Francisca Labra
Marketing · Vivencias Travel
A field trip destination is not chosen because it looks good: it is chosen for the learning objective it makes possible. Astronomy in the Elqui Valley, glaciers in Magallanes, Mapuche culture in Pucón.
On a field trip the order matters: the learning objective comes first, the destination second. The teacher defines what the class should understand, and only then do you look for the place where that is understood better than in the classroom.
Chile has an advantage here that is not used enough. Few countries contain, within the same territory, the driest desert on Earth and an ice field.
These are the six destinations we operate for field trips and the content each one makes it possible to work on.
San Pedro de Atacama · Antofagasta Region
Science, astronomy, indigenous peoples
The skies of northern Chile are among the clearest on the planet, which makes a night of stargazing something no audiovisual resource can replace. Add the El Tatio geysers at sunrise — geothermal energy in action — the Valle de la Luna and the Baltinache lagoons.
The cultural component weighs as much as the scientific one: working with the Atacameño community allows indigenous peoples to be approached in the present, not only as historical content.
Torres del Paine · Magallanes
Biology, geography, natural heritage
A glacier seen up close explains in ten minutes what takes half a unit in the textbook. The boat trip to Grey Glacier, the Base Torres trek and the Milodón Cave provide material for physical geography, ecosystems and Patagonian wildlife.
The Selknam night, with the legends of the southern peoples, and Fuerte Bulnes bring the historical side.
Puerto Varas and Chiloé · Los Lagos Region
History, cultural heritage, ecosystems
This is probably the strongest destination for History. German colonisation is right there to be walked through: Frutillar, the German Colonial Museum, the architecture. And a step away is Chiloé, with the Puñihuil penguin colonies, curanto cooked in the ground and Isla Aucar.
Two distinct cultures, on the same outing, a few kilometres apart.
Pucón and La Araucanía
Mapuche culture, volcanic geography
The visit to the Walung Mapuche community — with palín and traditions — is the centrepiece. It is not a demonstration for tourists: it is contact with a living culture, which is exactly what the curriculum asks for when it covers indigenous peoples.
The setting contributes its own: volcanic geography, hot springs, the trek to Laguna Huinfuica and the Ojos del Caburgua.
Carretera Austral · Aysén
Geography, sustainability, isolation
This is the destination for understanding how geography shapes people’s lives. Coyhaique, Villa Cerro Castillo, Lago General Carrera. Fjords, native forest and villages at the end of the world.
It works particularly well for exploring sustainability and conservation with secondary students.
La Serena and the Elqui Valley · Coquimbo Region
Astronomy, pre-Columbian history, literature
The Elqui skies are among the clearest in the world, and a visit to an astronomical observatory closes any astronomy unit better than a diagram.
It is also a destination with unusual curricular density: the Archaeological Museum, with its mummies and Diaguita ceramics, covers pre-Columbian history, and the Gabriela Mistral house museum in Vicuña connects straight to Language. Fray Jorge National Park — a cloud forest in the middle of the desert — is a case study in ecosystems that is hard to beat.
How to choose
Three questions that help us decide quickly with schools:
1. Which learning objective do you want to cover? If the answer is "several", all the better: destinations with curricular density give more per outing 2. How many days do you have? One day is not three. Magallanes and Aysén cannot be done in a day from Santiago 3. Which year group is going? The same outing is planned differently for Year 8 than for Year 11
What does not change with the destination
The transport has to meet the rules, the consent forms have to be signed and the technical-pedagogical plan has to exist. That applies in Atacama just as much as in Chiloé.
Putting together an outing for this school year? Tell us the learning objective and we will propose the destination, not the other way round.
Vivencias Travel is a tour operator founded in Bariloche with a presence in Chile, Brazil and Mexico. In Chile it runs graduation trips, field trips and educational tourism, with offices in Santiago, La Serena and Temuco.
