Chile is 4,300 kilometres long and barely 180 wide. That single fact decides how a trip here has to be built: the driest desert on earth sits at one end and the granite towers of Patagonia at the other, with a Mediterranean capital in the middle, and no itinerary can pretend they are close together.
This programme covers all three in thirteen days — the Atacama in the north, Santiago and the coast in the centre, and Torres del Paine in the far south — using internal flights for the two long hops so the days on the ground are spent in the landscape rather than crossing it.
A suggested route, not a fixed departure
This itinerary is a proposal. Real Dreams builds every trip to order: there is no fixed departure date and no set group to join. The route below is what we would recommend for a first visit that wants both ends of the country, and every part of it is open to change.
How travellers usually adjust it: more days in Torres del Paine and fewer in Santiago; the W trek instead of the day walks; adding the crossing to El Calafate and the Perito Moreno glacier on the Argentine side; or replacing the internal flights with the overland route north through the Atacama into Bolivia, which connects this trip to our Uyuni programme. Flights, buses or a mix — the trip is quoted the way you want to travel it.
Why the two flights
Santiago to Calama is about 1,300 kilometres and Santiago to Puerto Natales roughly 2,400. Driven, those are three days each of pure transit through country that does not repay the time. Flown, they cost a morning apiece and leave eight full days in the two landscapes people come for.
There is no direct route between the Atacama and Chilean Patagonia: everything passes through Santiago. Some operators squeeze both legs into a single day, which works only with a 07:00 departure from Calama and leaves no margin if it slips. This itinerary puts a night in Santiago between them instead. Puerto Natales has its own airport with direct flights from the capital on most days; when the schedule does not suit, the route runs through Punta Arenas and adds a three-hour drive. The flights are quoted separately, so you see what they cost and decide — and travellers who prefer the road can have the whole trip rebuilt around it.
13-day Chile itinerary at a glance
| Day | Location | Highlight | Overnight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santiago | Arrival and acclimatisation to the city | Santiago |
| 2 | Santiago | Historic centre, Mercado Central, Cerro San Cristobal | Santiago |
| 3 | Valparaiso | Funiculars, UNESCO quarter, Vina del Mar | Santiago |
| 4 | San Pedro de Atacama | Flight north; transfer across the desert | San Pedro |
| 5 | Valle de la Luna | Cordillera de la Sal and sunset over Licancabur | San Pedro |
| 6 | El Tatio | Geysers at 4,320 m, thermal pools, Machuca | San Pedro |
| 7 | Altiplano | Miscanti, Piedras Rojas, Laguna Chaxa | San Pedro |
| 8 | Santiago | Flight south; free afternoon in the capital | Santiago |
| 9 | Puerto Natales | Flight to Patagonia; Ultima Esperanza sound | Puerto Natales |
| 10 | Torres del Paine | Lago Sarmiento, Cuernos, Salto Grande, Lago Grey | Puerto Natales |
| 11 | Torres del Paine | Base of the Towers walk or Grey glacier navigation | Puerto Natales |
| 12 | Puerto Natales | Cueva del Milodon; optional glacier navigation | Puerto Natales |
| 13 | Departure | Flight north from Puerto Natales | – |
Before you travel
Timing and seasons
Chile runs two seasons in opposite directions on this route. Torres del Paine is at its best from November to March, when the days are long and the refuges and boat services all run; outside that window the park stays open but the wind is harder, some services close and the light goes early. The Atacama is workable year round — it is the driest desert on earth — but January and February bring the invierno altiplanico, short violent afternoon storms on the high ground that can close the road to El Tatio for a day. The overlap that suits both ends is roughly November, early December and March.
Altitude and what it means here
Santiago is at 570 m and Torres del Paine near sea level, so altitude only matters in the middle of the trip. San Pedro sits at 2,400 m, the Miscanti lagoons at 4,200 and El Tatio at 4,320 — reached before dawn, which is when the body handles height worst. The itinerary puts two nights in San Pedro before the first high excursion for that reason. Anyone with a cardiac or respiratory condition should raise it with their doctor before booking.
What to pack
Two climates, packed together. In the Atacama: sun protection at factor 50, a hat, sunglasses that cut glare, and a warm layer for the pre-dawn start at El Tatio, where it is routinely below freezing. In Patagonia: a windproof and waterproof shell above all else — the wind off the ice field is the defining condition, not the temperature — plus layers, walking boots with ankle support if you plan the Base of the Towers, and gloves. Nothing technical is required on either leg.
Money, documents and connectivity
Chile uses the peso and cards work almost everywhere, including in San Pedro and Puerto Natales; cash is useful for park entries, tips and the small stops. Most nationalities need no visa. Mobile coverage is good in the cities and along the main roads, patchy inside Torres del Paine and absent on the high excursions from San Pedro. Chile has a reciprocity-free entry for most passports but check the current rules for your own before booking flights.
Booking questions
What is included in the price?
Twelve nights of accommodation in double occupancy, daily breakfast plus the meals listed day by day, English-speaking guides throughout, private vehicles for every excursion and transfer, the Valparaiso day, the four Atacama excursions, three full days in Torres del Paine with a licensed guide, the Lago Grey navigation, and all the park entrance fees listed in the itinerary.
Why are the two domestic flights not in the price?
Because their cost moves a great deal with season and how far ahead you book, and bundling them would hide that. They are quoted alongside the trip so you can see the figure. If you would rather travel overland we will rebuild the itinerary around it, though it adds roughly six days.
Do I have to do the Base of the Towers walk?
No. It is nine hours return and 1,100 m of ascent, and it is not for everyone. Travellers who would rather not take it on do the Lago Grey navigation to the glacier face instead, at no change in price. Both are in the same day of the itinerary.
Can we stay inside Torres del Paine instead of Puerto Natales?
Yes. The park lodges are quoted separately because they run considerably higher and book out months ahead in high season. The trade-off is time: staying inside removes about ninety minutes of driving each way, and for a three-day stay that is close to a full extra day in the park.
What group size should I expect?
Your own party and no one else. The pricing table is set by group size — two, three, or four and above, per person — and the per-person figure falls as the group grows because the vehicle and the guide are shared across more people.
Can the trip be extended into Argentina?
Commonly, yes. El Calafate and the Perito Moreno glacier are about five hours overland from Puerto Natales across the border, and the two are usually combined. Add three or four days for it.
How this trip sits alongside our other programmes
This itinerary belongs to our wider South America programmes. Travellers weighing Chile against the central Andes usually compare it with our Peru and Bolivia tour, which crosses the altiplano to the Salar de Uyuni and ends at the Chilean border — the two connect naturally into one long journey. Those coming for Machu Picchu first tend to take the seven-day Peru package and add Chile afterwards.
For background before you decide, our guides cover how to plan a Chile itinerary, Torres del Paine in detail, what the Atacama Desert actually is and the best time to visit Chile.
