43 Best Sights in El Norte Chico, Chile

Although there are more established observatories in the area, Alfa Aldea has made its mark on the astronomy world due to the flawless attention to detail and excellent customer service. With a glass of wine in hand, embark on a journey to the beginning of time as the dome above you transforms into an interactive and 3D exploration. While lounging among comfortable seating, carpeted floors, and blankets, a bilingual astronomer explains the inner workings of the universe. Afterward, you pop outside beneath the stars to peep at constellations, nebulas, planets, and the moon with a real telescope before listening to light transformed into sound waves by a radio telescope, one of the very few available to tourists in the area. You will need to book your visit here in advance.

About 4 km (3 miles) past Pisco Elqui lies this operational pisco distillery. Guided tours show you around its workings and culminate in the basement, where the original owner and his partners would raid the stock for prolonged, secretive drinking sessions. More clearheaded visitors should note that he and his friends also found time to amass a rather morbid collection of epithets, now displayed on the walls. If you want to get to the dregs of this valley´s historic distillery story, this is the site to visit.

Housing many fascinating artifacts and one of the world's best collections of precolonial ceramics, this museum is a must-see for anyone interested in the history of the region. Reopened in 2021 after a 10-year restoration, the museum's new curation contains a beautifully housed collection of Diaguita and Molle pottery, an Easter Island moai (carved stone head), bones of the mysterious American Horse, and a raft made of seal skins sown together with cactus spines.

This museum offers a geological history of the region and the country's best collection of rocks and minerals. There are close to 2,500 samples, including some found only in the Atacama Desert. The museum even displays a few meteorites that fell in the area.

One of the many tourist observatories to pop up across the region catering to the growing numbers of visitors keen to catch their own glimpse of the mysteries of the universe, Pangue—17 km (11 miles) south of Vicuña—boasts more firepower than most, with arguably the most powerful telescope in the region. Through the 16- and 25-inch telescopes, you can view solar systems, planets, galaxies, and nebulae. The standard tour allows enough time to see eight to 10 such phenomena, while budding stargazers are welcome to bring their own list, and tour guides can help you find them. Tours can be organized from the tour office at San Martín 233 in Vicuña and are available in English, French, and Spanish. Note that tours do not run for the week around each full moon.

This national reserve stretching for 40 km (25 miles) along the coast north of the town of Chañaral has some of Chile's most spectacular coastal scenery. Steep cliffs fall into the crashing sea, their ominous presence broken occasionally by white-sand beaches made for picnics. Within the park is an incredible variety of flora and fauna, including sea lions, sea otters, foxes, and the very rare Peruvian diving petrel, as well as some 20 species of cacti, including the rare copiapoa, which resembles a little blue pin cushion. At the tiny fishing village of Caleta Pan de Azúcar, you can find several local guides who can take you on boat trips to see colonies of Humboldt penguins.

Stretching from the southernmost tip of Bahía Inglesa right around the bay, Playa Las Machas has escaped the attention of the majority of tourists and is a relaxing alternative to the more crowded beaches in the town proper. Whether you decide to explore the long shoreline on foot, taking in the dramatic scenery as you go, or find yourself a secluded spot for sunbathing and to get away from it all, this white-sand beach is a great place to while away a lazy afternoon. Amenities: none. Best for: solitude; sunset; surfing; walking.

Even though it's a bit of a trek, this stunning package of bleach-white sand, turquoise water, and rocky desert scenery is worth the trip. The 17-km (10-mile) journey south from Coquimbo is more than made up for by the natural advantages of the beach and the perfect conditions for swimming, diving, fishing, and snorkeling. Amenities: food and drink (summer only); parking (fee). Best for: snorkeling; sunset; surfing; swimming; walking.

One of the more intriguing spots in all of Norte Chico, this isolated and sprawling protected wilderness area is crisscrossed by unexplained holes in the stone floor, made most likely by the Molle and Diaguita cultures. Also dotted all around the park are rock carvings known as petroglyphs and pictographs, which date back from about 4,000 years and feature everything from a (supposed) alien to people with elaborate headdresses. Wildlife roams everywhere here, so keep an eye out for the liebre (hare), loica (long-tailed meadowlark), and the degu, a native rodent.

Sometimes a guide waits near the petroglyphs and can show you the best of the carvings for a small fee. To reach the site, take Ruta 45 west from Ovalle. About 19 km (12 miles) out of town, head south for 5 km (3 miles) on a rough, dry road.

This small-scale winemaker is a Limari Valley pioneer, known for producing premium quality wines that highlight the character of each of their vineyards. The winery can be found on the same unpaved road that leads to the Valle del Encanto and makes a perfect place to relax after exploring the petroglyphs. Tours, which must be reserved at least one day in advance, include a tasting session in the impressive underground cellar. It's open only on weekends for appointments made in advance.

Ancient viticulture meets avant garde techniques at this unimposing but extraordinary vineyard near the head of the Elqui Valley. Their two-hour tour begins with a drive through an eclectic mix of vines such as Carménère, Petit Verdot, Carignan, and Touriga Nacional. Next, see the barn housing maceration pools where, during harvest season, tourists can still help trample barefoot on the grapes. Finally, travel underground into a James Bond–esque room where giant concrete vats ferment the wine. After the tour, try three wines with a selection of cheese and dry fruit. If you visit one vineyard in Chile, make it this one.

On the way to Pisco Elqui is the tiny village of Montegrande, where Gabriela Mistral grew up and considered her hometown. Her family lived in the schoolhouse where her elder sister taught. This was later turned into a museum and now displays some relics from the poet's life. Visitors can also visit the Nobel Prize–winning poet's tomb on a nearby hillside.

Visiting a pisco vineyard is a great way to learn about the history of a product that has come to define the Elqui Valley, not to mention the perfect excuse to enjoy a relaxing glass of this tasty, fruity, aromatic drink in beautiful surroundings. At Centro Turístico Capel, just across the Elqui River from Vicuña, you can tour the bottling facility, well-groomed gardens, and artisan’s gallery before tasting several piscos.

Devotees of the Virgen de Lourdes, the town's patron saint, consider this hill a place of pilgrimage. Overlooking the city, it affords a great view of Vicuña. It's a 2-km (1-mile) hike north of the city via a poorly maintained trail that can be litter strewn, yet the summit is well worth it.

Head up in the evening to see the surrounding hills in the Elqui Valley bathed in deep reds and oranges by the setting sun.

Perched at 2,200 meters (7,200 feet), Cerro Tololo Observatory runs free tours of its two principal telescopes on Saturdays. During January and February, priority is given to nonspecialist visitors—although high demand means it’s worth reserving at least a month in advance—while the rest of the year the observatory tours cater principally to delegations. Tours should first be requested by phone or email; once the reservation has been made, permission certification can be picked up at the observatory’s offices in Las Serena on the corner of avenidas Huanhalí and J. Cisternas. Tours may be canceled in bad weather.

In the older section of this pisco plant, maintained strictly for show, you can see the antiquated copper cauldrons and wooden barrels formerly used to distill the famous brand. The distillery arranges daily tours, followed by tastings of pisco sours. There is also an on-site restaurant.

With one of the largest telescopes in the world, an 8.1-meter (26.5 feet) Cassegrain, this observatory 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Cerro Tololo is operated by a consortium of six nations. Tours are free of charge on Friday mornings and can be tailored to the interests of the group (usually between 10 and 25 people). Email at least a month in advance to request a place on the tour. Priority is given to student and scientific delegations.

With its central location in the beautiful Plaza de Armas, this imposing cathedral—the largest church in La Serena—is a great place to start your city tour. French architect Jean Herbage built the behemoth using stone from the Soldado mine in 1844 in the so-called Serena style of arches and columns, but it wasn't until the turn of the 20th century that the bell tower was added. The church is open to the public.

English architect William Rogers built this neoclassical church facing the central square in the middle of the 19th century. Check out the silver tabernacle and image of the Virgen del Rosario at the altar.

A huge steeple tops this 1909 church facing the central square. It has some pretty ceiling paintings and an image of the Virgen del Carmen carried by Chilean troops during the War of the Pacific. The wooden, fire-engine-red Torre Bauer, next to the church, was prefabricated in Germany.

One of La Serena's oldest churches, Iglesia San Francisco has a Baroque facade and thick stone walls. The exact date of the church's construction is not known, as the city archives were destroyed in 1680, but it's estimated that the structure was built sometime between 1585 and 1627. The church is open to the public.

This red-and-white candy cane of a church was built in 1872, and although it looks as if it's made of cement, it's actually constructed of Oregon pine. The adjacent Plaza Godoy has a statue of woodcutter Juan Godoy, who accidentally discovered huge silver deposits in nearby Chañarcillo in 1832, prompting thousands of people to move to the region to ignite the great silver boom of the day.

On the Plaza de Armas, this church, constructed in 1849, is worth a visit if religious tourism is your thing. Its bells were made in the Chilean port town of Valparaíso in 1877, and although damaged by an earthquake in 1997, the church was completely restored in 2002 and remains open.

This impressive church was built in 1673 and then rebuilt after a pirate attack in 1755. Its Italian Renaissance–style facade is eye-catching, and its best feature is the elegant bell tower.

Well sheltered within a small cove, La Herradura—or the Horseshoe—is a small but attractive beach that enjoys calm waters and lies within easy striking distance of Coquimbo. These days it is best known as a holiday destination or as a prime windsurfing, kayak, or stand-up paddleboarding spot, but the area’s history as a fishing cove can still be seen in the brightly colored boats tethered out in the calm waters of the bay. Amenities: food and drink; parking (fee). Best for: snorkeling; sunset; surfing; swimming; windsurfing.

Administered by the 15-member European Southern Observatory (ESO), La Silla Observatory is one of the largest and most important observatories in the Southern Hemisphere. Free tours are available of the three principal telescopes each Saturday at 2 pm, except during July and August, due to the risk of snowstorms in this period. Note that bookings are accepted only if made via the online visitor form.

This observatory of the Carnegie Institute of Washington, 170 km (105 miles) north of La Serena, has twin 6.5-meter Magellan telescopes (internationally recognized as the best natural imaging telescopes) as well as two others. Free tours of the facilities take place on Saturday between 10 and 2:30, but due to high demand visitors are advised to make reservations several weeks in advance. Preference is given to school groups and delegations.

A reminder of Chile's recent tragic past, this memorial is dedicated to the "disappeared" of the area, the prisoners and politicians who went missing during the Pinochet regime in the 1970s and '80s. More than 60 people, many of whom died in their early twenties, are listed on the large stone monument.

Heading along the Hurtado River in the spectacular Limari Valley, you come across this nature reserve covered with a forest of petrified tree trunks imprinted with dozens of leaf and animal fossils. Nearby is a cave beneath a stone overhang that housed indigenous peoples thousands of years ago, and where cave paintings by the Molle people are still visible. This archaeological site was also the discovery site of the Antarctosaurus dinosaur. 

An expansive tribute to Vicuña’s favorite daughter, the Gabriela Mistral Museum gathers a wide array of artifacts from the writer’s life, including handwritten letters, poems, and a signed copy of Canto General given to her by her compatriot and fellow Nobel Prize winner, Pablo Neruda. A pleasant garden behind the main salon pays tribute to Mistral’s love of nature.