Social Program and Peri-Conference Excursions

We will offer a free excursion to the old city center on Thursday afternoon. Details will be provided soon.

There will be a pre-conference trip to Atamaca.

We will stay at the hotel Altiplanico  in San Pedro.

Flight times Santiago-Calama August 30th 6:05 AM- 8:15 AM and Calama-Santiago September 2nd 8:25PM-11:30PM.

The program includes:

• Regular transfers Airport / hotel / airport, without a guide.
• 3 nights accommodation with breakfast and dinner.
• Regular excursion to Valle de la Luna with Spanish or English entry and guide
• Regular excursion Piedras Rojas, Salar and Altiplánicas Lagoon with entries and Spanish or English guide
• Geysers of Tatio and Machuca regular excursion, with tickets, Spanish or English guide and picnic breakfast.

Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) The best landmark in the Atacama Desert. On your visit to the driest desert in the world, you cannot miss the opportunity to see the geologically spectacular Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley).A couple of kilometers outside of San Pedro de Atacama, between the jagged rocks and unusual shapes of the Cordillera de la Sal (Salt Mountains), we find the Valle de la Luna(Moon Valley), a geological wonder of the Los Flamencos National Reserve. During the tour, you can take in the extraordinary shapes of the landscape, which will make you feel as if you were walking on the moon. During the afternoon, you can enjoy the unbeatable views of the Andes and its volcanoes. As dusk falls you will be overwhelmed by the red and golden colors of the desert sky. All this results in a simply unforgettable tour.

Piedras Rojas, Altiplanic Lagoons and the Atacama Salt Flats. The intense colors of the desert. Discover the magical tones of the desert, with the imposing Piedras Rojas, the beautiful Chaxa, Miscanti and Miñiques Andean lagoons, and the extensive Atacama Salt Flats in the Los Flamencos National Reserve.The tour begins in Piedras Rojas, an impressive geological rock formation located in the Aguas Calientes Salt Flats. It will stun you with its fascinating and beautifully red colored landscape, caused by oxidized iron. We continue on towards the Altiplano to visit the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons, which are located at over 4,200 meters above sea level. They are surrounded by impressive volcanoes which originate from the formation of the Andean mountain range, and are inhabited by a wide variety of wild birds. A truly surprising destination. We then visit the Chaxa Lagoon, a spectacularly beautiful setting, which is split into various clear water lagoons, inhabited by both Andean and James flamingos. Finally, before heading back, and enjoying the views of the Licancabur and Lascar volcanoes, we visit Toconao, a traditionally colonial-style village, famous for the bell tower, which has been declared as a National Monument, and the San Lucas church.

Tatio Geysers and Machuca. Watch the sun rise in one of the most beautiful geothermic fields in the world On this exciting tour, we will visit the impressive Tatio Geysers, at 4000 meters above sea level on the Andean plateau.Our journey to the Altiplano starts in the early hours, so we can watch the sun rise in one of the most important geothermic fields in the world: the Tatio Geysers. There are over 70 geysers with pools of boiling water spurting vapor. It is best to see them first thing in the morning, so you can truly appreciate the beautiful contrast of colors between the intensely blue sky and the pristine vapor from the geysers.

We will then enjoy a deserved breakfast in this amazing setting, in the shadows of the Andes. This will allow us to warm up, as the temperatures in the zone can range from -2° C to 24.5° C. We will then visit the Pozón Rústico, where you can enjoy the thermal spring waters from the mountains. On our way back to San Pedro de Atacama, we will travel through some beautiful landscapes, seeing the valleys, flora and fauna and maybe spot some of the local vicuñas and vizcachas – a real highlight. We will then stop off in the village of Machuca, a truly atacameño village of just 20 houses built from clay, straw and cactus wood. The inhabitants of Machuca all dedicate themselves to its tourism and will offer hand crafted Andean souvenirs, as well as typical food from the region such as llama meat, sopaipillas (a traditional bread made from squash) and empanadas. While there, we will also visit the beautiful San Santiago Church, named after the patron saint of the village, as well as visiting the wetlands where we can see flamingos, ducks and other birds.

Rates: Double room $755, Single room $ 1,089

If you are traveling alone but are interested to share a double room, let us know!

If you have missed the deadline to register for the pre-conference trip, this is no problem: The prize might have changed slightly due to airfare, but you can still sign up!