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Santiago & Easter Island Polynesia: Mystery of the South Pacific 8 days / 7 nights
Chile's natural wonders: Santiago de Chile, the central Pacific coast, rolling hills, volcanoes and the Magic Mystery of Easter Island. Plus excellent wines and incredible salmon dishes. View Full Itinerary | Price & Contact Highlights:
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Sunday: Arrive this morning in Santiago de Chile, gateway to the Andes, situated between mountain peaks and the Pacific Ocean. Your SouthAmerica.travel tour guide will accompany you to your international 4**** hotel in the green heart of the city, the Radisson**** or Hotel Torremayor 4****. Private sightseeing of Santiago and it's environs: After a hearty breakfast, your guide introduces you to this city nestled between mountains on your private sightseeing tour: Enjoy a city tour visiting both the historic and modern centers of Santiago, as well as a trip to neighboring San Cristobal for a good look at the surrounding area. Dinner tonight is on SouthAmerica.travel.
Monday: Visit to Valparaíso, the oldest port in Chile. Though no longer its largest port, it retains tremendous historical significance and beauty, as well as being home. to the Chilean House of Assembly and Senate. The upper and lower parts of the city are connected through 16 funicular railways constructed around the turn of the century, a time when the city experienced tremendous growth.Parts of Valparaiso are considered to become a UNESCO heritage site. From Valparaíso, continue along the coast to the beautiful beaches of Viña del Mar, the Garden city, named for its many parks and green spaces.
Tuesday: Fly to EASTER ISLAND
The Island is an equilateral triangular shape, 24 kms across its longest side with extinct volcanic cones in each of its three corners respectively. Amidst an atmosphere of friendly Polynesian hospitality, the entire island is today a species of open-air museum with more than 600 MOAI (some up to 9 meters in height), the fascinating Orongo Village and many traditional people‚s cave dwellings open to view. Hanga Roa is the small capital town of the island. This is where the great majority of the population lives (about 2.000 inhabitants). Rapa Nui National Park was created in 1935 to protect the archaeological sites all over the island. The great majority of the island is in fact National Park. Dinner tonight is on SouthAmerica.travel.
Wednesday: Full-day excursion on Easter Island
The three Ahus of Akahanga that we will visit next, have not been restored either and their Moais are also knocked over. However the grave of King Hotu Matua, is supposed to be at this site, one can also find remnants of a settlement. Later we drive on to Rano Raraku, a volcano that has been extinct for centuries. The lake in the crater is one of the very few reservoirs of freshwater on the Island. There is the giant quarry, where the Moais were once made, at the Rano Raraku. Nearly 400 statues in their different stages of completion can be visited, and one can help analyzing how the islanders once built their impressive figures of stone. Afterwards we continue to the Ahu Tongariki where we will see a tremendous restored Ahu, over 200 m long, and 15 Moais, which have already been set upright. Ahead you can find extraordinary petroglyphs. Scientists presume that there are more than 6000 petroglyphs (carvings and engravings stones) on Rapa Nui. After visiting the Ahu Tongariki we drive on to the Te Pito or Te Henua, the so-called "Navel of the World". This is a nearly spherical stone with a diameter of approx. 80 cm claimed to have magic forces.
Nearby is the Ahu Te Pito Kura, where the tallest Moai that ever has been moved will impress you. It is nearly 10 m in height. We shall continue driving along the North coast to the beach of Anakena, a beautiful bay with white sand, palm trees and a nice picnic place. If you like you can take the opportunity of a swim in the warm waters of the South Pacific.
A couple of steps away there is one of the most beautiful restored Ahus of the Island - the Ahu Nau Nau with integrated relieves and its seven Moais. Five of them even have a Pukao on their heads, but two of them are just torsos. Before returning to the hotel, we will visit the Ahu Ature Huki. At the feet of this small hill, there is the single Moai, the first to be set upright during modern times.
Thursday: Half-day excursion on Easter Island At the end of our excursion we will stop at the cave dwelling, Ana Kai Tangata. At this secluded situation you will find remnants of drawings connected with the birdman culture.
Friday: Relax! You are in Polynesia, after all! Orongo is the ceremonial village, where the birdman culture's king was selected. Here the houses are built of flagstone and throughout the ancient community there are many interesting petroglyphs. There are also magnificent views out over the ocean at the three little islands of Motu Nui, Motu Iti and Motu Kao Kao, where the historic, heroic quests for the egg and the Islands kingship once took place. Rano Kau is an extinct volcano with a deep and mysterious crater lake situated at the foot of the Orongo village. It is the biggest water reservoir on the island. Saturday: Transfer to the airport for your return flight to Santiago. Stay at the Hotel Torremayor**** or Radisson****.
Sunday: Full-day private excursion to Concha y Toro Winery
Then journey home or continue on: After breakfast transfer back to the airport for your flight to Santiago or continue with another tour: See Patagonia, the Southern Andes and Buenos Aires on our The Very Best of Argentina tour or continue on the very popular Tango, Samba, Waterfalls tour to Buenos Aires, Iguassu Falls, the Atlantic Rainforest and Rio de Janeiro.
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