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We organize tours to different places of interest in the
afternoons and frequently on weekends. These visits are organized courtesy of the school, however, students should expect to pay transportation and entrance fees when applicable. Santiago and the surrounding
areas have various attractions including the Andes, historical sites, theatres, museums, concerts, beaches, movies and hot springs where you will have the opportunity to continue using your spanish skills as you get to know the culture, personality and customs of the Chilean people.
In addition, the school can assist you with organizing professional visits or other recreational activities with discounts when available.

Picture of the Week
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Elqui Valley (Northern) |

Chimbarongo, Mimbre Handicraft |

Typical Country House in Central Zone |

Guanaqueros Beach |

Osorno Outskirts |

El Alba Little Town (Handicraft Sells) |

LLanquihue Lake (Southtern) |

Salto del Laja (falls) |

Viña del Mar City
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Coñaripe Thermal |
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Some of the main places
in Santiago city we visit are:
- MIM
The Mirador Interactive Museum is an excellent
place to discover why and how things work in a virtual manner. You will learn about
electricity, physics, chemistry etc.
- CERRO SANTA LUCIA (Santa Lucia Hill)
Santiago is fortunate to have Cerro
Santa Lucia located right in the city centre. The indigenous people of Chile
call the hill Huelén. This unique geographical feature was beautified and made into a public park
by Benjamin Vicuña Mackenna in the second half of the 19th century.
He spared no effort in using public resources and spending his own
personal fortune to finance the architectural and botanical project.
- THE HOUSES OF PABLO NERUDA
Neruda, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971, had three houses, one in the
district of Bellavista in Santiago called La Chascona, another in Valparaíso called La
Sebastiana, and a third at Isla Negra. All are unique, charming, and reflect the eccentricity of the poet.
- JEWELRY AND HANDICRAFT MARKETS (at
Manquehue, Santa Lucia, etc.)
These provide a marvelous opportunity to appreciate native Chilean
handicrafts made of
metal, wood, cloth, stone etc. They are also the perfect place to buy gifts and souvenirs at a
good price.
- CERRO SAN CRISTOBAL (San Cristobal
Hill) AND PARQUE METROPOLITANO (Metropolitan Park)
At the summit of the hill there is a splendid view of Santiago.
You will get there by cable car, funicular railway or automobile. The statue of the virgin on the summit of the hill was unveiled in 1910 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Chile. At the
summit you will find excellent restaurants, a wine center, swimming pool and handicrafts at
the botanic garden. Below the hill there is also a zoo.
- MUNICIPAL THEATRE
The Municipal Theatre, located near Cerro Santa Lucia is alive with music. It is an excellent place to enjoy an opera or a concert organized by the
illustrious
Municipality of Santiago. It is one of the most beautiful public buildings in the capital.
- CONCHA
Y TORO VINEYARD
We visit this (and other) famous "viñas", where you take tours of the vineyards, taste the excellent wines, and have the opportunity to purchase them as well. At Concho y Toro, there is an old legend that Marqués' workers used to steal the wines which were produced. To
prevent this from occurring, he ordered that a wine cellar be built, where he kept the best of the
year's produce. He then spread the rumour that Satan appeared in the wine cellar...never
again did anyone enter the cellar to steal!
- PUEBLITO
DEL ALBA
Situated alongside a very old church of Dominican monks in an exclusive neighborhood of
Las Condes, there is an original handicraft fair where you can find examples
of Chilean handicrafts, antiques, jewelry, furniture, textiles
and food at good prices.
- PARQUE FORESTAL (Park) AND MUSEO DE
BELLAS ARTES (Museum of Fine Arts)
The park begins near Baquedano Square at the Fuente Alemana (German Fountain), a monument
donated by the Chilean-German community. It is one of the "green lungs" of
Santiago and contains sculptures and hundreds of trees. On Saturdays and Sundays it is
full of street performers, street vendors, and families who enjoy the ambiance and tranquility within the park. The Museum of Fine Arts is an impressive neo-classical style building,
which houses the artistic works of Chileans since the colonial period.
- MERCADO CENTRAL (Central Market)
Located in the heart of Santiago, the nearly one hundred year-old central market is a
centre where you can purchase fish, meat, flowers, vegetables and handicrafts. Tourists
can visit innumerable restaurants with different Chilean specialities. Our
students will be able to taste traditional Chilean fish dishes.
OOptional
visits outside of the Metropolitan Region
- RUTA DEL VINO (Wine Highway)
(Full day excursion). We will travel along the wine highway, the road to
Santa Cruz 200 km South of Santiago. We will visit vineyards, wine cellars, see the
process of production and bottling, have a country barbecue lunch and visit the Santa Cruz
Museum where we will be shown a slideshow and hear a talk about the history of the region.
- VALPARAISO AND VIÑA DEL MAR
100 km away on the coast, Valparaíso is a major port, which displays its past splendor
through the houses carved out of the hills of the bay. Currently this port city is the
seat of the Chilean Congress. Viña del Mar is the favorite summer destination of citizens
of the capital and it is the capital of tourism. Every year in February the international
song festival of Viña del Mar takes place, which attracts singers from all over the
world. The city is full of fun!
- THE NORTHERN DESERT AND SOUTHERN
LAKES
If you have time, you can elect to travel to the northern part of the country where you will
find very interesting tourist sites such as the Museum of Padre La Paige in San Pedro de
Atacama, the geysers at El Tatío, the thermal baths at Mamiña, etc. If you you go to the south, you can visit the island of Chiloé, the Villarica Volcano,
the Osorno Volcano, and fall in in
love with the blue Chilean lakes.
- LA SERENA: LAND OF SUN, SEA,
ASTRONOMY AND MAGNETIC VALLEYS
La Serena is situated
500 kms. north of Santiago and you can get there by plane in 1 hour
or overland in 6 hours. You will find sunny beaches with diverse marine
fauna. There is a great variety of cuisines and foods including various
fruits and vegetables. If you travel inland towards the interior valleys
you will find one of the main astronomical observatories in the country
at Cerro Tololo. Further inland is the magnetism of the Elqui Valley,
a main tourist attraction where at night "you can
touch the stars with your hand" (It is said that UFOs have been
sighted there).
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