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August
11 — 19, 2007
Tour
includes:
- Round
trip airfare from Los Angeles, New York, Miami
- All
flights within Chile
- First
Class hotels and lodges throughout
- Meals:
All breakfasts, 2 lunches, 6 dinners
- First
Class motor coach travel
- Santiago
city tour with guide
- Wine
tasting
- Visits:
- Chilean Observatories: Cerro Tololo, Gemini South, Mamalluca
- Chuquicamata Villages
- Archeological Indian sites and Spanish Colonial villages
- El Tatio Geysers
- Valle de la Luna
- ASTRONOMY
magazine lecturer
- Commentary
and services of a fully experienced guide
- All
transfers and service charges
- All
baggage handling for one (1) large bag, plus, a telescope or camera
- All
entrance fees to observatories and other attractions
For
a general interest form, and registration, please contact MWT Associates
at tours@melitatrips.com
or visit their website at www.melitatrips.com
ITINERARY
Saturday/Sunday,
August 11/12, 2007 - Depart U.S.A.
Board LanChile Airline for our flight to Santiago, Chile. We arrive
early morning in the capital of the Andes, which offers an historic
quarter, sidewalk cafes, and world class museums along with 17 th
century estates. The transfer whisks us straight to the hotel for
a rest until this afternoon. Before supper at the famous Market,
we will enjoy a city tour. (D)
Monday,
August 13, 2007 - Santiago — San Pedro de Atacama
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for our flight to Calama.
We will be met and transferred to San Pedro de Atacama for four
nights at the Hosteria de Atacama. (B/D)
Tuesday,
August 14, 2007 - San Pedro de Atacama
A walking tour of the area, which includes extraordinary archaeological
sites from Stone Age villages to the San Pedro Culture Indian Cementary,
is planned for after breakfast. San Pedro offers Adobe-style built
houses from the Spanish colonial era, excellent museums displaying
Indian artifacts and remarkably preserved mummies predating Egypt's.
Before
supper in a local cafe, we will begin our astronomical program.
After dinner bring out the telescopes for Jupiter, the southern
Milky Way, and the Southern Cross. (B/D)
Wednesday,
August 15, 2007 - Atacama — El Tatio Geysers
An early morning drive to the geological spectacles, El Tatio Geysers,
offers dozens of fumaroles (geysers) throwing columns of steam into
the air. The rays of light illuminate the steam in a kaleidoscope
of chartreuses, violets, reds, oranges, and blues. After breakfast
cooked at the geysers, we will take a nature hike to the hot springs
and waterfalls . (B/L/D)
Thursday,
August 16, 2007 - Atacama — Valle de Luna
(After breakfast, if at all possible, we will visit the new ALMA
telescope.)
After
lunch depart for the Valle de Luna , a surreal landscape of giant
ridges, soaring cliffs, and pale valleys. Tonight, after the crescent
Moon sets, the extraordinary views of the night sky likely will
be the best you'll ever see. (B/L/D)
Friday,
August 17, 2007 - San Pedro de Atacama - La Serena
Bid adios to this legendary place as we fly to La Serena, long popularized
by its magnificent international telescope community. We will continue
our astronomical lecture program before dinner. (B/D)
Saturday,
August 18, 2007 - La Serena — Cerro Tololo
Today we will visit the Cerro Tololo and Gemini South Observatories
, a complex of astronomical telescopes and instruments. Afterwards
we will enjoy a Pisco tasting at the Pisco Capel Plant. Time permitted
there will be evening stargazing at nearby Valle de Elqui at the
Observatorio Publico de Cerro Mamalluca . (B/L)
Sunday,
August 19, 2007 - La Serena — Santiago — U.S.A
After our flight to Santiago, we will have time to rest with a day
room before transferring to the airport tonight for our flight homeward
to the U.S.A. (B)
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