A Local’s Guide to La Serena, Chile
The Plaza de Armas in downtown La Serena. Photo: Víctor Sáez Barros, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
La Serena, located on Chile's northern coast about a six-hour bus ride north of Santiago, is a city that perfectly blends history, nature, and culture, making it a fantastic destination for tourists (even if it’s still somewhat off most visitors’ radar). Known for its colonial architecture, the city offers visitors the chance to explore beautifully preserved 16th-century buildings, charming churches, and cobblestone streets. It also has fantastic arts & crafts and a great gastronomic tradition, all of which can be discovered at it’s wonderful market, La Recova.
La Serena is also home to beautiful beaches like Playa El Faro, perfect for a relaxing day by the Pacific Ocean. Nature lovers will find plenty to enjoy here as well. The city is a gateway to the stunning Elqui Valley, known for its clear skies, ideal for stargazing. It’s also a center for wellness, winemaking, and lots of outdoor activities.
In addition to its cultural and natural attractions, there are also opportunities for pisco tasting in the Elqui Valley, enjoying the nightlife along the coast, or paragliding in Caleta Los Hornos. There’s always something exciting happening here and the city's mild Mediterranean climate makes it a pleasant destination year-round.
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Table of Contents
Why visit
A brief history of the city
How long to spend
Where to stay
Things to see and do
4-day itinerary
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Why visit?
La Serena, one of Chile's oldest cities, offers visitors a very pleasant blend of colonial charm, stunning coastal beauty, and easy access to some of the country’s most celebrated landscapes. Many travelers use La Serena as a gateway to the breathtaking Elqui Valley or as a convenient stopover on journeys between Santiago and the Atacama Desert. So, even if the city itself isn’t a major draw for you, you may find it an appealing place to break up a long journey.
During the summer months, La Serena transforms into a busy beach resort, attracting Chileans, as well as foreigners, seeking sun, surf, and relaxation. The city’s bustling markets, pleasant green areas, and lively beach promenade – Avenida del Mar - combine into a very attractive little package.
La Serena is also well known for its excellent cuisine, and being the regional capital, it attracts farmers and merchants from many surrounding coastal and rural towns, and it’s market - La Recova - is a great place to find typical local products like goat cheese and papaya sweets. The papaya candy balls covered in sugar are a special delight!
A brief history of La Serena
Although the presence of several pre-Columbian cultures has been documented in this area, most of them disappeared quite a long time ago and little is now known about them, meaning our understanding of the history of this region is rather limited. So most of the information available to us is about the Changos, who lived along the coast and managed to survive the arrival of Spanish conquerors during the 16th century, and the Diaguita, whose civilization flourished between the 13th and 15th centuries and was most prominent inland in the Elqui River Valley.
The city of La Serena itself was founded in 1544 by Captain Juan Bohón - becoming Chile’s second oldest city - and then re-founded in 1549 by Captain Francisco de Aguirre. It was built on five terraces on the left bank of the Elqui River, which descend in steps towards the sea in a manner similar to an amphitheater. The city is located in Coquimbo Bay, with La Serena on the northern half of the bay and the city of Coquimbo on the southern half.
During its early history, the city suffered continuous attacks by pirates! This caused great fear in the population, prompting the fortification of the city in 1730. At the same time, these walls were intended to prevent people from migrating towards the countryside, since the city had suffered a great exodus and was being left almost bare. The city remained as a minor vacation destination until the mid-19th century.
However, in 1920, a new economic boom began to take shape due to iron mining, which attracted investments and immigration, giving rise to a new change in the city’s urban and social structure. Between 1948 and 1952, President Gabriel González Videla - who was born here - launched the Plan Serena, a project to renovate and modernize the city with public works and remodeling that would give it a unique stamp in the country. Those buildings are still standing and are picture-perfect.
Today, La Serena is known for its lively coastal vibe and gorgeous beaches, along with very good nightlife, due in no small part to the big university community found here. Being the capital city of the Coquimbo Region, many students from rural areas or smaller towns move here to study, staying in town between March and December. The rotating population then switches to folks from all over the world coming to enjoy their vacations during January and February (summer for us).
La Serena is also an important destination for cruise ships that call on the Port of Coquimbo and offer day trips to the Elqui Valley, among other excursions. In recent decades, tourism has become one of the most important economic activities, causing the population to double in the summer months, mainly due to its beaches, recreational activities, the Davis Tennis Cup, music festivals, concerts, Formula 3 races, and fashion shows, among other activities.
In short, there’s a lot going on here these days!
How long to spend
With so many things to enjoy in La Serena proper as well as the surrounding area, I think that you should plan to stay for 3 to 4 days. This gives you enough time to see the city, check out some of the nearby beaches, visit the neighboring city of Coquimbo, and take day trips to the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve and the Elqui Valley.
With that in mind, I’d suggest setting aside at least two nights to stay within La Serena, and then another night in the Elqui Valley, where you can experience total serenity.
I’ve included a complete 4-day itinerary at the end of this article, to give you an idea for how to structure a potential visit.
Where to stay
The historic center. Photo: Arturo Rinaldi Villegas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
La Serena is a relatively small city, but depending on when you visit, the population may explode with visitors and part-time residents, making it feel much larger than you expect (the summer months are busy with vacationers, while March to December is filled with students).
During busy times of year, traffic can be quite bad, making it relatively time consuming to move between around the city, so choosing a good area to stay in is pretty importany.
Therefore, I advise staying close to the main attractions you want to see to avoid spending most of your trip stuck in a traffic jam. Keep in mind that this is a bicycle-friendly town, and you can cycle or walk between most of the highlights if you stay central.
Depending on your interests, there are two main areas where you could stay: downtown La Serena and the waterfront neighborhood along Avenida del Mar.
Both neighborhoods have plenty of accommodation alternatives suitable for all budgets, ranging from shared hostels, apart-hotels – which basically consist of an apartment where you can get breakfast and daily cleaning services – to 5-star hotels. Before booking your accommodation, make sure to ask if the price includes breakfast. In Chile, this is usually paid separately!
My recommended hotels
Hotel Diego de Almagro La Serena: This four-star hotel near the lighthouse offers modern rooms in earthy tones, plus a restaurant, outdoor pool, exercise room, and sauna. $100 per night.
Hotel Costa Real: Located downtown near Avenida del Mar, this four-star hotel offers a restaurant, bar, pool, and modern amenities. $100 per night, including breakfast.
Hotel Francisco De Aguirre: One of the oldest and most trafitioanl hotels in the city, this is a perennial favorite among visitors. Extremely centrally located, rooms either have views of the gardens, the pool, or the city. They offer a good buffet breakfast. $85 per night.
Hotel y Cabañas Campanario: Situated near the La Serena-Coquimbo border, this beachfront property offers rooms and fully equipped bungalows, with breakfast included. $85 per night.
Domos Dream: This boutique hotel is three blocks from the beach and features dome-shaped accommodations, with options for rooms or entire bungalows, plus an outdoor pool and picnic area. $75 per night.
Hoteles Terra: Hoteles Terra consists of two manors in the historic quarter: Hotel Terra Serena, a neoclassical 20th-century building with seven thematic rooms, and Terra Diaguita Hotel Boutique & SPA, with a rustic decor and focus on highlighting Diaguita culture. $70 per night.
Hostal Balmaceda: Set in a restored colonial house, this hostal features rooms and furnished apartments with garden or courtyard views. Some rooms have shared bathrooms, while others have ensuites. $60 per night for doubles.
Eco Lodge El Árbol: This eco-friendly lodge offers wood-crafted cabins and rooms with a garden, bike rentals, and a vegan café serving breakfast and brunch. Double room rate: $50. Cabins for two: $65 per night.
Hostal El Punto: In an old colonial house, this hotel is just a few blocks from the city’s main square features rooms with shared or private bathrooms and a suite with a balcony. Breakfast is included. $45 per night.
What to see and do
I’ve visited La Serena many times, with family, friends, and as a tourism getaway, so am very familiar with what it has to offer (which is quite a lot!).
The list below by no means covers everything there is to see and do in this beautiful city, but it’s definitely a very good start with lots of variety, in addition to the tips I’ve already given above.
1) Check out the main sights in the city center and waterfont
While this is not a city full of “unmissable” attractions, it’s a very pleasant place that has quite a few areas well worth exploring. The Plaza de Armas, the city’s main square, is lovely, with lots of trees, fountains, and sculptures, and ringed by colonial buildings. Within the square is the Catedral de La Serena, a 19th century cathedral.
Not far away, La Recova Market is filled with vendors selling local handicrafts, souvenirs, and regional dishes and snacks. And right next to the market you have the 16th century San Agustín church, one of the oldest in the city.
The archaeological museum (small but pretty good) and Teatro Municipal are just a couple of blocks off from the church, and just beyond them is Avenida Francisco de Aguirre, the city’s main street. With a wide pedestrian walkway running down the middle of the street, you can stroll along it all the way down to the waterfront, stopping off first at the lovely and serene Japanese Garden.
Once you reach the waterfront, you’ll see the Faro Monumental de La Serena (the city’s iconic lighthouse), which is the starting point of the seaside promenade of Avenida del Mar. You can wander along the promenade as far as you want, as it continues all the way to Coquimbo (the neighboring city. The walk would be aorund 3-hours). You’ll have the beach right beside you the entire time.
If you want to visit Coquimbo, these are the main sights: the Port, the Barrio Inglés (historic 19th century neighborhood), the Navigators' Lookout, the Third Millennium Cross, and La Herradura, a beautiful beach resort located in Guayacán Bay, a former pirate hideout.
The Catedral de La Serena. Photo: Aguslepe, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped
The Faro Monumental. Photo: Alfonso Claps, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Japanese Garden. Photo: CeciliaPerezI, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The far end of Avenida Francisco de Aguirre, looking at the lighthouse. Photo: Krzysztof Ulaczyk (more work on Wikimedia Commons: Kszulogaleria), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Modified from original.
Downtown, by the Plaza de Armas. Photo: FresitaPapayera, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped from original
2) Take a stroll down the beach promenade along Avenida del Mar
You can’t come to La Serena and not enjoy a walk along Avenida del Mar. This is a 2.7-mile-long coastal strip decorated with palm trees that links La Serena and Coquimbo and it’s one of the most attractive walks in the city. There’s also a bike trail and plenty of restaurants and pubs options, which makes it an attractive spot for the city’s nightlife.
The northern access to Avenida del Mar is via Francisco de Aguirre Avenue, right next to the Faro Monumental, a lighthouse that was built as part of Plan Serena in the mid-1900s and has become a symbol of the city. The building was declared a National Monument in 2010.
There are 12 beaches along Avenida del Mar. Although most of them are not suitable for bathing, they all have equipment for tourists, as well as a complete lifeguard system. Avenida del Mar ends in Canto del Agua Street, its southern access, in the Peñuelas sector that marks the divide between La Serena and Coquimbo.
La Serena’s waterfront. Photo: ElFlacoSarniemto, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped from original
3) Sample all the papaya fruit products
La Serena and its surroundings are also known for the production of a local variety of papaya. But be careful! Unlike the tropical papaya, the Chilean variety cannot be eaten raw. When ready to harvest, it is a yellow fruit with a delicate, juicy, and spongy pulp. You eat only the part next to the peel, not the pulp with seeds.
Chileans traditionally boil the papaya and prepare a syrup with the leftover liquid. They then preserve the papayas with their juice in airtight jars or let them cool and serve as a dessert with fresh cream, if desired.
Among a myriad of handicrafts and souvenirs, at La Recova market in downtown La Serena you’ll find a broad array of products made from papaya. These include, of course, the papaya preserves, as well as bottles of papaya juice, jam, and syrup. Additionally, you’ll see people selling candied papaya and papaya bonbons.
If you want to visit papaya producers and buy directly from them, you can do so at the sales room of Papayas Yáñez (km 11 of Route 41) on the road that leads to the Elqui Valley. The store is run by its owners, who help you with your purchase and let you taste to make sure you really like what you’re getting. This is my favorite part!
4) Go birdwatching in the coastal wetlands of Coquimbo Bay
If you’re a bird lover, then you’ll really enjoy this area! There are three lagoon wetlands along the Coquimbo bay where you can watch over 130 migratory species that come to nest and feed here during the southern spring and summer seasons (September to February).
These include Sanderling, Baird’s Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Ruddy Turnstone, Greater Yellowlegs, and Lesser Yellowlegs, among others. It really is a stunning sight! Just remember that it is not allowed to camp, bathe, or take vehicles to any of these sites. There are parking lots just outside each of them.
The three wetlands, from north to south, are the following:
Laguna Saladita is a protected ecosystem covering nearly 159 acres. It’s located approximately 4.3 mi north of La Serena and to get there you must travel north on Route 5 (Pan-American Highway) for about 15 minutes and then turn left, taking a 1.2-mile-long dirt road in good condition towards the coast. You’ll find a 2-5-mile-long trail (round trip) that will guide you through the beach between two lookouts that provide amazing views of the wetland and the bay.
The mouth of the Elqui River is an urban wetland covering an area of nearly 1,218 acres extending from the town of Altovalsol to the place where the river connects with the Pacific Ocean. It’s located approximately 1.8 mi from downtown La Serena and to get there you need to take Avenida Pacífico towards the north and then take the exit towards the coast.
El Culebrón is also an urban wetland, covering 88.5 acres in the southernmost tip of the Coquimbo bay. It’s located approximately 6.5 mi south of La Serena and to get there you just have to travel south on Route 5 (Pan-American Highway) and follow the signs.
5) Learn about UFOs in the Elqui Valley
Ever since a UFO allegedly crashed in the small town of Paihuano, in the Elqui Valley, in 1998, it became known as the “Chilean Roswell.” This event, along with numerous sightings over the following decades, has attracted a growing number of tourists seeking to take a look at the crash site and even hoping to establish contact with aliens. Paihuano is located approximately 54 mi east from La Serena and the municipality recently built a special lookout equipped with binoculars to observe the site. You can even get a photo next to an alien!
After exploring the place where it all began, head back to La Serena to visit the Museo Ovni (UFO Museum), located within the Big Bang Park, Plot 23, in the Peñuelas Sector of Route 5. The UFO Museum’s collection includes a series of documents, archives, photographs, books, magazines and newspapers that have been part of the main investigations into the UFO phenomenon at national and international level.
It is run by journalist, researcher, and writer Cristián Riffo, with more than 30 years of experience researching this topic and it celebrates World UFO Day each year on June 24.
6) Taste local pisco, beer, and wine in the valley and along the coast
If you’re a foodie like me, you’ll definitely enjoy tasting local products. I suggest starting your journey in the Elqui Valley and following the flow of the river until you return to La Serena.
Of course, you should start by tasting the valley’s star product: pisco. Pisco is Chile’s national spirit, made from a variety of white grapes called Moscatel and with a designation of origin in the Elqui Valley since 1931. The valley is dotted with a series of distilleries, each of them offering tours of their processing plants. At the end of the tours, you can taste the piscos they produce and purchase a few of their products.
Some of the distilleries that you can visit are: Capel and Aba, in the town of Vicuña; and Fundo Los Nichos, Mistral, and Doña Josefa, in Pisco Elqui.
But not everything in this valley is pisco! If you really like beer, then you’ve got to try the local breweries. Ruta 41 brewery at Refugio El Molle, in El Molle, and Guayacán brewery, in the town Diaguitas, offer tours and tastings of their production plants. Additionally, you’ll be able to quench your thirst and enjoy good food in their ‘beergardens,’ which are like small pubs where you can unwind while enjoying the mountains.
And if you prefer wines, you may visit, Viña Cavas del Valle, in Paihuano, which offers tours of its vineyards and cellars to small groups. You can also go to Viña Falernia, in Vicuña, although you’ll only get to see their sales room. However, the winery is located in the same plot as Papayas Olivier, so you’ll have the additional opportunity to taste products made from this delicious fruit.
Back in La Serena, you can’t pass the opportunity to taste seafood! One of my favorite places is the Centro Gastronómico Caleta San Pedro de La Serena (San Pedro Wharf Gastronomic Center in La Serena).
It’s located approximately 2.5 mi north of La Serena on Route 5 (Pan-American Highway) and it’s a great place to explore the eateries and try preparations based on fresh sea products, such as conger eel stew, shellfish empanadas, and fried fish sandwiches, among others. I promise this will be an unforgettable experience!
Pisco fields in the Elqui Valley. Photo: gaspar abrilot from Santiago, Chile, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
7) Do some surfing on La Serena’s beaches
Chile’s long coast is famous for its waves that attract hundreds of surfers from around the world. Although La Serena is not the top destination among professionals of this sport, one of the beaches just south of the city of Coquimbo is known for providing a great surf experience. Totoralillo Beach, located merely 14.2 mi south of La Serena, has sandy-bottomed breaks and produces exhilarating left- and right-hand waves with northern swells.
After surfing, you can enjoy fresh fish and seafood at any of the food trucks available at the Paseo del Mar, a gastronomic center run only by women and catering to the area’s domestic and foreign visitors.
Now, if you know nothing about surfing, but wish to learn, there are a couple of places in La Serena where you can book your introductory class. The first one is Escuela de Surf Poisson (Avenida del Mar 1001, close to the corner with Amunátegui), which also has a great café where you can replenish your energy with warm drinks and delicious snacks. The second one is Escuela de Surf Riders (located in Avenida del Mar with Cuatro Esquinas). They have a small coffee shop and offer surfing photograph sessions that must be previously coordinated.
In both places, a single class costs only about $30 USD, so there are no excuses not to do it!
8) Visit two of La Serena’s best museums
Although there are several noteworthy museums in La Serena and its surroundings, the following two are, in my opinion, the ones you definitely must see to get a feel of the city and the area where it has flourished: Museo Arqueológico de La Serena (Archaeological Museum of La Serena) and Museo Histórico Gabriel González Videla (Gabriel Gonzalez Videla Historical Museum).
With a collection of more than 12,000 objects, the Archaeological Museum of La Serena took its first steps exploring the Diaguita Culture in the Elqui Valley, and then created its own collections. The new permanent exhibition tells a chronological story of the prehistoric past of the Coquimbo region, from the first people who arrived in the territory to the period known as Diaguita-Inka and the arrival of the Europeans to the area.
The chronological tour is divided into 3 rooms: First inhabitants and hunter-gatherer cultures of the coast and valleys (12,000 to 300 BC); El Molle and Las Ánimas cultural complex (300 BC to 800 AD); and Diaguita and Diaguita-Inka culture (800 AD to 1535 AD).
In contrast, the Gabriel Gonzalez Videla Historical Museum tells the more recent history of La Serena, linked to the life and work of this local politician who was president of Chile between 1942 and 1952. The museum was created in his family residence, the only 19th century building still existing in the Plaza de Armas of La Serena.
With more than 3,500 pieces in its collection, it also includes samples of contemporary Chilean painting and elements of regional history. Here, you can also see documentaries about the presidency of González Videla and enjoy guided tours, which do not require prior booking. You’ll be living the gilded age of La Serena!
9) Go paragliding in Caleta Los Hornos
If paragliding is your passion, then you’ve come to the right place! In Caleta Los Hornos, a beautiful place 23 mi north of La Serena, you’ll find the region’s paragliding paradise. You can book flights with several local providers, like La Serena Turismo Chile, Parapente La Serena, and OVITRAVEL.
With any of these companies you will enjoy a very smooth and calm flight, reaching an altitude of approximately 493 feet. You will glide for 15 to 20 minutes over the dunes and the beach of the cove along with your guide. Depending on the wind, you may land in the same place where you took off or on the beach. Since you won’t be piloting, you can just enjoy the views and take as many photographs as you want.
After this adrenaline rush, you should stop by the actual town of Caleta Los Hornos to have a hearty lunch at any of the restaurants specializing in seafood products. You can top this excursion by hiring a boat ride with one of the local fishermen to get different views of this quaint but lovely place.
Caleta Los Hornos. Photo: PaleoNeolitic, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
4-Day itinerary for La Serena and the Elqui Valley
Day 1 - La Serena and Coquimbo
During the morning, I would recommend starting with a city tour of La Serena to get a sense of the city and visit its main highlights. These include the Avenida del Mar, the Faro Monumental (lighthouse), Avenida Francisco de Aguirre (the city’s main street), La Recova (the local market), the Plaza de Armas (main square), and the Jardín Japonés (Japanese Garden). If time allows, you can also visit the lookout at the University of La Serena to get spectacular views of the Coquimbo Bay.
After enjoying lunch in one of the many options in La Serena, continue south along Avenida del Mar towards Coquimbo to enjoy a tour around this neighboring city. The main highlights include the Coquimbo Port, the Barrio Inglés (English Neighborhood), the Mirador de los Navegantes (Navigators' Lookout), the Third Millennium Cross, and La Herradura, a beautiful beach resort located in Guayacán Bay, a former pirate hideout.
If you have enough time, you should also visit Fuerte Lambert (Fort Lambert), where you can book boat rides on a pirate ship, relax at a café and shop at the souvenir stands. Have dinner in town before heading back to your hotel in La Serena.
Playa La Herradura. Photo: Sergio A. Molina Brito, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Modified from original.
Day 2 - Full-day boat trip to Humboldt Penguin National Reserve
I definitely suggest you get up early for a full-day visit to the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve and its beautiful Damas Island. Consider departing from La Serena to Punta Choros at approximately 6:30 during the summer and 7:30 during the winter.
After almost two hours of travel, the tour will start at the Reserve’s visitor center and then sailing around the Gaviota Choros and Damas islands - which make up the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve - to observe penguins, sea lions, birds and, possibly, bottlenose dolphins.
After sailing for a while, you will disembark at Damas Island and have an hour to walk along its beautiful white sand beaches and emerald-green waters. You will then embark again to return to Punta de Choros and enjoy a delicious lunch at a typical restaurant in the town before returning to La Serena. Spend the rest of the evening exploring the city and enjoying the atmoshere.
Penguins in the reserve. Photo: Natalia Reyes Escobar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Day 3 - the Elqui Valley
I suggest spending the day in the Elqui Valley and staying there one night to make the most of the experience. The Elqui Valley is known for its production of pisco, a clear liquor made from grapes that has been recognized as Chile’s national brandy and that you can taste at different distilleries.
The Valley is also famous for its clear skies that are perfect for stargazing through both manual and high-technology observatories and for being the birthplace of poet Gabriela Mistral, Chile’s first - and only - woman Nobel Literature Prize. Her works have been transformed into songs and translated many times!
You can visit the main attractions as you venture further into the valley. Start with a stop at the Puclaro Reservoir, where you can practice non-motorized watersports, such as windsurf, kitesurf, and kiteboarding. You can then continue to Vicuña, the main town of the valley, walk at your own pace enjoying its craft fair and the Gabriela Mistral Museum, and having lunch at the Solar de Villaseca Restaurant, known for cooking all its preparations using solar energy.
In the afternoon, visit the Capel plant to learn how this cooperative of small wine grape growers became one of the largest pisco producers and taste some of its varieties. Pisco is made from a variety of white grapes called Moscatel and was granted a designation of origin in the Elqui Valley in 1931.
There are many cocktail drinks prepared with pisco, which you can have plain, on the rocks, sour, or any number of exciting combinations, although the Chilean favorite is the Piscola (pisco and a cola drink)! In fact, we celebrate National Piscola Day on February 8th every year.
Afterwards, I suggest you get some rest so you can stay up long enough to enjoy a stargazing tour at one of the many observatories available in the valley. Depending on which observatory you choose, you may opt to spend the night either in Vicuña or in Pisco Elqui, which is a town further up the valley.
Some of the most popular tourism observatories are: Mamalluca, one of the oldest and best equipped, located close to Vicuña; Migrantes, which offers to take a photo of you against the starry night, located in Pisco Elqui; and Chakana, which is named after the word the Quechua peoples used when referring to the Southern Cross constellation, located in downtown Pisco Elqui.
The town of Vicuña seen from the hills beyond town. Photo: Samuel Norero, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A typical landscape in the Elqui Valley. Photo: M M from Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Day 4 - The Elqui Valley
I recommend visiting the town Diaguitas, where you can learn about the Diaguita culture, which flourished here between the 13th and 15th centuries. The town is mainly inhabited by artisans who identify with the Diaguita culture and try to keep its spirit alive through replicas of their pottery.
After walking through its cobbled streets, you can quench your thirst at Guayacán brewery, which offers tours and tastings in its production plant. You can relax at its ‘beer garden,’ which is like a small pub where you can enjoy good food along with their different beers and ales.
Continue to Montegrande, to visit its beautiful church and the Gabriela Mistral House-School Museum to see what life was like back then in the early 1900s. Go on up the road until you reach Pisco Elqui, the last town in the Elqui Valley and the one closest to the Andes Mountains at a hight of 4,265 ft. Walk around to see the church, the square, and the crafts fair before enjoying lunch at Hotel Elqui, the oldest lodging establishment in the valley.
If you’re still not sure if you liked the pisco, you could try some more at either the Mistral, and Doña Josefa, distilleries. On your way back to Vicuña, stop at the town of Paihuano, known as the “Chilean Rosswell” because a UFO allegedly crashed there in 1998.
From here, you will go back to La Serena with your energy fully recharged. Unless you find yourself in another dimension or planet! Anything is possible!
The church and main square in Pisco Elqui
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