The Elqui Valley runs east from La Serena into the Andes, climbing through a narrow green corridor of vineyards and fruit orchards set against bone-dry brown mountains. The sky here is among the clearest on earth — several major astronomical observatories are located in the surrounding hills, and on a moonless night the Milky Way is so bright it casts shadows.
The valley is the heartland of pisco production. The grape brandy is distilled at several artisanal and industrial plants along the road, most of which offer tours and tastings. The village of Pisco Elqui, renamed from La Unión in 1936 in a strategic move during the pisco origin dispute with Peru, is the main base for visitors — a small, pleasant place with a church on the plaza, guesthouses, and tour operators.
The Nobel Prize-winning poet Gabriela Mistral grew up in the valley, in the village of Montegrande, where her childhood home is now a museum. The surrounding landscape — irrigated green against empty desert, with snow-capped Andean peaks above — has an almost hallucinatory quality.
The valley is reached from La Serena, about an hour's drive, and can be visited as a day trip. But staying at least one night is strongly recommended for the stargazing alone. Several small observatories offer evening tours with telescope viewing.