Full Day through Algarrobo, Isla Negra and Viña Casas del Bosque

Tour start time: 8:00 am

• On this excursion, you will get to know the best of Chile's vineyards, the Pacific coast, and the countryside.
• First we will visit the colorful coastal town of Isla Negra and the museum home of the Nobel Prize for Poetry Pablo Neruda. He was perhaps the most important Latin American poet of the 20th century.
• Born in southern Chile in 1904, Neruda generated controversy with his affiliation with the Communist Party and his outspoken support for Joseph Stalin, Fulgencio Batista, and Fidel Castro. However, his poetic dominance was never in doubt, and for this he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.
• The place was originally called Las Gaviotas. The poet renamed it Isla Negra because of the color of its rocks and because there he could isolate himself to write.
• Upon returning from Europe to Chile in 1937, where he was teaching and writing poetry, he was looking for a place to dedicate himself to his Canto General, a great book on American history and nature. “The wild coast of Isla Negra, with the tumultuous movement oceanic, allowed me to dedicate myself with passion to the company of my new song ”- he noted in his memoirs. "... It was mid-afternoon, we arrived on horseback through those solitudes ... - he remembers - ... For the first time I felt as a pang this smell of marine winter, a mixture of boldo and salty sand, algae and thistles ..." That's where he bought the site with a small stone hut.
• Describing the stunning ocean views, Neruda wrote: “The Pacific Ocean was off the map. There was no where to put it. It was so big and messy and blue that it couldn't fit anywhere. That's why they left it in front of my window ”.
• The most important collections kept in this house are linked to the sea: figureheads, replicas of sailboats, boats in bottles, seashells, sperm whale teeth. He also had other collections, such as oddly shaped bottles, masks, antique shoes, and pipes.
• New extensions to the house began in 1965, all with similarities to the interior of a ship. He put a zinc roof on it, to listen to the song of the rain and evoke the sensations of the house that he lived in as a child, in the rainy south of Chile. every rough area of stones / and waves that my lost eyes will never see again ... "
• As we walk through his house, we will gain a fascinating insight into Neruda's eccentric life and works.
• We will continue our trip along the coast to the tourist town of Algarrobo. After lunch (not included), we will stop at San Alfonso del Mar Resort and see the largest artificial lagoon in Chile.
• At the time of its construction in 2006, it won a Guinness World Record for the largest swimming pool in the world.
• We will then travel into the Casablanca Valley, where we will stop at the Casas del Bosque vineyard for a tour and wine tasting. Today, Casas del Bosque is one of the most important vineyards in Chile.
• In 1993, a family of Italian descent established the vineyard. The large pine and olive trees, and the small white adobe houses, define the name “Casas del Bosque”.
• Currently, the vineyard has 580 hectares of vines planted, exclusively dedicated to the production of cold-climate wine varieties, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Syrah. One of the greatest strengths of Casas del Bosque is its soil. In the hills, volcanic red clay compounds sit atop layers of decomposed granite formed 110 million years ago under the Pacific Ocean. This soil gives your wines the unique and characteristic flavor of sea salt.
• Casas del Bosque has gained great prestige over the years and in 2010 it became the Best Vineyard to Visit in Chile. Enjoy an informative tour, browse their gift shop, and relax in the outdoor lounge!