Day 1: Santiago
Your first contact with Chile, this long and narrow country lined by the Andes mountain range, will be through its capital city, Santiago. Upon arrival at the airport, you will enjoy a welcome brunch at the beautiful Club Hípico de Santiago (Equestrian Club of Santiago). Located in Blanco Encalada St., nestled in the heart of the city’s old neighborhoods, this building was designed by architect Joshua Smith and inaugurated in 1923. It is inspired on the French racetrack of Long Champs and it is surrounded by an 80-hectare park. It was declared Historical Monument in 1972 and throughout its lifetime it has been visited by such noteworthy people as former United States President Theodore Roosevelt and several members of European Royal families, including Edward of Windsor, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII); Queen Elizabeth II; Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York; Felipe de Borbón, Prince of Asturias; Prince Henry of Prussia; and Prince Louis Ferdinand of Bavaria. Enjoy a horse race especially designed for the group, with each horse bearing name of different company brands, departments, branches, etc. After this brunch, our local guide will take you to through the old neighborhoods that surround the Club Hípico and then continue to Santa Lucía hill, where the first Spanish troops that came to Santiago camped in 1540, today a major historical landmark as well as a beautiful public park in the heart of the downtown area. Next you will visit the San Francisco Church, which is only a block away and was built between 1572 and 1618. From here you will go on to “La Moneda” Government Palace, and the Plaza de Armas, or main square, that was designed according to Spanish tradition. Surrounding the square, you will find the Cathedral, the Main Post Office, the National History Museum and the City Hall. Following this special city tour, you will enjoy some leisure time to rest at your hotel in Santiago before you attend a thematic welcome dinner at a colonial-style manor, where you will be greeted with a lively performance of traditional Chilean music and dance and enjoy the most delicious local plates. The manor will be decorated like a typical market place, with the buffet set in different stands according to the type of food (fish and seafood, meat, etc.). Overnight at the Ritz Carlton in Santiago. (Brunch, D)

Day 2: Andes Mountains - Portillo
Today, after breakfast, you will travel northeast of Santiago to visit the Chacabuco Province, where one of the most important battles of our Independence War was fought. You will visit the Monument to the soldiers that fought one of the most prominent battles here in 1817 and you will learn how Bernardo O’Higgins joined Argentinean General San Martín to create the Army of the Andes, which crossed over the mountains to fight the Spanish troops at this site. Enjoy this bit of history and the breathtaking views of this countryside environment with a landscape dominated by snow-covered peaks, such as the Aconcagua, the highest one, with an altitude of approximately 6,900 m (22,800 ft). From here, you will continue through the international road connecting with Argentina, driving through imposing peaks of the Andes Mountain Range until reaching Portillo Ski Resort, at an altitude of approximately 2,800 m (9,100 ft) just before the border, where you will be served lunch. Portillo is the oldest ski area in South America. By early 1930, skiing enthusiasts focused their efforts on developing the slopes around Laguna del Inca (Lake of the Inca), an area known as "Portillo," or "Little Pass." The tiny Hotel Portillo grew and developed services. In the early 1940s, a stock company known as Hoteles de Cordillera S.A sold stock to pay for the construction of a large hotel that was to be known as the "Grand Hotel Portillo." Although the resort is mainly designed for enjoying winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding, during the summer you can also have fun kayaking in the Lake, hiking on the slopes or swimming in the pool. At night, you will share a gourmet dinner that will prove why this hotel deserves to be recognized as having one of the best cuisines in the area. Overnight at Gran Hotel Portillo, in the summer, or at the Ritz Carlton in Santiago, during the winter. (B, L, D)

Day 3: Viña del Mar – Valparaíso
Today you will be served a hearty breakfast and transferred to Valparaíso (170 km / 105 miles), Chile’s most important port and first naval zone as well as a World Heritage Site since 2003. Here you will enjoy a unique opportunity to discover the authentic spirit of the city. Its history goes back to 1536 when it was discovered by a Spanish captain in charge of bringing supplies to the troops leading the expedition to the southern territories along the Pacific Coast. It soon became an important stop for sailors navigating around the Cape Horn and in need for food and other goods. Valparaíso attracted the attention of many pirates and corsairs, including the legendary Francis Drake. Some of these pirates and corsairs will come to life once again to take you on a treasure hunt walking throughout the hills of Valparaíso. You will need to figure out the leads and follow them to your next destination, climbing up and down the hills on the funiculars (elevators) that were built between 1883 and 1912 and are still working as part of the city’s efforts to maintain its historical heritage. Stop for lunch at the Higuera House, a boutique hotel and restaurant located in an old house that has been beautifully refurbished, from where you can enjoy a nice view of the bay. Afterwards continue your search, for a wonderful treasure awaits you, full of fine gold, silver and lapis lazuli items, in the gardens of the Naval Museum, at the top of Artillería Hill, where the Spanish built one of the first forts to protect Valparaíso from pirates and corsair attacks. From here, you will go on to the Viña del Mar Casino, inaugurated on New Year’s Eve in 1930. This gorgeous neoclassical-style building houses the most elegant gambling site in Chile, with plenty of game rooms, a theatre, a dancing club, and one of the best restaurants in town, where you will enjoy a thematic dinner, with live music and games for the group as well as plenty of seafood and decorations evocating the sea and the times of pirates will be the perfect ending for the day.
Overnight at Sheraton Miramar Hotel in Viña del Mar. (B, L, D)

INCLUDED:
• Overnights in first class hotels as mentioned in the program
• Local German/English/Italian/Russian/ etc speaking guide(s) for the whole trip
• Full Board
• Open bar with drinks, cocktails and selected wines
• Drinks during the entire trip
• Entrance fees to mentioned places
• Required special equipment (personal trekking shoes/boots are not considered
• Private services in fully-equipped first class buses and transportation
• Corporate gifts: hats, t-shirts, wines, DVDs, etc.

Day 4: Isla Negra + Punta Tralca
Chilean wine will be the central theme of today. After breakfast you will be transferred to one of our finest boutique vineyards in the Casablanca Valley, very close to the coast. Besides visiting the cellars and tasting their fabulous wines, you will share a typical barbecue, served by people dressed in traditional “huaso” (Chilean cowboy) attires, and enjoy some of the many activities available for guests, such as hiking, bicycle rides, harvesting fruit or just riding on horseback. During the afternoon you will visit Isla Negra, a small coastal town where the main attraction is the museum-house of poet Pablo Neruda, 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. He will come alive to show you around his house and invite you to a poetry recital with some of his best works in Punta de Tralca, a coastal town close to Isla Negra. A food and wine lover himself, Neruda will leave you with enough inspiration to enjoy a thematic dinner combining wine and seafood on board an old schooner while you sail back to your hotel in Viña del Mar and revel in the fantastic view of the city lights. Overnight at Sheraton Miramar Hotel in Viña del Mar. (B, L, D)

Day 5: Santa Cruz
Today you will be served breakfast at the hotel and then transferred to the city of San Fernando, with a population of approximately 63,000 people who mainly make a living on farming. Here you will board the Wine Train that will take you to Santa Cruz, a city located in the heart of the Colchagua Valley that has become famous worldwide for its outstanding Carmenère wine. During the ride, you will taste some of the best Chilean wines and samples of the most delicious local food products served by people dressed in the traditional “huaso” attire. A folk group will greet you at Santa Cruz, from where you will head to Santa Cruz Winery, where you will have fun climbing up a hill on cable cars and following a trail with replicas of the typical houses of the three most important contemporary indigenous cultures in Chile: The northern Aymara, the Rapa Nui in Easter Island and the central-southern Mapuche. Here you will share a cocktail enjoying a privileged view of the Lolol Valley. At the restaurant, you will be offered an abundant countryside lunch before you continue the day with a wine-tasting course and the unique experience of becoming an enologist for a day and preparing your own wine. Shuttles will be permanently available, connecting the winery with Santa Cruz, for those of you who wish to visit the Colchagua Museum, with one of the most complete collection of items from different periods of Chile’s history, or simply rest at the Santa Cruz Plaza Hotel, where you will be staying. For dinner, the group will receive hands-on training by a professional chef who will guide them through the preparation of a full-course meal that will be the farewell dinner. Awards will be presented to some outstanding members of the group: The most active, the most creative, the most entertaining, etc. Souvenirs will also be distributed to all members of the group, such as bottles of wine or pisco, copper items and a DVD with the highlights of the trip. When night falls, let an astronomer show you through the observatory and take a peek at the galaxies through its modern telescope. At the end, the sky will be lit up by fireworks. Overnight at the Santa Cruz Plaza Hotel. (B, L, D)

Day 6: Santa Cruz - Santiago
Today you will be transferred to the Santiago Airport, where you will board your flights back home. (B)

HOTELS INCLUDED*:
(*depending on availability)

Santiago:

The Ritz Carlton Santiago*****

El Alcalde 15, Las Condes

Ritz Carton, THE most exclusive hotel in Santiago, is located in the prestigious neighborhood “El Golf”, just 30 minutes from Santiago International Airport and a few meters from the subway station. With a modern, new construction the hotel features 205 guestrooms including 49 Club level rooms and 3 Club Suites, 12 Executive Suites, and a Ritz-Carlton Presidential Suite. General services include: 4 restaurants and lounges, 24-hour in-room dining, digital safe deposit box, high speed Internet access and dual phone lines, Fitness & Massage Center, swimming pool, sauna, bar, cafeteria and wine-bar. More than 855 m² / 9.207 ft² of meeting and conference space are available.

Portillo:

Gran Hotel Portillo

Portillo is unique because there is no town and only one hotel: the grand Hotel Portillo, which has 123 rooms. In this regard, the Portillo skiing and resort experience is unlike that of any other commercial ski resort. Hotel Portillo’s rooms are cozy and warm. There are a variety of room types, including: doubles, family apartments and suites. Some of the rooms have a mountain view from the valley side while the rest have a view of the lake. The lake view is especially spectacular. None of them have TV, but they do have telephones, safes, hairdryers, mini-bars, and Internet access (Portillo has Wi-Fi connection throughout the hotel as well as a modern Internet Room).

Viña del Mar:

Hotel Sheraton Miramar****

Avenida Marina N 15, Viña del Mar

The new Miramar Hotel stands on a rocky headland at the entrance of Viña del Mar and next to the beach Caleta Abarca. Due to the prominent position and the innovative architecture, every room offers a stunning view of the Pacific from the balcony. In total, 142 rooms and suites are available, all with plasma television, and cable TV, telephone, private bathroom, and balcony. The Miramar offers all amenities that are adequate to a high-class hotel, e.g. room service, pools, complete Spa, gym, restaurant, bar, business center and parking.

Santa Cruz:

Hotel Plaza Santa Cruz (Superior)

Plaza de Armas 286, Santa Cruz

Hotel Plaza Santa Cruz is located in the city of Santa Cruz in the Colchagua Valley and only 185 km / 115 miles from Santiago airport. This area is mainly characterized by its wine industry. The hotel keeps many details in its decoration that evoke the wine surroundings; it features 85 rooms, bar, cellar, grill, 1 pizzeria, two outstanding restaurants providing excellent wines, wine-shop and swimming-pool. There is even a convention centre lounge with capacity for up to 700 people and two lounges for private meetings.