RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CHILE IN-DEPTH TOUR

For those of you who have been to the usual places for travel, think of other Americans and head to Chile in South America. That narrow country is as long as the mainland U.S. is wide.

I recently had two weeks with Chilean Special Journeys which covered central (Santiago area), north (desert) and south (islands).  In each area our small group of five had a guide who specialized in that part of his/her country.  We flew to central locations and then had our own van to tour the area.  I found the desert especially fascinating where signs of ancient civilizations exist and a museum containing artifacts unearthed by an inquisitive priest holds clues to them.

The seafood was wonderful, fresh, nicely prepared, and the best raw oysters I've ever had. Ferry trips to two islands were a change of pace. We also visited a winery with all the newest equipment and methods of operation and, of course, had a chance to taste some of their products.
There are many condos being built along the ocean in the areas of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso, which are obviously very busy vacation areas in summer months.

Head south next time instead of east or west.

Nancy Bunyan
Lihue, HI

Lee Tannenbaum, published in International Travel News, December 2005

I joined the 21-day “Chile In-Depth” tour from Chilean Special Journeys (Montville, ME) April 7-27 ’05. This tour was led by CSJ’s owner Scott Jones.

It was a new tour, but my instincts (which on my previous trips have provided me with some great adventures) told me it was going to be a very special kind of tour and that I would really enjoy it. Was I right! And I left feeling that I knew a lot about Chile.

We traveled from the far northern desert areas south to the Lake District and savored all the major reasons in between.

Traveling with an extremely small group gave the feeling of being with a few friends. We were able to go places and do things that a larger tour would not be able to. In addition, we could accommodate individual interests in a way that a larger group could not.

Scott has sought out some unique experiences as well as some great restaurants and the best-available accommodations. If you want to inhale the essence of Chile this is the tour to take.

Lee Tannenbaum
Orange, CA

Flora Boardman, published in International Travel News, December 2005

Scott Jones of Chilean Special Journeys outdid himself in making our 21-day, April ’05 “Chile in Depth” trip memorable. Scott, originally from Maine, has lived in Chile for several years. He accompanied the group as tour guide and local guides were used also.

Chile is an interesting country of contrasts with dramatic landscape features. Our tour started in Santiago, in the central part of the country. After. exploring the area for two days, the group flew north to the seaport of Arica, close to the Peruvian border.

One day we drove to Lake Chungara, high in the Andes Mountains. The vistas were magnificent. The next five days were spent in lquique and San Pedro de Atacama. These cities are in the Atacama desert, one of the the driest places on Earth. We saw Inca Indian ruins, salt flats, salt mountains, geoglyphs, and abandoned mining towns as well as new ones. Each place had its own charm.

We flew back to Santiago then were bussed to Valparaiso, Vina del Mar and La Serena. These coastal towns have more moisture and, consequently, more vegetation. In the Elqui Valley we were amazed at the beautiful farms and vineyards. There was no end to the green hillside terraces.

In the Southern Lake District we explored the towns of Puerto Montt, Puerto Varas, Pucon and Frutillar. This region has a large German population which migrated to Chile in the 1860’s. They had been invited by the Chilean government and were given large land tracts to farm. In the vicinity of Pucon, the Indian population is evident. We visited a farm owned by a Mapuche Indian family.

From Puerto Montt we took a ferry to Chiloe Island. There the climate is temperate and the vegetation luxuriant. We saw smaller, well-cultivated farms on land and seafood farms in the water.

All in all is was a great trip. Since our trip was in Chile’s fall season the temperature was moderate. The scenery was spectacular because of the ever-present mountains and volcanoes. I recommend this trip enthusiastically!

Flora S. Boardman
Huntsville, Alabama

Louise Sherman on the Chile In-Depth Tour, March 2006

Why go to Chile? The beauty, friendly people, safe environment, great wine and food, volcanoes, magnificent Andean mountains, beautiful lakes - perhaps mountain climbing or trout fishing among other sports.

Why go with Chilean Special Journeys? Because of Scott Jones now of Chile and formerly from Maine, is your Tour Director and the owner of the company. We went to Chile in March to take the 3-day extension to Easter Island on March 18 ($1850, inc. air) and a one-day trip out of Santiago to Maipo Canyon ($75 inc. extra night) and then joined Chile in Depth, starting March 23 for 21 days ($4795). We went from Santiago to the majesty of the high Andes near the Bolivian border to Arica, Iquique, San Pedro de Atacama. Valle Elqui to the Lake District and the Isla Chiloe and back to the coastal resort area frequented by Santiagoans and Valparaiso. Along the way we had the best day guides we have ever in encountered ,stayed in best available accommodations ( some unique and with views whenever possible), had gourmet included meals with wine (ordered by Scott) and a couple of picnics, and had expert, knowledgeable drivers. We saw wonderful sights, but also learned much about the country everywhere we went and had a number of encounters with local people. Many days included an "extra" something- like champagne at sunset looking out at a stark moonscape, a guide donning a German costume in a Museum of wonderful German antiques in the Lake Country and serving us coffee and cookies, another guide taking us to a boutique winery in Valle Elqui. If there was a hitch in Airline schedules ( we had several interior flights), something would be planned for the wait time. Also,when possible individual requests were accommodated to add more to the days activities. Scott went great lengths to try to get us to a rodeo at our request as they are quite different then in this country. That couldn't be done, but we went to a "Huaso"s (cowboy) beautiful Chiloe home and he demonstrated the technique with his horse.

Breakfast was always included, many dinners, several lunches and always good suggestions for restaurants on our own. One of our lunches was at a tiny place on enchanting Chiloe that was featured in Gourmet Magazine.

The trip is no longer 21 days, but Scott could arrange for an extension to places no longer covered. We would highly recommend, however, the Easter Island extension. It is an incredible place and our guide, Josefina Mulloy, is a treasure not to be missed.

Louise Sherman
Dickinson, ND 58601

Graeme & Olga Poke on the Chile In-Depth Tour, March 2006

CHILE IN DEPTH, In April 2006 we had a wonderful 21 day tour through Chile with Chilean Special Journeys (CSJ) (1-888-345-6077) or visit www.chileanspecialjourneys.com . The tour cost of $4,795 included everything described on the CSJ web site and more. Traveling with a small group allowed many charming unplanned stops when something of interest to the group was sighted. These surprise visits added a great deal to the experience.

I should mention a word about the owners of CSJ, Scott Jones, from Maine, and his charming Chilean business partner Claudia. The word would be TRUST as we found them to be an enthusiastic and reliable company. Due to a sudden illness we had to cancel our original tour booked for 2005 and our refund check less the normal penalty was in the mail from their office in Maine in a matter of days. We were so pleased that we were able to take the 2006 tour. Chile is a long thin country with huge diversity in spectacular scenery. By using a mix of driving and flying the tour provided a comfortable way to get to know the country from the border with Peru in the north to the island of Chiloe in the south.

Chile is a safe, interesting country to explore, the food is fresh, diverse and less expensive than in the USA. The seafood and wine are outstanding. Our in depth tour took us from the sophistication of 5 star hotels in Santiago to small remote villages in the high deserts of the Andes in the north, to the beach resorts along the coast and to the spectacular snow covered volcanoes in the Lake district in the South. We started and ended the tour in Santiago and added an extra night prior to the tour to explore the city on our own. There was so much to see we should have made this two additional nights.

Chile was a pleasant surprise, much different to other South American countries we had visited. Friendly, helpful people, modern transportation systems, a stable and expanding economy and great scenery. Scott Jones accompanied our group for the whole tour and organized excellent drivers and knowledgeable English speaking regional guides to travel with the group. Traveling in Chile's fall avoided the summer crowds and the weather was perfect with cool mornings and warm sunny days. We loved seeing wildlife like Vicuna, Vizcacha and Llama in the high desert, the pink Flamingos in the salt lakes, the coastal bird life and Humboldt Penguins. Bring your binoculars. We enthusiastically recommend this tour with CSJ as a great way to see Chile in detail.

Graeme & Olga Poke
Georgetown, Texas