2020 will include a number of eclipses spread throughout the year that will be visible from different locations around the world. The year will culminate with a truly exciting event, a total solar eclipse, that will be best seen from South America and southern parts of Africa, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. With that in mind, one tour company has just announced a dedicated tour that will take guests on a unique adventure across Argentina with an astronomy expert.
Launched by Intrepid Travel, the excursions are happening throughout December 2020, and are available as eight-day, 11-day or 13-day trips. Led by Dr. John Mason, an astronomy expert and veteran eclipse chaser, the group will be based out of San Carlos de Bariloche, a picturesque city set in the foothills of the Andes and bordered by the Nahuel Huapi National Park and Lake. The city is also an important centre of scientific research and boasts a wealth of cultural and historical monuments. Before and after the eclipse, guests will have the opportunity to explore the region, and will travel to an eclipse observing site north-east of Piedra del Aguila, one of the best spots in the world to see the event.
“A total eclipse of the sun is without doubt one of nature’s greatest spectacles. It is an assault on all of the senses. For a few brief minutes, the dark disk of the new moon completely covers the brilliant face of the sun and an eerie twilight descends. The brightest stars and planets appear in the darkened sky, flowers close, birds go to roost and cattle lie down. It is as though the world holds its breath. Total solar eclipses can become incredibly addictive. No two are ever the same and choosing beautiful and different locations from which to observe them only adds to the magic and the wonder,” Dr. John Mason told Lonely Planet Travel News.
According to Dr. Mason, a unique solar event can be the perfect basis for a trip, leading travellers to destinations that are new to them. “Total solar eclipses also provide a great opportunity for travellers to see wonderful and often quite remote places all over the planet. If you plan your travels around total solar eclipses, you will never have to argue about where to go or when you must go because the timing and location of the eclipse path does that for you,” he said.
Other activities on the tours include pre-eclipse lectures, stargazing from the remote Elqui Valley in Chile, getting a taste of the Argentinian ranch life, and sailing on the Nahuel Huapi Lake on a catamaran.
More information is available at the official Intrepid Travel website.
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