loading spinner
Chile/Rapa Nui

The Atacama Desert and Easter Island: Different Worlds

Program No. 3892RJ
The Moai structures of Easter Island and the geoglyphs of the Atacama Desert have puzzled and delighted mankind for centuries. Come see why as you unravel the mysteries for yourself.

Enroll with Confidence

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more

Protecting the Environment

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more

Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
Mar 22 - Apr 10, 2024
Starting at
9,499
Filling Fast!
Oct 18 - Nov 6, 2024
Starting at
9,599
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Mar 22 - Apr 10, 2024
Starting at
10,449
Filling Fast!
Oct 18 - Nov 6, 2024
Starting at
10,549

At a Glance

Journey through two of the world’s most enchanting and mysterious locales: the Atacama Desert and Easter Island. Explore the varying differences between the civilization that thrived in the Atacama salt flat and the mysterious cultural phenomenon known as Easter Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Embrace Chile’s natural beauty as you immerse yourself in the history and culture of this ancient land.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to one hour over uneven terrain; some stairs. Elevations up to 9,000 feet.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Visit the pre-Inca fortress of Pukara de Quitor in Atacama.
  • Explore the Atacama Salt Flat where flamingo colonies nest.
  • Discover the significance of the Orongo Ceremonial Village on Easter Island.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Claudio Le Roy
Claudio Le Roy has been leading Road Scholar adventures in Chile and Peru for more than 20 years. He has also designed and carried out a number of personal volunteer initiatives in these areas with a focus on the most needed, especially children. He holds degrees in second language teaching and a bachelor’s in English language and literature. Besides his career as a language teacher, Mr. Le Roy worked for ten years as a professional dancer for the National Folkloric Ballet of Chile.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Claudio Le Roy
Claudio Le Roy View biography
Claudio Le Roy has been leading Road Scholar adventures in Chile and Peru for more than 20 years. He has also designed and carried out a number of personal volunteer initiatives in these areas with a focus on the most needed, especially children. He holds degrees in second language teaching and a bachelor’s in English language and literature. Besides his career as a language teacher, Mr. Le Roy worked for ten years as a professional dancer for the National Folkloric Ballet of Chile.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Insight Guide Chile
by Insight Guides
This glossy guide provides a full-color introduction by a team of experts to the land, people, history and attractions of Chile. Brief background essays highlight important topics. With many local and regional maps.
Rapa Nui, Island of Memory
by Georgia Lee
Full of anecdote and incident, Lee's lively memoir of fieldwork on Rapa Nui celebrates the people and life on the island since the 1980s.
Easter Island Map
by ITMB
A colorful topographic map (1:30,000).
A Wildlife Guide to Chile
by Sharon Chester
Chester's splendid guide, featuring 120 color plates, covers the wildlife, plants and natural history of Chile from the Atacama Desert and Patagonia to Easter Island and Antarctica.
San Pedro de Atacama Map
by JLM Maps
A detailed road map of San Pedro de Atacama and surroundings at a scale of 1:500,000.
Birds of Southern South America & Antarctica
by Martin D. la Pena, Maurice Rumboll
With color plates, range maps and brief descriptions, this is a compact regional guide.
Easter Island, the Essential Guide
by Kay Sanger
Sanger covers the history, archaeology, people and practicalities in this authoritative guide, published by the Easter Island Foundation.
The Statues That Walked, Unraveling the Mystery of Easter Island
by Carl Lipo, Terry Hunt
Drawing on archaeological evidence and their own work, Hunt and Lip challenge Jared Diamond's view of eco-catastrophe in this convincing new history of Rapa Nui.
Desert Memories, Journeys Through the Chilean North
by Ariel Dorfman
A quest for national history, personal memories, and family origins in the Atacama by the noted playwright, novelist and essayist. The legacy of mining, Pinochet, and the author's own history are woven into this meditative account.
Easter Island
by Jennifer Vanderbes
In this mesmerizing novel, Vanderbes spins parallel stories of two young women on Easter Island, one an archaeologist with a 1913 expedition and the other an American botanist who visits 60 years later.
A Desert Bestiary, Folklore, Literature, and Ecological Thought from the World's Dry Places
by Gregory McNamee
From the ant to the wolf, this is a lively, informative tribute to desert animals and their place in literature, folklore and ecology.
Chile Map
by National Geographic
This National Geographic Adventure map includes a clear view of Chile from Laguna San Rafael south to Cape Horn (1,1,750,000).
Dry, Life Without Water
by Ehsan Masood, Daniel Schaffer
A generously illustrated survey of the people, cultures and habitats of the world's deserts, ranging from Sudan and the Burkina Faso to the Skeleton Coast in Namibia, China, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Oman and the deserts of North and South America, including the Atacama.





Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.