Discover Chile: a sample 7-day faculty-led program

01

Day 1 · Santiago · Arrival

First look at Chile

Day one is intentionally light. After landing and checking in, students get an easy, low-pressure introduction to the city: no packed schedule, just time to settle in and start noticing Chile.

• Mercado Urbano Tobalaba (MUT). Lunch at a contemporary market where Chilean food, local design, homegrown brands and everyday Santiago life share the same space — an introduction to Chile today.
• Welcome to Providencia. A relaxed walk around the group’s home base: key landmarks, meeting points, how the neighborhood connects to the rest of Santiago, and the simple group protocols that make the week run smoothly.

Indicative schedule — Arrival: airport pickup and check-in · Midday: lunch at MUT · Afternoon: area orientation · Evening: back at the hotel

02

Day 2 · Yerba Loca Nature Sanctuary · Andes

Into the Andes

A short drive from the city, Santiago gives way to the mountains. Yerba Loca is a protected Andean valley where students can see, up close, how snow and mountain streams feed the rivers that reach the city — and why conservation matters so close to a capital of millions.

Themes: Andean geography · mountain ecosystems · water systems · native flora and fauna · arriero culture · conservation.

• Horseback riding. An introduction to Chilean mountain culture, open to first-time riders. Before setting off: a safety briefing, helmets, an introduction to the horses, basic riding instruction and how to behave around the animals. Students ride with experienced local arrieros and Tour Lab staff.
• Riverside Chilean BBQ. Lunch beside the river, cooked on portable equipment in line with park regulations. No campfires — just good food, shared outdoors.
• The Andes after dark. Instead of heading straight back, the group stays as night falls. Away from Santiago’s lights, students learn to read the southern sky and the basics of astrophotography. What we see depends on weather, clouds and moonlight — we never promise specific stars.

Indicative schedule — Late morning: depart · Arrival: safety briefing · Afternoon: ride and BBQ · Dusk: golden hour · Night: stargazing · Late: return to Santiago

03

Day 3 · Valparaíso

Port city on the Pacific

Before the Panama Canal opened in 1914, ships rounding South America stopped in Valparaíso. Trade, immigrants and new ideas arrived with them and climbed into the hills, shaping the layered, colorful city that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Boat ride. The working harbor, the geography of the bay and the hills, seen from the Pacific. Life jackets on board.
• Historic walk. Hillside neighborhoods, architecture, stairways, viewpoints and street art, with the stories behind them.
• Lunch by the ocean. A long lunch overlooking the Pacific.
• Artisan market. Chilean craftsmanship and real conversations with makers. Purchases are personal and optional.

Indicative schedule — ≈08:00 depart · Morning: bay boat ride · Midday: historic walk and lunch · Afternoon: market · Evening: return

04

Day 4 · Pirque · Cajón del Maipo

The Concha y Toro wine museum

The main visit of the day is the Concha y Toro Wine Center in Pirque, a museum of Chilean wine. Mountains and countryside complete the day: three chapters of the Maipo Valley.

• Las Melosas — geography you can see. A morning deep in the Cajón del Maipo. Steep valley walls, the river and the high peaks turn geography into something visible: how these mountains were shaped, how the Maipo watershed works and why its water matters to all of central Chile.
• San Alfonso — a countryside lunch. A shared table outdoors, local food and the unhurried rhythm of rural Chile — lunch the way a Chilean family in the countryside would host it.
• Concha y Toro Wine Center, Pirque — the wine museum. The highlight of the day. An immersive sensory museum on one of Chile’s best-known agricultural industries: the geology of Chile’s valleys, farming and production, a historic 19th-century house and park, and technology-driven storytelling. An educational visit, with no wine tasting.

Indicative schedule — ≈08:00 depart · Morning: Las Melosas · Midday: countryside lunch, San Alfonso · Afternoon: Wine Center · Evening: return to Providencia

05

Day 5 · Cachagua · Zapallar

Pacific coast expedition

First we watch the Pacific. Then we walk its forest. Finally, we go in.

• Isla Cachagua — wildlife from the boat. A boat ride around Isla Cachagua, a protected natural monument that shelters a colony of Humboldt penguins. We talk about the cold Humboldt Current, marine ecosystems, coastal birds and conservation. There is no landing on the island: wildlife is observed from the boat, and sightings always depend on nature.
• Parque El Boldo — the coastal forest. Just above the bay, a relict coastal forest kept alive in part by fog rolling in from the Pacific. A guided walk through Chile’s Mediterranean coastal ecosystem, focused on native vegetation, landscape, observation and conservation.
• Las Cujas — into the water. Snorkeling at Playa Las Cujas: a safety briefing, wetsuits and equipment, an introduction to the coastal marine environment and supervised time in the water. The activity may be adjusted for swell, visibility, weather or safety.

Indicative schedule — Early: depart · Morning: Cachagua boat ride · Late morning: El Boldo · Midday: lunch · Afternoon: snorkeling · Evening: return

06

Day 6 · Ritoque

Riding into the Pacific sunset

Ritoque is the ride people remember. The route moves through coastal forest, wetland and sand dunes before opening onto a long Pacific beach, timed so the final stretch along the shore happens as the sun goes down.

• Chilean BBQ, arriero style. The last big evening of the week: a Chilean BBQ inspired by traditional arriero hospitality, with food, conversation, music and a celebration of everything the group has shared.

Indicative schedule — Midday: depart · Afternoon: forest, wetland and dunes · Sunset: beach ride · Evening: BBQ and return

07

Day 7 · Santiago · Departure

Santiago farewell

One last look at Santiago from one of its best viewpoints: the Santiago basin, the wall of the Andes, how the city grew and where its major neighborhoods sit.

• Mote con huesillo. Chile’s favorite summer refreshment: cooked wheat (mote) and dried peaches (huesillos) in sweet peach juice. Easier to enjoy than to explain.
• Back to MUT. Back where the Santiago journey began — this time with a week of Chile behind them.
• Hotel and airport. Time to shower, change and finish packing, then a private transfer to Santiago International Airport. The afternoon is planned backward from the confirmed flight.

Indicative schedule — Morning: San Cristóbal and mote · Midday: lunch at MUT · Afternoon: hotel and packing · Departure: transfer to SCL