Chile/Rapa Nui
The Atacama Desert and Easter Island: Different Worlds
Program No. 3892RJ
The moai structures of Easter Island and the geoglyphs of the Atacama Desert have puzzled and delighted mankind for centuries. Come see why as you unravel the mysteries for yourself.
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20 days
19 nights
52 meals
17B 18L 17D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
3
Valparaiso City
Santiago
4
San Pedro de Atacama, Tulor Archaeological Village
San Pedro de Atacama
5
Pukara de Quitor
San Pedro de Atacama
6
Salt Mountain & Magical Moon Valley
San Pedro de Atacama
7
Atacama Salt Flat, Flamingoes & Toconao Village
San Pedro de Atacama
13
Flight to Easter Island
Easter Island
At a Glance
Journey through two of the world’s most enchanting and mysterious locales: the Atacama Desert and Easter Island. Explore the varying differences between the civilization that thrived in the Atacama salt flat and the mysterious cultural phenomenon known as Easter Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Embrace Chile’s natural beauty as you immerse yourself in the history and culture of this ancient land.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to one hour over uneven terrain; some stairs. Elevations up to 9,000 feet.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Visit the pre-Inca fortress of Pukara de Quitor in Atacama.
- Explore the Atacama Salt Flat, where flamingo colonies nest.
- Discover the significance of the Orongo Ceremonial Village on Easter Island.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Claudio Le Roy Baeza
Claudio Le Roy has been leading Road Scholar adventures in Chile and Peru for more than 20 years. He has also designed and carried out a number of personal volunteer initiatives in these areas with a focus on the most needed, especially children. He holds degrees in second language teaching and a bachelor’s in English language and literature. Besides his career as a language teacher, Mr. Le Roy worked for ten years as a professional dancer for the National Folkloric Ballet of Chile.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Claudio Le Roy Baeza
View biography
Claudio Le Roy has been leading Road Scholar adventures in Chile and Peru for more than 20 years. He has also designed and carried out a number of personal volunteer initiatives in these areas with a focus on the most needed, especially children. He holds degrees in second language teaching and a bachelor’s in English language and literature. Besides his career as a language teacher, Mr. Le Roy worked for ten years as a professional dancer for the National Folkloric Ballet of Chile.
Suggested Reading List
(13 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
The Atacama Desert and Easter Island: Different Worlds
Program Number: 3892
Desert Memories, Journeys Through the Chilean North
A quest for national history, personal memories, and family origins in the Atacama by the noted playwright, novelist and essayist. The legacy of mining, Pinochet, and the author's own history are woven into this meditative account.
A Desert Bestiary, Folklore, Literature, and Ecological Thought from the World's Dry Places
From the ant to the wolf, this is a lively, informative tribute to desert animals and their place in literature, folklore and ecology.
A Wildlife Guide to Chile
Chester's splendid guide, featuring 120 color plates, covers the wildlife, plants and natural history of Chile from the Atacama Desert and Patagonia to Easter Island and Antarctica.
The Statues That Walked, Unraveling the Mystery of Easter Island
Drawing on archaeological evidence and their own work, Hunt and Lip challenge Jared Diamond's view of eco-catastrophe in this convincing new history of Rapa Nui.
Dry, Life Without Water
A generously illustrated survey of the people, cultures and habitats of the world's deserts, ranging from Sudan and the Burkina Faso to the Skeleton Coast in Namibia, China, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Oman and the deserts of North and South America, including the Atacama.
San Pedro de Atacama Map
A detailed road map of San Pedro de Atacama and surroundings at a scale of 1:500,000.
Easter Island
In this mesmerizing novel, Vanderbes spins parallel stories of two young women on Easter Island, one an archaeologist with a 1913 expedition and the other an American botanist who visits 60 years later.
Rapa Nui, Island of Memory
Full of anecdote and incident, Lee's lively memoir of fieldwork on Rapa Nui celebrates the people and life on the island since the 1980s.
Birds of Southern South America & Antarctica
With color plates, range maps and brief descriptions, this is a compact regional guide.
Insight Guide Chile
This glossy guide provides a full-color introduction by a team of experts to the land, people, history and attractions of Chile. Brief background essays highlight important topics. With many local and regional maps.
Easter Island, the Essential Guide
Sanger covers the history, archaeology, people and practicalities in this authoritative guide, published by the Easter Island Foundation.
Easter Island Map
A colorful topographic map (1:30,000).
Chile Map
This National Geographic Adventure map includes a clear view of Chile from Laguna San Rafael south to Cape Horn (1,1,750,000).