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Prehistoric Cave Art of Spain & France April 15 - 27, 2015 (13 Days) with Paleoanthropologist Ian Tattersall © Manfred Heyde © Daniel Canton Expedition Highlights • Investigate the most important southwestern • Travel with world-renowned paleoanthropologist European Ice Age art sites, including the Cueva Ian Tattersall, a popular study leader who regularly del Castillo, which has produced the very earliest leads AMNH Expeditions exploring the prehistory of painting; Cougnac,with its delicate stalactites Spain and France. MIND and images of the extinct giant deer Megaloceros; • Discover archaeological and ethnographic museums Pech-Merle, renowned for its richly complex with superb exhibits of prehistoric artifacts, including "spotted horse" panel; Rouffignac, the "cave of the Museum of Human Evolution in Burgos, the mammoths;" and many others. Also visit Altamira Museum, Museum of Les Eyzies, and the YOUR the spectacular reproductions of Altamira II and Museé d’Aquitaine; plus the modern art collections of Lascaux II, and the unique ancient human fossil and Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum. archaeological sites of Atapuerca. • Explore charming villages and cities, including • Enjoy excellent hotels and charming inns, as well as Santillana del Mar and San Sebastian. fine wine and cuisine. NGAGE • Limited to just 20 participants. E Study Leader Ian Tattersall, Curator Emeritus, is a world renowned expert on physical anthropology and human evolution. He has lectured to acclaim on numerous AMNH Expeditions to Spain, France, and throughout the world, including this very Prehistoric Cave Art itinerary in spring 2014. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Columbia University. Trained in geology as well as in archaeology and anthropology, he has carried out field research on living primates and has collected fossils throughout the world. Dr. Tattersall has written many books, including Masters of the Planet and Becoming Human: Evolution and Human Uniqueness, which examines cave art and the origins of human creativity. "Ian is not just knowledgeable, but great fun to travel with." "Dr. Tattersall was unfailingly accessible, informative and patient. His enthusiasm for the subject was infectious and we learned a great deal from him." ReseRve YouR space TodaY Itinerary Pair-non-Pair Les Eyzies- Rouffignac de-Tayac Bay of Biscay Lascaux II Bordeaux Wednesday April 15, 2015 ~ HOME | BILBAO, Spain Cap Blanc Depart home on independent flights to Bilbao, Spain. Font-de-Gaume Pech Merle Santillana del Mar Cougnac Thursday, April 16 ~ SANTILLANA DEL MAR Bilbao rance Arriving in the morning or early afternoon, take a group transfer to the F Toulouse charming medieval town of Santillana del Mar, one of Europe’s most Altamira II San Sebastian Niaux perfectly preserved medieval villages. Check in to our hotel and then Las Monedas / Atapuerca take a walking tour of the village. Gather for a welcome dinner at our El Castillo Burgos hotel this evening. Overnight at Parador de Santillana Gil Blas (annex building) for two nights. (D) Spain Friday, April 17 ~ SANTILLANA DEL MAR | ALTAMIRA II | PUENTE VIESGO CAVES This morning, visit Altamira II, an exact replica of Altamira (the “Sistine Chapel of Prehistoric Art”), decorated with vivid depictions of bison and other animals dating back 15,000 years; as well as the Altamira Museum, with its informative exhibits on Cantabrian prehistory and cave art. Depart this afternoon for the lush Pas Valley, home to the village of Puente Viesgo (the “Prehistoric Capital of Cantabria”), to explore Las Monedas Caves and the Cueva del Castillo. Return to Santillana del Mar for an independent evening. (B,L) Saturday, April 18 ~ SANTILLANA DEL MAR | BILBAO Return to Bilbao, driving through the dramatic Carranza Gorges to visit the small Covalanas Cave, where some of the prehistoric drawings are rendered in a little-used technique known as “the inkpad,” in which lines are created from dots of red pigment. This afternoon is devoted to visiting Bilbao’s spectacular Guggenheim Museum, Frank O. Gehry’s architectural masterpiece. Overnight at the Silken Gran Hotel Domine for two nights. (B,D) Sunday, April 19 ~ BILBAO | ATAPUERCA | BURGOS | BILBAO After breakfast, visit the caves of Atapuerca, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which have provided the earliest and most abundant evidence of humankind in Europe. Continue on to Burgos for lunch and an exploration of the impressive Museum of Human Evolution. The evening is at leisure in Bilbao. (B,L) Monday, April 20 ~ BILBAO | SAN SEBASTIAN | BORDEAUX, France Depart Bilbao and visit the recently opened Ekainberri, a precise replica of the Ekain cave, famous for its Magdalenian period cave paintings that were discovered in 1969. Continue to the charming city of San Sebastian. After a leisurely independent lunch, drive to Bordeaux, France. Overnight at the Hotel Burdigala. (B) Tuesday, April 21 ~ BORDEAUX | LES EYZIES-DE-TAYAC Begin the day with a visit to the Musée d’Aquitaine, a museum of history and archaeology exhibiting prehistoric to present-day artifacts of the Aquitaine region. After free time for lunch in Bordeaux, visit the prehistoric cave of Pair-non-Pair, known for its animal engravings and fossilized animal bones, and then continue on to Les Eyzies. Overnight at Hotel Le Cro-Magnon for four nights. (B,D) © Thomas Quine Email: [email protected] Wednesday, April 22 ~ LES EYZIES | THE PÉRIGORD REGION The Périgord Region in the southwest of France offered numerous shelters and caves for our early ancestors. Today, we are joined by Christine Desdemaines-Hugon, a specialist guide for the caves of the Dordogne. Visit the Museum of Les Eyzies, exhibiting artifacts from several millennia of prehistory; and then the site of Abri Pataud, where extensive digging in the early 1960s revealed details of Cro-Magnon life. After an independent lunch in Les Eyzies, explore the prehistoric cave of Rouffignac, and then enjoy an evening in Les Eyzies at leisure. (B) Thursday, April 23 ~ THE PÉRIGORD REGION This morning, visit Lascaux II, a perfect replica of the large cave of Lascaux, one of Europe’s most significant prehistoric sites. Have an independent lunch in Les Eyzies or, if time allows, Montignac, © Georges Jansoone before driving on to the cave of Font-de-Gaume. Return to Les Eyzies and gather for dinner. (B,D) Friday, April 24 ~ THE PÉRIGORD REGION Drive to the prehistoric cave of Cougnac, known for its paintings of extinct Megaloceros and “wounded men” images. Enjoy an independent lunch and early afternoon in Sarlat, and then make a late afternoon visit to the shelter of Cap Blanc. Return to Les Eyzies for an evening at leisure. (B) Saturday, April 25 ~ LES EYZIES | TOULOUSE Depart Les Eyzies after breakfast and visit the cave of Pech Merle. After lunch in the town of Vers, continue on to Toulouse and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure. Overnight at the Hotel Crowne Plaza for two nights. (B,L) Sunday, April 26 ~ TOULOUSE | NIAUX Visit the outstanding cave of Niaux, comprising a vast network of galleries that stretch over a mile. After a light lunch nearby, return to Toulouse for a walking tour. Gather this evening for our farewell dinner. (B,L,D) Monday, April 27 ~ TOULOUSE | HOME Transfer to the Toulouse airport this morning for flights home. (B) © HTO © Didier Descouens Visit: www.amnhexpeditions.org • Call: 800-856-8951 The American Museum of Natural History established AMNH Expedition Rates (Per Person) Expeditions in 1953, the first museum educational travel Double Occupancy ........................................$7,995 program in the country. Its educational travel programs reflect past and current areas of science and exploration by the curators Single Supplement (limited availability) ..........$1,295 tatement of the Museum and provide a combination of study and S Prices are based on a minimum of 15 and maximum of 20 participants. adventure. Participation in AMNH Expeditions helps support With fewer than 15 participants, a small group surcharge may be added. the Museum’s mission to discover, interpret, and disseminate – through scientific research and education – knowledge about Prices Include: ission human cultures, the natural world, and the universe. • Leadership of AMNH study leader Ian Tattersall; M • Eleven nights’ accommodations as outlined in the itinerary; What to Expect: This is a relatively strenuous program and you • 11 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, and 5 Dinners, including house wine with dinner; • Group arrival transfer on April 16th (flights should arrive by early afternoon); must be in good physical condition to participate. Visits to the caves and th other archaeological sites necessitate walking and climbing unassisted • Individual departure taxi transfers on April 27 ; without handrails, sometimes over steep and slippery terrain. Weather • All entrance fees to sites included in the itinerary; in Spain and France in late April is generally pleasant, with average daytime • Surface transportation in air-conditioned motor coach with bottled water temperatures ranging from the high 40s to low 60s F. Cave temperatures provided; average 55° F and humidity levels reach 95%. Please note that no photog- • Professional, English-speaking Tour Manager/Guide throughout; raphy is allowed inside the caves. Detailed pre-departure information will • Local taxes and service charges; be mailed to participants. • All gratuities to Tour Manager/Guide, drivers, waiters, and porters; • Handling of two pieces of checked luggage per person; Accommodations: We have carefully