Stargazing In The Atacama: A Luxury Chile Holiday

Exploring Northern Chile's Desert & Coast

Atacama Desert & Northern Chile, Santiago & Central Chile

Duration: 12 nights

Price: From £4,750 per person in low season based on two adults travelling together and including all flights in economy class, accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis, private transfers, transportation, experiences as stated and taxes

Northern Chile’s landscapes aren’t just stunning under-foot: look up and you’ll find some of the clearest and most spellbinding night skies in the world. For the ultimate stargazing experience, you’ll be staying in a cooler-than-cool geodesic tent (telescopes included!) and then it’s on to the legendary lunar landscapes of the Atacama Desert. Anything else to home in on? Some of Chile’s hidden stars, including surf and seafood heaven on the Concón coast.

Perfect forStargazers, desert day-dreamers, photographers, and lovers of the great outdoors.

In the knowAdd on a side-trip from San Pedro de Atacama to the astonishing Uyuni salt-flats in Bolivia.

Best for

Educational
Landscapes & Scenery
Off the Beaten Track
Adventure

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Itinerary details

2 nightsCONCON

After a flight to Santiago, we’ll drive you to the breezy seaside town of Concón where you’ll stay two nights at the lovely boutique beach-pad, Casa Doca. Concón is known as the gastro capital of the Valparaiso region, and you’ll certainly build up an appetite what with the bracing sea-air, walks along the beach, and trips to the nearby wineries. First on the menu will be the local specialty of fish stew (there are loads of great little places where locals go, serving no-nonsense home-cooked grub) and when you get back to Casa Doca in the evenings you can cosy up by the fire with a classic Pisco Sour, and enjoy fantastic views from the hillside over the Pacific.

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2 nightsELQUI VALLEY

We’ll drive you back to Santiago, where you’ll catch a flight to La Serena, and from here it’s roughly a two hour drive to the Elqui Valley. If you love star-gazing then you’ll be absolutely bowled over in the Elqui Valley which boasts some of THE clearest night skies in the world, four scientific observatories including the famous Mamalluca, and – reportedly – the magnetic centre of the earth. There’s only one way to really appreciate the stars, and that’s why we’ve got you glamping for two nights at magical Elqui Domos: impossibly cool geodesic domes which have their own telescopes, and roofs which open up to the night sky. By day, you’ll also take a trip to one of Chile’s best-kept secrets: the beautiful little island of Isla Damas which sits off the coast of La Serena, is visited by very few tourists, and has stunning white sand beaches.

4 nights (incl meals + excursions)ATACAMA DESERT

Fly North to Calama, and then you’ll be driven to San Pedro de Atacama (a new-agey town in the heart of the world’s driest desert). The Atacama Desert is famed for having some of the most mesmerising landscapes in the world, and your home for four nights, Tierra Atacama, couldn’t have a more stunning location. Sitting beneath the magnificent Andes, this will be your base for adventure in the breathtaking desert. Each day of your stay hthere includes an amazing excursion, whether it’s a trip to the fields of fuming geysers (cameras at the ready), a picnic beside vast flamingo-filled lagoons, or watching a sci-fi esque sunset over the lunar valley. If you’re active, there’s no end of riding, cycling, and trekking to be enjoyed in the Atacama Desert, but equally it’s amazing to just sit but the pool and absorb the incredible landscapes.

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2 nightsSANTIAGO

At the end of your stay in the Atacama, you will be driven back to Calama airport for your flight to Santiago. W Santiago is one of the most fashionable places to stay in the city: a great base for exploring, and with fabulous views of the snow-capped Andes from its roof-top pool. As well as the city’s buzzing restaurants, bars, and thriving art scene, a must-visit is the amazing fish market where you can tuck in to amazing seafood at the little market bistros.