Chilean Special Journeys tour

I should mention a word about the owners of Chilean Special Journeys (28 Morrill Rd., Montville, ME 04941; 888/345-6077 or www.chileanspecialjourneys.com):

Scott Jones, from Maine, and his charming Chilean business partner, Claudia. The word would be TRUST, as we found them to be enthusiastic and reliable.

Due to a sudden illness, my wife, Olga, and I had to cancel our original tour booked for 2005, and our refund check, less the normal penalty, was in the mail in a matter of days. We were so pleased that we were able to take the 2006 tour.

The 21-day tour “Chile in Depth,” March 23-April 12, cost $4,795 per person, not including international airfare. Scott Jones accompanied our group for the whole tour and organized excellent drivers and knowledgeable English-speaking regional guides to travel with us.

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.

Chile is a country with a huge diversity of 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 Chiloé in the south. 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 to beach resorts along the coast and to spectacular snow-covered volcanoes in the Lake District.

The tour started and ended in Santiago, but Olga and I 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 is a safe, interesting country to explore, and the food we had was fresh, diverse and less expensive than much in the USA. The seafood and wine were outstanding.

By traveling in Chile’s fall we avoided the summer crowds, and the weather was perfect, with cool mornings and warm sunny days. We loved seeing wildlife like vicuñas, vizcachas and llamas 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.

GRAEME POKE
Georgetown, TX