Experience the beauty of Chile’s lush wine country and pure Patagonia during this custom-designed bike adventure, where you’ll pedal far from traditional tourist routes over country roads, through forests, and along rows of vineyards laden with grapes.
Santiago’s Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas
Day 1: Arrival Santiago, Chile
Welcome to Chile! Your Santiago Adventures representative will meet you at Santiago’s International Airport and transfer to your hotel in the heart of the city. After some time to refresh and settle in, your guide will meet you in the lobby to head out on a tour of the city.
Chosen by the New York Times as 2011’s #1 destination to visit, Santiago is a vibrant city full of character, with a thriving arts culture, trendy restaurant scene, and lively nightlife. Old-world colonial mansions and eclectic neighborhoods transition seamlessly to the skyscrapers of “Sanhattan” in a captivating fusion of tradition and modernity.
Your tour will lead you to the historic and cultural highlights of the city, including the La Moneda Presidential Palace, Santa Lucia hill, Barrio Italia, and one of Santiago’s artsiest neighborhoods, Barrio Bellavista. You’ll stop in for a short tour at one of Santiago’s most famous museums, La Chascona, former home to beloved poet and Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda. The whimsical residence provides a snapshot into the life and mind of Neruda, filled with art, eccentric collections, and even his Nobel Prize. You’ll await the sunset atop Cerro San Cristobal, 984 feet above the city, for a spectacular panorama of the city and mountains.
For dinner, you’ll head into the cobblestoned Lastarria neighborhood to the barrio’s favorite new wine bar, Bocanáriz. You’ll enjoy a special flight of six distinctive Chilean wines paired with a variety of tapas as you chat with your guide about your upcoming adventure.
Meals Included: Dinner
Day 2: Biking Casablanca to San Antonio Valley – Chile’s Coastal Wine Regions
After a one-hour drive from Santiago, you will begin our biking adventure with a tasting to celebrate the start of the ride at the award-winning Veramonte winery, where expression of original terroir is the key to success. Each wine is a reflection of the unique combination of soil, geography, and climate, and all at Veramonte nurture this philosophy in all aspects of the process from seed to table. The result is wine of outstanding quality, such as the Primus Cabernet/Merlot/Carménère blend and Ritual Pinot Noir.
You’ll hop on our bikes and head to Loma Larga vineyards. Named “Winery of the Year 2011” by Wine & Spirits magazine, Loma Larga continues to represent the best of the Casablanca Valley. Loma Larga sets the bar for quality cold-climate red wines with several award winners and consistent 90+ point ratings by such prestigious publications as Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Here, you’ll enjoy a tour through the winery and a tasting followed by a picnic lunch, before biking to the coastal village of Algarrobo, an old and elegant summer retreat with beautiful and calm beaches.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Total Pedaling Distance: 49 miles/79 km
Chile’s coastal wine regions make for excellent cycling
Day 3: Hidden Back Roads of the San Antonio Valley
The day starts with a short transfer from Algarrobo inland, where you will begin a loop around the breathtaking San Antonio Valley – some of the best cycling in Chile’s Central Valley. First, you will pedal through the quaint village of Lagunillas where we will turn east and gently climb into the foothills of the coastal range. Here, we will access the private farmlands of the Rosario Valley which belong to the Matetic Winery. This is a fun route with a stretches of dirt roads and the chance to explore the property’s antique winery, Coralillo, before arriving to the state-of-the-art facilities of the winery that Wine & Spirits magazine called a “great ambassador” for Chilean wine on the world stage. We’ll enjoy an excellent tasting followed by lunch at Matetic’s Equilibrio Restaurant.
In the afternoon, you will return to Santiago in time for your flight to Puerto Montt. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the beautiful town of Puerto Varas, where you will stay for the night
Note: clients will fly ahead while our guides drive down to Puerto Varas.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Total Pedaling Distance: 18 miles/29 km
Day 4: Hiking the base of the Osorno Volcano and Rafting on the Petrohue River
Your guide will meet you this morning at your hotel for a full day of exciting adventures in Chile’s Lakes District. First, you will spend the morning hiking at the base of Osorno Volcano. Next, you’ll embark on an exciting adventure white water rafting Class III and IV rapids on the mighty Petrohue River, which flows out of Lake Todos Los Santos. Throughout the day, you will be surrounded by the jaw-dropping scenery of snow-capped volcanoes, green forests, and deep blue waters.
Note: Guides this day will be different. Santiago Adventures guides should arrive in the evening and meet with clients.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Total Pedaling Distance: 0 miles/0 km
Day 5: Puerto Varas to Puerto Octay
You will depart from Puerto Varas and travel 30 minutes to Frutillar where you will begin your pedaling adventure along the shores of Llanquihue Lake. Stunning views surround you during your ride to Puerto Octay, where you will have a picnic lunch. After a brief rest, you will continue your trip to Puerto Fonck where you will stay in a beautiful wooden antique house reminiscent of colonial Germany.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch, Snack, Dinner
Total Pedaling Distance: 23 miles/37 km
Petrohue Falls
Day 6: Llanquihue Lake, Volcano Osorno, and Petrohué Falls
After a delicious breakfast, you will begin your day with a short hike near Llanquihue Lake, with the majestic Volcano Osorno as the backdrop. You’ll hop on your bikes and ride to Ensenada and on to the Petrohué Falls, where you will enjoy lunch.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch, Snack, Dinner
Total Pedaling Distance: 34 miles/55 km
Day 7: Along the Carretera Austral to Cochamó
Your day starts with pedaling through an incredibly beautiful route that takes you to the Carretera Austral (Southern Highway). Verdant rainforest, jagged peaks, and quaint villages line your route. A warm fire and Patagonian lamb barbeque greet you upon arrival in Cochamó.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch, Snack, Dinner
Total Pedaling Distance: 37 miles/59.5 km
Day 8: End of Trip
As your trip winds to an end, you’ll cross the incredible Estuary of Reloncaví en route back to Puerto Montt. You’ll say good-bye to your guide at the airport and return to Santiago.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Total Pedaling Distance: 0 miles/0 km
Recommended trip combinations:
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Biking Chile’s Patagonia
This tour is available during the months of November thru April.
Price per Person (US$): $4,923.00
*based on a minimum of 2 travelers
*Prices valid through December 31st, 2015.
Unforgettable cycling in Chile’s magnificent Lakes District
Price Includes:
Casona Matetic: Built in the early 1900s, the beautiful casona at Matetic is characteristic of the typical Chilean countryside of colonial times. The casona offers severn spacious and elegantly decorated rooms. Be sure to take time to relax poolside in the lovely outdoor gardens, surrounded by the thriving vineyards.
photo credit: Matetic Vineyards
In Patagonia, you will stop in various lodges along your route, selected by our team for their comfort and quality of service.
Los Guindos Bed & Breakfast: This unique B&B was built in 1910 and maintains its rustic and classic style in a rural setting on Lake Llanquihue. With only two rooms and two cabins, Los Guindos makes for a relaxing and intimate getaway. It offers great home-cooked meals adding to its already cozy and inviting atmosphere.
Hotel Puelche: The hotel has a calm, basic feel with designs to match the location. The comfortable atmosphere is designed to create a restful space for its guests after a day of exploring Patagonia. The hotel will be happy to help organize activities and adventures with the aim of giving you the best possible experience of Patagonia. Puelche also includes: a restaurant/bar, spa with sauna, and a multiuse room.
Petrohue Lodge: Located on the shores of Todos los Santos, the Petrohue Lodge is an excellent base for fly fishing, hiking, canyoneering, rafting and many other activities. It offers 20 rooms with views of the lake, volcano or river. The Lodge also features a bar, coffee shop and restaurant with typical Chilean and international food, indoor/outdoor pools, a store, and laundry. For the more outdoorsy type, the option of reserving a cabin always exists. Petrohué Lodge offers four lakeside cabins on the shores of Lake Todos los Santos, which are constructed of native wood and made for groups of 4, 7 and 8 people. They come with a completely equipped kitchen, maid and laundry service, fireplace, terrace and balconies, and access to all lodge amenities.
