Welcome to Norte Chico
For such a small sliver of land, Chile's Norte Chico (Little North) offers up fantastic diversity. La Serena, a coastal colonial capital and the region's largest city, is a must-see for anybody visiting. From there, move on to the mystical Elqui Valley: the verdant home to Chile's pisco producers, new-age communes and cutting-edge observatories. Further north are some amazing national parks, a trendy little beach hideaway, and kilometers of uncharted coastline just waiting for you to set up camp or charge out for an afternoon surf.
Top experiences in Norte Chico
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Norte Chico activities
La Serena to Elqui Valley and Vicuna Private Tour with Lunch
Departing from the port of Coquimbo toward the Elqui Valley we'll drive for approximately 50 km.From La Serena we will make the first stop at the reservoir Puclaro, engineering work created for the reserve of drinking water and irrigation of the fields of the Elqui Valley. We can see a beautiful view to the river. We will stop here for about 30 minutes.Later, we visit a Pisco factory where we will know the process of the distillate of the grape. We tour the plant, taste their products and visit the showroom. Our stop here will be for about 45 minutes.After this activity, we visit the city of Vicuña, its main square, the Tower Bauer. Then visit the Gabriela Mistral museum, where we will learn of the life of this great Poetess. Our stop here will last 30 minutes.Then close to 1:30pm we will go for lunch at the town of Villaseca, famous for its delicious dishes that are cooked with sunlight. We will stop here for approximately 1 hour.Time to start heading back to La Serena after lunch. On our way we will stop in the sales center Papayas, typical fruit of the area, where you can buy different products made from papaya.We will be back at Port of Coquimbo at around 4pm.
La Serena and Coquimbo Private City Tour Including Lunch
Departure from the port of Coquimbo around 8:30am. The Tour starts at the Civic Center of the city of La Serena, where you'll visit the most interesting places such as the Plaza de Armas, important churches built of stone, the Recova craft center and the Archaeological Museum.Afterwards, you'll drive along the av. Francisco de Aguirre, the main route of entry to the city, to the Japanese Garden and then to La Serena Lighthouse, built between 1951 and 1953. The Av. Del Mar, which is the coastal road connecting between La Serena and Coquimbo. It will lead us to the port, to visit the city, the English Quarter with its old mansions of the early nineteenth century. Then we will go to Mirador del Fuerte Lambert, a true relic, observation point for the defense of the port, built during the second half of the seventeenth century.Then, stop for lunch before continuing the journey to the Cross of the Third Millennium, a memorial to the Christian faith. The final stop is a visit to Guayacan, a sector which during the nineteenth century revolved around the work of copper smelting. Famous sites here include the Church Sector, a Catholic church designed by Eiffel and the bay of La Herradura.
Elqui Valley Tour from La Serena
Your day begins with an 8:30am pickup from your centrally located La Serena or Coquimbo hotel. Greet your guide, board the vehicle, and settle in for a journey of about two hours to Cochiguaz, in the Elqui Valley.After learning why some people call Cochiguaz teh world's new geomagnetic center, and exploring a little of its new-age culture, pay a visit to a pisco production plant. Discover how Chile's national drink is made and enjoy a tasting before returning on road that leads to Vicuña.Stroll through Vicuña as your guide explains how it is the most important town in the valley and also the hometown of the Nobel Prize-winning poet, Gabriela Mistral. There is also time to admire the Baüer Tower, main square, and church. Next, it's time for lunch in a typically Chilean restaurant (included). After lunch, descend into the valley to visit the tomb of Gabriela Mistral and her childhood school-house. Your tour concludes with a drop-off back at your hotel at around 6:30pm.Please note: A minimum of three people per booking is required.
AstroExperience
Astro Experience is a new service in the field of Astro-tourism: We carry out a professionally guided 2 hour observation of the valley´s starry night sky up in the mountains surrounding the village of Pisco Elqui.The program combines a talk from an astronomical guide about the celestial objects (e.g.: planets, open and globular star clusters, other galaxies etc.) following with an observation through a professional 20” telescope. The tour is an open-air setting, accompanied by a campfire and our delicious home-made Pisco cocktail. The tour will end with a nocturnal photo as a souvenir of this night. There are three options to reach the point of observation from Pisco Elqui.Astroexperience by car: A 10 minute drive in a van from Pisco Elqui to reach the place up in the mountains. Astroexperience by horse: One hour going uphill by horseback riding, then you will join the group for the Astroexperience. Return by car.Astroexperience by foot: One hour uphill walk in order to reach the place, where you will join the group for the Astroexperience. Return by car.
Chañaral de Aceituno - Punta de Choros - Luxury Camp Experience
Day 1: Our adventure begins in Santiago, where we meet to know each other and take the trip that will take us around 7-8 hours. During the trip we will make stops to see some beautiful sectors of the Route 5 between Santiago and Punta de Choros. We will cross to the Atacama Desert where typical animals of the area such as Guanacos, Foxes and Birds will join us to Caleta de Punta de Choros. In La Caleta we will camp on a beach between Punta de Choros and Caleta Chañaral de Aceituno. A camp that we ourselves prepare for your rest and comfort after a long trip. A rich dinner with local products and high quality wines receive us on our first night. Day 2: The sound of the sea and the birds wake us up for a convivial and delicious buffet breakfast on the seashore. We will live the history of the place and we will experience the first lessons of photography and then we will know the cove of Punta de Choros to take our boat that takes us to Isla Damas. During our navigation we must be prepared, dolphins and whales could be only a few miles away. Arriving at Damas Island, we will disembark to explore its beautiful landscapes, white sands, turquoise waters, its flora and fauna. Back, the cove receives us with its cuisine rich in seafood, a lunch replenishment. Once in the camp, we review our material, edit photographs and wait for our precious golden hour to explore and explore the desert landscapes that accompany us during these days. At nightfall, a glorious cloudless sky full of starry stars our central fire and the decoration of our camp create the perfect environment to go to rest. Day 3: Our adventure continues after our well-deserved breakfast, this time, to the north, to Caleta Chañaral de Aceituno, another small captivating cove, that will not fail to amaze us with its natural wonders and hypnotizing culture. We once ventured to the ocean in search of whales and dolphins, this time in Isla Chañaral. We return to our camp to rest and review our material. An incredible night we say goodbye to such a wonderful scene, which catches and costs to leave. Day 4: Small fishing communities in an environment of magnificent nature, which with its great wisdom, humility and tradition will leave us a beautiful memory for life.
Private La Serena and Coquimbo City Tour
Join this 3 - 4 hours private tour starting with a pickup from your hotel please check the avalability. We will pick you at time you request and our first stop will be visit the Archaeological Museum, to watch how the history is still alive in a full tour inside of the building. After that we will get ready to visit the Monumental Lighthouse, principal symbol of this city. We cover the Avenida del Mar area in which sophisticated buildings and tourist centers stand out from the rest of the city. We will see the typical maritime-commerce activity of the port during our tour along the Avenida Costanera (Coastline Avenue) and downtown Coquimbo. We finish in La Herradura (horseshoe) resort located in the mystic and legendary bay of Guayacán. To finish we will come back to the pick up place.