Itinerary

Upon arrival in Santiago early this morning you are met and transferred to your hotel, where your room is ready for immediate occupancy.  After some time to relax, an afternoon city tour shows you the highlights of one of South America’s most interesting cities.

Hyatt Regency Hotel (no meals)

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Easter Island, about 2,500 miles from the coast of Chile in the Pacific Ocean.  This tiny triangle of land has been the focus of intense archaeological and anthropological attention, as scholars have tried to piece together the story of an ancient Polynesian culture that seems to have plummeted from prosperity to warfare and cannibalism in the space of a few 18^th Century decades. Overpopulation and the resulting failure of food supplies and natural resources seem to have been the cause…but the great maoi statues and other artifacts for which the island is famous still remain to tell their tales.  On arrival you are met and transferred to your hotel.

Hotel Iorana (Superior Room)   (B)

After breakfast, a visit to the slopes of the island’s southernmost volcano, Rano Kau, gives you a spectacular viewpoint over most of this tiny, triangular chip of land. The volcano itself is known for its multicolored lake. Walk around the west side for an impressive view of three offshore islets: Motu Nui, Motu Iti and Motu Kao-Kao. Here the restored village of Orongo sits on steep cliffs; this was the ceremonial center of the island’s BirdMan cult, active until 1862.

Each year in the spring, tribal chieftains sent a representative to Motu Nui to search for the first egg laid by Manu Tara, the sacred bird. The sponsor of the successful hunter was named Bird Man for the year, with all rights and privileges thereof. Rocks covered with Bird Man petroglyphs surround Orongo, many overlaid with fertility symbols, and a grouping of stones nearby has been identified as a solar observatory. Return to your hotel for an afternoon at leisure.

Hotel Iorana  (B)

This morning, visit Puna Pau, the quarry from which the cylindrical red hats or top-knots which once stood atop each maoi figure were chiseled. You also visit Ahu Akivi, where seven statues look out over the sea, standing together in their original positions. Symbols of gods and ancestors, these huge head-and-torso figures were raised onto family burial platforms (ahu) to transmit mana (power) to the living head of the family. 

The ahu at Ahu Akivi was the first to be reconstructed; during the great civil wars of the late 18^th Century, all of the maoi were toppled to prevent their entering the fray. The afternoon is at leisure.

Hotel Iorana   (B)

Today’s full-day tour begins with a visit to Ahu Vinapu, whose unbelievably symmetrical stone walls will look familiar to those who have walked the terraces of Machu Picchu. Continuing along the south coast of the island, visit Ahu Vaihu and Akahanga, and then Rano Raraku, the maoi “factory.” Almost all of the statues on Easter Island were carved from soft volcanic tufa from this spot, and gigantic maoi—some weighing more than 30 tons—cover the slopes nearby. As you pause for a picnic lunch, you can contemplate the statues at all stages of their development, from sketched-out beginnings in the bedrock to free-standing monuments scattered face-down on Perouse Bay’s Anakena Beach. Return to your hotel for the night.

Hotel Iorana   (B)

Today you are transferred to the airport for your flight to Santiago, where you are met and transferred to your hotel for the night.

Hyatt Regency Hotel (Deluxe Room) (B)

Today you fly to Puerto Montt for a short city tour of “the center of the far south,” including a visit to the colorful market.  Drive on to nearby Puerto Varas, one of Chile’s premier lakeside resort towns, situated directly on enormous Lake Llanquihue.  Your hotel is on the lake, in town, with mountain and volcano views.

Hotel Colonos del Sur (Suite)   (B)

Drive along the Llanquihue Lake and continue through beautiful places such as Pescado River, Puerto Arturo and Los Riscos, toward Ensenada.  Go inland to Petrohue Falls with its succession of green emerald waterfalls.  The great flow of water from the Todos Los Santos Lake, going through enormous basaltic rocks noted for their glassy appearance, will be able to be observed when strolling through a path to the falls.  Proceed to Todos Los Santos Lake, with beautiful sightseeing of the Andes and Osorno Volcano.

Hotel Colonos del Sur   (B, L)

This morning you are transferred to your flight bound for Punta Arenas.  On arrival you are met by an Explora van from your hotel and driven across windswept plains to the spectacular Torres del Paine (pronounced pie-nee) National Park, a drive of about five-and-a half-hours.  One of South America’s newest nature reserves, the Paine was created in 1959, with the last addition to its acreage in the early 1970s.  Famous for its glaciers, lakes and forests, this rugged region is also home to a wide variety of animal species, including guanaco (a relative of the llama), condors and flamingos.

You will stay at the beautiful Explora Lodge, located in the park itself and with exquisite views.  Settle in and prepare to explore this spectacular landscape on foot, by boat, on horseback or in vans: the choice is yours.  All excursions are accompanied by experienced Explora guides.

Explora Lodge   (B, D)

Explore as you wish during your stay in the Paine.  Perhaps you’ll start one morning with a drive to Lago Grey, where a short walk along Lagoon Beach offers an opportunity to photograph icebergs from shore—followed by a boat excursion for a closer examination at these “cathedrals of ice” and the glaciers that share their landscape.  After lunch on the beach, a brisk hike or horseback ride through the park provides an in-depth look at local flora and fauna.  Return to the hotel by car or, if you are still feeling energetic, by foot or mountain bike, as you wish.

Or perhaps you would prefer a day on the hiking trails, one of the best ways to become acquainted with the snowy peaks, turquoise lakes and flowery slopes of this rich landscape.  Head for the hills and a panoramic view of waterfalls and forests.  Cross the river by rowboat to hike the French Valley framed by snow-capped glaciers.  Or throw a leg over a mountain bike for a trip along the Blue Lagoon.  Consult with your guides to decide how best to spend your days in this remote and exhilarating wilderness; whatever your choice, the experience will be unforgettable.

Explora Lodge   (B, L, D)

This morning you will be transferred to Punta Arenas for your scheduled flight to Santiago.  Upon arrival, you will be met and assisted to your departure flight. 

(B)

RATES

$7,500.00 per person double occupancy – Balance of year

$7,080.00 per person double occupancy – October

Anything that is not listed under inclusions