May 17th-21st

The Elqui Valley, the birth place of Pisco Liquor, perhaps the greatest star gazing location in the world, and the home beautiful almost desert scenery in the midst of the Andes mountains.  This place, just a few hours from La Serena, shouldn’t be missed if you find yourself in Northern Chile.  From La Serena the closest town on the highway which runs along most of the Chilean coast, it is a simple 2 hour bus ride.  You can choose to stay in Vicuna, Pisco Elqui, or do what I did to stay between the tow towns in a tiny little community called La Campana  (tell the bus driver that’s where you want to be let off. Ride costs between 2000-3000 CLP) with the amazing Richard at Hostal Al Yaras.  You won’t regret it.

At Hostal al Yaras you will find a warm host, comfortable beds, (11,000 CLP Dorm) and an opportunity for some amazing, Lebanese inspired cuisine,(4-5000 CLP per meal) and an incredible German Shepherd Puppy adopted from the street who never stops playing.  There’s also a hot tub and some telescopes to watch the stars from the open roof of the hostel.

I ended up spending several days there relaxing before doing much of anything but on my third day with Richard I decided to head out for a short walk through the nearby town of Diaguitas enjoying the wild desert scenery, despite the significant heat and hard to breath air.

The walk takes me through some truly stunning landscapes, with barren mountaintops surrounding the valley, dotted with lonely and parched looking cactus’.  It doesn’t seem like it should be that difficult, but the desert air is quick to get to you.

I wander through a few lonely farmhouses before following the road from La Campana across the main highway of the Elqui valley and winding in towards the town of Diaguitas.

There’s nothing much there except a well reviewed micro brewery but still the locals all greet me with friendly smiles and the graffiti laden walls give the town a unique feeling making it worth the heat and time it takes to explore.  After a lot of time spent in Santiago over the past few months it feels super nice to just be in a really small town.

A brief stop in the town plaza to find some shade and have a drink is much welcome before I continue on through to the other side of town and eventually out the other end.  Parched and sweaty, skin thoroughly toasted, I find refuge under a small tree along side a rushing river with water which is somehow icy cold despite the heat.  I take a mouthful and half a swim before rejoining the highway and starting the long trek back to Hostal al Yaras.

By now it’s nearly 3 p.m. and the sun is unrelenting burning down at me.  I stumble along the main highway for a while before leaving it briefly to find the river again and almost pass out under the welcome shelter of a massive tree.  Music blares and I likely look like a dead body from the road but the rest does me well and reinvigorates me for the rest of the long walk back.

As I grow closer the signs for the hostel start to call to me and I’m longing for a cold drink and some tasty lebanese inspired cuisine.  First though I decide to take a little detour back down to the river right at the turn off for the hostel, clambering down over some rocks and through some trees to reach the rushing water, wading in up to my thighs on the slippery rocks and bending to cleanse the sweat from my face and neck.

I take a few last pictures before heading back up towards the hostel looking forward to some rest and relaxation only to find a strange young puppy in the yard, a tiny little german shepherd who at first approaches with caution before becoming sure I’m friendly and bounding forward with reckless abandon.  As the nest days pass I learn he has just continued sneaking into the place and refuses to leave, eventually the owner decided the pup was too sweet not to adopt, leaving me very happy.

The very next day, or rather the next night, i decide I can’t spend time in one of the world’s absolute best stargazing locations without doing something about it.  Some opportunities are just too good to pass up.  There’s lots of options here, including the most popular government run observatory Mamalluca, very close to vicuna, but after talking to Richard about it he sells me on a smaller private run place which will pick me up in the centre of Vicuna without a problem.  Their name is Alfa Aldea  and the normal price is 10 000 CLP but through Richard you can get a deal at 8 00 pesos which only makes it more worth while.

I’m picked up five minutes late at 8:05 and driven out to the outskirts of Vucna, normally they offer english tours, but since I’m the only english speaker I have no problem just doing it in Spanish, always looking for chances to practice.  The program begins with us sitting in a comfortable room in front of a 3d projection screen where we are served wine accompanied by a delicious cheese and deli meat plate as our guide starts the show, explaining to us many things about space and rekindling a fascination which has lain dormant since elementary school.

I’m pleased that despite the accent and technical terms I follow along perfectly as the video plays and before long we’re led outside further from the lights of Vicuna to a big telescope and a small outdoor amphitheatre.  Over the next hour we observe jupiter and saturn both in stunning detail, like the pictures from elementary school text books which once so enthralled me.  Space really is fascinating.

We also get glimpses of nebulas and near by (relatively speaking)  stars.  All throughout I’m practicing french with a few nice people in the small 8 person group (one of the biggest advantages of going private and enjoying warm and hearty soup with garlic bread also provided by the staff. I think ti’s safe to say that if you’re looking to go stargazing Alpha Aldea is the best and only choice.

After the friendly maintenance guy from Hostal Yaras is there to pick me up in Richards car for a nominal fee.  I go to sleep sad to know I’m leaving The Elqui Valley, but San Pedro de Atacama awaits, and I’ve yet to meet someone who wasn’t blown away by that little town and it’s surroundings some 16 hours north, near borders with Bolivia and Argentina.