*NOTE:  Nov. 10 and 11 tour schedules were swapped because museums are closed on Mondays.  (changed on 9/18/08)

Time:  9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Pickup Time and Place: 8:30 am at front of El Araucano Hotel via Motorcoach

Itinerary: 

This program will take you through the Chilean country land where you will see typical craft work of the area.  You will also enjoy good wines and observe one of the country’s most important natural attractions of the Bío Bío Region.  You will travel by bus heading south to one of the greatest natural monuments, the Salto del Laja (waterfalls).  You will travel next to Bulnes to an exclusive winery where you will see the production of grapes to the final product, tasting samples such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Carmenere.  Lunch will be served at the vineyard.  The final stop is a small rural town called Quinchamali, an example of the typical Chilean country land.  This town is well known for its central craft market, artisans, and special pottery.  Here you’ll see the techniques of several handcrafters.  You should be able to see the Andes in the distance.   

Cost:  $70 per person (includes lunch)

Time: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
Pickup Time and Place: 8:30 am at front of El Araucano Hotel via Motorcoach
 
Itinerary: Begin with a panoramic city tour of Concepción where you’ll see several history and art museums in Concepción, the Universidad del Bío-Bío, Parque Ecuador, and Caracol Hill. You will then head to the historical city of Lota to find out about the miners and the founders of the city. You will visit the park Isidora Cousino and tour around the gardens with native trees and exotic birds. At the historical museum, guides dressed like Isidora will tour you around the history of the family and the city of Lota throughout the objects and photographs found in the museum related to the coal mines. After that you will head to the mine Chiflon Del Diablo, the only one in the world you can visit accompanied by true miners that tell the story, myths and legends of the mine. You will stop for lunch along the way, but it is not included in the cost of the tour.

Cost: $68 per person (does not include lunch)

 

Time:  7:00 pm to ?

Pickup Time and Place:  7:00 pm at front of El Araucano Hotel via Motorcoach

The Official Banquet will be held at Casino Llacolen.  This is a private club.  It is a beautiful place, on a lake, with swimming pools and lovely gardens.  Buses will transport guests from the hotel to the club and back. They will leave promptly at 7:00 pm and return after all events are completed at the Banquet. Each attendee has 1 banquet ticket included in their registration.    Dinner includes:  2 before-dinner drinks, 1 wine, appetizers, salad, main entrée, dessert, coffee, and tea.  The menu is fixed.

Entertainment will be provided by a local Folkloric group who will dance and offer cultural music. 

Cost for Additional Banquet Ticket:  $50

Time:  8:00 am to 6:00 pm

Pickup Time and Place:  8:00 am at front of El Araucano Hotel via Motorcoach

Itinerary: Drive to Nueva Aldea where we will tour Arauco's pulp and panel plant until 12:00.  Arauco is one of the largest forestry enterprises in Latin America in terms of surface area and yield of its plantations, production of market kraft woodpulp, and production of sawtimber and panels. We would then tour Forestal Mininco's working plantation and greenhouse, seeing the process from seedling to harvest. We will return to Concepción and take a short tour of the city.

Cost:  $75 per person (includes lunch)

Pucon – 5 hour drive south of Concepción
Chillan Thermal Baths (160 km from Concepción) Chillan is an artisan town
Lota Mine and Parque tour - 24500 P ($49)
Concepción City Tour - 9500 P ($19)
Talcahuano-Monitor Tour – 16000 P ($32)
Laja Falls, Winery, Quinchamali – 34800 P ($70) includes lunch
Rafting the Bío Bío River – 42000 p ($84) includes lunch
Bío Bío region, Los Angeles, Lago Pangue, Santa Barbara – 28500 P ($57)
Arauco Forest Park (5 km from Concepción)
Chillan (112 km from Concepción)
Los Angeles (127 km from Concepción)
Temuco (287 km from Concepción)
Petrox Oil Refinery (12 km from Concepción)
Hualapen Peninsula – where the Bío Bío River reaches the sea
National Parks & Reserves
Lanalhue Lake Area (150 km from Concepción)
The Wine Route (Ruta del Vino), San Fernando
Hualqui (24 cm from Concepción) – Handicrafts, horses
LAN Chile Vacations - http://www.lanvacations.com/site_lan/index.asp
 

Bío-Bío  Convention Bureau