La Serena and Elqui Valley

Day 01: La Serena – Coquimbo
Transfer from airport to the hotel The tour departs from the city centre by way of the main square, the Plza. de Armas. La Serena is the second oldest city in Chile after Santiago and it maintains a Spanish neo-colonial style according to the "Plan Serena" which was implemented by legislation unique in Chile, which allowed the city to grow yet keep its own style. The heritage of the city includes 30 churches, a romantic avenue of replica classical Italian statues and townhouses dating from the last century together with public buildings according to the Plan Serena.
The first stop is the Archaeological Museum which gives insight into the early history of the El Molle, Animas and Diaguita cultures and their impact on the settlement of this region with examples of their craftsmanship in their remaining artefacts. An original Moai statue from Easter Island is also impressively on display. The tour visits the picturesque "artesania" market of La Recova, full of typical crafts, papaya products cultivated from the Elqui Valley, jumpers knitted from alpaca wool, ceramics with Diaguita designs, crafts in combarbalita stone and jewellery specially crafted from the lapislazuli semi precious stone which is only found in this region of Chile and the Americas.
There is time for the visitor to enjoy the panoramic view from the hill of the University of La Serena over the city and the bay of Coquimbo affording a splendid opportunity for a photo stop. As the tour progresses through the residential area of San Joaquin this recent modern sector provides a colorful backdrop with beautiful gardens of hibiscus, bougainvillea and poinsettias amongst many other flowering plants which thrive in this warm climate all year round. The tour continues to the Lighthouse, El Faro, the symbol of La Serena and allows time for a photo stop of the wide sweep of the bay and along the Avenue of the Sea with its beaches, modern hotels, pubs, discos and restaurants, showing how this area has responded to the recent growth in tourism.
The traditional fish market by the Port of Coquimbo is typical of this region, showing the great variety of fish and shellfish, which are available. This colorful scene shows the main industry of the city and its close connection with the ocean. As the tour continues to the beautiful resort of La Herradura in the bay of Guayacan, the history and legends of the pirates who invaded this coast is unveiled.
Back to hotel in La Serena. Lodging.
Day 02: Tour of the Elqui Valley
The tour of this vibrant valley lasts all day but leaves you feeling more energized that when you left in the morning. The valley is tinged with an esoteric air and many insist that it is the "energy center" of the world. This place is a geographic configuration, which is unique in the world. It is a narrow, but fertile strip of land where vegetables, papayas, lucuma, cherimoya trees (custard apple), and grapes grow alongside the hillsides, covered with cacti, of the semi arid desert.
The tour departs from the city of La Serena along Route 41 towards Vicuna going alongside the banks of the river Elqui that provides irrigation for this fertile valley. The newly constructed Puclaro dam will eventually hold 200 million cubic meters of water, which will be used to provide water for irrigation. On the mountaintop the white domes of the Tololo Observatory can be spotted, it is located in this place because of the clearest atmosphere in the world. No less surprising are the vineyards, with different varieties of Moscatel and Torontel grapes which are used to make one of the most characteristic liquors of Chile, “Pisco" which is produced and bottled in the region.
The short tour of the pisco distillery enables one to see the processes involved in the distillation of wine into this clear liquor. Visit the cellars, exhibition room and enjoy a tasting. Vicuña is the main town of the valley, 60 kilometers from La Serena, and is also noted for being the birthplace of Gabriela Mistral, the Nobel Prize winner for literature.
There will be time to see the Bauer Tower (old city hall), Vicuña's church and the main square. Leaving Vicuña behind the valley narrows and the mountains become higher and steep sided with the contrasting green vineyards occupying the valley floor. Here the vines are grown for the early exportation of table grapes from the Port of Coquimbo.
Lunch will be in a typical restaurant and is included in the full day tour. Set against the clear blue skies, on average there are 300 clear days per year, there are breathtaking views of this magical valley with its incredibly pure mountain air, close to the mystical Cochiguaz Valley. The tour begins its descent down the valley, stopping at the tomb of Gabriela Mistral in the village of Montegrande and a visit to the old schoolhouse where she spent her childhood and is now a small museum. On the return to La Serena enjoy seeing the mountains with their ever changing colors and the abundance of fruit, vegetables and vines grown in this unique and fertile valley, full of sunshine and the clearest of skies. Lodging.
Day 03: Tour of Fray Jorge National Park and the Enchanted Valley
The fascinating full day excursion begins in the morning with a drive along the coast of the Coquimbo Region passing by such resorts as La Herradura, Totoralillo, Las Tacas and Morrillos. As the Pan-American highway veers inland there is opportunity to observe the customary thick fog that settles above the coastal hills (known as the "camanchaca"). After turning off the Pan-American the remaining route to Fray Jorge National Park is 27 kilometres of country road which is unpaved and passes wheat fields, goat herds and the traditional goat cheese stands Fray Jorge became a National Park in 1941, and was declared a Reserve of the Biosphere in 1977 by UNESCO. Within Fray Jorge´s 9,559 hectares the visitor can observe the contrast between the semi arid hills that predominate in the park and the groves of forest similar to those that cover southern Chile.
The tour stops at the Visitor Centre for an introduction to the Park before climbing 560 meters to the top of the hill for a guided forty minute walk during which the cinnamon, myrtle and olivillo trees can been seen growing above a carpet of ferns. This unusual abundant vegetation can grow in this area because of the coastal clouds (or camanchaca) which forms due to the cold moisture-laden air coming off the ocean and condensing upon hitting the high ridge. The high altitude vegetation takes advantage of the moisture in the clouds, allowing a forest typical of Southern Chile to survive in the arid north. After the tour of the cloud forest the descent to the semi arid sector is in sharp contrast for here can be observed the natural flora and fauna, especially the foxes and a great variety of birds, birdwatchers bring your binoculars ! After a box lunch in the camping area the tour leaves the Park to continue towards Ovalle and a visit to the Enchanted Valley.The Enchanted Valley is located 19 kilometres southwest of Ovalle and was once a vast amphitheatre which was once a religious sanctuary and has become an open air museum of scientific and cultural interest. Back to hotel in La Serena. Lodging
Day 04
Breakfast at Hotel and transfer to airport.