Introduction
The Coquimbo Region, north of Santiago on Chile's semi-arid coast, holds the Elqui Valley — a narrow, luminously clear-skied valley of vineyards distilling the national pisco spirit — alongside the colonial city of La Serena and penguin colonies just offshore.
Overview
Coquimbo, a transitional region between central Chile's green valleys and the great Atacama Desert to the north, is best known for the Elqui Valley — a narrow ribbon of green vineyards and orchards cutting through arid, mineral-coloured mountains, and the historic heart of Chile's pisco industry. Around the small towns of Vicuña and Pisco Elqui, family-run distilleries offer tours and tastings of the grape spirit that Chile shares (and gently disputes the origin of) with Peru, set against a backdrop of some of the clearest skies on the planet. That clarity has made the valley a major amateur astronomy destination in its own right, with public and tourist observatories like Mamalluca offering telescope nights alongside the professional observatories further north, and it has also fostered a reputation for esoteric and spiritual tourism, drawn by the valley's supposed energy. Vicuña is also the birthplace of Gabriela Mistral, Chile's first Nobel laureate, commemorated in a museum dedicated to her life and poetry. On the coast, the elegant colonial city of La Serena, Chile's second-oldest, is known for its Spanish-style architecture, numerous churches and long sandy beach, and serves as the region's transport hub and a relaxed base. A short boat trip from the fishing village of Punta de Choros reaches the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve, where Humboldt and Magellanic penguins nest alongside sea lions, dolphins and otters on a cluster of protected islands. The region enjoys a mild, dry climate nearly year-round, making it a pleasant escape from Santiago's summer heat or winter chill alike, with the clearest stargazing skies typically in the dry winter months.
Discover Coquimbo
The Elqui Valley is one of Chile's most distinctive landscapes — a narrow, intensely green corridor of vineyards and fruit orchards squeezed between bare, striated desert mountains, following the Elqui River up from La Serena into the Andean foothills. This is the historic centre of Chilean pisco production, the grape brandy distilled here since colonial times; small towns like Vicuña and the aptly named Pisco Elqui are dotted with family-run and larger distilleries offering tours, tastings and pisco sours in view of the vines. The valley's exceptionally clear, dry air and high altitude have also made it one of the world's best amateur stargazing destinations — public observatories such as Mamalluca, just outside Vicuña, run evening tours with powerful telescopes for views of planets, star clusters and the southern sky, a rite of passage for visitors to the valley. Vicuña is also home to a museum dedicated to Gabriela Mistral, the Chilean poet and educator who became Latin America's first Nobel literature laureate, born in the valley in 1889.
Ways to Experience This Destination
Distillery tours and tastings around Vicuña and Pisco Elqui in the green Elqui Valley.
Public observatories like Mamalluca offer telescope nights under some of the clearest skies on earth.
Spanish-style architecture, historic churches and a long beachfront on the Coquimbo coast.
Boat tours from Punta de Choros to Humboldt penguin colonies, sea lions and marine otters.
Frequently asked questions
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