OPTIONAL EASTER ISLAND EXTENSION

Explore Easter Island landscapes dotted with towering stone heads and learn about the Rapa Nui people who created them, on a five-day journey to one of the world's most remote islands.

Day 1: Santiago / Easter Island
Board a flight crossing 2,500 miles of Pacific Ocean to Easter Island where a traditional floral collar reception welcomes you before the short transfer to your hotel.
Hotel Otai

Days 2 – 4: Easter Island
During one of Polynesia’s cultural apexes about 1,000 years ago, the island’s people built hundreds of huge stone heads (moai) and fashioned a cult around the mysterious “Bird Man.” But clan warfare, over-population and declining resources took their toll and today, only the staring heads and Bird Man bas-reliefs are left to tell the story. Fortunately, you can visit the quarry where moai were created and hundreds of statues in various stages of completion stand, including Ahu Te Pito Kura, the largest moai ever erected on an ahu (platform). You can also take in Easter Island’s natural beauty with scenic walks to Rano Raraku’s volcanic crater or have a bush lunch on the shore at Anakena with its stunning beaches.
Hotel Otai: B, L (B only day 3)

Day 5: Easter Island / Santiago
Board your return fl ight to Santiago and connect to your onward journey.
Hotel Otai: B

OPTIONAL CHILEAN WINE COUNTRY EXTENSION

Explore wineries and small family vineyards on this fascinating three-day extension.

Day 1: Santiago / Colchagua Valley
Visit several of Chile’s prestigious vineyards, sampling wines aged to perfection throughout the scenic Colchagua Valley, a winemaking sub-region of the Rapel Valley.
Hotel Santa Cruz Plaza: L, D

Day 2: Colchagua Valley
Experience huaso (Chilean cowboy) culture this morning at Hacienda Lolol, where you can ride horses, hike or visit nearby ruins. Continue to the Museum of Colchagua to see one of Chile’s largest and most impressive displays of paleontology, archaeology and pre-Hispanic art. Go off the beaten path this afternoon to Espiritus de Colchagua, a family-run, small-scale producer of organic liqueurs made from local fruits, nuts and herbs. Sample some of the 50 “elixirs,” ccompanied by a selection of dried fruits, cheeses and breads while the owner describes the philosophy behind the production process.
Hotel Santa Cruz Plaza: B, L, D

Day 3: Colchagua Valley/Santiago
After breakfast, visit one of Chile’s most beautiful vineyards: Viña Montes. A privately hosted wine tasting is followed by lunch before your transfer back to Santiago.
B, L

OPTIONAL BUENOS AIRES & IGUAZU FALLS EXTENSION

Experience lush forests, unique species and spectacular scenery on this three-day extension.

Day 1: Buenos Aires / Iguazu Falls
Fly to Iguazú Falls and explore the Brazilian side of the falls for spectacular panoramic views. The 275 breathtaking cascades span a gulf of almost two miles. Join your guide on a walking tour through the National Park of Iguazú to a catwalk that is just an arm’s reach away from the falls.
Sheraton Internacional Iguazú

Day 2: Iguazu Falls
Visit the Argentinean side of the park to walk the trails above and along the falls. Beautiful flowers, ferns, tropical plants, butterflies and exotic birds add to the exciting experience of this close encounter with Iguazú. Later, an all-terrain vehicle takes you through the jungle along the Yacatariá trail, culminating in a Zodiac excursion up the Lower Iguazú River. The remainder of your day is at leisure to relax or enjoy the hotel’s amenities.
Sheraton Internacional Iguazú: B

Day 3: Iguazú Falls / Buenos Aires
Today board your flight back to Buenos Aires.
B

OPTIONAL BARILOCHE EXTENSION

Enjoy the many activities available in this scenic northwestern Patagonian region.

DAY 1: Buenos Aires / Bariloche
Board a flight to Bariloche and transfer to your hotel located between Lake Moreno and Lake Nahuel Huapi, at the foot of snow-capped peaks.
Llao Llao Hotel & Resort

DAY 2: Bariloche
This morning, explore Bariloche on a sightseeing tour and enjoy some of the most attractive scenery in Argentina. Visit the Llao Llao Peninsula, beautiful Lopez Bay and the Cerro Campanario chairlift, offering spectacular views of the valley below. The afternoon is at leisure to enjoy the hotel’s facilities.
Llao Llao Hotel & Resort: B

DAY 3: Bariloche
Today is at your leisure. Choose from the variety of optional activities offered at the lodge including hiking, mountain biking, archery, tango lessons, horseback riding and spa treatments.
Llao Llao Hotel & Resort: B

DAY 4: Bariloche / Buenos Aires
Transfer to the airport for a flight back to Buenos Aires.
B

Ecological missions designed to bring resources and equipment to areas impacted by global warming.

Travel with expert naturalists and guides and enjoy state-of-the-art comfort aboard MV 'Minerva'. Visit a working scientific station. Experience a smoother crossing of the Drake Passage due to 'Minerva's' stabilizers; Zodiac boats take you ashore for up close views of wildlife and appreciation of this remote, spectacular land.

About the Climate Change Challenge
Antarctica is currently the fastest warming area on the planet with temperatures and related ice-melt increasing at an even faster rate than had been predicted. The effects of global warming will have an impact on marine, animal and human life around the planet.

As part of the Climate Change Challenge, Abercrombie & Kent is organizing a mission trip to Antarctica. Dr. James B. McClintock, professor, scientist and award-winning author will lead the expedition. Dr. McClintock will share with travellers how climate change is rapidly influencing marine life on the Antarctic Peninsula, tales of what life is like at an Antarctic research station, his research diving adventures, his marine ecological studies, and his drug discovery program that recently found an anti-cancer compound in an Antarctic marine invertebrate.

Join this mission and make a direct contribution to the fight against global warming, presenting Palmer scientific research station on Anvers Island with the new Hyperspectral Irradiance Sensor to support Antarctic climate change research. This instrument gathers data critical to better understand the impacts of climate warming along the Antarctic Peninsula and its impacts on major types of phytoplankton (the small plant cells in the ocean). The sensor will be used for on-going research projects and your contribution is included in the price of your cruise.

Your Climate Change Challenge Leader, Dr. James B. McClintock
An Endowed University Professor of Polar and Marine Biology, Jim's research primarily focuses on the chemical ecology of Antarctic marine invertebrates. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, he has led twelve expeditions to Antarctica including one to the subantarctic Kerguelen Islands in the Southern Indian Ocean, seven to McMurdo Sound on the Ross Sea, and four to Palmer Station on the Antarctic Peninsula. Diving below the sea ice and from open water Zodiacs, his research team collects sponges, corals, and other marine invertebrates from depths of up to 130 feet to study how toxic chemicals they produce are employed in their own defense against predators, fouling organisms and competitors. Chemicals that are discovered during Jim's research are sent to the National Cancer Institute and other disease screening programs to test them against cancer, cystic fibrosis, and infectious diseases.

Jim is the author of over 175 research publications and two books. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation for over two decades. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association of Sciences, has won an international prize for an outstanding research publication, university teaching and research awards, and has been awarded the US Antarctic medal for his service in Antarctica. To honor his research accomplishments in 1998 the US Board of Geographic Names dedicated a point of land "McClintock Point" on the west side of McMurdo Sound, Ross Sea, Antarctica in his name.