Day 2: Sunday
Flight arrives mid-morning in Santiago. We will shuttle to Hotel Orly located near the center of Santiago. The hotel has a great bar, fantastic food, patio and atrium, web access, it's close to the metro station and many of the locations we’ll visit in Santiago.

There we’ll have our welcome meeting and discussion about upcoming week with participants.

We head to Bellavista, an eclectic little neighborhood and one of the most entertaining and colorful areas of the city. Visit to La Chascona. Located in the heart of Bellavista La Chascona, meaning “Bed Head,” is Pablo Neruda’s house built at the foot of Cerro San Cristóbal, Santiago’s tallest hill. Pablo Neruda was a nobel prize winning poet in 1971 and an International Ambassador to many Asian countries. Neruda was then exiled during the Pinochet Regime. Neruda tried to recreate the surroundings of his childhood from the South of Chile. Different areas of the house are separated by beautiful gardens, with walkways meandering though fountains and art pieces.

The afternoon is yours to enjoy. Ride a funicular up to Cerro San Cristóbal for a birds’ eye view of the city, or walk around Bellavista and visit its hideaway restaurants, bars, shops, and galleries. Bellavista has everything to offer.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Pre-Columbian Museum, Plaza de Artes, etc. Your guide will recommend/lead or follow wherever you might want to go, the day is yours.

On the way to the coast, a brief stop will be made at a quaint little village known for its potters and pottery shops. Pomaire offers a multitude of clay wares and local cuisine.

Relax and enjoy Cabañas Barrachina. These bungalows are on the coast and have nice little brick grills on their outdoor patios.

Tonight we will Bar-B-Que at Cabañas.

We will lunch at Almuelle in Algarrobo and then spend the rest of the day at the beach.

Tonight we have dinner at La Caleuche. This fantastic little restaurant sits literally on the beach with a blood pressure reducing atmosphere, amazing seafood and incredible nautical décor.

Later we will return to the Cabañas and beach for the rest of the afternoon. Tonight we’ll have a bonfire on the beach and BBQ at the Cabañas.

We will overnight in the fantastic Hotel Santa Cruz. This is a deluxe, hacienda style hotel on the main square in Santa Cruz with a fantastic outdoor pool, bar and restaurant; Relaxation at its finest.

Tonight we will have dinner at the hotel. We will enjoy a huge spread of seafood, local dishes, fresh fruits and vegetables, salads, and an outdoor grill where you choose cuts of beef, pork, chicken and sausages.

We visit wineries around the Colchagua Valley. We’ll make a brief stop at Via Manent to check out this fun, little winery outside of Santa Cruz.

Our next stop will be at Viña Montes. A world-class facility surrounded by lush vineyards. We will take a little ride up and around the vineyards to a great lookout to see the area and a beautiful view of the Andes Mountains. We will have lunch at the Vineyard lookout.

Tonight we will have dinner at Hotel Santa Cruz.

Then we travel to Antiyal. Alvaro and Marina Espinoza run this biodynamic boutique winery literally in their backyard. Alvaro, who has been named, one of the ten most influential winemakers in the world, uses the natural environment of the Maipo valley, forces of the moon, stars and local microbes to shape his blends into consistently some of the best wines in Chile, if not the world. We will enjoy a personal tour with Alvaro and his wife, Marina, and enjoy a grill out at their home. It will truly be a unique experience.

After lunch at Antiyal we will head up the Maipo Canyon to Cascada de las Animas. Cascada de las Animas has a wide selection of cabin choices, sleeping anywhere from 1 to 10 people. Allof our cabins are unique - handcrafted with natural local materials (logs, stone, and clay) by local craftsman still skilled in these fine arts.

We will overnight at the Cascada de las Animas with spectacular views all around. After dinner we’ll travel up to some natural hot springs near the border of Argentina. With zero artificial light and at a high elevation, these natural pools provide the most amazing views of the stars above. Hope for a clear view.

Then we go rafting down the Maipo valley for some class 4 river rafting. We'll picnic lunch and swim in the pool or river at the take out spot.

Then back to Santiago in the evening to the Hotel Orly for dinner at the Hotel dining room.

I highly recommend that you stay as long as you are able to see even more of the amazing country. I will be staying a little longer and can always advise on other great places to see.