Earthquake
Here is an update on the current situation in Chile.
05-03-2010 15:49 am
Despite our latest communication about confirming seats on LAN domestic flights: We are not always able to modify certain internal flights that have been purchased through another long haul airline which not is LA or IB. If such purchase was made through American Airlines, British Airways, Airfrance or Qantas; please better contact them directly for the flight changes.
02-03-2010 09:37 am
Here is an new update on the situation in Chile, this time with a bit more information about touristic infrastructure as communications slowly start to become stable. Also (click here) you will be able to find out which hotels have suffered damage to a certain extent. All other hotels not mentioned in this list and with whom Protours works are operating normally.
Altiplano (Arica, Iquique, Calama)
Everything is working on in this Region. Excursions are being held normally and hotels are operating in good conditions to receive travellers. Roads are also in good conditions for travelling either by bus or by car.
Atacama (San Pedro, Antofagasta)
Everything is working on in this Region. Excursions are being held normally and hotels are operating in good conditions to receive travellers. Roads are also in good conditions for travelling either by bus or by car.
Norte Chico (La Serena, Valle del Elqui, Copiapó)
Excursions are being held normally and hotels are operating in good conditions to receive travellers. Roads are also in good conditions for travelling either by bus or by car.
Easter Island
Excursions are being held normally and hotels are operating in good conditions to receive travellers. Roads are also in good conditions for travelling either by bus or by car.
Juan Fernández Islands
Completely hit by tsunami waves. Roads, ports, and airport in terrible conditions. No way of getting into the main island or getting out of there. There is no availability of hotels nor are excursions being held in this archipelago.
Valparaíso & Viña del Mar
Valparaíso’s new part of the port, where all cruises arrive, is opened, although the old part of such port suffered from some damage and it is therefore closed. It is expected that the old part will open quite soon. Excursions are being held normally and hotels are operating in good conditions to receive travellers. Roads are also in good conditions for travelling either by bus or by car.
Santiago
Roads to the south of the country have some interruptions and deviations; towards the north and the coast, roads are in good conditions. In Santiago, the damage has been of different proportions, but in general the tourist area remains unaffected
Wine Region (Santa Cruz and surroundings)
This region was heavily affected both because of the magnitude of the quake, but also due to the fact that adobe was the preeminent material that locals use for construction. Old houses and buildings suffered major damage.
Once again it is extremely important to reinforce the fact that none of our passengers was harmed.
The Maule Region suffered serious damage in all of the main cities and small towns. Places like Curicó, Parral, Talca and Linares whose old buildings were constructed in adobe, simply collapsed causing the loss of many lives. The Tsunami that stroke the cost of this area created even worse consequences. Small coastal towns simply disappeared.
Concepción
The area of Concepción, the second largest town in Chile, suffered the consequences of the 8.8 Richter Scale magnitude quake heavily. Communications with this area in particular have been very difficult. Water and electricity are slowly returning back to normal. We have not been able to get a hold of our suppliers there. No passengers were in this city or nearby.
Northern Lake District
Temuco and Pucón have reported some damages, but all passengers are ok. Valdivia has also suffered to some extent. We will be reporting later on with further details.
Southern Lake District (Puerto Varas, Puerto Montt, Chiloé)
The Earthquake was a mild tremor in the Lake District. No buildings were damaged and it was barely noticeable compared to the rest of the country. The only issue here could be that since connectivity is difficult, some goods like gas are becoming a bit scarce.
Patagonia
The quake was not noticed in Patagonia. Places like Torres del Paine, Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales are in perfect condition.
01-03-2010 17:24 pm.
Latest news from the Ministry of Infrastructure inform that Santiago’s International Airport, Comandante Arturo Benitez, COULD OPEN on Friday, 5th May 2010, to re-establish international departures. National departures COULD BE RE-ESTABLISHED within 24 hours. From Protours we are working hardly and hand in hand with LAN to enable passengers to get a seat within the firsts flights available, trying to get preferences within the airline procedures of seat assignation.
AFFECTED AREAS
First of all it is important to reinforce that most touristic areas such as San Pedro de Atacama, the Lake District and Patagonia were not affected at all by the earthquake. This means that all passengers visiting these places felt the quake as a small tremor. Santiago remains calm and the hotels are functioning normally. The main focus of the earthquake was 350 kilometers south of Santiago.
PROTOURS EFFORTS
We are currently putting all of our attention and efforts towards those passengers travelling within the next 2 days. We are contacting them and looking for the best possible solution.
We haven't got an official statement from the airlines yet so it is hard for us to foresee for how much longer the airport in Santiago is going to remain closed.
ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO ENTER/LEAVE CHILE
The Libertadores Pass, which connects Santiago and Mendoza is opened. Public buses are starting to operate normal services towards that city. This would allow some passengers to take flight from there to Buenos Aires and from there to their final destination:
These services can be hired directly from the passenger. We can also take them across in a private transfer with Protours. This is an alternative, nevertheless we currently do not manage information regarding flight availability from Mendoza to Buenos Aires. For passengers in the Lake District a similar option is available by reaching the city of Bariloche but only through Public buses so far. The Panamerican highway which goes along the country is interrupted in many places, but travelling is possible through some detours. Traffic is slow and extreme care is required.
HOW TO REACH US
Cell phones are still experiencing some difficulties. Please contact us at info@protourschile.com 56-65-234910 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 56-65-234910 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. We are getting many requests so we appreciate your patience.
Thanks again for all the support,
