July 3 – 12, 2010

From Easter Island's mysterious solitudes, where we pass among heads frozen in time and forever as inscrutable as their long-vanished makers, we journey in imagination to the star-studded entrails of the Southern Hemisphere sky.  Then to the Patagonian steppes, fjords, and soaring peaks, we travel in the footsteps of Charles Darwin to view the total eclipse of the Sun.

Your Tour Includes...

Your Itinerary...

Saturday/Sunday, July 3/4, 2010 —U.S.A – Santiago – Easter Island, Chile
Arrive Santiago, Chile. You will be met and transferred to the Holiday Inn Airport for day use.
After a rest, later in the afternoon you will visit the city of Santiago included lunch at the colorful Central Market.
Transfer back to the Santiago airport for your flight to Easter Island. Upon arrival on Easter Island, you will be transferred to the Hanga Roa Hotel. (L/D)

Monday, July 5, 2010 —Easter Island
After breakfast, a full day tour is planned to Rano Raraku, Tongariki, and Anakena to visit the ancient ruins of Vaihu temple. It is preserved just as it was left after the ancient wars and is situated next to the Vaihu fisherman’s wharf. Continue towards Ahu Akahanga, a large Ahu (platform) with four big fallen statues. Visit Rano Raraku quarry, classic symbol of the island and original factory of the moais. The gigantic statues cover the inner and outer slopes of the volcano.

After lunch, we continue to Tongariki, formerly the biggest platform on the island, destroyed by a tidal wave in 1960 and now reconstructed. This is the largest ahu on the island. It has 15 moai and the axis of the platform faces the rising sun of summer solstice. Beyond the main plaza, there is an important petroglyph site called Papa Tataku Poki with figures such as tunas, turtles, Make Make, Bird-Man. The tour continues along the North Coast to visit Ahu Te Pito Kura. From there, you will drive by La Perouse Bay to the beautiful archeological site of Anakena. (B/L)

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 —Easter Island
Another full day to study and photograph Rano Kao, Orongo, Tahi, Ahu Akivi, Puna Pao, Te Pahu. The route ascends the slopes of the Rano Kao volcano to the summit to reveal the impressive crater noted for its 1.6km diameter and more than 200m depth. Along the crater is Orongo, a magnificent ceremonial city where the majority of the island’s petroglyphs are concentrated, representing mainly images of the bird-like man Tangata Manu, Make-Make, god of creation, and Komari, a fertility symbol. From the edge of the cliff, observe the three islets Motu Iti, Motu Nui, and Motu Kao Kao.

The afternoon excursion is to Ahu Akivi, cave and quarry. The excursion visits Ahu Akivi site called The Seven Moais. These are the first Ahu to be scientifically restored on the island by William Mulloy and Gonzalo Figueroa in 1960. The platform with seven moai, faces the rising sun of the equinox. (B/L)

Wednesday, July 7, 2010 —Easter Island – Buenos Aires
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Buenos Aires. You will be met and transferred to your hotel, Dazzler Towers, for three nights. (B)

Thursday, July 8, 2010 —Buenos Aires
The morning is at leisure in Buenos Aires, a cosmopolitan city of glamour and elegance from its European roots but interwoven with its Latin American essence.

This afternoon, enjoy a city tour, visiting places that have become true icons of the city, and learning about the life and customs of its inhabitants.  Start at the historical Plaza de Mayo surrounded by the Government House (Pink House), the Metropolitan Cathedral and the ancient City Hall, seat of the former Spanish Viceroys. Continuing along Avenido del Mayo, till you get to Congress Square facing the National Parliament. Drive along Callao Street to the most emblematic symbol of Buenos Aires: the Obelisk, passing by one of the widest avenues in the world, namely, 9 of July Boulevard as well as the famous Colon Opera House. Visit the most fashionable districts of the city: Recoleta, with a scent of French charm and the spacious and oxygenating Palermo Parks for a relaxing stroll. Your tour will also include the bohemian and colorful neighborhood of La Boca -of Italian immigrants- and the elegant district of Recoleta, with a visit to its artistic cemetery, where Evita Peron´s tomb is, among others of prominent local characters. (B/D)

Friday, July 9, 2010 —Buenos Aires
Today is at leisure for shopping, museums or exploring BA. Rest up before tonight’s electric Tango Show with dinner.
This evening, you will get in close contact with the sensual music and dance of the Tango, Argentina's major cultural export, accompanied by dinner. The national dance, the tango, is perhaps the best expression of that spirit--practiced in dance halls, parks, open plazas, and ballrooms. Your seating is in the VIP section. The production features a large cast of dancers, along with a big orchestra of musicians and singers. It manages to strike a nice balance between "real" tango, as it is danced in the salons, with the more spectacular, staged version that is bound to wow any audience. The space replicates a theater, with its decor reminiscent of the sophisticated elegance of the twenties. (B/D)

Saturday, July 10, 2010 —Buenos Aires – El Calafate, Patagonia
You are transferred to the airport for your flight to El Calafate. On arrival, you are met and transferred to your hotel, Xelena Deluxe Suites for the next three nights. In the southwestern tip of Patagonia, the southernmost Argentine continental province rises a frigid plateau, 1500 meters above sea level, which gives birth to immense ice rivers: the glaciers. Declared a Natural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 1981, Los Glaciares National Park is the principal attraction of the El Calafate area. The park protects a vast area covered by glacier tongues coming down from the Southern Patagonia Ice Cap. The 47 plus glaciers flow into the Argentino and Viedma Glaciers creating a magnificent backdrop of ice tongues and turquoise water lakes crowned by snow-capped mountains. (B/D)

Sunday, July 11, 2010 —ECLIPSE —El Calafate
—This morning you will be transferred to Bajo la Sombras pier where you set to the Perito Moreno Glacier, known worldwide for its features. The Perito Moreno glacier has a height of 200 feet and an edge of 2 ½ miles. Its accessibility gives the opportunity to explore continental ice, discover unique scenery of magical whiteness of the ice walls. You can see the impressive contrast of ice against the greenery of the flora and the woods.
After your visit to the glacier, you are driven to the best viewing area for the two minutes and forty-seven seconds of Total Solar Eclipse. The sun is poised a few degrees above the horizon and offers a dramatic sunset as totality ends. Return back to El Calafate after the eclipse viewing. (B/boxed L/D)

Monday, July 12, 2010 —El Calafate
After breakfast you will explore El Calafate area including a half day excursion to Walichu Caves where the Rock Art dates back some 4000 years.  The paintings are attributed to the pre-Tehuelche people of the superior Paleolithic period shows the interpretation of this sacred place.
Enjoy the gastronomy of Patagonia at a typical restaurant.   Afterwards a visit to the Regional Museum is planned where fossil samples and geological material of the area are found.   Tonight enjoy a Farewell Dinner. (B/L/D)

Tuesday, July 13, 2010 — El Calafate - Buenos Aires - USA

Transfer to the airport for your flight back to Buenos Aires continuing on to the USA.  (B)

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