ha (151ac) of native and exotic plants. White-sand beaches stretch from the town centre northward to the overbuilt suburbs of Reñaca and Concón. The less suburban Horcón, Maitencillo, Cachagua and Papudo are less populated. Other than aquatic activities, Viña del Mar has a selection of museums and the magnificently landscaped Quinta Vergara public park, with its Palacio Vergara. The Venetian-style palazzo was formerly the residence of the prosperous Alvarez-Vergara family, and now hosts the Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes.

Volcán Osorno

This flawless cone sits in the Parque Nacional Vicente Pérez Rosales, the first national park in Chile, and is surrounded by wonderful natural attractions. Beautiful Lago Todos Los Santos is the centrepiece of the park, looking over the thickly wooded vista to the volcano, and offering ferry trips to nearby lakeside villages along with an opportunirt of crossing over into BAriloche Argentina. Osorno can be climbed and is a popular skiing spot.

Atacama Desert

In the very northern half of Chile lies the driest desert in the world. There are parts of it where rain has never been recorded and the precious little precipitation (1cm/0.3in per year) that does fall comes from fog. Flanked on one side by Pacific coastal ranges and on the other by the snowcapped peaks of the Andes, the desert is a series of salt basins that support virtually no vegetation.
Nevertheless it is one of the most spectacular and dramatic landscapes on earth. In San Pedro, a placid oasis of adobe houses at the edge of the Salar de Atacama, there are immense volcanoes, most of them extinct, that used to be sacred Incan sites. Also close to San Pedro is the Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, which boasts, among other attractions, Chaxa Lagoon, home to a flamingo breeding colony. Around the same region is the Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon), whipped peaks of salt and sand. North of this is the 150m (490ft) deep Chiu-Chiu lagoon, an astonishing natural phenomenon in the middle of the desert. Go even further north and you will reach the amazing El Tatio Geysers. At 4300m (14,000ft) above sea level, this is the highest geyser field in the world.

Hotels

All the hotels we recommend are clean, well located and comfortable hotels varying in services as according to their category. We rarely use hostels as the price difference is negligible between a good hostel and a hotel. In places like the Atacama Desert, we do work with some very good hosterias. We do endeavour to choose the best hotels in line with your budget. There are five star deluxe hotels we offer that are among the best hotels in the world. We will always quote you with good hotels on all our programmes but upgrades or downgrades will be available as per your request. However, as the price will decrease with downgrades, this will ultimately reflect in the services and standards of the hotel.

Flights

Unless otherwise stated, we provide all internal flights in your programme, excluding the airport taxes. We also provide international flights around South America and can quote, upon request, your international flight to Chile. We work directly with the best airlines in South America but are not responsible for any changes in flight schedules or cancellations made by the airlines. This is the responsibility of the airline in question. We will always endeavour to minimise any delays or changes but cannot guarantee a successful outcome.

Insurance

It is a mandatory requirement that all our customers take out adequate travel insurance cover. Once you have obtained your insurance, it is company practice to check the validity and cover of your insurance policy and we hold the right to refuse travel to anyone whose insurance does not satisfy Amazing Peru's stringent criteria. These include cancellation and curtailment, death or injury, medical insurance, emergency repatriation, delayed baggage, loss and theft etc.