Day 1

We depart from London on an overnight flight to Santiago, Chile.

Day 2

On arrival at the airport in Santiago we will be met and transferred to our hotel, the 5-star Hotel Plaza San Francisco. All rooms have private facilities. The remainder of the day is at leisure to relax after the flight.

Day 3

After breakfast this morning we depart on a half day tour of historical Santiago, Chile's capital city. We will see the neoclassical La Moneda Palace, the seat of the government, the Plaza de Armas, surrounded by the 18th century cathedral, the National Historical Museum and the central post office notable for its lobby. We will also visit the Central Market with its colourful display of fruits, seafood, fish and flowers. Later we travel to the San Cristobal Hill and the Mapulemu Botanical Garden. Some 80 native Chilean species grow here, including the araucaria, canelo, and macci trees. The botanical star is the squat jubea chilena, the ubiquitous Chilean palm. The local flora is well labelled and the gardens offer excellent views of Santiago and the Andes beyond. We will also visit the Japanese Garden here, which features bonsai, a waterwheel and a graceful arched bridge over the pond, again with fine views over the city. Evening at leisure.

Day 4

After breakfast this morning we check out of the hotel and depart for a full day excursion to La Campana National Park at Ocoa, to the north west of Santiago in the coastal 'cordillera' mountain range of Quillota province. The park is dominated, by the mountains of La Campana and El Roble, both over 2000m above sea level. The National Park was created in 1967 to help preserve one of the most important ecosystems of the region, Mediterranean Esclerophic Scrub is now a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The park's vegetation is predominantly made up of native esclerophic woods, such as Peumo, Quillay, Boldo, Litre, from which appear wonderful examples of native Oaks - the densest and largest in central Chile - and the endemic Jubaea chilensis or Chilean Palm. The area was also made famous by the English naturalist Charles Darwin who visited Campana on several occasions and was particularly taken with the views from the summit - on clear days it is possible to see the whole width of Chile from the coast to the high Andes around Aconcagua. A packed lunch is included today. From here we continue west to the coast and our hotel at Zapallar, the 4-star Hotel Isla Seca. All rooms have private facilities. Surrounded by steep hills covered with abundant native vegetation, Zapallar enjoys a pleasant microclimate and is known for its white sandy beach. Evening at leisure.

Day 5

Following breakfast this morning we visit the private garden of Juan Grimm at Bahia Azul in Los Vilos, a resort and port established in 1830. Juan Grimm is one of Chile's foremost landscape architects and garden designers, and his house and garden, with its spectacular coastal location, was featured in Monty Don's series 'Around the World in 80 Gardens'. The approach to the house is almost entirely green, with the building tucked as a series of boxes behind a huge stone wall and the sea hidden from view. But as soon as you enter the building the greenness is overpowered by the blue of the sea and the sky. All steps are carefully hidden from the house so you look out on an unbroken landscape and plants are grouped naturally according to the way they propagate in the wild. Juan waters the plants throughout the dry summer months so bromeliads, cacti and alstroemerias all thrive on the bare rock. He weeds and moves plants and cuts back grasses to stop them predominating but his skill lies in knowing when to do nothing. After lunch, which is included today, we visit the Punta Pite garden, a private landscape development project close to Zapallar. This is a natural coastal garden where the new urban development scheme has been designed and landscaped to leave the existing vegetation ecosystems in place and untouched. Evening at leisure.

Day 6

After breakfast we leave our hotel in Zapallar and transfer to Vi'a del Mar and visit the Botanical Garden here. In 1918, French landscape architect George Dubois (who also designed the Parque Forestal in Santiago) designed this park and gardens on the banks of the Estero El Olivar in an area of approximately 32 hectares. Along with the gardens, there is a system of management of the estuary waters, the basis for the local irrigation system. Later we continue to Valpara'so, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the cultural capital of Chile, where we will have a guided tour. This starts on Brasil Street, where there is an imposing monument to the British Colony of Valpara'so and continues to Gran Breta'a Street, where examples of early Twentieth Century British influenced architecture can be seen. We visit the '21 de Mayo' viewpoint with its excellent vistas of the port and across the whole bay, then use the 'Artiller'a' elevator to descend from the viewpoint and take one of the city?s traditional electric trolleybuses through the financial district to Plaza Victoria. We will visit the Open Air Museum of Valpara'so and La Sebastiana museum of Chile's Nobel Poet, Pablo Neruda. From here we go to the Plaza San Luis square from where we will explore Cerro Concepci'n on foot, with its 19th century St. Paul's and Lutheran churches, and the Paseo Atkinson alleyway with its famous Brighton Restaurant. A number of other traditional alleyways will be walked as we cross to Cerro Alegre to see 'Paseo Yugoslavo' and the Baburitza Palace with another amazing view of the bay, before descending to the Plaza Sotomayor to see the monument to the Chilean Pacific War heroes, Prat, Serrano, Condell and others. A visit is also made to the Plaza An'bal Pinto square where there are a number of galleries and workshops of well known local artists and craftsmen and some famous traditional cafés such as the 'Bar Cinzano'. Following lunch we head to the Casablanca Valley which produces some great white wines with excellent bouquets and taste due to the valley's special climatic conditions. We visit the 'Vi'a Casas del Bosque', where after an introductory talk about the vineyard's techniques and production methods we are taken to a viewpoint to see an overview of the vineyard and the valley as well as sampling some of the produce of the vineyard. From here we return to Santiago and the Hotel Plaza San Francisco where we stay overnight. Evening is at leisure.

Day 7

After breakfast this morning we transfer to the airport in Santiago for our flight south to Valdivia, where on arrival we transfer to our accommodation at the 5-star Hotel Puerta del Sur. All rooms have private facilities. The rest of the day at leisure.

Day 8

After breakfast, we have a city tour of Valdivia and a visit to the Botanical Garden at its University. This garden is the most complete botanical garden in the country; in its 10 acres there are nearly 1000 plant species (native and exotic) and samples of almost 90% of native trees. Founded in 1955 by the first Principal of the Austral University, its main objective is to contribute to the conservation of species of the Chilean flora and especially those corresponding of the Valdivian Temperate Forest. The climate here also allows abundant growth of ornamental plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias. The afternoon and evening is at leisure.

Day 9

Following breakfast this morning we travel to the Valdivia National Reserve, within the Costa National Park. Created in 1983, the reserve hosts a vast range of forest plants. There are some species with conservation problems, such as Tupa pink (Labelia bridgesii), classed as a rare species; Lyon plant (Valdivia gayana) and Fern (Blechnum corralense), classed as endangered; and Larch (Fitzroya cupressoides), classed as vulnerable. This last specie is considered as a natural monument in Chile and cataloged as the second longest living tree on the planet, reaching more than 3,600 years. A boxed lunch is provided today. We return to Valdivia, where the evening is at leisure.

Day 10

After breakfast we check out of our hotel in Valdivia and head for Puc?n in the Chilean Lake District. Near here we visit the private garden and landscape project at Kahelluc, on the slopes of the Villarica Volcano. Kahelluco is a project developed in native forest, with a unique biodiversity. Out of the 1.000 hectares that the project has, 600 correspond to the natural reserve and the remaining 400 hectares are designed for the constructions of farms. We continue to our base for the next two nights, the 4-star Hotel Antumalal. All the rooms have full private facilities. Evening at leisure.

Day 11

Enjoy your breakfast. We depart this morning on a full day excursion to Huerquehue National Park, which is characterized by high mountains and streams with thick forests. It is particularly noted for its Araucarias - the Monkey Puzzle tree. We will also see the Llaima Volcano, one of the largest and most active of Chile's volcanoes. A boxed lunch is included today. Evening at leisure at the Hotel Antumalal.

Day 12

After breakfast today we continue our southward journey to Puerto Varas, breaking our journey with a visit to Frutillar, a small German style village situated on the banks of Lake Llanquihue, Chile's largest lake. On the opposite side of the lake lies the magnificent snow-capped Volcano Osorno and on a clear day dominates the skyline. Whilst here, we will visit the German Colonial Museum, an outdoor museum that transports visitors to the 1850s as a tribute to the German immigrants who settled in the area despite many hardships. We continue to our hotel in Puerto Varas, the 4-star Hotel Caba'a del Lago. All rooms have private facilities. Evening at leisure.

Day 13

After breakfast, we depart on a full day excursion to the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park and the Petrohue Falls. Following the coast of Lake Llanquihue along the international route which links Puerto Varas, Chile with Bariloche, Argentina, we will stop to see a beautiful Catholic chapel built of wood in Neo-Gothic style and covered with alerce shingles. From here we continue through Puerto Arthur and Los Riscos, with the imposing backdrop of the Volcano Osorno until we reach the village of Ensenada. This small town situated at the base of the volcano, functions as a gateway to the park and gives us a chance to stop and buy mineral water or other necessities at one of the small shops before entering the National Park. From here we take the road into the Park, noting how the vegetation and soil changes drastically due to the proximity of the volcano. We cross over lahares, flows of volcanic material mixed with water, that empty into the rushing Petrohue River. We take an easy stroll along the pathways through the renowned Valdivian Rainforest. Through the moss-covered trees we get a glimpse of the natural ecosystem, and perhaps an occasional bird beckoning us to follow it to the falls, where an enormous volume of emerald-coloured water drains from Lake Todos los Santos rushing through chutes carved in the crystallized lava. After a chance to take pictures of this natural wonder we continue to Lake Todos los Santos which offers further photo opportunities and pleasant walks. We then return to our hotel in Puerto Varas, where the evening is free at leisure.

Day 14

Following breakfast we check out of the hotel and transfer to Puerto Montt airport for our flight to Punta Arenas. We will be met on arrival and transferred to Torres del Paine National Park. As we drive though the vast Patagonian steppes we will take the opportunity to look for some of the great array of plants endemic to this dry region of Patagonia as well as surrounding regions of southern Argentina and the Falkland Islands. Lunch is included today. Our base for the next three nights is at the Hotel Las Torres. All rooms have private facilities. Dinner is served on arrival.

Day 15

After breakfast we have a full day excursion to Torres del Paine National Park, where we can expect to find a very interesting array of plant species. Our first encounter with this stunning place will lead us to find striking species such as various Lady's Slippers of the genus Calceolaria including C. biflora and the striking C. uniflora. We will visit low-growing patches of Antarctic Beech (Nothofagus antarctica) and arid sectors with the presence of the endemic shrub Paramela (Adesmia boronioides). On the wildlife side we can expect to see herds of Guanaco (a relative of the Llama), Andean Deer and Culpeo Foxes. Pumas are relatively abundant here but we will need to be lucky if we are to spot one. Lunch and dinner are included today.

Day 16

Following breakfast we continue our exploration of the Torres del Paine National Park and aim to discover representative species of the Patagonian steppes. We will try to find, among several others, the tiny Patagonian Alstroemeria (Alstroemeria patagonica) or the conspicuous Oxalis (Oxalis enneaphylla), both of which have a very restricted range. After our lunch (included) we will continue across vegetative formations with the highest plant diversity of the whole region of southern Chile, known as the pre-Andean Mesophytic Scrub. Extensive shrubby areas hold stunning species such as the Chilean Fire-Bush (Embothrium coccineum) or the fragrant Escallonia (Escallonia rubra). We will also look for the most beautiful orchids of the region including Chloraea magellanica, Codonorchis lessonii and Gavilea littoralis. The grandeur of the scenery should make for a truly memorable day in this magnificent Biosphere Reserve. Dinner is served at the hotel this evening.

Day 17

After breakfast we check out of the hotel and transfer to Punta Arenas airport for our flight back to Santiago. On arrival at the airport in Santiago we will return once again to the Hotel Plaza San Francisco, for an overnight stay. Evening at leisure.

Day 18

Following breakfast we check out of the hotel and transfer to the airport for our international flight back to London (passengers taking the optional extension to Atacama will also be transferred to the airport for their flight to Calama - please ask for more details of this extension).

Day 19

On arrival in London the group will disperse or make onward connections.

16 nights accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis:

4 nights at the 5-star Hotel Plaza San Francisco, Santiago (or similar),

2 nights at the 4-star Hotel Isla Seca, Zapallar (or similar),

3 nights at the 5-star Hotel Puerta del Sur Valdivia (or similar),

2 nights at the 4-star Hotel Antumalal, Pucon (or similar),

2 nights at the 4-star Hotel Caba'a del Lago, Puerto Varas (or similar),

3 nights at the Hotel Las Torres, Torres del Paine (or similar).

All rooms have private facilities