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in
collaboration with
Exotic
Destinations
There are 2 Trails Available
Sample Trail
1
and
SampleTrail 2
"Please
contact us for further details."
SampleTrail
1
You can now visit
the mythical and exotic regions of Patagonia and Tierra de Fuego located
at the most southern part of the world, in Latin America. We propose
a 13 day tour, organized up to the slightest detail by a resident European
team. The tour starts with a flight to Argentina and a two day visit
of Buenos Aires. You will then visit the charming little town of Bariloche
and the Nahuel Huapi lake. From there you'll move southwards to El Calafate,
from where you'll visit two UNESCO World Biospheres: the Perito Moreno
glacier and the Torres del Paine (in Chile). A flight will take you
to the most southern town of the world: Ushuaïa, where you'll visit
the national park Tierra del Fuego and enjoy a cruise on the Beagle
Channel.
ACCESSIBILITY
Amapi Expeditions has a "from the wheelchair" perspective
of its tours with great attention to the small details that are often
overlooked by body-enabled people. The itineraries have been thoroughly
studied, alternating active days with rest periods. The majority of
the transfers are done by air, while local visits are done in comfortable
air-conditioned minibuses with removable ramps. The wheelchair travellers
will travel in the standard seats of the bus, their personal wheelchairs
being stored in the back of the bus. We can carry electric armchairs
only on special request. The Hotels are carefully selected on very
strict bases of accessibility. It is difficult to require emergent
countries like Chile or Argentina to have an accessibility equivalent
to the United States, although courageous efforts are made in that
direction. We retain those hotels that are totally (specially the
bathroom) accessible to a standard size wheelchair (+/- 63 cm). In
very rare cases, when there is no other alternative, we provide narrow
wheelchairs for bathroom access. Portable chemical toilets with a
fast assembly-isolating tent make it possible to carry out pauses
at stops where toilets are not accessible.
If you travel on your own, you are supposed to be completely autonomous,
including for use of the bathroom and personal care. If you are not
autonomous, you will have to travel with a carer (family, voluntary...).
We can provide you with a local carer on special request. He will
speak Spanish or English, will eventually be able to provide medical
care, and will be remunerated. His stay will be billed like a normal
stay without the international flight. The use of a carer will have
to be notified well in advance in order to give us the time to make
arrangements.
Program
in detail:
DAY 1
You should be arriving around midday at Buenos Aires Airport. Our english
speaking guide, a European citizen that is a permanent resident of the
region, will meet you there. An airport minibus will transfer you to
Hotel de los Dos Congresos, located near the Microcentro of Buenos Aires,
for a visit of the San Nicholas and Montserrat districts both historical
areas of the city where we have a light meal (depending on time of your
arrival). Visit of the Puerto Madero with dinner. Hotel de los Dos Congresos
(***).
DAY 2
You’ll visit the “barrio de la Boca”, the seamen’s
neighborhood with its colorful houses. You’ll then visit the open
air museum with paintings and sculptures of argentinian artists. Lunch.
You’ll visit the district of San Telmo, that has many beautiful
aristocratical houses, that is the area of the antiquaries and secondhand
dealers, but also the district of the Tango dancing. A welcome cocktail
will be served with a fine dinner in “Viejo Almacen” where
you’ll admire one of the top quality tangos shows in town. Hotel
de los Dos Congresos (***).
DAY 3
You’ll take a flight for the beautiful city of Bariloche (120.000
inh.) located on the shore of the Nahuel Huapi Lake at the foot of the
Andes. The very pleasant and photogenic city is situated in the center
of the Nahuel Huapi national park. You’ll visit the city centre
« Centro Civico » where you can buy the locally made chocolates.
Restaurant Estancia Manà. Hotel Nahuel Huapi (****).
DAY 4
We’ll then reach the Puerto Panuelo, on the Llao Llao peninsula,
where you’ll board an accessible 263-passenger ship for a cruise
on the lake to the incomparable Arrayanes forest. The arrayán
is a tree that has a cinnamon brown bark. Only a few specimens remain
in Japan. This bark detaches itself in strips revealing lighter layers
of the same hue. The arrayán tree has round small dark green
leaves. Near the end of the summer the trees cover themselves with small
white flowers which later turn into round black brilliant fruit. This,
together with the fact that it is almost the only tree specimen in the
area, gives the surroundings a strange coloring. These trees have thrived
thanks to the dampness of the habitat. You can find specimens that grow
up to 15 meters tall and are 650 years old. All the way to Puerto Anchorena
you will be awed by the color of the water, the Andean peaks and the
abundant vegetation. This landscape was transformed by diverse geological
phenomena along the course of millions of years. The Victoria Island,
our next stop, must have been inhabited for thousands of years. Proof
of this, are the smoke stained caves and the rupestrian paintings. There
is also a noticeable mêlée of fauna and flora. You’ll
have lunch at the Isla Victoria Alberga, then return to Llao Llao and
Bariloche. Dinner at the Restaurant la Vizacacha, one of the city’s
gastronomical highlights. Hotel Nahuel Huapi (****)
DAY 5
You’ll leave Bariloche for a day excursion across the Nahuel Huapi
park (the excursion is also called the “seven-lake tour”.
Nahuel Huapi National Park covers 750.000 ha and stretches along the
Chilean frontier. It is the oldest National Park in Argentina. Most
of the area is covered with abundant vegetation. Many kinds of wild
animals live in the region, including the pudù, the endangered
huemul ( both deer), as well as river otters, cougars and guanacos.
Bird life, particularly swans, geese and ducks is abundant. The outstanding
feature is the splendor of the lakes. You’ll stop for lunch at
the lovely town of San Martin de los Andes and reach Villa Angostura,
a picturesque town which is spectacular in summer. Dinner at Estancia
Mana. Hotel Nahuel Huapi (****)
DAY 6
Free morning. A flight will take you to El Calafate Airport for an immediate
transfer to Hotel El Calafate, a mountain lodge type hotel located nearby
the centre of the small town. Located near the Chilean border at the
base of the Andes and on the shore of the Argentina Lake, El Calafate
is a very pleasant city with great shopping. You’ll then leave
for the Estancia el Rincon, a typical Patagonian sheep ranch, where
you’ll taste the local “mate” (energizing tea of the
gauchos) and some pastries while listening to a description of the estancia’s
history and activities, the customs and the traditions of the region.
One of the estancia’s gauchos will then show you how sheep are
caught and shorn at the “galpon de esquila” (sheep shearing
shed). You’ll finish the evening with a delicious dinner of “cordero
al palo” (slowly barbecued Patagonic lamb). Hotel El Calafate
(**).
DAY 7
El Calafate is before all the door to one of the World’s great
marvels: the Perito Moreno glacier, a UNESCO World Heritage. Among the
365 glaciers of the Park and National Reservation Los Glaciares, it
is the most impressive one with 15 km long and is 55 meters high. It
throws itself with noisy cracks into the Argentina Lake. You will access
the terraces that offer an extraordinary panoramic view on the glacier’s
5 km wide front where we’ll have a picnic. You’ll also board
a catamaran to get even closer for a different view of the glacier.
One could remain for hours smelling the scents of the bluish ice. Hotel
El Calafate (**).
DAY 8
Free morning. Lunch in town. You’ll leave El Calafate for the
Estancia Rupai Pacha, a traditional patagonic sheep farm with a herd
of over 6000 sheep, located close to the Chilean border. Dinner and
night at the Estancia Rupai Pacha (Arg).
DAY 9
You’ll cross the border to Chile for a visit to another natural
marvel, the Torres del Paine National Reserve. The park is spectacular,
comparable to Yellowstone or Yosemite in the U.S. Founded in 1959, Torres
del Paine takes in 450,000 acres. In 1978 UNESCO gave the park World
Heritage status, recognizing it as a biosphere especially worthy of
international recognition. The 3000m high mountains are granite, capped
by crumbly sedimentary rock that used to lie on the valley floor. Lakes,
rivers and waterfalls surround them. The park accommodates an incredible
and rich array of wildlife: wild “guanacos”, a member of
the Camelidae family, ñandus” and coihaique (South American
wild ostriches), grey foxes…but also pumas (Patagonia’s
largest predator), pink flamingos, black neck swans, wild geese, the
majestic condors and the elusive pudú, World’s smallest
deer. Picnic in the park. Dinner and night at the Estancia Rupai Pacha
(Arg).
DAY 10
You’ll then be transferred to El Calafate to get a flight to the
end of the World... Ushuaia, in Tierra de Fuego. Lunch will be served
on the plane. Short ride to the Fagnano Lake, a good occasion to see
the very beautiful mountainside surrounding Ushuaia (3h30). Dinner at
the also steaming “Tango and Bolero” restaurant with an
animated dance show. Hotel Canal Beagle (****).
DAY 11
You’ll visit the wonderful Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego, with
63,000 ha of mountains, lakes, rivers, and deep valleys, stretching
West to the Chilean frontier and North to Lago Fagnano. Lunch in the
centre of Ushuaia. You’ll board a catamaran for the Beagle Channel,
strait located at the southern tip of Tierra de Fuego. The catamaran
then sails to the middle of the Beagle Channel, towards the southwest,
arriving to the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse, at the archipelago that has
the same name. In one of these islands it is possible to observe pieces
of the ship Monte Cervantes, which was shipwrecked in 1930. Towards
the Seal’s Island, it is possible to observe the games of these
peculiar sea mammals and in complete silence the catamaran sails around
the island during about 20 minutes observing its permanent habitat,
it is a wonderful scene. Then the catamaran will go towards the Birds
Island to see the Magellan Cormorants, the Imperial Cormorants Imperial,
the Giant Albatrosses, Petrels Fullman, Petrels, Squas and 20 different
species of sea birds. Later, sailing through Paso Chico, the way back
to Ushuaia, with a view of the beautiful frame that gives the Le Martial
Mount and its glacier. The half day tour will take you to the main interest
point of the channel, to an island inhabited by seals and numerous seabirds,
the “light post of the end of the World”, the Estancia Haberton,
and an island crowded by Magellan penguins. Late return to Ushuaia.
Dinner and night at Hotel Canal Beagle (****).
DAY 12
Free Morning. After lunch in Ushuaïa, you’ll be transferred
to the “Fin del Mundo” train for a 2 hour ride across forests,
above rivers, along waterfalls, all part of the national park Tierra
del Fuego. The historical and very tiny steam train used to be a convict
train that served the local penal prison. Dinner and night at Hotel
Canal Beagle (****).
DAY 13
Flight to Buenos Aires. Return flight to the UK.
The price includes : 2 night Hotel de los Dos
Congresos (***) or similar including breakfast: Buenos Aires; 3 night
Hotel Nahuel Huapi (****) or similar including breakfast : Bariloche;
2 night Hotel El Calafate (**) or similar including breakfast : El
Calafate; 2 nights Estancia Rupai Pacha (gaucho farm) including breakfast
: Fuentes del Coyle; 3 nights Hotel canal Beagle (****) or similar
including breakfast : Ushuaïa; welcome kit including straw Amapi
hat, carrying bag, description maps and explanations.; meals as per
itinerary; entrances to sights mentioned; touring in aircon. luxury
coach: maximum 6 wheelchair + 6 able bodied passengers per bus;
airport tansfers in Buenos Aires, El Calafate and Ushuaïa in
minibus vehicles; English speaking registered guide; domestic flights:
Buenos Aires-bariloche – Bariloche - El Calafate-Ushuïa-Buenos
Aires, including airport taxes.
The Price does not include : international flights;
tipping and gratuities; drinks during meals or elsewhere; items of
a personal nature; additional meals not mentioned; carer; Travel insurance:
Assistance, repatriation and medical expenses abroad, comprehensive
insurance (luggage, personal liability abroad etc).
SampleTrail
2
PROGRAM
OF Sample Trail 2
Chile is a country with a strange geographical shape, isolated between
the huge South Pacific and the Andes Cordillera, it is more than 4300
km long and at most 350 km wide. In the North lies the Atacama, the
driest desert in the World. In the south lies the city with the most
rainy days. Our Atacama Trail shows several aspects of this country
full of contrasts. Visits to the two most developed regions of the
country, the central cities of Valparaiso and the capital, Santiago.
Visit the dry but not hot Atacama desert. See one of the most peculiar
villages of South America, San Pedro de Atacama, centrally located
to visit a variety of other places. Be immersed into the Atacamean
culture in villages such as Toconao or Caspana. Be amazed by astonishing
landscapes. The tour gives a good idea of the Chilean culture, the
food, the history and of course the people and also the chance to
enjoy shopping in local craft markets, drink the excellent Pisco Sour
and eat new foods in Chilean seafood restaurants while watching the
local dancing.
Day 1
Depart London for overnight flight to Buenos Aires
Day 2
Onward flight to Santiago, arriving around midday. Meet our multilingual
guide, a European citizen that is a permanent resident of Chile. Transfer
to the Hotel situated in the center of the city. Visit the heart of
the Chilean capital: the Palacio de La Moneda, residence of the president
of the Chilean republic. Experience also the Plaza de Armas, a typical
“Latino style” square surrounded by historical buildings,
and the crowded, noisy and colorful Paseo Ahumada, the commercial
axis of the city. Overnight in the Santiago.
Day 3
Ride across the Casablanca vineyards towards Valparaíso, the
mythical harbor declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the “Feria
El Cardonal”, a traditional market with its colorful displays
of fruits and vegetables. Taste some of the fine local fruits. From
the Plaza 21 de Mayo square, on the hills (Cerros) of the city, get
a breathtaking panoramic view of the city and the bay, giving the
idea of the city’s semi-circular layout. Ride on the funicular
“Artilleria”, one of the oldest train/trams of Valparaíso,
dating back for more than a century. Visit the “Iglesia la Matriz”
and its little square, the historical center of the city, where the
first houses were built. Cross the city and leave for Viña
del Mar, the largest beach resort of the country. The sight of the
attractive homes, manicured lawns, and golden beaches dotted with
colorful surfboards is a contrast to the charming ramshackle streets
of Valparaíso. Overnight in Viña del Mar.
Day 4
Follow the shore across the dunes to the little fishing harbour of
Horcon, which comes alive when the fishermen return in their small
boats, pulled ashore by large horses. Sample the local empanadas,
then visit one of the great Chilean vineyards and taste the delicious
wine of some of the country’s best vineyards. Return to Santiago.
Day 5
Morning flight to the lively city of Arica, located on the Peruvian
border. Transfer to the hotel. Lunch at the fish market. Visit to
a small craft village. Travel to the fertile valley of Azapa and the
exceptional archaeological museum of San Miguel de Azapa with the
oldest Chinchorros mummies in the world. Overnight in Arica.
Day 6
Depart for Lauca National Park. On the way discover the hieroglyphs,
ruined villages and pre-inca fortresses. The Lauca National Park,
located at more than 4000meters altitude, forms part of the UNESCO
World Biosphere and shelters more than 150 species of birds (condor,
pink flamingo….). Stop at Lake Chungar, one of the wonders of
the area, which is located in front of the Parinacota volcano and
the Guallatiri volcano, still active. Lunch at Putre, a picturesque,
prehispanic village. Visit the adobe village of Parinacota, classified
as an Historic Monument. Overnight in Arica.
Day 7
Free morning. City tour of Arica, known as the City of Eternal Spring,
with its endless beaches of white sand. Visit the Cerro Morro, the
symbol of Arica, the cathedral and the covered marketplace. Overnight
in Arica.
Day 8
Transfer to the town of Iquique, squeezed between the ocean and the
high sand cliffs. Panoramic view of the “Giant of Atacama”,
a representation of a stone figure on the mountainside. Visit the
ghost town of Humberstone, which recalls the glorious Victorian era
of the Saltpetre mines. Lunch in Iquique and tour of the city. Overnight
in Iquique
Day 9
Transfer to San Pedro de Atacama through the arid desert and national
reserve of Pampa del Tamarrugal where the tamaragos trees with their
sinuous trunks are protected. Discover the Geogliphes de Pintados,
more than 250 pre-Columbian figures (animals, geometrics, and humanoid)
which cover the slopes of the nearby hills. Cross the oasis of Matilla.
Lunch at the oasis of Pica with its tropical fruit orchards. Arrival
at San Pedro de Atacama, the archaeological capital of Chile, located
at the foot of the Andes. Discover this typical atacamean village
made of adobe houses, its 18th century church, considered one of the
most beautiful in Chile with its roof and woodwork constructed from
the cactus. Walk in the Feria Artesanal. Overnight in San Pedro de
Atacama.
Day 10
Depart for the Salar de Atacama, the largest salt-desert of Chile
with a length of 120 km. Stop at the “Laguna Chaxa”, where
small lakes shelter pink flamingos and other wading birds. Cross the
lake to the lithium mine on a white blinding track made of pure salt.
Visit the prehispanic Indian village of Socaire, famous for its terraced
irrigation. Travel to the “Laguna Miscanti” and “Laguna
Miñiques”, two lakes located at more than 4300 meters
high in the national reserve “Los Flamencos”. Lunch in
Toconao, a village built of volcanic white stone and visit the canyon
of Jere, a luxuriant oasis of fruit trees and small brooks located
at the bottom of a narrow valley. Overnight in San Pedro de Atacama.
Day 11
Morning free. Lunch in San Pedro de Atacama. A tour of the archeological
Museum “Padre Le Paige” which holds well preserved mummies
due to the extreme aridity of the Atacama desert. Visit to Pukara
de Quitor, an Atacamean fortress of the 12th century reinforced during
the occupation by the Incas. Visit the valleys of Muerte and the Moon,
with their fantastic geological formations of eroded salt and sand.
From the crest of a sand dune observe the wonderful colours as the
sun sets on the Andes Cordillera and the Licancabur and Lascar volcanoes.
Overnight in San Pedro de Atacama.
Day 12
Early morning departure to ascend to 4300 meters viewing the Geysers
del Tatio (warm clothing obligatory). Breakfast surrounded by the
sulphur-loaded, vapour spitting geysers. Possiblity to bathe in the
natural thermal swimming pool. En route, discover the a variety of
local wildlife – llamas, vizcachas, alpaca, grey foxes…
Enjoy a picnic in the village of Caspana, a pillar of the traditional
Atacamean culture, with houses made of clay and roofs of straw, located
in the heart of a natural geological fissure at an altitude of 3350
meters. Visit Chiu Chiu for Lunch, another prehispanic village that
was once the center of the Atacamean trade, with its church made out
of cactus wood. Follow a route across the valley of the Loa river
to the Pukara de Lasana, a 12th century fortress located on top of
a small cliff. Overnight in San Pedro de Atacama.
Day 13
Late departure for the petro glyphs of Yerbas Buenas, 3000 year old
figures engraved in rock. Picnic and visit to the village of Rio Grande
following a amazing trail across a canyon. Arrive at Calama. Flight
to Santiago. Overnight in Santiago
Day 14
International Flight home
SPECIFICATIONS OF THE SAND TRAIL
The team/The guide Mark is a European 6 language speaking tour guide.
He will accompany the trip throughout, knowing when to provide assistance
and when to merge into the background.
Important Information
Prices based on a minimum of 8 passengers per tour. All prices based
on 1st Feb 2005 exchange rates, hotel and flight availability and
therefore subject to change. Tour starts in Santiago and ends in Santiago.
Price includes
Lodging in twin accessible (not adapted) shared rooms.
Full English or Continental breakfast daily. Meals as described.
Not Included
International flights
Tipping and gratuities
Drinks during meals or elsewhere.
Items of a personal nature.
Additional meals not mentioned. (i.e. evening meals)
Travel insurance: Assistance, repatriation and medical expenses abroad
Comprehensive insurance (luggage, personal liability abroad etc)
Useful information
No visa is required for E.U. citizens. You will obtain a three month
tourist visa upon arrival. There are no health risk zones in Chile
or Argentina
Transport included
Private mini bus for airport transfers, luxury coach, some walking,
internal flights.
International Flights to Santiago start at £843
Access
Travel (Lancs) Ltd
6 The Hillock, Astley, Lancashire M29 7GW
Tel: 01942 888844 Fax: 01942 891811
Email:
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