Our recent tour throughout Chile revealed the country’s many incredible landscapes—from stone towers in Patagonia to salt pans in the Atacama Desert to volcanic hills on Easter Island—as well as its interesting culture and great wines.

Patagonia is a place of stunning natural beauty. This is the view of the magnificent peaks of the Torres del Paine mountain range at first light from our room at Explora’s Hotel Salto Chico, one of our preferred properties in Chilean Patagonia.

The main highlight of Chilean Patagonia is Torres del Paine National Park. Our tours feature access to its many dramatic landscapes, such as cruises to striking Grey Glacier.

Native animal and bird species in the park include guanacos (seen here), condors, pumas, foxes and rheas (flightless birds similar to ostriches).

The varied terrain of the national park offers superb hiking for all ability levels. Another way to explore Torres del Paine is on horseback. We can arrange excursions for riders of all levels of expertise, including beginners. This is also a great way to meet huasos (Chilean cowboys) and learn about their lifestyle.

The Singular, another of our preferred Patagonia properties, is a great choice for travelers interested in activities such as fly-fishing and kayaking.

Recently opened Awasi Patagonia is another option that’s sure to become a regional favorite. The private villas feature rustic style, luxurious appointments and great views of the national park.

Chiloe is an archipelago of rolling farmland and verdant forests off the coast of northern Patagonia. The unique culture, cuisine and architecture make Chiloe an interesting place to spend a few days.

Chiloe’s seaside towns are known for palafitos, waterfront houses on stilts such as these.

Chiloe is home to a number of interesting wooden churches built by Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries in the 17th to 19th centuries. Sixteen of the churches together comprise a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Tierra Chiloe is our preferred hotel on Chiloe and one of our favorite hotels in Chile.

All of the hotel’s public and private spaces have beautiful views over the protected wetlands and sea.

Guest rooms at Tierra Chiloe have open views.

The delicious food at Tierra Chiloe included dishes such as walnut-crusted crab claws and citrus salad.

We also visited spectacular Easter Island, a territory of Chile isolated in the Pacific Ocean. Called Rapa Nui by the native Polynesian people, it’s home to monumental stone figures known as moai.

Our tours include visits to the quarry where the moai were created.

The moai were placed on ahu, or ceremonial altars, such as this.

A particularly scenic backdrop for this ahu is beautiful Anakena Beach, which has pink sand and warm, turquoise water.

Extraordinary sunsets occur regularly on Easter Island.

Horses are a popular form of transportation for the locals.

Our Easter Island tours include accommodation at Explora’s Posada de Mike Rapu, the most luxurious hotel on the island.

The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is a wonderland of geological oddities and one of the driest places on Earth. It’s an excellent choice for adventure lovers and star gazers.

Alto Atacama is one of our preferred properties in the region.

We hiked barefoot in the sand dunes of the Valle de la Muerte. On the horizon is the conical form of Licancabur, a 19,400-foot volcano.

One of the highlights of a trip to the Atacama Desert is visiting the Salar de Atacama, an enormous salt pan with views of the Andes mountains. It’s particularly beautiful at sunset.

Flamingoes can often be seen on the Salar de Atacama.

Among the many possible hiking and biking excursions, one of our favorites is hiking among the cacti of the Guatin Valley. Nearby are natural hot springs.

We also love Explora’s Hotel de Larache in Atacama. It was built in the style of an ayllu—a traditional Andean community—and includes stone-paved courtyards, colonial-style adobe buildings and walled plots of land for farming.

Another favorite region is the Colchagua Valley. One of the most renowned wine-producing regions in Chile, it’s in the hills south of Santiago.

Many of our private Chile tours include wine touring and tastings at the best wineries in the country.

Lapostolle Residence, a Relais & Chateaux-affiliated hotel at the highly regarded Casa Lapostolle winery, is our preferred property in the Colchagua Valley.

We can arrange horse-drawn carriage rides through the vineyards.

Many wineries have excellent restaurants for lunch, typically accompanied by premium wines.

The Andes serve as a picturesque backdrop to Santiago, the capital of Chile.

Our touring in Santiago includes visits to the most interesting museums and aristocratic mansions in the city.

The Casablanca Valley just outside Santiago is another good wine region. We often arrange visits to wineries as a day trip from Santiago, or en route to seaside Valparaiso.

Valparaiso is also an easy day excursion from Santiago. With a fascinating history as one of the richest ports in the world, it has a UNESCO World Heritage-listed historic quarter filled with interesting buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Palacio Baburizza is one of the mansions built by wealthy merchants in Valparaiso. Today, it’s an art museum.

Valparaiso’s ascensores are funiculars that connect the flat part of the city with the residential neighborhoods in the steep hillsides above.

Many creative people now live in Valparaiso, and murals are painted on many walls around the city.

Contact us to start planning a private Chile tour that includes any or all of these incredible destinations.