Atacama And Virgen De Ayquina Festival (sept 2020)

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival - Santiago, Chile

Stop At: Santiago, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region
Welcome to Chile! A great land of mountains, deserts, ocean and home to beautiful, vibrant, and welcoming people. Visit our website for full itinerary details.

First day is in downtown Santiago, After your check-in at Hotel Vegas, take the rest of the day at your leisure to explore the city and its many bustling neighborhoods. We recommend a walk through the Bellavista or Lastarria neighborhoods for an intimate introduction to the eclectic and colorful city.
Duration: 1 day

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 2: Explore the Rio Grande Valley

Stop At: San Pedro de Atacama, San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta Region
Visit the ancient petroglyphs and cave paintings of the magnificent Rainbow Valley. While there visit the small communities of this place and learn the history, connect with the people, and discover what makes this region so beautiful.
Duration: 1 day

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Haramaksi

Day 3: Introduction to Atacama

Stop At: San Pedro de Atacama, San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta Region
In San Pedro Atacama: Upon arrival check into guesthouse and have a Atacamian traditional lunch. After lunch meet your guide and head out into the desert to explore the landscape. You will visit the Moon Valley for exploration and learning about the stars and constellations and the ancestral Lickan Antay people.
Duration: 1 day

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Haramaksi

Day 4: Lickan Antay Ancestral Caravan

Stop At: San Pedro de Atacama, San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta Region
Today you will take part in a generations old tradition of the llama caravan and be guided across the desert to understand this ancient way of life. You will learn about the culture and history of the Lickan people, how they lasted for generations in this rough environment, from growing crops, to farm animals, and how the llama caravan has helped them prosper.
Duration: 1 day

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Haramaksi

Day 5: Tatio Geyser and Atacamian Food

Stop At: San Pedro de Atacama, San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta Region
Today you hike out and explore the spectacular Tatio Gyser. This amazing natural formation rivals the beauty and power of Yellowstone as the geysers burst forth and display their amazing beauty. You local guide will take you through the wetlands to observe the local wildlife and understand how land, people, and animal are interconnected here.
Duration: 1 day

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Haramaksi

Day 6: Festival Virgen de Ayquina - Day 1

Stop At: Calama, Calama, Antofagasta Region
The town of Chiu Chiu: your introduction to the grand festival of the Atacama. For the next three days you will be given the chance to participate and learn about the festival Virigen De Ayquina. This is very special time when 40,000 indigenous communities gather together to celebrate the Virigen Guadalupe. There will be singing, dancing, and beautiful food and colors from all over the region.

Day 1: Lasana. There we will enjoy a delicious lunch with products of this incredible oasis’ orchards. In the afternoon, we will visit the Pukará (old fortress), built around 1000 years ago. Then, we will go back to Chiu-Chiu and prepare for our first immersion into Ayquina. Join the festival in the evening for an introduction to the music, dances, traditional costumes and colors.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 7: Festival Virgen de Ayquina - Day 2

Stop At: Calama, Calama, Antofagasta Region
Day 2: In the morning you will visit Caspana, a Chilean locality famous for its crops in Andean terraces and the beautiful canyon it is nested in. Upon arrival, we will be met by our local guide who will walk us around town and to some nice view-points where we will learn about the story of the village and its inhabitants. At midday, we will get back to town for a nice lunch between the orchards. Afternoon in Ayquina and take part in day 2 of the festival. Get your senses ready for an unforgettable display of colors, music and energy. Enjoy an amazing sunset with music and dances by the Christ figure that looks after the town. Then, have dinner in the local restaurants and get ready for the night activities. At twelve o’clock at night, the sky is lit up by fireworks, welcoming the Patrona de Ayquina’s day on the 8th of September.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 8: Festival Virgen de Ayquina - Day 3

Stop At: Calama, Calama, Antofagasta Region
Day 3: In the morning you will enjoy the most important day of the festival. Thousands arrive to Ayquina to take part of the religious dances in gratitude to the virgin. These dances mayl ast all day long, starting with the most important procession in the morning, when people take the figure of the Virgin around the village and up outside the gorge to meet the statue of Jesus outside the town. We will follow this amazing peregrination and then go to the Turi oasis to have lunch.

In the afternoon, after a nice swim at the Turi baths, take a walk at the archeological monument, Pucará de Turi, an ancient fortress as old as the one in Lasana. In the evening, we will enjoy our farewell dinner in Chiu Chiu and then go to Vallenar.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 9: Coastal Atacama

Stop At: Chanaral de Aceituno, Chanaral de Aceituno, Atacama Region
Chañaral de Aceituno wharf. See beautiful mountains and ravines with guanacos and foxes. Once at the wharf, enjoy a nice breakfast with local ingredients while Marinella gives us all the details for the next days’ adventures. In the afternoon, it’s possible to go fishing in the artisanal style of Caleta Charañal de Aceituno or walk around the beautiful surroundings of the bay.
Duration: 1 day

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 10: Olive Traditions in Coastal Atacama

Stop At: Freirina, Freirina, Atacama Region
Today we will explore Carrizalillo, a small town near Chañaral de Aceituno. This area is famous for the production of olive oil and olives. You will visit the old olive groves and meet a local family that will welcome you at your home and prepare a traditional lunch. Explore this oasis in the middle of a desert landscape!
Duration: 1 day

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight lodge in Chanaral de Aceituno

Day 11: Chanana Island Wildlife Viewing

Stop At: Chanaral de Aceituno, Chanaral de Aceituno, Atacama Region
Tour the island of Chañaña, part of a marine wildlife reserve. Here you will have the opportunity to observe the resident Humboldt penguins, sea otters, seabirds and bottlenose dolphins. It is possible to see whales between January and March, let's hope to see each other!

Seaweed collection: After lunch we will take in the village, participate in local daily activities: collect algae by the sea, walk along the beach to some archaeological sites and discover the intertidal fauna that inhabits the coast.
Duration: 1 day

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 12: Return from The Journey Something New

Stop At: Chanaral de Aceituno, Chanaral de Aceituno, Atacama Region
Relax in the morning, return to Santiago in the afternoon.
Duration: 1 day

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 13: The Hero Returns Home (Day 13 & 14)

Stop At: Santiago, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region
For true transformation to take place our journey does not end once we return from the adventure, it is only the beginning. Enjoy a couple free day in the city to explore and reflect.

As you begin to look around you and see the world in a new way it is important to take time to process and make meaning from what you have experienced. Here are some steps to take in your return:

1. Remain in contact with us for your post-trip process and support in coming home
2. Take time to truly reflect and take stock of the experience, don't rush too quickly back into "normal life"
3. Follow up with contacts you have made and keep in touch with those you met on the way
4. Be patient with yourself and with those around you, it is possible you are not the same person who left home at the beginning.
Duration: 1 day

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at hotel