Eclipse Tour Destination: Chile
From the southern mountains and glaciers of Patagonia, to the renowned vineyards of the Central Valley, to the desolate beauty of the Atacama Desert in the north, Chile offers a remarkable range of travel experiences. Best of all, December – early summer south of the Equator – is the perfect time to visit.
TravelQuest invites you to join us on a unique Chilean adventure coinciding with the total solar eclipse on December 14, 2020. Setting out from the country ...Show more
After breakfast, our local expert escorts you on a tour around Santiago, a dynamic and cosmopolitan city set at the foot of the Andes. Highlights include the Plaza de la Constitución, bordered by the national palace, Le Moneda, and various ministry buildings, all built in the Spanish Colonial style. Discover the Plaza de Armas, with its impressive neoclassical cathedral dating from the 18th century, as well as Santa Lucía Hill, which has ornamental fountains and staircases leading to an overlook with panoramic views of the city. Lunch is at Santiago’s historic marketplace, the Mercado Central, famed for its seafood. Then return to your hotel for a relaxing afternoon, followed by dinner on your own.
We’re up early this morning and transfer to board our flight north to the high desert mining town of Calama, gateway to the Atacama Desert. Heading into the arid landscape by private coach, we stop in the village of Toconao to see the 18th-century church of San Lucas, with its distinctive bell tower, along with the artisan’s market in the town square. Next we journey to the Atacama salt flats, a vast expanse of about 3,150 sq km (1,200 sq mi), where the extraordinarily dry air makes the vistas spectacular. Here and there across the salt plain, subterranean lakes emerge through the crust in small ponds that are home to a variety of waterfowl, including flamingos, Andean gulls, geese and coots. The largest and most accessible is Chaxa Lagoon within Los Flamencos National Reserve, famed as a breeding ground for Chilean and Andean flamingos. We then journey on to our home for the next three nights, San Pedro de Atacama, an oasis-like village at an elevation of 7,900 ft (2,408 m) above sea level. Despite its stark setting, San Pedro has a charming and relaxed atmosphere, its picturesque streets lined with colourful adobe buildings that house a wonderful selection of shops, restaurants and cantinas. With only about 5,000 inhabitants and no significant city lights, the village is also an ideal base for stargazing. After dinner, join our TravelQuest astronomer for your first night of scanning the skies from the hotel grounds.
Our destination this morning is the Operations Support Facility for the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observatory. We’re welcomed by our expert hosts to the support facility, including the laboratories and antenna control room. Due to the high elevation of the facility, visitors are not permitted to tour ALMA’s telescopes on Chajnantor Plateau. But in fact, most of the action takes place in the operations area, which serves as the brain for ALMA’s telescopic eyes. With luck, your visit will include chances to see antennas undergoing maintenance, as well as close-up views of their transport machinery in action. After a late afternoon check-in at our hotel, enjoy dinner in Antofagasta, a seaside city at the desert’s edge.
After breakfast, we head to Antofagasta airport for our flight to Temuco, then wind our way through the Chilean Lake District toward the imposing volcano that overlooks beautiful Lake Villarrica – our home base for viewing the December 14 eclipse.
Today’s explorations begin in the stunning landscapes around Lake Villarrica. On the eastern shore, we will stand at the foot of the majestic, snow-capped Villarrica Volcano, where you can photograph the nearby lake, lava valleys and native flora and fauna. Later, join us for a journey into the lifeways of the region’s indigenous Mapuché culture in the community of Curarrehue, where we will learn of their language and customs, and sample the local flavor with a light lunch. After dinner, join us for an expert briefing on tomorrow’s total solar eclipse.
