We were as sad as everyone else to hear news of the earthquake in Chile last week. The earthquake was huge and we have been following it on the news, hearing from our friends in Chile, and also people who we had in Santiago at the time. There were four people who had recently finished trips with us in Santiago when the earthquake happened, and it sounds like the tremors were very scary for them.
Although the earthquake was massive, and there has been the loss of many lives and a lot of destruction close to the epicentre, which is deeply saddening, it is at the same time fortunate that Chile has been devoting a lot of resources to making itself as resilient as possible to such disasters, mainly in terms of the planning and construction of buildings.
For this reason the devastation caused was a lot less than it otherwise would have been. In Santiago, though there has been damage to some roads and buildings, in general life is continuing as usual and most buildings and roads are unaffected.
Our heart goes out to the people of Chile, and all those affected by the disaster, and we hope that they will be able to recover quickly.
From a practical point of view, we have two trucks that will be heading up through Chile later this month from the South. Our route does not go close to the centre of the earthquake in Conceptión, however we are expecting that there will be some minor changes to our routes in the South to take into account damage caused to some roads. We are not expecting these to significantly affect our itineraries, as where there are problems, we will take other roads locally.
For those starting trips in Santiago in April with us, we are confident that there will be no change to the itinerary necessary, as we start in Santiago and head north, away from the centre of the quake. Though the airport is currently not operating at full capacity (due to minor damage to the terminal building) we would expect that it will be back to operating at normal levels before the arrival of our groups in April.
We have heard from our friends in La Casa Roja, the hostel we use in Santiago, and all is well there are business continues as usual. We have also heard from other friends and partners in Chile, and thankfully everyone is ok.
Again, our thoughts go out to those affected by the quake, and we urge any of you concerned about travelling to the area to contact us, as one way to support the people of Chile is through continued tourism, and we feel that Chile offers just as much today as ever.
Come and meet the Oasis Overland Team at the TNT Travel Show this Saturday. We look forward to seeing you there! You never know there might even be some discounted trips on offer!
Due to popular demand, we have added an additional departure date for the Trans Africa Expedition. This trip will depart on 14th November 2010, following the normal route and itinerary, and we are anticipating a lot of interest! So whether youre one of those people who were gutted you missed out on the first trip, or youre sitting there thinking you want an adventure like no other, then don’t hesitate!! Book now and join us in November, for the ultimate expedition you’ll never forget! Check out the adventure!
We have launched a variety of volunteer projects that you can be involved in either before or after your Oasis Overland trip starts. Check out our new 
