Mountain biking in Chile
| country: | Argentina, Chile |
| location: | Patagonia |
| trip type: | Adventurous mountain biking holidays |
| departures: | 2010: 23 Oct, 20 Nov, 13 Dec, 18 Dec 2011: 19 Feb, 12 Dec |
| price: | From £1695 - £2775 (15-23 days) excluding flights, depending on mountain biking holiday chosen. We can help arrange flights from the UK |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
check out similar holiday ideas...
introduction to Mountain biking in Chile
Patagonia & the Altiplano (Adventurous mountain biking holidays)
Departs 2010: 13 Dec
Departs 2011: 12 Dec
From £2775 (23 days) ex flights
An incredible South American adventure to Chile’s most spectacular areas. From the sublime scenery of the high Andes, with its volcanoes and ancient culture, to hiking in the mountains, lakes and glaciers of Patagonia, this is a fantastic way to spend Christmas and welcome in the New Year.
Our Chile mountain biking holiday adventure begins in a region few people experience, spending time amongst the Aymaran Indian communities, a civilisation dating back over 10,000 years.
Our route provides fantastic mountain biking in Chile's dramatic Altiplano and includes visits to the region’s premier National Parks of Isluga and Lauca - home of the highest lake in the world - Lago Chungara and the impressive Salar de Surire salt lake.
Following time on the Pacific coast at Arica we fly south to Puerto Montt and embark on a breathtaking cruise through beautiful fjords and island archipelagos before arriving at Puerto Natales. The Chile mountain biking holiday then departs for the ‘Jewel of Patagonia’, the spectacular Torres del Paine National Park. Here we spend time hiking in its wild and spectacular scenery, visiting its lakes, glaciers and the majestic granite peaks of the Torres.
On this Chile mountain biking holiday highlights are numerous, including the hikes to Torres Viewpoint and Glacier Grey with its floating icebergs, Saltos del Paine waterfall and the Lakes of Nordenskjold and Cebolla. We conclude the holiday with a visit to the penguin colony at Ottaway Sound, before our final night of festivities in Chile’s most southerly city, Punta Arenas. Wildlife abounds in both north and south areas of the trip and includes llama, guanaco, alpaca, flamingo and the ever impressive condor.
Chile & Argentina - Lake District (Adventurous mountain biking holidays)
Departs 2010: 20 Feb, 23 Oct, 20 Nov, 18 Dec. 2011: 19 Feb
From £1695 (15 days) ex flights
A mountain biking holiday through the Lake District of Chile and Argentina - a landscape of snow capped volcanoes, deep valleys, lakes and monkey puzzle tree forests set against the awesome backdrop of the Andes. Biking in an environment of tranquillity, this is an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Well paced, our mountain biking route is on a combination of quiet roads, gravel tracks and earth roads that skirt immense lakes and pass through sleepy villages allowing us to absorb ourselves fully in Chile's Lake District, its people and their way of life. Accommodation on this holiday is a combination of small hotels, lodges and family run hospedajes (South American bed and breakfasts), chosen for their location and hospitality.
On this Chile mountain biking holiday we commence our journey eastwards from Puerto Varas, beside Lago Llanquilhue and the ever impressive Volcano Osorno. En route we pause to appreciate the series of rapids and waterfalls of Saltos de Petrohue, before leaving Chile for the moment and crossing into Argentina.
From here we head along the lovely Ruta de Las Siete Lagos‚ to San Martin de los Andes. Situated on the edge of Lago Lacar, San Martin is the perfect place to relax and reflect on the mountain biking holiday so far.
More incredible volcanoes and towering arucaria trees line our route back to Chile. Volcan Villarica beckons us to the picturesque town of Pucon, where for the adventurous, the climb to the top of the active Volcan Villarrica is an experience never to be forgotten!
Departs 2010: 13 Dec
Departs 2011: 12 Dec
From £2775 (23 days) ex flights
An incredible South American adventure to Chile’s most spectacular areas. From the sublime scenery of the high Andes, with its volcanoes and ancient culture, to hiking in the mountains, lakes and glaciers of Patagonia, this is a fantastic way to spend Christmas and welcome in the New Year.
Our Chile mountain biking holiday adventure begins in a region few people experience, spending time amongst the Aymaran Indian communities, a civilisation dating back over 10,000 years.
Our route provides fantastic mountain biking in Chile's dramatic Altiplano and includes visits to the region’s premier National Parks of Isluga and Lauca - home of the highest lake in the world - Lago Chungara and the impressive Salar de Surire salt lake.
Following time on the Pacific coast at Arica we fly south to Puerto Montt and embark on a breathtaking cruise through beautiful fjords and island archipelagos before arriving at Puerto Natales. The Chile mountain biking holiday then departs for the ‘Jewel of Patagonia’, the spectacular Torres del Paine National Park. Here we spend time hiking in its wild and spectacular scenery, visiting its lakes, glaciers and the majestic granite peaks of the Torres.
On this Chile mountain biking holiday highlights are numerous, including the hikes to Torres Viewpoint and Glacier Grey with its floating icebergs, Saltos del Paine waterfall and the Lakes of Nordenskjold and Cebolla. We conclude the holiday with a visit to the penguin colony at Ottaway Sound, before our final night of festivities in Chile’s most southerly city, Punta Arenas. Wildlife abounds in both north and south areas of the trip and includes llama, guanaco, alpaca, flamingo and the ever impressive condor.
Chile & Argentina - Lake District (Adventurous mountain biking holidays)
Departs 2010: 20 Feb, 23 Oct, 20 Nov, 18 Dec. 2011: 19 Feb
From £1695 (15 days) ex flights
A mountain biking holiday through the Lake District of Chile and Argentina - a landscape of snow capped volcanoes, deep valleys, lakes and monkey puzzle tree forests set against the awesome backdrop of the Andes. Biking in an environment of tranquillity, this is an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Well paced, our mountain biking route is on a combination of quiet roads, gravel tracks and earth roads that skirt immense lakes and pass through sleepy villages allowing us to absorb ourselves fully in Chile's Lake District, its people and their way of life. Accommodation on this holiday is a combination of small hotels, lodges and family run hospedajes (South American bed and breakfasts), chosen for their location and hospitality.
On this Chile mountain biking holiday we commence our journey eastwards from Puerto Varas, beside Lago Llanquilhue and the ever impressive Volcano Osorno. En route we pause to appreciate the series of rapids and waterfalls of Saltos de Petrohue, before leaving Chile for the moment and crossing into Argentina.
From here we head along the lovely Ruta de Las Siete Lagos‚ to San Martin de los Andes. Situated on the edge of Lago Lacar, San Martin is the perfect place to relax and reflect on the mountain biking holiday so far.
More incredible volcanoes and towering arucaria trees line our route back to Chile. Volcan Villarica beckons us to the picturesque town of Pucon, where for the adventurous, the climb to the top of the active Volcan Villarrica is an experience never to be forgotten!
this tourism business was Highly Commended
In our 2005 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards, the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine. The idea behind the Awards is that all types of tourism – from niche to mainstream – can and should be operated in a way that respects and benefits destinations and local people. how this holiday makes a difference
|
Global adventures start with a local perspective – that's our philosophy. Whether abroad, or just as importantly at home, the start point is the same; how to get the most enjoyable holiday for our customers while benefiting the local people, economy and respecting the environment.
Mountain biking is a great way to explore the countryside, travelling at a speed that enables you to take in the surroundings without damaging the environment. On these Chile mountain biking holidays accommodation is a mixture of small hotels, cabins and camping in national parks. When camping every effort is taken to avoid damaging the surrounding area and wildlife. During our Chile mountain biking holidays we spend time amongst the Aymaran Indians, a civilization dating back over 10,000 years, through visiting these ancient civilizations we are able to get a unique insight into Chile’s past. On these Chile mountain biking holidays we collaborate with locally based people and buy local products from small producers, (organic if possible), thus contributing to the regional economy. We provide guests with Travellers Codes that encourage the reduction of water usage, systems for collecting, recycling or safe disposal of litter and relevant suggestions to minimise damage to the environment, wildlife and marine ecosystems. All our Chile mountain biking holidays have a maximum group size of 12 to 15 people minimising both the social and environmental impact. Being able to participate and connect with the local culture provides a richer mountain biking holiday experience. Accompanied by a local knowledgeable guide who truly knows the area, our guests are able to get more of a feel for the place and the environment.  Nominated by their customers and voted as one of the Top Five Best Small Tour Operators in the Guardian/Observer Travel Awards 2009.  Voted in February 2010, by The Guardian newspapers list of experts as one of the top 75 outstanding green travel companies in the Guardian Green Travel List 2010.
|
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
check out similar holiday ideas...