[ Easter Island Eclipse Itinerary ] [ Atacama ] [ Eclipse Details] [ Terms ] [ Hotels ] [ Eclipse Tours 2010 ]

$7695 per person

Many ancient tribes and peoples have occupied Chile, the Andes and Atacama desert over the past eons. With mummies dating back 10,000 years and ruined civilizations and great cities abandoned by the arrival of the Incas, we can only imagine what great civilizations existed in these quiet and beautiful lands.  Our tour will sample some of the great, enigmatic history of these lost civilizations.  

Tiwanacu: An architechtural marvel representing a vast civilization which once thrived in the harsh high plateau of the Andes.  Did the Tiwanacu people learn to cultivate the harsh and inhospitiable landscape or was it a lush landscape thousands of years ago?  What technologies allowed them to move such large stones and construct with such precision and accuracy? How complex was this society and what tools and technologies did they employ to build this way? And why was it abandoned by the time of the Incas? Tiwanacu often leaves more questions than answers.

Floating Uros Islands of the Iruitus: The ultimate nomads. Their villages and homes built on expansive bundles of floating totora reeds, this isolated indian group has wandered Lake Titicaca for eons as the weather can blow their floating villages from Bolivia to Peru and back again.

Isla Del Sol: Birthplace of the Inca Sun God, Isla del Sol was considered to be the most sacred location on earth.  Its ancient steps constructed by the Incas still lead today to the Sacred Fountain, fabled to spring eternal life.

Chulpas of Sajama:  In the Sajama zone there are archaeological sites which surround the volcano and all its area of influence: burial tombs, pottery, stone tools, inns, refuge caves, sanctuaries, ruins of circular and rectangular buildings, cave paintings, stone workshops; in total, a silent encyclopaedia which still remains to be investigated to know the inhabitants who set out the radial lines which still lead us to ancient ceremonial sites dedicated to the Huacas.

Arica:  Home of the worlds' oldest mummies and megalithic geoglyphs. The San Miguel de Azapa Archaeological Museum covers the ancient heritage of the surrounding area. The exhibition has more than 20,000 archaeological pieces on permanent and temporary exhibitions, comprising displays of mummies, indigenous cultural artefacts and archaeological finds. Outside the museum is the petroglyph park, where 13 blocks of stone feature intricate prehispanic carving.