Chile's Best Wildlife - Small Group Tour - Max 6 Guests

Chile's Best Wildlife - Small Group Tour - Max 6 Guests

Prices From £12,028pp
November Only | 18 nights

Chile's Best Wildlife - Small Group Tour - Max 6 Guests

Discover the extraordinary wildlife and landscapes of Chile on this professionally guided small-group adventure, travelling with a maximum of just six guests. From the stark beauty of the Atacama Desert and wildlife-rich Altiplano to the temperate rainforests of Chiloé and the mountains, glaciers and sweeping steppes of Patagonia, this remarkable journey reveals the incredible variety found along one of the world’s most geographically diverse countries. With such a small group, there is plenty of opportunity for rewarding wildlife encounters, photography and expert guidance throughout.

Search for flamingos and Vicuña among the high-altitude lakes of Lauca National Park, explore Chiloé for Darwin’s Fox, Pudu and marine wildlife, and witness vast colonies of Magellanic and King Penguins. Further south, venture into spectacular Torres del Paine with specialist guides and trackers in search of wild Pumas, before exploring remote Tierra del Fuego and watching magnificent Andean Condors soaring above the Patagonian landscape.

Operating with a minimum of three and maximum of six guests, this is an intimate and immersive way to experience some of Chile’s greatest wildlife spectacles.

Upcoming set dates:

November 1st, 2027
November 6th, 2028

Low single supplement rates available.

Highlights

  • Travel in an intimate small group of just 3–6 guests, accompanied by expert professional guides
  • Journey from the Atacama Desert and high Andes to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego
  • Search for wild Pumas in Torres del Paine with an experienced guide and specialist tracker
  • Explore Lauca National Park and Surire Salt Flat, home to flamingos, Vicuña and other high-altitude wildlife
  • Discover Chiloé Island, with chances to see Darwin’s Fox, Pudu, marine wildlife and abundant birdlife
  • Witness remarkable Humboldt, Magellanic and King Penguin colonies
  • Look out for whales, dolphins, sea lions, otters and seabirds along Chile’s Pacific coast and fjords
  • Enjoy exceptional wildlife and landscape photography across some of Chile’s most spectacular wilderness

What's Included

  • Accommodation throughout with breakfast, lunch and dinner included
  • Domestic flights: Santiago to Iquique | Arica to Puerto Montt (Via Santiago) | Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas | Punta Arenas to Santiago (subject to availability at time of booking)
  • Guided services as per itinerary
  • Private ground transportation
  • Boat trips, ferry rides and excursions as per itinerary
  • Park entrance fees

Our popularitinerary Suggestions

All our itinerary holidays are fully customisable

Santiago to Iquique
1Day

Santiago to Iquique

Your Chilean wildlife adventure begins today with an afternoon flight from Santiago to Iquique, set on the country’s far northern coast between the Pacific Ocean and the vast Atacama Desert.

On arrival, settle in for an overnight stay in Iquique and prepare for the first discoveries of your journey through Chile’s remarkable landscapes and wildlife-rich regions.

Accommodation in Iquique with lunch and dinner included.

Iquique Harbour & Chaca Valley
2Day

Iquique Harbour & Chaca Valley

This morning you’ll take to the water for a boat trip around Iquique harbour, where the nutrient-rich Humboldt Current supports an extraordinary concentration of marine life. Look out for Guanay cormorants, Peruvian pelicans and striking Inca terns, alongside huge gatherings of seabirds and marine mammals.

Later, travel north along the Pan-American Highway and explore the arid Chaca Valley in search of desert specialists such as the Tamarugo conebill and the critically endangered Chilean woodstar. Continue to Arica for the night.

Accommodation in Arica with breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Azapa Valley - Drive to Putre
3Day

Azapa Valley - Drive to Putre

Today you’ll explore the fascinating Azapa Valley, beginning with a visit to the University Museum and its remarkable collection of Chinchorro mummies, among the oldest known mummified human remains in the world. The valley is also superb for birdlife, with chances to see species such as Peruvian sheartail and slender-billed finch, while a visit to a specially created hummingbird garden offers excellent opportunities to watch and photograph several hummingbird species at close range. Ancient geoglyphs scattered across the surrounding hillsides add another layer of interest to this extraordinary desert landscape.

Later, journey east across the stark beauty of the Atacama Desert towards the Andean foothills, making stops to admire distinctive desert vegetation including the impressive Chandelier cactus. Near Putre, visit the ancient Inca fortress of Copaquilla before continuing to this picturesque Aymara village at around 3,400 metres above sea level. The surrounding terraces, rocky slopes and eucalyptus groves support an exciting variety of wildlife, with possible sightings including Sparkling Violetear, Andean Hillstar, Golden-billed Saltator, Blue-and-yellow Tanager and, with luck, Northern Huemul Deer and Guanaco.

Accommodation for 3 nights in Putre with breakfasts, lunches and dinners included.

Parinacota & Lauca NP
4Day

Parinacota & Lauca NP

Today brings one of the great highlights of the journey as you travel into the spectacular landscapes of Lauca National Park. Stop first at the tiny village of Parinacota, set among high-altitude lakes and wetlands where flamingos are often seen. The village has pre-Inca origins and is known for its beautiful 17th-century adobe church, a fine example of Andean Baroque architecture.

Continue across the Altiplano to breathtaking Chungará Lake, sitting at around 4,500 metres and framed by the towering twin volcanoes of Parinacota and Pomerape. This remarkable high-Andean environment is rich in wildlife, with chances to see Chilean, James’s and Andean flamingos, Giant Coots and Andean Gulls, while the surrounding bofedales are home to herds of Vicuña and the endearing Mountain Viscacha.

Surire Salt Flat
5Day

Surire Salt Flat

An early start takes you deep into the Altiplano to reach the spectacular Surire Salt Flat around sunrise. This remote high-altitude wilderness is one of the finest places in the Andes to see flamingos, with all three High Andean species possible, including the rare and range-restricted Puna Flamingo. Other highlights may include Puna Rhea, Puna Tinamou, Andean Lapwing, Andean Goose and a variety of colourful ducks and waterfowl.

The wildlife is only part of the experience. Surrounded by mountains, sculpted rock formations and vast expanses of salt, Surire offers some of the most dramatic scenery of the journey and superb opportunities for photography. Keep an eye on the rocky outcrops too, where playful Mountain Viscachas are often seen at close range.

Arica - Fly to Puerto Montt - Puerto Varas
6Day

Arica - Fly to Puerto Montt - Puerto Varas

We now leave the high Andes behind and descend once more to the Pacific coast at Arica, Chile’s northernmost city. From here, fly south via Santiago to Puerto Montt, gateway to the beautiful Lake District and a striking change of scenery after the stark landscapes of the Atacama and Altiplano.

Continue to Puerto Varas, set on the shores of Lake Llanquihue and surrounded by lush farmland, forests and distant volcanoes. On clear days, the near-perfect cone of Osorno Volcano dominates the skyline, while the surrounding countryside offers chances to spot species such as Black-faced Ibis, Chimango Caracara, Southern Lapwing, Chilean Flicker and the endemic Slender-billed Parakeet.

Accommodation in Puerto Varas with breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Chiloé Island / Puñihuil Boat Trip
7Day

Chiloé Island / Puñihuil Boat Trip

This morning you’ll travel south to the Chacao Channel for the short ferry crossing to Chiloé Island. Keep watch from the deck for Peale’s Dolphins, South American Sea Lions and an impressive variety of seabirds, including Southern Giant Petrels, Sooty and Pink-footed Shearwaters, Imperial and Red-legged Cormorants and South American Terns.

Once on Chiloé, continue through the island’s scenic countryside to the small fishing cove of Puñihuil. Here you’ll take a boat trip to the offshore islets, famous for supporting a rare mixed colony of both Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins. Rock Cormorants, Kelp Geese and Flightless Steamer Ducks may also be seen, while Marine Otters and South American Sea Lions add to the excellent wildlife viewing.

Accommodation for 2 nights in Puñihuil with breakfasts, lunches and dinners included.

Chiloé Island – Caulin Bay
8Day

Chiloé Island – Caulin Bay

This morning you’ll head out by boat towards Chiloé’s wild Pacific coast, travelling towards remote Metalqui Island in search of marine wildlife. Depending on the season, there may be opportunities to see Pygmy Blue Whales and Humpback Whales, while pelagic birds such as the little-known Subantarctic Shearwater may also be encountered. Metalqui itself is home to a large breeding colony of South American Sea Lions.

In the afternoon, visit the tidal mudflats of Caulín Bay, an important feeding and resting area for migratory shorebirds. Look out for Hudsonian Godwits, Red Knots and a variety of other waders, while large gatherings of elegant Black-necked Swans are also a regular sight in this productive coastal habitat.

Chepu River – Tepuhueico
9Day

Chepu River – Tepuhueico

Another morning of exploration will see you discover the rural landscapes of northern Chiloé before reaching the beautiful Chepu River. A boat trip through this tranquil, forest-fringed waterway offers the chance to search for the critically endangered Southern River Otter, or Huillín. Nearby wetlands also support an abundance of birdlife, including Black-necked Swans, Chiloé Wigeon, Cinnamon Teal, Red-gartered Coots and Snowy-crowned Terns, with possible sightings of Coypu, Osprey and endemic Slender-billed Parakeets.

Later, continue to Tepuhueico Park, a private reserve protecting a remarkable tract of lush Valdivian temperate rainforest. Over the next couple of days, you’ll explore this atmospheric habitat in search of wildlife such as tiny Pudu Deer, frogs and lizards, while the moss-covered trees, fungi, lichens and damp forest floor provide wonderful opportunities for close-up and macro photography.

Accommodation for 3 nights in Tepuhueico with breakfasts, lunches and dinners included.

Tepuhueico Park
10Day

Tepuhueico Park

Today you’ll spend a full day exploring the pristine forests of Tepuhueico Park, part of the remarkable Valdivian Temperate Rainforest ecosystem. The reserve is one of the best places to search for the critically endangered Darwin’s Fox, a rare Chilean endemic that survives in small numbers along the forested landscapes of Chiloé.

Guided walks also offer the chance to look for Pudu Deer, one of the world’s smallest deer, and the elusive Kodkod, or Güiña, a tiny and rarely seen wild cat. Birdlife is equally rewarding, with possibilities including Black-throated Huet-huet, Chucao, Magellanic Woodpecker, Chilean Hawk, Des Murs Wiretail and Green-backed Firecrown.

Tepuhueico Park – Puerto Varas
11Day

Tepuhueico Park – Puerto Varas

There will be more time to explore the forests of Tepuhueico this morning before you travel east towards Chiloé’s more sheltered coastline. The focus then turns from wildlife to the island’s distinctive culture, with its colourful stilt houses and remarkable wooden architecture.

During the afternoon, visit a selection of Chiloé’s historic wooden churches, potentially including those at Dalcahue, Castro and Nercón. Built using techniques influenced by traditional shipbuilding, these UNESCO-listed churches are an important legacy of the Jesuit missionaries who travelled through the archipelago during the 17th and 18th centuries. Later, continue back to Puerto Varas.

Fly to Punta Arenas – Magdalena Island
12Day

Fly to Punta Arenas – Magdalena Island

Today you’ll fly south to Punta Arenas, where you’ll meet your guide and set out by boat across the legendary Strait of Magellan towards Magdalena Island. This protected reserve is home to a huge colony of more than 28,000 Magellanic Penguins, making it one of Patagonia’s great wildlife spectacles.

On arrival, follow the island trail towards the lighthouse, surrounded by penguins as they come ashore, tend burrows, rest along the shoreline and move between nesting areas. Imperial and Rock Cormorants, Dolphin and Kelp Gulls, Chilean Skuas and South American Terns also breed here, while South American Sea Lions are occasionally seen patrolling the surrounding waters.

Accommodation for 1 night in Punta Arenas with breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Drive to Torres del Paine
13Day

Drive to Torres del Paine

Today you’ll travel into the heart of Patagonia towards spectacular Torres del Paine National Park. Along the way, keep watch for characteristic wildlife including Guanaco, Southern Grey Fox and Patagonian Skunk, while the landscape begins to shift into forests of Southern Beech.

As you enter the park, the scenery becomes increasingly dramatic, with vast valleys framed by some of Patagonia’s most iconic peaks. Your guide will also reveal the fascinating geology behind this remarkable landscape, helping bring the origins of Torres del Paine’s towering granite formations to life.

Accommodation for 3 nights in Torres del Paine area with breakfasts, lunches and dinners included.

Torres del Paine
14Day

Torres del Paine

Today is dedicated to one of the great wildlife experiences of Patagonia as you search for Pumas in the eastern reaches of Torres del Paine. The landscapes around Sarmiento Lake, Laguna Amarga and Laguna Azul support one of the highest concentrations of wild Pumas in the region, and you’ll explore with your guide and specialist tracker during the best periods of activity.

Using binoculars and spotting scopes, you may have the chance to watch family groups moving through the open steppe against a spectacular backdrop of mountains and vast Patagonian skies. Along the way, keep watch for other wildlife including Guanaco, Huemul Deer, Patagonian Hog-nosed Skunk and both Chilla and Culpeo foxes.

Torres del Paine
15Day

Torres del Paine

This morning you’ll continue exploring the eastern side of Torres del Paine, visiting ponds, lagoons and woodland in search of the park’s rich birdlife. Possible sightings include Spectacled Duck, Chiloé Wigeon, Black-necked Swan, Great Grebe, Cinereous Harrier and Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, while wooded areas may reveal Chilean Flicker, Striped Woodpecker and Austral Pygmy Owl. Along the rivers, you’ll also keep watch for the remarkable Torrent Duck.

Later, spend time among the open landscapes where herds of Guanaco are a familiar sight before travelling to Lake Grey. Here, dramatic blue icebergs drift below the surrounding mountains, creating one of the park’s most memorable scenes. The nearby sub-Antarctic forest offers further chances to spot species such as Austral Parakeet, White-throated Treerunner, Thorn-tailed Rayadito and the striking Magellanic Woodpecker.

Pali Aike – Tierra del Fuego – Porvenir
16Day

Pali Aike – Tierra del Fuego – Porvenir

Today you’ll travel east across Patagonia’s vast, windswept steppe towards Pali Aike National Park. This striking volcanic landscape of extinct cones and open grasslands is rich in archaeology, geology and birdlife, with chances to see species such as Least Seedsnipe, Tawny-throated Dotterel, Chocolate-vented Tyrant and Black-throated Finch.

Later, cross the narrowest part of the Strait of Magellan by ferry, keeping watch for the distinctive Commerson’s Dolphin. On reaching Tierra del Fuego, continue through a remote landscape of rolling steppe, sheep estancias and dramatic skies towards the small settlement of Porvenir, your base for the next two nights.

Accommodation for 2 nights in Porvenir area with breakfasts, lunches and dinners included.

Parque Pingüino Rey
17Day

Parque Pingüino Rey

This morning you’ll travel for around two hours along the shores of Bahía Inútil (Useless Bay), through the open landscapes of Tierra del Fuego. Along the way, keep watch for Guanaco, Southern Grey Fox, Upland Goose, Chilean Flamingo and a variety of waterfowl, while albatrosses, petrels, gulls and skuas may be seen over the bay.

The highlight of the day is a visit to Parque Pingüino Rey, a private reserve established to protect the only known continental colony of King Penguins in the region. You’ll have time to observe and photograph these magnificent birds from a respectful distance, enjoying one of the most memorable wildlife encounters of the journey.

Punta Arenas – Rio Verde
18Day

Punta Arenas – Rio Verde

Your final day begins with a relaxed exploration around Porvenir, visiting alkaline lagoons where migratory shorebirds gather and Chilean Flamingos can often be photographed at close range. You’ll also spend time along the coast, discovering some of the shipwrecks that hint at the long maritime history of these remote and often challenging waters.

After lunch, take the ferry back towards Punta Arenas, with another chance to look for Commerson’s Dolphins enroute. The journey concludes with a visit to Olga Teresa Ranch near Río Verde, one of the finest places to observe and photograph Andean Condors as they soar above a dramatic rocky escarpment, bringing the trip to a fitting wildlife-filled finale.

Accommodation for in Punta Arenas with breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

End of Trip
19Day

End of Trip

Your remarkable Chilean wildlife adventure comes to an end after breakfast this morning. A complimentary transfer will take you to Punta Arenas Airport in time for your included flight to Santiago where you can connect to your onward or homeward journey.

Depart with wonderful memories of Chile’s extraordinary wildlife, from the high Andes and Atacama Desert to the forests, fjords and windswept landscapes of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.

A view from Above

Too much to choose from? This is where we come in

Take advantage of our vast experience, passion and expertise to help you hand craft the perfect Chile adventure for you.

Simon Rowland Senior Travel Expert

Simon’s deep passion for and first-hand knowledge of a vast range of destinations all over the world gives him the ideal skills to help you create a truly unforgettable wildlife inspired adventure to the most exciting places on the planet.

Sally Nevitt Sales Team Leader

Sally pairs a real love of adventure travel with a natural gift for looking after people. She knows exactly what makes a trip unforgettable, and with her warmth and endless patience she'll guide you from your first enquiry right through to the moment you're safely home again.

Michael Gardiner Senior Travel Expert

Mike has more than 15 years of experience in the travel industry and continues to be inspired by the people, places and wildlife he discovers. His in-depth personal knowledge of a diverse range of destinations ensures your adventure itinerary will be a holiday like no other.

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Ready to start planning youronce in a lifetime trip?

Call us - 0800 195 3385
Outside the uk? + 44 1625 5811 43
+ 44 1625 5811 43 Call us - 0800 195 3385

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Enquiry form

Book Consultation

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