The 9 Best Chile Tours For Unforgettable Adventures That Are Achievable & Affordable!

Wines come to mind when Chile comes up in travel conversations and for good reason. This South American country has been producing wines for almost 500 years, thanks to Spanish communion wines that first planted the idea. 

Today, Chile is home to some of the best coastal mountain grapes, such as those grown in Maipo Valley, and cool climate varietals, such as those grown in Casablanca. Beyond the more familiar red wines, Chile is distinctively known for its Pinot Noir and Syrah – the former flourishing in Chile, the latter a rising star.

What a convenience these wine-growing regions are within easy reach of the well-worn Santiago de Chile-Valparaiso tourist circuit that takes visitors from the capital to coast in comfortable day trips, with enough time to do a vineyard tour and wine tasting in between. Fortunately, typical group tours in Chile that take this capital-to-coast route make it a point to stop somewhere along the way and indulge everyone’s taste buds.

For those keen on history, the central coast is a must-see. Before the construction of the Panama Canal that made navigating between the Atlantic and the Pacific much shorter, Valparaiso was an important resupply stop for ships coming up from the Straits of Magellan. All that history is contained in the old quarter that UNESCO deemed important to preserve.

Away from the central coast, there’s much to see in this long, thin strip of land sandwiched between the Andes and the Pacific. The barren and seemingly alien landscape of the arid Atacama Desert to the north, and the ice-sculpted landscape, horned peaks and blue-tinted glaciers of Patagonia to the south beckon.

Both have their intrepid-minded fan base, and both offer an opportunity to escape the crowd that often converges where crisp white wines are served.

The logistics of pulling off such an expedition through the icy Patagonian wilderness and the battered sand and rock of the Atacama would be mind-bending, though, to say nothing of prohibitive. 

These days, however, organized group tours make even shorter treks into these desolate lands possible and light on the pocket. And if you want to add a jaunt into another country – and even in that tiny island floating in the vast South Pacific – group tours offering multi-country trips are easily arranged from within Chile. 

Leave the travel planning to the experts, and before you know it, you’re face to face with a massive stone statue that defies notions of transport. If the ancient islanders knew how to get them from A to B, then modern tour operators shouldn’t have any problem getting you from the north of Chile to the south, notwithstanding the 2,700-mile distance.

Where to begin? Start with a bite-sized trip into the country, and add more tours as you go along.

San Pedro de Atacama Explorer – 3 Nights

Hi Travel Argentina

Location: Northeastern Chile

Itinerary: Atacama Desert

Group Size: 10

Age Range: 18 to 99

Physical Activity:  Medium to Strenuous

Operator: Hi Travel Argentina

Length: 4 days

What to Expect

A small group, partially guided foray into one of the highest and driest deserts in the world.

• Geysers

What the Experience Is Like

Arrive at Calama airport and transfer to the hostel. Embark on an early morning excursion to catch the sunrise around the geyser area and witness the Geysers del Tatio at its most active.

Along the way, feast your eyes on a barren landscape serrated by Andean hills and mountains until you reach the geothermal site alive fumaroles and steaming craters. Enjoy a free day on Day 3 or go on an optional tour before checking out on Day 4 after breakfast. 

Expect accommodation for three nights. While the trip is open to passengers up to 99 years old, people with heart conditions or prone to high altitude sickness need to take advice from their doctor as the tour reaches heights of up to 4,200 meters above sea level. Bring warm clothes and plenty of water on outdoor excursions.

This Atacama taster tour is run by Buenos Aires-based Hi Travel Argentina, which takes pride in offering trips for backpackers and independent travelers, employing a network of hostels, budget hotels and local transportation to link destinations. 

In a nutshell

This San Pedro de Atacama Explorer – 3 Nights tour offers a quick and literal escape into the desert.

Santiago Short Break

Intrepid Travel

Location: Central and Coast

Itinerary: Santiago – Casablanca Valley – Valparaiso

Group Size: 12

Age Range: 15 to 99

Physical Activity:  Low

Operator: Intrepid Travel

Length: 4 days

What to Expect

Small-group taster tour of the capital city and the coast with a dash of Chardonnay.

• City tour 
• Winery tour and tasting

What the Experience Is Like

Arrive in Santiago and explore the Chilean capital at your own pace. Go on a walking tour of the city, starting at the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral, where other top tourist sites congregate. Round out the day with a cable car ride up Cerro San Cristobal for an in-your-face view of the Andes and a panoramic view of the capital, or climb up the hill of Cerro Santa Lucia, where Santiago began as a Spanish settlement. 

Visit a world-class winery in Casablanca Valley famed for its Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay for a tour and premium wine tasting. Arriving in the historic port town of Valparaiso, be amazed at the mad jumble of houses tumbling down the hill into the coast. Cap off your tour with a ride up the iconic funicular the locals use to see the lay of the land and the Pacific.

(Want to sample Chile like you’d want to sample a glass of Chardonnay? This Santiago Short Break whets the appetite.)

Enjoy three nights’ accommodation in a hotel with three breakfasts. Private vehicles may be shared with other passengers from other Intrepid trips as this tour is a join-in group departure.

With over 30 years of travel industry experience, Australia-based Intrepid Travel specializes in offering small group tours to ensure their trips respect local cultures, are ethical and gender-sensitive, and are environmentally sustainable.

In a nutshell

Yearning for a taster tour of the Chilean capital and its colorful coast? This 4-day Santiago Short Break will take you there.

Santiago, Maipo Valley and Valparaiso (with wine tasting)

Say Hueque Argentina & Chile Journeys

Location:  Central and Coast

Itinerary:  Santiago – Maipo Valley – Valparaiso

Group Size: 15

Age Range: 18 to 99

Physical Activity: Low

Operator: Say Hueque Argentina & Chile Journeys

Length: 5 days

What to Expect

Small-group tour of the capital and coastal highlights and a generous toast to Chile’s world-renowned drinks.

• City tour
• Vineyard tour and wine tasting

What the Experience Is Like

Arrive in Santiago and transfer to your hotel. Explore the local markets for a multi-sensory experience of Chilean produce, seafood, meats and cheeses, and round it out with a gulp of ‘pisco sour,’ Chile’s favorite drink. Discover Santiago’s top tourist attractions at Plaza de Armas, where other sights converge. Soak up views of the high-rise capital against the Andes from your perch at Cerro Santa Lucia or San Cristobal historic hills.

(If you’re into South American wines, start your tour in Chile’s Santiago, Maipo Valley and Valparaiso (with wine tasting).

Leaving Santiago, drive toward the coast to Valparaiso. Stop by for a tour and wine tasting at Casablanca Valley, renowned for its Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Arriving at the coast, Valparaiso greets you with its cliff-hugging houses, labyrinthine alleys and its landmark funiculars or ‘ascensores’ that take locals up and down the hills.

Continue to Viña del Mar, a favorite summer escape of the locals, and fill your senses with its high-rises amidst sumptuous gardens and an alluring coastline. 

On the way back to Santiago, enjoy a full-day tour of Maipo Valley vineyards, bottling plants and wine cellars that are world-renowned for their red wines. Prepare your taste buds for several rounds of wine tasting, a fitting toast to a fruitful Chilean holiday.

The four-night accommodation is in a double occupancy room with daily breakfasts and meals as listed in the itinerary. An English-Spanish tour guide accompanies the group during tours.

This taster tour is run by the Argentine travel company Say Hueque. Began in 1999, Say Hueque, who has been featured in numerous travel publications, specializes in offering trips to the most sought-after destinations in South America, especially in Argentina and Chile, that skip large crowds so visitors enjoy more time and space mingling with the locals and discovering their cultures.

In a nutshell

This 5-day tour around Santiago, Maipo Valley and Valparaiso (with wine tasting) offers bite-sized morsels of the Chilean capital and central coast with a generous tasting of Chilean wines.

Chile: Santiago & Central Coast – 6 days

Receptivo Aborigen Tours

Location: Capital and Central Coast

Itinerary:  Santiago – Maipo Valley – Casablanca Valley – Valparaiso – Viña del Mar

Group Size: 10

Age Range: 3 to 99

Physical Activity:  Low

Operator: Receptivo Aborigen Tours 

 Length: 6 days

What to Expect

Small-group, partially guided tour from the capital to the coast, with vineyard tours and wine-tasting before calling it a holiday.

• City tour 
• Vineyard tour and wine tasting

What the Experience Is Like

Arrive in Santiago and transfer to your hotel. Spend the rest of your day at leisure. Go on a morning city tour of the capital’s historic buildings and quarters. Discover the wine-growing regions of Maipo Valley, renowned for its reds, and Casablanca Valley, famous for its white wines. Round out these vineyard tours with a well-deserved wine tasting.

(Want to see a Moai from the faraway Easter Island without leaving the continent? This weeklong tour of Chile: Santiago & Central Coast – 6 days lets you see one, with a wine-tasting twist.)

Continue to Viña del Mar on the coast, where locals flock for their summer retreat. Take note of its sumptuous gardens, charming architecture and inviting coastline. Encounter a Moai monolithic statue from Easter Island.

Cap off your coastal foray with a tour around Valparaiso, a Cultural World Heritage Site famed for its hill-hugging houses and picturesque ‘ascensores’ or lifts, overnight in Viña del Mar. Drive back to Santiago for your international departure.

Enjoy a choice of three- to five-star hotel accommodation.  Breakfasts and meals listed in the itinerary are included.

Building on its 30 years of experience as a travel service agency and a destination management company, Receptivo Aborigen Tours takes advantage of its network and experience in the hospitality industry to provide multi-sensory tours around South America, especially around Argentina.

In a nutshell

This Chile: Santiago & Central Coast – 6 days is a weeklong jaunt from the capital to coast with a glass of Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc in between to make things more interesting.

7-Day Chile Highlights in Santiago and Lakes District

Agate Travel

Location: Capital, Central Coast and Lakes District

Itinerary: Santiago – Valparaiso – Huerquehue National Park

Group Size: 4

Age Range: 2 to 80

Physical Activity:  Medium

Operator: Agate Travel

Length: 7 days

What to Expect

Fully guided, intimate group tour into the Chilean capital, central Pacific coast and volcano-framed Lakes District.

• City tour
• Vineyard visit
• Forest hike

What the Experience Is Like

After arriving at Santiago airport and getting transferred to your hotel, go on a guided city tour of the capital’s landmarks, like the hilltop of Cerro San Cristobal, for city and mountain views and the Plaza de Armas, where other attractions converge.

Depart for the Pacific coast and arrive in Valparaiso to take in stunning coastal views from atop UNESCO-listed funiculars. On the way back to the capital, visit a vineyard in the Casablanca Valley renowned for its Pinot Noir and Syrah.

Leaving Santiago, fly into Temuco to explore Chile’s Los Lagos region (Lakes District) for the next four days. Admire its snow-capped volcanoes, glacial lakes, and dinosaur-era araucaria trees.

Marvel at the Villarica and Osorno volcanoes, hike through forests and to waterfalls and lagoons of Huerquehue National Park, meet a Mapuche (‘people of the land’) family, and take note of the Bavarian-infused architecture and cuisine of Frutillar. Fly back to Santiago for your last night in the capital before your international departure.

(Find out why the Germans, Austrians and Swiss settled in this region on this 7-Day Chile Highlights in Santiago and Lakes District.)

Enjoy six nights’ accommodation in 4-star hotels throughout the tour with six breakfasts, one box lunch, one picnic lunch, one lunch at a local restaurant, and one dinner with a local family. Vegetarian food option is available on request.

Economy class flights (including luggage) from Santiago to Temuco and Puerto Montt back to Santiago are included. English and Spanish-speaking local tour guides on hand. All entrance fees to national parks are included.

Agate Travel runs this weeklong tour. Building on their 25 years of experience in the travel industry, they take pride in providing guided tour services, flight and train booking, and offering tailor-made tours to ensure their clients realize their dream holidays regardless of budget, group size or travel style.

In a nutshell

If you want your glacial lakes surrounded by Bavarian-inspired architecture and framed by snow-capped volcanoes, this 7-Day Chile Highlights in Santiago and Lakes District tour will satisfy you.

Atacama & Uyuni Salt Flats Adventure 7D/6N

Bamba Travel

Location: Northern Chile and Southwest Bolivia

Itinerary: the Atacama Desert and Uyuni Salt  Flats

Group Size: 20

Age Range: 10 to 99

Physical Activity:  Medium

Operator: Bamba Travel

Length: 7 days

What to Expect

Large-group, partially guided adventure through two of the world’s desolate and most surreal landscapes.

• Geysers 
• Moon and Death Valleys
• Atacama ‘Dead Sea’
• Dali Desert
• Laguna Colorada
• Uyuni Salt Flats

What the Experience Is Like

On arrival at Calama airport, transfer to San Pedro, the Atacama gateway to the Atacama Desert. Enjoy the rest of the day exploring the town at your own pace. Head out to the Moon Valley and Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley) on Day 2 to see whimsical salt and clay formations and the conical summit of Licancabur Volcano rising in the lunar-like landscape.

Witness the Tatio Geysers get active, dip into a relaxing thermal bath, and float in the cold water of the Cejar Lagoon, Atacama’s answer to the Dead Sea. 

Depart San Pedro de Atacama for the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia. After crossing the border, switch to a 4×4 vehicle and drive to a lagoon and a lake in the shadow of Licancabur. Press on through the surreal boulder-dotted landscape of the Dali Desert, so named for inspiring the artist in creating his art.

Past steaming geysers and craters containing boiling mud, please arrive at the blood-red-colored Laguna Colorada, named for its mineral-rich waters where pink flamingos feed.

(If you want to go straight to where the desert adventure starts, sign up for this weeklong Atacama & Uyuni Salt Flats Adventure 7D/6N.)

Marvel at the vast white expanse of the Uyuni Salt Flats as you drive to Fish Island in the middle of it where cacti and petrified coral dot the landscape. Breathe in the imagery as you go to Villa Mar town for your last night on the trip. Leaving Villa Mar town in Bolivia, cross the border back to San Pedro de Atacama, where the trip ends.

Spend three nights in San Pedro de Atacama and three nights in shared rooms throughout the Uyuni trip. Expect 4 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 2 dinners. An English-speaking guide accompanies you during the Atacama tour and a Spanish-speaking guide during the Uyuni tour. Transport combines van, minibus and 4WD during the Uyuni tour.

Founded in 2005, Mexico-based Bamba Travel started as a hop-on, hop-off bus service operator. Over the years, they expanded to include services that make it easier for independent travelers to travel in local transportation and stay in a destination for as long as they want and still have the flexibility to create their itinerary. They have grown to provide their services to more than 80 countries worldwide.

In a nutshell

If you want to add a Uyuni adventure and make Chile your base, this weeklong Atacama & Uyuni Salt Flats Adventure 7D/6N will get you there.

Torres del Paine – The W Trek

G Adventures

Location: Patagonia

Itinerary: Torres del Paine 

Group Size: 16

Age Range: 12 to 90

Physical Activity:  Active to Strenuous

Operator: G Adventures

Length: 6 days

What to Expect

Medium-sized, fully guided tour through one of Patagonia’s most popular treks.

• “Three Towers”
• Grey Glacier

What the Experience Is Like

On arrival in Puerto Natales, the gateway to the Torres del Paine National Park, ensure to rent all gear you need before the hike. Welcome meeting in the late afternoon. Start the trek on Day 2 with a hike to the base of Las Torres and set up camp at Laguna Azul tonight. Press on through the Paine River past grassy fields, taking a break along Lake Nordenskjöld for photo shots. Overnight in Cuernos Camp.

(So you want to hike but can’t stand the high altitudes? This popular Torres del Paine – The W Trek takes you on a multi-day through some of the world’s rawest landscapes.)

Continue to the French Valley lookout for a panoramic view of the mountain range that makes up the park. Leaving the Paine Grande campsite, round out the W Trek with a hike to the Grey Glacier lookout before pushing on to Lake Pehoe, where a ferry takes you across the lake and into the waiting transport you back to Puerto Natales, where the trip ends.

Expect two nights’ accommodation in a hotel and three nights camping in a lodge or tent during the trip. Meals include 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 3 dinners. Vegetarian, vegan, kosher, halal and Jain food options are available on request.  G Adventures Chief experience officer accompanies you throughout the tour, with specialist mountain and local guides joining you in Torres del Paine National Park.

Transport is a combination of hiking, a van and a ferry. Rentals of equipment, gear, clothing and other items are not included and should be secured before departing Puerto Natales.

This popular W Trek is run by G Adventures, a highly-rated travel company that has offered small-group adventures for nearly three decades. They encourage travelers to “Dream big. Travel small.” allowing solo travelers to join the safety – and fun – of having like-minded company small enough to create stronger connections to each other and to the people and places they visit.

In a nutshell

Want to tackle Patagonia in bite-sized pieces? Start with this weeklong Torres del Paine – The W Trek and see where else in Torres del Paine your wanderlust takes you.

Epic Patagonia

OneSeed Expeditions

Location: Patagonia

Itinerary: Santiago – Torres del Paine National Park

Group Size: 10 

Age Range: 16 to 80

Physical Activity: Active to Strenuous 

Operator: OneSeed Expeditions

Length: 10 days

What to Expect

‘Epic’ comes to mind in this small-group, fully guided hike through the glacier-sculpted world of Torres del Paine National Park.

• “Three Towers”
• Grey Glacier
• Optional ice hiking or kayaking

What the Experience Is Like

Arrive at Santiago’s International Airport and transfer to your accommodation. Fly into Punta Arenas, gateway to Patagonia, on Day 2. Meet your local guide here as you go to your overnight accommodation. Pack a daypack for the hike through rocky terrain to the base of the Towers, where an emerald lake sits. Enjoy the view and return to camp.

Drive to Las Torres, where your trek to Los Cuernos begins. Trace the trail as it cuts through between a lake and a massif until it brings you to a lodge between “The Horns” of Cerros Hoja and Mascara. Leaving the Los Cuernos camp, navigate the trail as it winds through old-growth forest and brings you to the Italian Camp, where you switch to a daypack for a hike to the French Valley. Enjoy 360-degree views of the park and return to camp.

Day 6 takes you to Grey Glacier past several lakes. Set up camp here for the final leg of your trek, which will take you to Campamento Paso past the Grey Glacier.  Optional ice hiking or kayaking awaits through a third-party outfitter. Return to camp for your last night in the park.

(So you have the brawn and budget to undertake a hike others only dream of? Make it Epic Patagonia, and that’s exactly what you will get.)

Pack up and hike to the lake, where a catamaran ferries you out of the park and back to Pehoe, where private transport awaits the ride back to Puerto Natales. Enjoy a well-earned farewell dinner with your guide before your journey back to Punta Arenas the following day, where you catch the return flight to Santiago. Enjoy your last night in the capital before your onward journey.  

Expect 2 nights’ accommodation in Santiago and one in Puerto Natales, and shared room/double occupancy tent camping on sleeping pads while on the trek. All meals while on the trek are included, including the farewell dinner.

Vegetarian and vegan food options are available on request.  All trekking permits and entry fees are included. Guides accompany you throughout the trek. All ground transportation and airport transfers are covered. Round-trip domestic flights to Punta Arenas and back to Santiago are included.

This 10-day Patagonia trek is run by OneSeed Expeditions. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, OneSeed specializes in offering trekking and multi-sport adventures around the world. To support its goal to “invest in people,” OneSeed hires local guides, supports local entrepreneurs and economies, respects local communities, and practices “leave no trace principles” to protect the environment.

In a nutshell

For the truly intrepid in mind, body and spirit, this saga on foot through the raw beauty of Epic Patagonia is an adventure not to be missed.

10 Days Discovery the Best of Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile & Easter Island

Signature Tours

Location: Argentina, Chile, Easter Island

Itinerary: Buenos Aires, Santiago, Hanga Roa

Group Size: 25

Age Range: 1 to 99

Physical Activity:  Low

Operator: Signature Tours

Length: 10 days

What to Expect

This large group, a fully guided tour, will take you in a westward direction from Argentina through to Chile and finally to the latter’s westernmost post in the South Pacific.

• City tour in Buenos Aires and Santiago
• Vineyard tour and wine tasting
• Moai statues

What the Experience Is Like

Arrive in Buenos Aires and transfer to your hotel. Join a morning or afternoon tour of the city’s top attractions and witness a tango show as you enjoy dinner paired with Argentine wine. Leaving Buenos Aires, fly into Santiago de Chile and discover its top tourist attractions the day after arrival.

Join a small-group shared tour and head west to the Pacific coast for a tour of Chile’s premier beach resort and historic port. Explore Valparaiso’s hilltop houses, labyrinthine passages and UNESCO-cited funiculars before moving on to the tree-lined boulevards of Viña del Mar, a favorite summer retreat of the locals. On the way back to Santiago, visit Casablanca Valley for a tour of their vineyards and a wine tasting afterward.

Leaving Santiago, fly into ‘Rapa Nui’ Easter Island and spend the rest of the day leisurely. Discover temples and stone platforms just outside Hanga Roa and see larger-than-life Moai statues by the dozens. Visit a ceremonial village and explore a natural cave painted with primitive art. Round out your Easter Island tour with a visit to the Rano Kau volcano before flying out of Mataveri Airport the following day.

Accommodation in a 4-star hotel in Buenos Aires and Santiago and a 3-star hotel in Rapa Nui. Domestic flights are not included. Insurance for accidents is covered during the tour only. Expect breakfast daily, a box lunch during a full-day Easter Island tour, and dinner during the tango show.

Vegan and vegetarian food options are available on request. Bilingual English and Spanish guide accompany you during the tours. On excursions, services are shared with other tourists.

Signature Tours runs this Easter Island expedition from the continent. They build on four generations of experience and network in the industry to get the best private guides and design carefully crafted itineraries to provide travelers with unforgettable trips and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. 

In a nutshell

See the stone giants in person on this 10 Days Discovery the best of Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile & Easter Island.

If none of these tours work for you in Chile, please do not worry. There is a wide variety of tour options in the country, and we are confident that there will be something that fits your needs and interests.

Take a look at all the group tours in Chile now, which you can sort by private or group, maximum sizing, budget, dates and much (much more). The team at TourRadar is also always more than happy to answer any questions, provide further information or assist in any way in finding the perfect tour for you.