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AdviceTravel

Star-Gazing in Chile

written by Brenna Holeman November 5, 2012

 

 

Elqui Valley, Chile
Chile is blessed with some of the best skies in the world, and, in seven years time, will have the largest telescope on Earth. It boasts clear skies nearly 330 days of the year, which means that there are amazing opportunities for star-gazing and star tours. Concentrated mostly in the north of the country and in the Elqui Valley, the most popular places to do a star tour are around San Pedro de Atacama and La Serena.
I arrived in La Serena yesterday morning; after a stroll to the beach and some time at the mall (I needed new shoes and a new daypack), I started my star tour at 7pm. While there are collectivos that will take you from La Serena to Vicuna, the small town where most of the observatories are found, I opted to go with a company that would pick me up from my hostel and take me straight to the centre for my star tour.
After an hour and a half drive, we arrived at the observatory just as the sun was fully setting. At 9pm, after a hot chocolate, we were taken into the domed structure to play around with their telescope; at 150 times magnification, it’s not the biggest, but we were still able to see a variety of stars and planets up close, including Mars and Alpa Centauri. It was my first time seeing a cluster of stars through a telescope, and it was just the most beautiful thing.
Our tour guide, Luis, was wonderful; he could answer any question we had and showed us how to navigate using nothing but the stars. As I’m used to a northern sky, it was great to see the southern constellations and learn a bit more about how they connect to astrology and to traditional Inca, Egyptian, and even Inuit perceptions of the sky. I thoroughly enjoyed all the information and the discussions – are we really the only ones around, considering there are an estimated 200 billion galaxies? I think not…
To arrange a tour with the Mamalluca Observatory, simply talk to any tour agency or hostel in La Serena. The price for transportation to and from Vicuna plus the tour in either English or Spanish is 15,000 Chilean pesos, or about $30. You can also reserve online.
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Brenna Holeman

Brenna Holeman has travelled to over 100 countries in the past 15 years, many of them solo. She's a big fan of whisky and window seats.

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8 comments

raph_el November 5, 2012 - 5:22 am

What a great experience!

Reply
Katie November 5, 2012 - 2:16 pm

I love this post! It still has your lovely, flowy (that’s totally a word) voice, but provides some great information as well. Now I want some hot chocolate while looking up at the Chilean sky…

Reply
Katie @ Domestiphobia.net November 5, 2012 - 2:17 pm

Umm… that was supposed to be this profile. Still trying to get used to your new way of logging in to comment! 🙂

Reply
Andi of My Beautiful Adventures November 5, 2012 - 2:22 pm

Hot chocolate and stars…ummmmmm!

Reply
Christine loves to Travel November 5, 2012 - 3:05 pm

Amazing experience! Would love to do that one day 😉

Reply
This Battered Suitcase November 7, 2012 - 1:15 am

Thank you so much for your comments, everyone!

Katie – My system of commenting is the same as it has been for two years; I haven’t changed anything (at least not on my end, anyway!).

Reply
Katie @ Domestiphobia.net November 7, 2012 - 11:58 am

There used to be a spot where I could just enter my name and then my URL so it would link my name to my page, but that option’s not here anymore. Now I have to be signed into my (correct) Google account, which links to a Blogger account and not my actual page. Ah, well. Love it when they “fix” stuff that isn’t actually broken!

Reply
When I Don't Feel Like Being a Solo Traveller - This Battered Suitcase November 28, 2014 - 1:31 pm

[…] flying over the Himalayas of Nepal, wandering through the streets of Rome, spending the nights stargazing in Chile. This year alone, I travelled solo to Portugal, South Africa, Zambia, Spain, and Ireland. […]

Reply

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About Me

About Me

Hi, I'm Brenna

My name is Brenna Holeman and I drink a lot of whisky. No, wait. That’s not how I want to start. After travelling to more than 100 countries over the past 15 years, many of them solo, I tend to write about travel a lot, but I write about other things, too: getting dumped, buying way too much jewellery, and yeah, OK, whisky (none of those things are related, I swear). You’ll find a mix of advice, opinion pieces, and stories on this blog, but either way, I hope to make you want to read more. And up next? I'm about to become a single mom to a beautiful baby boy, the biggest solo adventure I've ever been on. For more about me and what you'll find on This Battered Suitcase, click here .

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Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life." - Jack Kerouac

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This Battered Suitcase is not only about the where and the how of travel, it's about the who and the why.

Originally from Canada, all I've ever wanted to do is travel. After eleven years of solo travel and over 90 countries, I'm currently living in London and fulfilling my other dream of becoming a writer. If I'm not travelling, I'm writing about it, either for my blog, my job, or my book. I firmly believe there is adventure everywhere, so long as you keep your eyes (and your mind, and your heart) open. Join me as I continue to look for these adventures. Hopefully you'll find your own, too.

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