Overview
The Chile overseas field course is run in the Atacama Desert (see next page for details), with a stop in Santiago first - the country's capital city, where we will have the experience to visit the National Museum of Natural History to get a taste of the wildlife. The field site is the Llanos de Challe National Park – a protected area widely known for its unique biodiversity and stunning environmental scenery. The Park is located in a privileged area encompassing an extensive coastline characterized by rocky and sandy shores of the desert, and the interior desert where extreme arid conditions prevail. Both environments show important contrasts – while the beaches tend to be characterized by white dunes and animal species that exploit these microhabitats (e.g., sand-diver lizards), the interior desert consists of harder substrates and a completely different vegetational diversity.
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The Field Calendar 2017
The field course will take place in September 2018, between the 10th (Monday) and the 20th (Thursday). The fieldcourse will include a visit to the National Museum of Natural History of Chile (in Santiago) on day 1 (10th September) – we will have exclusive access to the National Scientific Collections of Biodiversity, which will allow you to get a taste of the biodiversity found in Atacama. Then, early on Tuesday the 11th, we will be flying to the city of Copiapo (the major city in Atacama). Our bus will collect us from the airport and will take us straight to Huasco, a small town located 30 minutes (by bus) from the Llanos de Challe National Park, and over 2 hours from the Airport. Our hostel has sea views and a convenient location minutes from the main port of Huasco – please note that the hostel is organized in multiple rooms that will be shared by 2-3 people (it has power, private toilets, shower, and everything you need). The bus will take us every morning from the hostel to the National Park, where our field research will be conducted with the assistance and support of the Park’s Head and her staff of experienced rangers. We will be returning to Santiago on Thursday 20th. The flights take about 90 minutes.
Dates and Activities
10 September 2018
Day 1 – We gather in Santiago for the National Museum Visit at 10.30am local time – Meeting point is by the ticket office (there is only one) at the ‘Quinta Normal’ Metro Station (Metro = Underground), which is a Line 5 (Green) station. Although we normally leave together from the Happy House Hostel.
11 September 2018
Day 2 - We fly from Santiago to Copiapo and settle in Huasco. First day of field research will run in the afternoon only, and will include briefings, orientation session and a health and safety talk. We will also meet the National Park staff who will take us for general observations around the Park.
11-19 September 2018
Day 2 – Day 10 Field research (daily visits to the National Park)
20 September 2018
Day 11 - We fly from Copiapo to Santiago – Once we land in Santiago we officially complete the field course.
Dates and Activities
10 September 2018
Day 1 – We gather in Santiago for the National Museum Visit at 10.30am local time – Meeting point is by the ticket office (there is only one) at the ‘Quinta Normal’ Metro Station (Metro = Underground), which is a Line 5 (Green) station. Although we normally leave together from the Happy House Hostel.
11 September 2018
Day 2 - We fly from Santiago to Copiapo and settle in Huasco. First day of field research will run in the afternoon only, and will include briefings, orientation session and a health and safety talk. We will also meet the National Park staff who will take us for general observations around the Park.
11-19 September 2018
Day 2 – Day 10 Field research (daily visits to the National Park)
20 September 2018
Day 11 - We fly from Copiapo to Santiago – Once we land in Santiago we officially complete the field course.
Accommodation and Work Plan
The Llanos de Challe National Park is a fully protected area, which means that no buildings of any kind (other than the small refuges used by the rangers) are allowed in the area – only small, authorized areas, in some of the beaches are available for short-term camping. For this reason, we will be staying together in a hostel in Huasco, a small town located about 30 mins (by bus) from the National Park. Our private bus will collect us every morning, take us to the National Park, where we will stay all day (including the lunch break), and then by the end of the day (about 5-6pm) the bus will take us back to Huasco. Dinner is not provided by the hostel, and therefore, we will be heading together to a small restaurant that serves typical Chilean and seafood for dinner (keep in mind that most small town like this tend to have a few restaurants, which primarily serve typical local food – see section 3.2 for additional details about food).
Huasco is a typical ‘port town’ where the economy heavily relies on marine resources. The town is quiet and nightlife is primarily restricted to groups of friends meeting at squares or very occasional (and spectacular) carnivals (which you may or may not be able to see). Therefore, do not expect having opportunities to go out in the evenings, other than dinner and possibly walks around the town. Members of staff will usually (but not necessarily always) be willing to join your walks around town in the evening, to probably sit somewhere for a quick drink or typically Chilean snack.
The hostel has a convenient location with a sea view. Rooms have been designed to accommodate 2-4 people each. All rooms have private toilets (which are obviously shared by people occupying the same room) with all regular facilities (e.g., shower, hot water, etc). The hostel has electricity supplied. Bedding is also fully provided. You feel free to bring your own sleeping bag to ensure extra warmth is needed and everyone must also bring their own towels. On day one, before students are allocated rooms, we will need to have a general chat about safety and escape routes in case of an emergency.
Huasco is a typical ‘port town’ where the economy heavily relies on marine resources. The town is quiet and nightlife is primarily restricted to groups of friends meeting at squares or very occasional (and spectacular) carnivals (which you may or may not be able to see). Therefore, do not expect having opportunities to go out in the evenings, other than dinner and possibly walks around the town. Members of staff will usually (but not necessarily always) be willing to join your walks around town in the evening, to probably sit somewhere for a quick drink or typically Chilean snack.
The hostel has a convenient location with a sea view. Rooms have been designed to accommodate 2-4 people each. All rooms have private toilets (which are obviously shared by people occupying the same room) with all regular facilities (e.g., shower, hot water, etc). The hostel has electricity supplied. Bedding is also fully provided. You feel free to bring your own sleeping bag to ensure extra warmth is needed and everyone must also bring their own towels. On day one, before students are allocated rooms, we will need to have a general chat about safety and escape routes in case of an emergency.