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E-NEWS | FEB | FIRE & ICE – ATACAMA TO ANTARCTICA

Blazing desert to bluest Antarctic

JOIN US: WEDNESDAY 21 FEBRUARY, WOOLLAHRA

South America is a land of contrasts and nowhere is this more apparent than on a journey from the surreal deserts of Northern Chile to the vast icy expanse of Patagonia & Antarctica.

Starting in the Atacama desert, scorched ochre canyons and weirdly sculpted rock formations stand brilliant against an azure sky while steaming geysers rocket to dizzying heights. Journeying south, the landscape softens as you reach the Lakes District of Northern Patagonia where thermal springs bubble amidst emerald hills and turquoise rivers wind through majestic forests. Continuing still further south, green turns to blue as ice fields amass and magnificent glaciers dominate the landscape. Southern Patagonia is wild and unforgiving, the perfect launch point for an expedition into Antarctica, the greatest, bluest wilderness of all.

Join us for an information evening on Wednesday 21st February and see the landscape shift from burnt orange to brilliant blue. In the company of Ben Garcia of Explora South America, we’ll share all you need to know about travel to these unique regions and how they tie together to create a magnificent itinerary through South America’s most startling landscapes.

JOIN US

124 A QUEEN STREET, WOOLLAHRA, NSW
WEDNESDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2018
6:00PM

ATACAMA TO ANTARCTICA

WITH BEN GARCIA OF EXPLORA SOUTH AMERICA

EXPLORA ATACAMA

LUXURY LODGE

Scale volcanoes and plateaus, visit small, traditional villages and explore the otherworldly ancestral lands of Chile’s Ayllu de Larache plains by day, then return to this luxe lodge to relax in style with four interconnected ambient pools, indulgent Turi Puri massages and exquisite fine dining.

ATACAMA DESERT

DESTINATION

When NASA needs to test a Mars rover, this is where they go: the driest desert on Earth. No rain falls, the landscape is an artist’s palette of colours, vast canyons tower overhead and the desert adventures that await are like nothing else on this planet.

ALTO ATACAMA

LUXURY LODGE

In the shadow of the Pucara de Quitor ruins with the San Pedro River winding by, this lodge boasts one of the most breathtaking settings in the world. Think uncompromised luxury coupled with desert adventure, pure thermal pools, stunning starry skies, epic scenery and the silence of solitude.

ARGENTINA – FROM TOP TO TOE

ITINERARY

An iconic Argentinean journey – magnificent glaciers, soaring Andean peaks and quiet valley villages, gin-clear lakes and rivers, fine wine and hearty steaks, sultry tango halls, gaucho culture, cosmopolitan cities and the roaring Iguazu Falls.

HOTEL VIRA VIRA

LUXURY LODGE

A hacienda style boutique hotel bringing the “farm to fork” concept to the fore with an onsite dairy producing multiple varieties of cheese and wheat crops to keep fresh homemade bread in constant supply. And did we mention the natural hotsprings?

EXPLORA PATAGONIA

LUXURY LODGE

Located in the heart of the Torres del Paine National Park, perched above the milky, turquoise waters of Lake Pehoé with design-led interiors and adventure on your doorstep, Explora Patagonia is simply unparalleled. Explore the wilderness by 4×4, on foot or on horseback.

AUSTRALIS

EXPEDITIONARY CRUISE

Board a small expeditionary vessel in Chile or Argentina and explore the vast white continent as the early European navigators did. Sail past towering glaciers and immense icebergs spotting prolific flora and fauna as you navigate to the ends of the earth.

ANTARCTICA XXI

FLY & CRUISE

Reach Antarctica quicker by hopping over the Drake Passage by plane. Explore the human history, majestic landscape and bountiful nature by exploration vessel, small zodiac boat, kayak or snow-shoe. Reach remote corners where few have trodden.

CHILE: FIRE & ICE

ITINERARY

From the scorched deserts of Northern Chile, through the green hills of the Patagonia Lakes District to the vast icy expanse of Antarctica, this itinerary traverses the striking landscapes of South America from the surreal to the sublime.

GAUCHOS & GASTRONOMY – JUST 4 SPOTS REMAINING

A SOUTH AMERICAN FOOD SAFARI WITH AWARD WINNING CHEF CHRISTINE MANFIELD

Chic art hotels, sophisticated fine dining, secret wine collections, luxurious estancias and the rustic goodness of gaucho heritage. This is the fiery spirit of Chile, Argentina and Peru with real gastronomic flair captured in an exquisite small group journey led by chef Christine Manfield.

Call +61 2 9327 0666 or email info@classicsafaricompany.com.au for details of this unique itinerary.

Patagonia in the Financial Review

We sent award winning journalist Catherine Marshall to Patagonia. Don’t miss her article in the Australian Financial review.

“It’s said that if you eat the berries of the calafate bush you will return to Patagonia, and so I pluck great handfuls of them off the shrubs carpeting the Andean foothills and crush them optimistically between my teeth. How I long to return here, for even as I explore this landscape it’s a mystery to me, a place that’s wild and windswept and so capacious it could constitute its very own country”

Read the article