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Renowned for its lush fields, excellent vineyards and beautiful, clear skies, the Elqui Valley in northern Chile is one of the favorite destinations among travelers looking for breathtaking nature and true experience. In this region, you'll find some of the world's best wines, as well as pisco distilleries, producing the national beverage. But what truly distinguishes the Elqui valley from other wine producing region or beautiful countryside is its extremely dry atmosphere which makes for some of the world's clearest skies and the ideal astronomical observation spot.
This is the reason why no less than 3 international observatories can be found in the Valley: La Silla, El Tololo and Las Campanas. Most of them were built by international organizations with large funding from Europe and the United States. All observatories can be visited on your Chile vacation, although none of them allow for observation through their telescopes. Visiting these immense laboratories of astronomical science and admiring their high tech equipment is still an unforgettable experience that will awake the inner child of anyone who has ever owned a telescope.
La Silla is owned by the organization European Southern Observatory (ESO), financed by a coalition of 8 European governments. The observatory is located at over 2,400 meters, about 150 kilometers from La Serena, the largest city in the area. The site can be visited on Saturdays only, except in July and August, and visitors are required to register in advance in Santiago, or through mail/email/phone to the direct reservation office of the observatory in La Serena. La Silla operates 3 major telescopes and several smaller ones. Be aware that procedures to visit the observatory are complex and can take a long time so make sure you plan your trip well in advance.
El Tololo observatory is owned by an association of US and Chilean universities, and until recently, was home to the largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, with a 4-meter wide diameter. It also possesses 6 other telescopes and a radio telescope. Located at 2,200 meters above sea level, the observatory can only be reached from La Serena with private transportation, about 87 kilometers away. Just like for La Silla, it's worth it to plan your visit to El Tololo well in advance and apply for a permit, although in the off-season, you may be able to be granted a visitor's permit the day before should there be any cancellations. Visits are only permitted on Saturdays from 9:00am to 13:00pm and free permits can be obtained by writing to their office in La Serena.
Third international observatory in Chile's Elqui Valley and highest one, at 2,500 meters, Las Campanas belongs to the famous Carnegie institute. With 5 telescopes, this is the smallest one of the three.
Visitors who are not willing to go through the lengthy and cumbersome processes to visit these observatories can travel to Mamalluca, a recent observatory specifically built for the public in the area, where you can actually look through the telescopes. Mamalluca is open daily for nocturnal visits (times depend on the season) and booking in advance is strongly recommended. Hortense Soulier
