Traveling to San Juan, Argentina, for the
PASI School on Dynamics and Chemistry
of the Upper Atmosphere
Click to download the travel information: Word, PDF.
The PASI School will be held at the Hotel Alkazar in San Juan, Argentina ( http://www.alkazarhotel.com.ar/alk-n/principal.html ). Hotel Alkazar will also provide lodging (including breakfast and lunch) for all participants. San Juan is located in northwest Argentina, and is the capital of the province of the same name ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Juan,_Argentina ). It is also the headquarters of the Argentine Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra y del Espacio (ICATE; http://www.icate-conicet.gob.ar/ ), who are the local hosts of the School.
San Juan has its own airport, with connecting flights to Buenos Aires twice a day. However, for many of the School participants it may be more convenient to reach San Juan through Mendoza (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendoza,_Argentina), which is located approximately 150 km south of San Juan, but is served by several flights a day, from both Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile. See details below.
The PASI School is funded by a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The grant is administered by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). The School will pay for most of the travel and lodging expenses of the participants, including air travel. Because of NSF and UCAR regulations, detailed below, all travel arrangements paid by PASI funds must be made through UCAR. To obtain your airline tickets you need to send the following information by e-mail to Ms. Jackie Bunting (jbunting@ucar.edu):
Personal Information:
- Given Name(s) (please state given and family names separately, exactly as
- Family Name(s) they appear on your passport or national ID document)
- Passport or National ID Document #
- Date of issue
- Date of expiration
- Citizenship
- Date of Birth (Day, Month, Year)
- Sex (Male/Female)
- Phone number
- E-mail address
Professional Affiliation:
- Name of University or Research Center
- Address of same
- Phone number
- E-mail address
Travel Information:
- Departure city
- Your preferred destination (Mendoza or San Juan, Argentina)
- Travel dates
Please Read Carefully:
1) PASI will pay for (a) airline tickets ; (b) free shuttle service from Mendoza to San Juan for those who choose this destination (see item 4 below); and (c) lodging, including breakfast and lunch. Dinners are the responsibility of the participants, as are incidental fees such as airport parking and entry fees into Argentina (see item 5 below). Note that the School does not provide travel or medical insurance.
2) All airline tickets must be purchased through UCAR. We cannot pay for tickets purchased on your own. Once you have sent us your travel information, you will receive a provisional itinerary within 1-3 business days from Boulder Travel, UCAR's official travel agency. This itinerary is guaranteed for 24 hours. We recommend that you confirm the provisional itinerary within 24 hours, if possible, to ensure that you get exactly what you asked for.
3) All travel covered by NSF funds is subject to the rules of the Fly America Act (FAA). It is possible that your itinerary options will be limited by these rules. If you wish to use a different itinerary or airline than what UCAR is allowed to offer under the FAA, we may not be able to reimburse all of your travel expenses. The details are complicated, but the bottom line is this: If a U.S. carrier offers a direct or code-shared flight to the destination of your choice, you will be reimbursed fully only if you choose to use that carrier.
4) For travel to San Juan, your air destination can be San Juan or Mendoza. If you choose Mendoza, you will travel by road to San Juan (about 90 minutes). The School will provide a free shuttle service Mendoza’s airport to San Juan. Details will be announced later, once we know the travel plans of the participants. If you arrive in San Juan, Hotel Alkazar has a free shuttle service to/from the airport. The advantage of flying to Mendoza is the availability of several connecting flights daily from Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile. Note also that, for travelers from North America and Europe, flying to Mendoza through Santiago de Chile may be the fastest option.
5) If you travel through Buenos Aires, be aware that international flights arrive at Ezeiza Airport, but most domestic flights depart from Aeroparque Jorge Newberry. Please take this into account when selecting connections. See, for example: http://www.ohbuenosaires.com/english/buenosairesezeiza.htm. Note also that citizens of the U.S., Canadia and Australia arriving in Buenos Aires’ Ezeiza Airport are required to pay an entry fee ($131 for U.S. citizens).
6) You can find entry requirements for foreign visitors to Argentina here: http://www.argentina.gov.ar/argentina/portal/paginas.dhtml?pagina=1245. Note that visitors from the U.S. and the E.U., plus many Latin American countries, do not need visas for stays of 90 days or less. A valid passport is, of course, required in all cases.
If you have specific questions regarding travel that are not covered above, please contact R. Garcia (rgarcia@ucar.edu), or D. Janches (diego@cora.nwra.com). The latest travel information will be posted periodically on the PASI School website, http://www.acd.ucar.edu/pasi/.