DAY
4Tuesday, May 30
B/L/D San Pedro de Atacama - Toconao - Salt Flats - Los
Flamencos National Reserve
This morning we’ll start
with a walk from our hotel to the Le Paige Archaeological Museum
and the nearby market featuring artisans’ crafts from throughout
the Altiplano region. This afternoon we’ll travel to the immense
Atacama Salt Flat, covering an area of 3,150 sq km (1,200 sq
miles). The air is extraordinarily dry, and the visibility
nothing less than amazing. Beneath the flat lies a lake,
blanketed by a thick rugged salt crust smudged with desert dust.
It contains the world's largest reserves of lithium. The salt
crust is speckled with small ponds favored by such waterfowl as
flamingos, Andean gulls, goose, swall, and coots. The largest
and most accessible of these ponds is Chaxa, within Los
Flamencos National Reserve, a breeding ground for Chilean and
Andean flamingos that offers terrific photo opportunities.
Later, we’ll visit a region where many varieties of fruits are
grown to explore the village of Toconao with its volcanic stone
houses and 18th-century San Lucas Church and Bell
Tower. After dinner we’ll enjoy another night of stargazing at
the hotel.
DAY 5Wednesday, May 31
B/L/D El Tatio Geysers - Puritama Hot Springs - Valley of
the Moon
Before dawn, we’ll depart
for El Tatio — the highest geyser field in the world at 4,300m
(14,100 feet) above sea level — to see the sunrise light plumes
of steam shooting from the fumaroles. Geothermal ponds,
encrusted with richly colored mineral deposits, eerily resemble
a painter’s palette, while in the background, soaring snowy
peaks loom against a metallic-blue sky. It is a sublime
spectacle. Later we’ll travel back toward San Pedro, stopping
for a late-morning dip at Puritama thermal baths. These volcanic
hot springs are beautifully maintained and set in a deep canyon
with surprisingly lush foliage. We’ll return to San Pedro in
time for lunch and an afternoon siesta. Later, we’ll head to
nearby Death Valley and the Valley of the Moon. This area’s red,
wind-sculpted scenery is almost lunar and offers great photo
opportunities. Join us again this evening for a wonderful night
of stargazing.
DAY
6Thursday,
June 1 B
San Pedro de
Atacama - Free Day
Today
is completely free to spend as you wish — sleep in, shop for souvenirs,
snap some photographs and explore San Pedro on your own. Tonight, join
us for our last evening of southern sky stargazing.
DAY 7Friday, June 2
B/L/D La Serena - Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory
We’ll rise
early this morning and transfer to the airport
for our flight to La Serena, where we will have
lunch. Afterward, we’ll journey into the
mountains for a tour of Cerro Tololo
Inter-American Observatory, approximately 80 km
to the east of La Serena at an elevation of
2,200 meters. A complex of professional
telescopes, CTIO got its start in the late 1960s
— thus becoming the first major astronomical
observatory in Chile.
Overnight:
La Serena Club Resort
DAY
8Saturday,
June 3 B/L Chile's Wine Country -
Home
After a
late breakfast, we’ll check out and pay a visit to La Serena’s famous
wine country for a farewell lunch, tasting and shopping. Our late
afternoon flight to Santiago will allow us to connect with our overnight
flight arriving home on June 4.
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