After this fascinating experience we’ll have lunch in a typical restaurant to enjoy delicious Chilean food.

We’ll continue our trip towards Fray Jorge National Park, declared Biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1977. The coastal fog (Camanchaca) hangs on the mountain-slopes and moistens subtropical vegetation, allowing the hydrophilic forests to survive despite of being surrounded of semiarid scrublands, with average annual rainfall of approximately 113 mm. The forest is a vestigial survival of the last glacial period .

We will walk in a 1 km delimited path. You will appreciate the native flora like cactus and bushes like guayacanes and alcaparras, olivillas, sinnamons and a variety of ferns. Also the fauna like quails, eagles, falcons, owls, rabbits, fox and guanacos.

Recommendations:

- Mineral water
- Comfortable, flighty clothe
- Long trousers, an extra T-shirt, jacket, hat
- Glasses, sun screen
- Comfortable shoes .

We’ll have to start the day earlier than common, considering that the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve is two hours away from La Serena, facing the cove of Punta Choros a classic fisherman town, 120 kilometres from our city, in which we’ll visit CONAF information stand about the reserve and different species.

Later, on fisherman boats, with life jackets, we’ll cross the Pacific Ocean toward the Choros Island, where we’ll know the wildlife, such as sea lions, penguins, all kind of beautiful birds and, if we are lucky enough, we’ll be able to see dolphins swimming around the boat. There is an important colony of dolphins living near the reserve. After that, we will land in Dama Island and stay one hour (time is regulated for being a natural reserve). There you will enjoy the beautiful turquoise water beaches and swim if you want, or walk around to know the different kind of endemic flora.

The possibility of seeing penguins in this area, near the Atamaca desert, is something extremely exceptional and it’s because of the Humboldt Current, a cold, low-salinity ocean current that flows north-westward along the west coast of South America from the southern tip of Chile to northern Peru.

After landing back in Punta Choros, our agency will take you to lunch.

The agency will take you from you hotel to the island, will pay tickets, boat and lunch and take you back to your place at finished.

Gallery (Click in first pic)

Reserva Tour RN Pinguinos de Humboldt e Isla Damas

We began our trip early from the city of La Serena and started going inside Elqui Valley in the adventure of crossing the Andes. As we went forward, the hundreds of acres of Pisco grapes adorned our journey. This is the classic Elqui Valley postcard picture, the one that identifies it: endless green grapevines, huge and ever-present half-naked hills and the blue sky, the clearest in the planet. It’s the valley in all its magnitude.

We passed the village of Rivadavia, followed the path of the Turbio River, by Gabriela Mistral International route, and made a brief detention in the town of Huanta, specifically in the Casa Quinta San Juan, a typical country house, where we left our lunch orders ready, before continuing the adventure.

We went back to our way through the Andes Mountains for a few hours, appreciating its infinite range of colours: violet, indigo, red, purple, yellow, brown, etc. No photograph can capture the beauty of direct observation: you must be there and enjoy the show. Totally recommended, by the way, is to keep an extra memory-card for your camera, although you’ll always end up regretting for not being able to take the Andes home.

A few more hours and we arrived to the international border, where we signed some papers, completed the regular process, and continued our adventure crossing the Andes. After moving through an area of gorges, the road became a bit tedious, but it was worth: about 30 km. forward we found La Laguna reservoir: 40 million cubic meters and a solitude scene which is surprising because of its unique beauty. A few miles further and El Tapado impressive glacier appeared, located at 5.536 meters high, it is the largest reserve of fresh water in our area. Both in the lake and near the glacier we took a few minutes to obtain the necessary souvenir: pictures.

Continuing our adventure on the other side of the Andes, our place of lodging was the Hotel Termas de Pismanta, a hot spring hotel in the town of the same name, 100 km. from the border. We were now into the Iglesias valley and the landscape, full of poplars, welcomed us.

The hotel runs from about 1950 and among its services we found 12 thermal pools ranging between 38º and 45º Celsius (100 – 113 Fahrenheit), which can be used anytime, 24 hours a day, as often as anyone pleases. It’s recommended, however, to miss at least six hours between baths. These baths are detoxifying and indicated for people suffering from liver, rheumatism, gout, diabetes and respiratory problems. After intense journey through the mountains, our bodies were grateful to be treated as deserved.

After a few hours of total relax at the hotel, we went to the farm of Guido and Liliana, in the area of Bellavista, who welcomed us with a delicious picnic dinner and showed us the land they own, how they work and the story behind them. It was an excellent opportunity to understand how the people of this deep zone of Argentina live, away from the big resorts, beaches and glamour from Buenos Aires.

Day two.
After breakfast we visited the town of Rodeo, usually described as the touristic village of the Iglesias Valley. It has landscapes of enormous natural beauty and a great climate, with pleasant temperatures all year and very little moisture. After a short tour, we went to lunch at one of the most beautiful places of our entire journey: the farm Hammer or El Martillo, a property dedicated to agritourism and the best example of rural tourism in this area. We enjoyed the exquisite Argentina grilled beef at the farm’s restaurant, with a privileged view of the nature. You can even see, at the back of the farm, the crops they use as ingredients for the preparation of the dishes. Everything is natural. Even the tables, chairs, everything is made of the same wood we had seen in the area: poplar. It has a rustic and beautiful style, and I repeat, the best is the food: Argentine red meat is well known all around the world for its high quality. It has a distinctive taste, a result from the treatment that the cattle receives. The cattle lives on wide and fertile fields, eating only the green pastures without additional hormones stimulation their growth. Walking across the open landscape, the cattle receives constant exercise giving the meats a very tender texture and most importantly, a low fat content. All this along with very good wines from the area. With such a spectacle it was very easy to enjoy lunch… and extremely difficult to leave.

Our next stop left us all amazed by the contrasting experience. Close to El Martillo, this beautiful green oasis, the lunar landscape of the reservoir Cuesta del Viento is its exact opposite. We were surprised by the shape of rocks, similar to the Valley of the Moon, and also by meeting this beautiful water mirror among the mountains, by the striking violet color the appeared in the hillsides, by the immensity of the landscape … by everything.

We returned to the hotel about four o’clock in the afternoon. Some chose to go to the swimming pool, others took the spa and I went straight to the baths. The afternoon was free for relax, just like the previous one.

The evening was a spectacle. Ovidio and Teresa in El Ensueño, greeted us with an Argentina’s kind of grill beef and a show, a true master class on tango: its origins, its history, its variations. We listened with attention, we had fun, laughed, and then we sang the best and classical tango repertory. The evening was short between wine and music and ended up returning to the hotel, tired but happy.

Day three
The third day was simply to recovery and get energy for the return. Our desire to see it all, to take a thousand pictures, to learn about the culture and traditions of the Argentinian people we met, gave us the perfect excuse to have a free morning and use the services of the hotel. Hot pool, spa, massages, everything. After lunch we began to say goodbye, until a next opportunity, when the stress and the wildness of the city requires us to return to relax by crossing the Andes, leaving the problems, meetings, the daily routine of work, behind the mountains. .

The first people in this area belonged to El Molle culture (300 BC – 700 AC). Under Inca influence, they were farmers and herdsmen with expertise in metallurgical copper. From about 1470, Andacollo’s gold was taken to Cuzco to raise the treasures of the Inca and his wife, who was called “Colla”. In fact, in Quechua, “Anta Colla” means “golden queen” or “queen of the metal”.

There is also another legend about the name: In 1560, a native named Collo had found a small image of the Virgin which had been hidden by two Spanish soldiers who fled the destruction of La Serena in 1549. When Collo discovered it, he heard a voice that said “Come on, Collo, and tell your people that I’m here.” “Come on, Collo” means “Anda Collo” in Spanish. Collo thought that this Virgin was the Pacha Mama, the Earth Mother goddess, leading his people and starting the cult of it.

Andacollo Sanctuary

Andacollo’s Marian Temple is the second oldest in Latin America after Guadeloupe’s in Mexico.

Small Temple: Built between 1772 and 1789. In its early days was a small chapel with a mud roof.

Big Church: It was designed by Italian architect Eusebio Chely and built between the years 1873 and 1893. It has a height of 50 meters, measuring 70 m. long and 40 m. wide, with capacity for 10 thousand people. Its structure is pine brought from California and it has 3 altars.

Virgin’s Museum: In this place you’ll find the “native’s Chapel”, and an impressive show of donations offered to the Virgin for those church members that each year come to Andacollo.

Religious Festivals

Every first Sunday in October is the first festival, the small one, which brings together nearly one hundred thousand devotees and pilgrims to celebrate the arrival of the Virgin from Lima, celebrating with religious dances in her honor. The celebration starts with the transfer of the image from the Small Temple to the Basilica or Big Church, on Saturday, bringing it back to finish the day Sunday, after a liturgy and religious dances.

The second celebration or “Fiesta Grande” occurs between days 23 and December 27. Then almost two hundred thousand people gather to celebrate the coronation of the image in gold, being the only one in Chile that has this privilege.

Mining tradition
In Andacollo you’ll know the traces of the mining culture of the area and the technological changes that have occurred over the years, from initial Incasic techniques to the industrialized activities

The “Maray”, for example, is a craft that the Incas used to grind corn and quinoa, and later adapted to the Spanish mining. It consists of a stone mortar and a cylindrical base made of the same stone, using water and mercury to trap oro.

Andacollo and the sky

The perfect climatic conditions for astronomic observation were the reason for de establishment of the Collowara Touristic Observatory in Andacollo. Collowara in Aymara language means “Land of Stars”. It is located 1350 meters above sea level and facing Scientific Tololo Observatory and Gemini South. It has conference rooms equipped with projection and audio system for a total of 60 people, three observation terraces with 2 Newtonian reflector telescope of 10 inches and a 16-inches Dobsonian telescope. Also it has an observation dome that holds the main telescope, model smitth cassegrein of 14 inches. It also has a cafe, souvenir sales room and a staff of guides with extensive astronomical knowledge.

Archeology

The Yahuin Museum, located in Andacollo, shows all vestiges of indigenous cultures from which arises all the religious and mining tradition. Supported by the Archaeological Museum of La Serena and funded by Carmen Mining Company of Andacollo, this initiative was created by the Cultural Association Yahuin, composed of people from different fields together to preserve and disseminate the cultural heritage of Andacollo.

As you can see, Andacollo is a land full of wealth that is worth discovering.

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Here is a short description about pisco distilleries that you may want to know. For all tastes.

Pisco Capel: The Elqui Pisco Agricultural Co-operative is not only the biggest producer in the country, but one of the most successful in the market for spirits. Born in 1935 as a small association of 30 farmers who were first renting two floors in the village of Paihuano, in Elqui Valley, and today they have the capacity to process 200 thousand tons. Nowadays, the plant in Vicuña must be like the Pisco Mecca, where the principal pisco brands are bottled: Alto del Carmen, Artesanos de Cochiguaz and Capel. This is the largest distillery in the Elqui Valley and the tour allows you to know the whole process in the production of distillate.

Pisco Aba: Just eight kilometers from the city of Vicuña there is one of the classic family pisco distilleries that for centuries dominated the production in Elqui Valley. The care in its work has led Aba to become a top class Distillate, Premium, recognized and rewarded at international level, thanks to its selection of stocks and stores in Oak and French Oak. The plant looks a bit rustic, but do not rely on initial impressions: as its owner, Alejandro Aguirre, says “the best recipes are not dependent on how the kitchen is modern, but the taste, creativity and talent of the chef.”

Pisco Mistral: Belongs to “Compañía Pisquera de Chile”, the second biggest pisco company in our country. The plant is located in the town of Pisco Elqui and should be in your must-see list. You can visit the original “stills room”, where you’ll get in touch with the working style of distilleries in the thirties, when the production of pisco gradually began to industrialize. Moreover, the main attraction of this plant lies in the possibility of purchasing a bottle wrapped entirely by hand and packaged with a certificate of craftsmanship, with a number of bottle associated with a number of barrel, a perfect gift for those who appreciate quality.

Pisco Los Nichos: another one of the premium distilleries is located a few kilometers from Pisco Elqui village and belonged to Don Rigoberto Rodriguez Rodriguez, the creator of the old “Three R” Pisco. Its main attraction, besides being a family pisco, with a low and careful production, is the old guard room, which gives meaning to the brand: true underground graves where the liquor bottles are stored, for over eighty years. This was also the favorite place for Don Rigoberto to invite their friends to party. The hundreds of written memories above the graves as epitaphs, are palpable imprint of those years of revelry. 100% recommended for those wishing to witness a real museum of pisco.

Pisco Artesanos de Cochiguaz: Belongs to Capel and is located in the village of Montegrande, also the land of the Nobel Price Poet Gabriela Mistral. Just like the other pisco distilleries, you can do a tour where they will explain, step by step, the process of pisco cocktails as well as other sour mango or berries.

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The advantage about going to Cochiguaz is how easy you can disconnect from the world and just take a rest. If you want to, you can be disconnected automatically.
If not, there is always satellite phone, or some other Internet connection to handle e-mails and keep in contact. In any case, the feeling of isolation and connection to the Andes Mountains, are absolute.

Cochiguaz is located in a small valley among precordilleran hills, just minutes from the classic and mystic Elqui Valley. As hundreds of thousands people each year enjoy the natural beauty of the Elqui, this small and relatively hidden valley provides the tranquillity that can not find anywhere.

¿Why should you know Cochiguaz?
First: its characteristics. The model of villages in Elqui Valley requires basic recurrent elements: a single main street, a small square and a church in front of it. This has worked for centuries and is well maintained. But Cochiguaz is different, it has none of these requirements, there isn’t a “Welcome to Cochiguaz”, there is no signal. Rather, it reflects what we might call “community”, a group of people linked by common interests. In this case, the interest is clear: to enjoy life with calm and connect with the energies of the world.

Then, there is that issue, the energy. How to feel it, how to channel it and how to get it back. In that sense, Cochiguaz is the perfect place. In most of the cabins and resorts they offer accommodation to tourists to perform services such as reiki, baths with volcanic soil or aromatic “fire of healing” therapies, meditation, and more. Thousands of recipes and ways to recover energy and take stress off, product of the work and the city life. Experience these therapies and notice the difference.

The third reason to come to Cochiguaz is the natural beauty of the place. Going out to ride through the hills, crossing streams, watching how they appear in green meadows and moist semi-arid landscape, the impressive sight and the range of colours and textures that every hill shows in the road.
And finally, the valley’s night show. To say that we are under the clearest sky in the world seems obvious at this point. Imagine now how it should be at night and almost no light pollution. The show is priceless: cleaner skies become the darkest and the brightest at the same time.

All this in a little valley hidden in the Coquimbo Region, about 110 km from the city of La Serena, which invites you to put aside everyday life, escape and unwind

Enjoy the quietness at “Casona Distante” Lodge, in the village of Alcohuaz, almost lost at the end of the magic Elqui Valley. A special place for relax and disconnect from the world.

Package Includes:

• Transfer La Serena / Alcohuaz / La Serena.

• Breakfast Buffet.

• Hydromasagge.

• Bikes

“Casona Distante” Lodge is located in Alcohuaz village, one of the farthest villages of the Elqui Valley, 120 kilometers from La Serena. It’s and old classic country house, from middle XIX century, restored and converted into a wide hostel, surrounded by the classic landscape of Elqui Valley: huge hills and mountains, vineyards and clear blue skies, ideal for those who want to take a break of the city, the routine and stress.

If you decide to go to Alcohuaz, you’ll be able to do some trekking and you will have full access to the pool and the grill shed

Useful tip:
You must have in mind that in Alcohuaz there is no phone line or internet, so you’ll have to plan ahead. 15 minutes south, however, you’ll find this service at Pisco Elqui town. .

There is a huge diference between El Pangue observatory and the rest of the public and touristic observatories in this zone: it’s the only exclusively run by specialists, scientists, physicists and astronomers.

We’ll collect you at your hotel and take you to the observatory. Pangue Observatory is located in Elqui Valley, 30 minutes south of Vicuña, almost two hours from the city of La Serena, a hill over 1.500 meters high. The only evidence of human influence is Tololo observatory, a couple of kilometres west, which shows how clean and light pollution-free the area is.

The visit begins with a specialized lecture, which last 20 minutes, about many aspects of classic astronomy. When the lecture finishes, tour follows with an observation outdoors, where you will appreciate the wonders of the clearest sky in the world: the Milky Way, constellations, cumulus, nebulae, planets and stars.

After the observation we’ll return to La Serena. Return depends of our shift.

Reservation Form:

[contact-form] .

This 3-days program in La Serena gives us the chance to know the prime attractions that the second oldest city in Chile has to offer, as well as navigate to the extraordinary Humboldt Penguin’s National Reserve, natural habitat of bottlenose dolphins, sea lions, colourful seabirds, penguins and all kind of endemic wild life.

You will also enjoy the unique experience of looking at the stars in Elqui Valley, the best place in the world to watch the stars, visiting one of its prime touristic observatories.

Itinerary:

Day One:

• Transfer from airport and lodging.
• Night tour to observatory.
• Lodging in La Serena.

Day Two:

• Visit to Humboldt Penguin’s National Reserve, Damas and Choros Islands.

Day Three:

• Free morning
• Transfer to airport.
• End of services.

Package includes:

• 02 night lodging.
• Tickets to National Reserve and observatory.
• Transfers.
• Tour guide.
• Lunch second day.
• Breakfasts.

Not included:

• Any other meal.
• Any other activity.

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The small sacrifice of getting up early to go out at seven o’clock in the morning from La Serena will be pleasingly compensated with the wonderful experience of knowing the Andes Mountains and the beautiful secrets that we will discover.

We leave behind the first villages of the Elqui Valley, crossing the Gabriela Mistral International Road, which is fully decorated of vineyards, used for making the traditional distilled called Pisco, and move towards the mountain chain up to the village of Huanta.

After a short stop in Huanta, we’ll take again the road and cross the International Border to Argentina. As we drive towards the mountains, you’ll be able to observe how the landscape changes as the hours go by. From the Elqui’s fertile nature to the loneliness of the dry and cold mountains, you’ll be surprised by the variety of colours over the mountains.

The maximum point of our ascent will be at 3.350 m., when you’ll meet the great surprise of our trip: the reserve called The Lagoon, 40 million of cubic meters and five kilometres of extension, is the reserve of sweet water, hiding in The Andes, that provides a unique contrast. The peace that you’ll breathe in this place is astonishing: the silence, the breeze, and the calm will surprise you. It is obvious that, before returning, it is necessary to stop to meditate and to enjoy the peace of the place by looking into the water mirror

After the visit to the reserve, we’ll return to Huanta, where we will recover energy with a typical country lunch. Finally, we will visit the village of Chapilca, where we’ll find a group of 40 women trying to keep alive the essence of their handcrafted typical art: blankets, caps, jackets, scarves, etc. We will know the history of Chapilca, about its women and their fine work. .