Project Chile: POST TOUR Atacama Extension

Day 1 (04 October 2024) - End of main tour and fly to Antofagasta

At the end of the Easter Island tour, join a flight to Antofagasta for an overnight stay. Antofagasta is a port city and regional capital in a mining area in northern Chile’s Atacama Desert. It's known for its copper production. North of the city on the Pacific coast is the Monumento Natural La Portada, a natural arch which is home to gulls, pelicans and sometimes seals and dolphins. Southeast of the city in the Atacama Desert is the 'Mano del Desierto,' a large sculpture of a hand.

 

Day 2 - Visit the Very Large Telescopes and onwards to San Pedro de Atacama

Today visit the Very Large Telescope array (VLT) operated by the European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert. The VLT is the world's most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter and four movable 1.8m diameter Auxiliary Telescopes. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. Continue on to San Pedro de Atacama for a four-night stay.

 

Day 3 - Visit to the Atacama Large Millimetre Array - ALMA Radio Telescopes

This morning visit The Atacama Large Millimetre / submillimetre Array which is an astronomical interferometer of 66 radio telescopes in the Atacama Desert which observe electromagnetic radiation at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths. Afterwards return to San Pedro de Atacama.

 

Days 4 and 5 - Time at leisure in San Pedro de Atacama with optional excursions available

Spend time exploring this magical moonscape. San Pedro de Atacama is a town set on an arid high plateau in the Andes mountains. Its dramatic surrounding landscape incorporates desert, salt flats, volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs. The Valle de la Luna in the nearby Los Flamencos National Reserve is a lunarlike depression with unusual rock formations, a huge sand dune and pink-streaked mountains. A range of optional excursions will be available during your stay.

 

Day 6 - Fly from Calama to Santiago

Today travel to Calama to join a flight to Santiago for the last two nights of the tour.

 

Day 7 - Time at leisure in Santiago with a full day optional excursion available

Spend time today exploring Santiago with a full day optional excursion available to the two Pacific towns of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. Valparaiso is the regional capital, and it is recognised for its historic centre which is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Viña del Mar is known as the Garden City for its great quantity of parks and green areas.

 

Day 8 (11 October 2024) - Join your return flight or perhaps extend your stay

Today is the last day of the tour. Join your return flight unless you have chosen to extend your stay.

WHAT'S INCLUDED IN MY TOUR?

Tour Price GB£3,325 / US$4,150 per person*

*Please note these costings are based on June 2021 prices and are subject to change. Tours are costed on a USD rate of 1.25.

 

• The price is for the tour from hotel check-in on Day 1 to your hotel check-out on Day 8.

• Bed and breakfast accommodation is provided in hotels throughout the tour and all transfers, transportation, flights, and local excursions as outlined in the itinerary (if applicable) are included. Other meals are not included, and some excursions are offered on an optional basis closer to the tour departure date (the word 'optional' is used to describe these).

• Accommodation is provided in twin or double bed hotel rooms with a private bathroom. We are usually able to arrange shared accommodation with a person of the same gender - this is known as 'twin share' accommodation.

• A limited number of rooms for sole occupancy are available at a single room supplement of GB£625 / US$775.

• Flight packages from London and the US will be offered by our flight partner approximately 11 months in advance of the tour departure (when all fares and schedules are available) or you can arrange your own International flights if you prefer.

• Current return air fares from London to Santiago (return) are between about GB£860 and GB£1,500 and from the US about US$750 to US$1,850 (depending on the departure point within the US).

• Airport transfers and assistance are included on arrival and departure days if you take advantage of the International flight package offered by our flight partner. If you choose to arrange your own International flights, then the meet point is the hotel on Day 1 and the tour ends at the hotel on the final day.

• You will find further details about what to expect on the Project Argentina/Chile FAQ page here.