Stargazing in the Andes
Stargazing…the Chilean Sky is famous for its crystal clear vision of the infinity of our universe. Let yourself be taken out of this world, getting a glance of the immense skies above us, not even lifting a foot off the ground. Did you know Chile is the capital of astrotourism and according to experts the best place on earth for stargazing?
This private, self-built observatory, is located in the mountains 2 hours north of Santiago. The driving time is made up for by 260 clear nights per year, and incredibly dark skies, perfect for stargazing, even through the naked eye!!!
Your hosts will welcome you with a traditional “once chilena” (our version of tea), with homemade bread, tea, coffee, craft cheeses and other delicious homemade sweet and savoury traditional treats. After eating, our Astronomer introduces you to the cosmology of Andean Cultures (focusing on this land, where Mapuche met the Inca), and the relevance certain celestial objects had to our ancestors. This study of the sky according to indigenous cultures is known as Archaeoastronomy, and is particularly relevant in this area, which corresponds to a stretch of the Inca trail and is full of petroglyphs.
Afterwards, we move to the tower (every structure here is built to coincide with astronomical phenomena), where we learn to observe the negative spaces in the Milky Way (sacred to most ancient peoples of the South), and then move on to observation with telescopes, where the Astronomer addresses current, Western cosmology to contextualise the objects we observe. As the night sky changes, no two evenings are the same. Some nights we will focus on the moon and planets (as they will be the brightest objects), others we will look at nebulae, clusters, and different constellations.
Pick up
- Winter (April-Ocober): pick up between 15.00 & 16:30
- Summer (Oct-March): pick up between 17.00 & 17.30
- Drive time is about 2 hours from Santiago – tour itself lasts 3 hours
Why different pick up times?
During summer and summer the sun sets at different times.
Tour combinations
This tour can be combined perfectly with the Santiago City Highlights Tour, Andes Day Hike or Horseback Riding Tour.
Check out our blog for some more information about stargazing in Chile!
Availability
Available on all evenings of the week.
Minimum 2 people.
Group Discount
Special group discounts:
- 3-4 people: 10% off
- 5 or more people: 20% off
What to wear?
Sweater or long sleeves for the evening.
Cancellation
2 days before it starts for a full refund, with no refunds after that. In case the meteorological conditions are not favourable, we will try and reschedule to another evening or a different location. If neither alternative is possible, we will cancel the tour and provide a full refund.
