Chile and Easter island

DEPARTURE FEBRUARY 2025

15 DAYS TOUR

All breakfast and dinner included. hotels, private bus, local tour guides, tour leader from the departure to the end of the tour.

All the tickets to every Monuments, Museums, Churches, etc are included.
Air ticket included.

CHILE

It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica; occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

From the "fin del mundo" of the Torres del Paine to the Salar of Atacama, this narrow strip of land squeezed between the Pacific and the Cordillera renews the wonder at each of the four thousand kilometers of its extension. The Lakes Region is a land of wanderings, among the colored stilts of Castro, on the island of Chiloé, but the most metaphysical place is the Atacama Desert, a sparkling expanse of one hundred kilometers long. Chile is also Easter Island, lost in the distant blue Pacific

 

EASTER ISLAND

There is a concentration of mysteries, at 4000 km. away from the coasts of Chile, called the Island of Easter. In an area of ​​only 162 sq km, scattered with volcanic cones and almost devoid of vegetation, lived a population that left conspicuous remains of its passage: gigantic stone statues, tablets engraved in a script not yet deciphered, caves full of ritual objects and a vast heritage of legends and myths. More than 260 years after the discovery by Dutch admiral Jacob Rogeveen, yes says the hidden fortune of Easter Island, which its inhabitants called Te Pito or Te Henua, the navel of the world, is still immense. But what they have done up to now galloping the imagination of scholars and simple travel enthusiasts are the gigantic statues of stone, the moai. The first to try to give an answer as to who had made those works exceptional, was a Norwegian archaeologist, Thor Heyerdahl. In 1955 he organized an expedition archaeological who tried to solve the mystery. According to Heyerdahl's studies, moai represent important personalities deified after death. Difficult to explain is the large number of statues - about a thousand erected between 1100 and 1680 - and the fact that they are even in number. A theory he would like the statues to represent the winner of a competition-rite, that of the bird-man, who it was done every year. The first among the boys who managed to swim to Motu Nui (islet in front of the cliff of the sacred village of Orongo) and bring back a partridge egg, became the religious leader. The rite lasted until the mid-nineteenth century. There are several theories for it too as for the method of erecting the statues: one of them claims that the stone blocks came made to slide on smooth logs, like a roller. To raise them, a inclined plane more and more sloping, until it was in an upright position. It is believed that Easter Island was inhabited by two populations, the "long-eared" one, for the habit of wearing heavy earrings and coming from the East, and the "eared" population court "of Polynesian origin. The two groups lived peacefully for about two centuries, then entered in war and the short Ears prevailed. During the period of fighting many statues came destroyed, others that were in the process of being erected were abandoned on the ground, others just sketched in the rock. This was the scenario that presented itself to the Dutch in 1722 when
they landed on the island. From 1864 onwards, white settlers also began to settle there, who,
bringing with them diseases and the cruel use of slavery, they contributed to decimate the
pre-existing population, already reduced to a minimum size.
 

  • DAY 1

    NEW YORK - SANTIAGO DEL CHILE

    Santiago, the capital of Chile, is located in a wide valley, between the Andes and the Cordillera of the coast. It is a very large city, whose modern and dynamic image, with the tall skyscrapers that define the skyline, blends harmoniously with the liberty residences and colonial that still exist. This wonderful city, where the great poet Pablo Neruda lived a good part of his life, has many amazing beauties to show and boasts a very respectable historical and artistic heritage.

  • DAY 2

    SANTIAGO DEL CHILE

    Arrival in Santiago de Chile at 08:05. Handling of customs formalities and transfer to the hotel by private bus. Assignment of reserved rooms at Hotel Galerias 4 * or similar and time available. In the afternoon the tour begins with a walk through the streets of the city, visiting the Metropolitan Cathedral of the eighteenth century, the Government Palace "la Moneda", the current seat of government that was the home of the Chilean Presidents until 1958 (only the outer part), and the pedestrian area of ​​“paseo” Ahumada. Continue through the streets of the historic center, crossing the bohemian district of Bellavista and the residential one, the commercial heart and financial district of Santiago, characterized by elegant buildings. The visits end with the “Cerro San Cristobal ”, a magnificent public park dominated by the monument of the Virgin Mary (36 meters), from where you can enjoy a fantastic view of the city and the Andes mountain range. At the end of the tour return to the hotel, have dinner, and overnight stay.

  • DAY 3

    SANTIAGO - CALAMA - SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

    Breakfast. In the morning, transfer to the airport in good time and depart on flight LA ​​150 at 10:45 with arrival in Calama at 12:50.

    Arrival at El Loa airport and reserved transfer in San Pedro de Atacama, crossing the “Cordillera Domeyko e de la Sal”. Free lunch. In the late afternoon visit to the salt mountain range, the valley of Mars (also known as the valley of death), and the valley Della Luna, located 15 km west of San Pedro. The latter is a territory of colored rocks red modeled by the winds and of great suggestion, made by nature for millions of years and also used by modern researchers to test prototypes of a future settlement on the Moon. The ideal place to admire a wonderful sunset over the Atacama Desert. Return to San Pedro, and check in at the Casa Dos Tomas 3 * hotel or similar. Dinner in a restaurant. Return to the hotel for an overnight stay.

    SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

    San Pedro is a village standing in an oasis at the northern end of the Salar de Atacama, a completely evaporated salt lake. To the east of the Salar rise imposing volcanoes, most of which are not active. In the immediate vicinity, the picturesque Valle Della Luna is one of the most evocative places in the Atacama area. Almost all homes are built with sun-baked bricks separated by walls made of bricks. At the beginning of our century, San Pedro de Atacama became one of the main stops during the transhumance of the herds from the Argentine province of Salta to the saltpeter Oficinas scattered in the desert.

  • DAY 4

    SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

    Breakfast. The day begins with a visit to the Miñiques and Miscanti lagoons, two small lakes high ground in the Reserva Nacional de Los Flamencos, fed by water sources below the surface of the earth. The natural spectacle is extraordinary for the contrast between the Atacama desert and the snow-capped mountains. You travel about 350 km, climbing to an altitude of 4,500 meters above sea level. Stop in the village of Socaire, characterized by the presence of a small church from the colonial era. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, a stop is made in the village of Toconao, a small colonial "pueblo" entirely built-in "liparite", a type of eruptive rock ". Visit some artisan shops where objects are made with volcanic stone. Continue towards the Salar de Atacama, an expanse of salt of rare beauty that extends for approx 300,000 hectares with a width of 100 km. Inside the salar you can admire the Chaxa Lagoon, a habitat of pink flamingos. Return to the hotel in San Pedro de Atacama. Free dinner and an overnight stay in a hotel.

  • DAY 5

    SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA – GEISER DEL TATIO – MACHUCA – SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

    Departure before dawn (05:00 in the morning) to reach the Geiser del Tatio, located at 4000 meters of altitude. Once there, a guided tour of the geothermal field where you can observe the imposing fumaroles that reach their maximum splendor at dawn. Breakfast in front of the geysers and stop at the picturesque village of Machuca. Return to San Pedro de Atacama, during which you will enjoy one spectacular view of the Tocorpuri and Sairecabur Volcanoes. Rest of the afternoon at leisure. Dinner in a restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

  • DAY 6

    SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA – CALAMA – SANTIAGO – PUNTA ARENAS –

    PUERTO NATALES

    Breakfast. Transfer to Calama (1:20 hour approximately) and departure with flight LA ​​147 at 09:51 to Punta Arenas with a stop in Santiago. Arrive at 6:10 pm and transfer to the 4 * Costaustralis Hotel or similar in Puerto Natales. Dinner (in the room you will be made to find cold dishes) and overnight stay in a hotel

  • DAY 7

    PUERTO NATALES – BALMACEDA & SERRANO – PUERTO NATALES

    Breakfast. Full-day excursion by boat sailing the Ultima Esperanza fjord. After

    about three hours of navigation, arrive at the Balmaceda glacier, where colonies of lions can be seen

    marine and cormorants. Lunch during the excursion. Continuation to the end of the fjord, disembarkation, and visit of the Serrano glacier, which is accessed via a path in a Patagonian wood.

    Return to Puerto Natales in the evening. Free dinner and an overnight stay in a hotel.

  • DAY 8

    PUERTO NATALES – TORRES DEL PAINE – PUERTO NATALES

    Breakfast. A full day of visits to the Torres del Paine National Park. The park declared

    World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978, presents a great variety of environments

    natural: mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, and glaciers. The fauna is abundant and varied: the animals

    most common are gray foxes, guanacos, rheas, deer, and Andean condors. After the visit to the Salto

    Grande del Río Paine, where you have the opportunity to appreciate the majestic and imposing massif

    mountainous of the Torres del Paine, continue to Lake Peohe, and then arrive at Lake Gray.

    Lunch during the excursion. Return to Puerto Natales in the evening. Free dinner and overnight stay in

    hotel

  • DAY 9

    PUERTO NATALES – PUNTA ARENAS – SANTIAGO

    Breakfast. Transfer to Punta Arenas airport and departure with flight LA ​​1160 of

    2:10 pm to Santiago. Arrive at 16:20 and transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

  • DAY 10

    SANTIAGO – VIÑA DEL MAR & VALPARAISO – SANTIAGO

    Breakfast. In the morning departure towards the coast crossing the valleys of Curacavì and

    Casablanca. The latter is known for its success in the production of premium white wine

    quality. We visit playa Las Salinas, Reñaca, and the city of Viña del Mar, also known as the "Garden City"

    for the beautiful parks and floral decorations. Continue to Valparaiso, a city of Cerros and hills,

    declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Among the narrow and steep streets of the center yes they mix houses of different styles: Chilean, Italian, French, and German. The hills and the houses would be enough

    colorful, the sea on the horizon to make you fall in love with Valparaiso. To this, you can add artists

    sitting on every corner, music, and dancing in the street, and the decadent atmosphere of the typical buildings of a city

    port marked by time and earthquakes. The city is considered the world capital of murals,

    real works of art, and wonderful. Some are self-made, and others are commissioned by the municipality

    same to make better areas that would otherwise be too decadent. Return to Santiago

    in the evening. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

  • DAY 11

    SANTIAGO – EASTER ISLAND

    Breakfast. Transfer to the airport and departure for Easter Island with flight LA ​​841 of

    09:30. Arrival at 13:00 and transfer to Rapa Nui - Ecolodge or similar. Dinner and overnight

    in a hotel

  • DAY 12

    EASTER ISLAND: RANO RARAKU, TONGARIKI, TE PITO KURA, ANAKENA

    Breakfast at the hotel. Full-day excursion to Rano Raraku Volcano, where the

    greater number of Moai, the mysterious statues scattered throughout the island. This is the place where

    they were carved and then transported throughout the island. Even today we do not know for sure the means or the

    way used to move the moai. More than 300 different ones have been discovered in this area's

    stages of construction. Visit the archaeological sites of Tongoriki, Te Pito Kura, and the Caribbean beach of

    Anakena, with the seven moai of Ahu Nau Nau, four with hairstyles, and the three remaining only with

    the bust. Picnic lunch during the visits. Return to the hotel, free dinner, and overnight stay.

  • DAY 13

    EASTER ISLAND: AHU VINAPU, RANO KAO, ORONGO, AHU AKIVI

    Breakfast. Morning dedicated to the visit of Ahu Vinapu, an area characterized by the Ahu (temples)

    in ruins, with moai lying face down and where the stone walls recall the Inca ones (it is

    only one of the existing theories). Here the scholars have found, in the working of the stone, one

    singular similarity with the methods used in Peru. Continue to the Rano Kau Volcano and the

    nearby ceremonial town of Orongo, where most of the moai petroglyphs are found

    depict the bird man "Tangata Manu", the creator god "Make Make" and small drawings that

    represent the female genitals, known as a kumari, symbols of fertility. The afternoon is dedicated to

    a visit to the archaeological center of Ahu Akivi, where there are seven moai, which, unlike the others,

    they look towards the sea. There are many theories and legends about it and they are supposed to have an

    astrological meaning. Return to hotel, dinner, and overnight

  • DAY 14

    EASTER ISLAND – SANTIAGO

    Breakfast. Transfer to the airport in time for LA 842 flight at 3:05 pm. Arrival in

    Santiago at 21:35, baggage claim, and transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

  • DAY 15

    SANTIAGO – NEW YORK

    Breakfast. Free morning. In the late afternoon transfer to the airport (the room will be

    available up to the time of departure), handling boarding and departure operations with the

    international flight LA 706 at 11.30 pm. Meals and overnight on board.