Chile & Argentina Wine Adventure Itinerary

Day 1: Most flights to Santiago, Chile arrive early in the morning.  We meet you at the airport at 8:00 AM for those arriving today or at 8:45 downtown for those already in Santiago and immediately shuttle to our first Chilean wine area, the Maipo Valley. There we visit the amazingly beautiful Viña Peréz Cruz winery for a vineyard walk, lunch, and tasting. After lunch we shuttle to the wine town of Santa Cruz for a short rest, followed by dinner in a scenically-situated restaurant overlooking local vineyards.

Day 2: We spend the day in the Apalta wine valley at Viña las Niñas where we have a strenuous hike (with an easier option available) through the vineyards and to the top of the hill overlooking the valley. Returning to the winery, we taste the wines, eat lunch, and enjoy an afternoon siesta. We then return to the hotel with time to shop, explore the town, or rest before heading out for dinner. If we have the energy, we'll walk to the local wine bar after dinner.

Day 3: We depart Santa Cruz for the cooler Casablanca Valley and a bike ride on the mostly-flat valley roads.  We start our ride with a quick tasting (only one glass!) at Emiliana Vineyards and then earn our lunch by riding for an hour to the lunch stop in the cute town of Casablanca. In the afternoon we continue on our bikes to Viña Catrala for a very pleasant tasting at a picnic shelter in the woods. It's then on westward to the Pacific coast, the city of Viña del Mar, and our hotel overlooking the crashing waves below.

Day 4: Today is our fourth day and our fifth Chilean wine valley, the Aconcagua Valley. After a short shuttle from the coast, we stop at Von Siebenthal winery in the Aconcagua Valley for a vineyard walk and tasting. We then continue to the town of Los Andes where we have the option to hike or horseback ride through the vineyards of Viña San Esteban to an area of ancient Incan petroglyphs. Our walk or ride takes us to one of the most scenic dinner settings you will ever experience, a shelter that overlooks the valley floor with the Andes looming on the other side.

Day 5: We depart Chile today with a spectacular ride over the Andes mountains. On our way back down the pass we stop at the headquarters of a local adventure company where you can choose to hike, river raft, or rappel (like reverse rock climbing) down a waterfall. After this day of adventure we finish the drive to Mendoza for our first of three nights, with a stop along the way for a fantastic dinner buffet of local foods and wine.

Day 6: Today we visit the nearby Uco Valley wine region and again jump on bicycles.  We have two routes from which you can choose, so you can select your own riding distance, with all routes finishing at Bodegas Altas. Those doing the short route will reach the winery in time for a cooking class, where they will be guided by a local master chef and will help prepare lunch for the group. After a very leisurely late lunch with plenty of wine, its back to Mendoza.

Day 7: Today we switch gears - or at least beverages. We drive towards the Andes and go for a hike in the cordillera, the pre-Andes mountains. The hike finishes at the Jerome Brewery, a small family-run brewery that has outstanding beer and serves a hearty lunch. After lunch you can choose to tour the brewery or go for an extra optional hike to view a condor nest and then we return to Mendoza. That evening we start with a wine tasting and then walk to a local dinner show featuring some incredible tango dancing.

Day 8: This is our final day and we finish off with a guided walking tour of Mendoza. Lunch is on your own and we depart that afternoon for the airport and our flight back to Santiago for connections home.