Wander mysterious Easter Island

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Wander mysterious Easter Island: Frequently-Asked Questions about The Gods of Easter Island

Easter Island is for the truly adventurous. This remote island is is one of the least visited but most fascinating archeological sites in the world. Hanns Ebensten conducted the first tourist expedition there 40 years ago, which he wrote about in his book, Trespassers on Easter Island. It still remains an enigma of history and culture today.

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Contents:

• What will we do during the Chile extension?
  
• What are the dates and cost of the Chile extension?
  
• How many people are in your average Hanns Ebensten Travel group?
  
• Do I need any special medical or cancellation insurance?
  

What will we do during the Chile extension?
Upon early evening arrival from Easter Island, we will be transferred to our hotel in Santiago. Dinner will be on your own this evening.

The next morning, we will drive 80 miles northwest of Santiago to explore Valparaiso, Chile’s main port and the seat of Congress. En route, we cross the Casablanca Valley and stop for a wine tasting at the Casas del Bosque Winery. The city of Valparaiso is built on nearly 40 hills and its steep and winding streets, funicular trains and stairs give a special charm to this colorful and bustling city.

After lunch, we drive to Viña del Mar, aptly named the “Garden City” with its floral clock and fine gardens. We will have dinner and spend two nights in this picturesque city by the sea, having an entire day to relax and enjoy the seaside surroundings. (The second night was added based on the unanimous recommendation of our 2007 travelers!)

On the morning of day four, we will drive from sea level up to the Maipo Valley (2 hours driving time), and arrive in San Alfonso at 6000 feet above sea level. This is a beautiful area to hike and see native flora and fauna. It is here the arrieros (Andean cowboys) take cattle and herds to graze during summer. There are also many lovely streams, pools and waterfalls, including the well-known Cascadas de las Animas. We will also keep our eyes open for giant condors that fly down in search of food during certain times of the year. A naturalist guide will lead us to see many spectacular views, as well as interesting sights along the trail. The average hiking time is three hours, with the exact amount of hiking depending on weather and the interests of the group.

In the afternoon, we will head back to Santiago. On the way, we’ll stop at the village of La Obra for a tour and wine-tasting at the small, family-run winery of El Raco. We will return to Santiago for the night to rest up for our flights home.

In the morning we will enjoy a city tour including: the Plaza de Armas (main square and cathedral), Moneda Palace, the official residence of Chilean presidents, and the Palacio Cousiño, one of the finest examples of 19th century architecture. You will then have the afternoon free to explore Santiago, since most flights north are overnight flights. An early evening group transfer will be provided to the airport for anyone flying out tonight.

What are the dates and cost of the Chile extension?
Our March 2009 tour dates are as follows (meals in parenthesis):

Thursday, March 12: Afternoon flight from Easter Island to Santiago; overnight in Santiago

Friday, March 13: Tour Valparaiso and Vina del Mar: overnight in Vina del Mar (BLD)

Saturday, March 14: Free day in Vina del Mar (B)

Sunday, March 15: Tour Maipo Valley in Andes; overnight in Santiago (BL)

Monday, March 16: Morning tour of Santiago, then afternoon on own before evening transfer to airport for overnight flights home (B)

Cost of Chile extension:
$1495 per person/double occupancy;
$400 single supplement

How many people are in your average Hanns Ebensten Travel group?
One of the distinguishing features of Hanns Ebensten Travel is the intimacy of the group. We are not only a gay-friendly option for travelers, we are also an alternative for people who like companionship but cannot tolerate large buses and crowds of people. Consequently, our groups range in size from six to twenty participants. In the monasteries at Mount Athos we are limited to no more than six or seven non-Orthodox visitors. On the ss Karim, our luxury stern wheeler on the Nile, we can comfortably accommodate twenty-five guests. On our other tours, we typically restrict our groups to 10-16 participants. This makes a nice experience in traveling (no giant buses-phew!), restaurants can seat us at one or two tables, and we can move our groups easily through attractions and sites without the impersonal 1-2-3 sheep type counting.

Do I need any special medical or cancellation insurance?
We are one of the few companies that includes basic medical and evacuation travel insurance for all of our trips. In other words, we cover you for any illness or injury which occurs during the tour (except while in the water for scuba diving, for which we recommend DAN insurance).

We also recommend that everyone on our trips have personal medical insurance, in which case the coverage included with our tours is secondary coverage, which is intended to cover deductibles, co-pays and other costs not covered by your personal insurance.

To protect your financial investment, we also encourage you to add trip cancellation insurance to the tour fee for your trip, at the time of your deposit, or within 14 days after the deposit is paid. The price varies by trip, so please ask us for the amount for your tour, or see your statement.

This coverage can be useful if you, your traveling companion, your business or life partner, or a family member have an occurrence that causes you to need to cancel your trip. Please read our Terms & Conditions carefully so that you understand our cancellation policy.

Many other companies offer this coverage as well. Be sure to read the policy carefully, so that you know what situations are and are not covered by the policy.

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