Ruta de las Estrellas (Road of the Stars), Circuito Gabriel Mistral, Elqui Valley, Chile

Big cities are not our thing. Though they are often cultural treasures, as overland travelers we find them hectic, crowded, hard to navigate, and… stressful.  That said, we ended up staying in Santiago longer than we normally would because we had been invited to stay at Alfonso and Ana’s apartment.  After two weeks of nonstop adventure it gave us a chance to rest, regroup and do a bit of sightseeing without having to worry about secure parking for our camper van.

Our itinerary from Santiago to La Serena, Chile

Our way of visiting cities is to use our legs as much as we possibly can. Santiago is in a valley which is surrounded by the Andes Mountains. They are visible from almost every point in the city despite the proliferation of high rise buildings that sprung up during the period of rapid economic growth in the 90s. We walked to the closest Metro station, in Providencia, a sleek commercial neighborhood.

Mercado Central, Santiago, Chile

Mercado Central, Santiago, Chile

Mercado Central, Santiago, Chile

We disembarked in the city center, the oldest part of Santiago. Happily, there are a lot of trees and green spaces. After having an amazing lunch of Merluza a la plancha at Mercado Central, we continued through Parque Forestall to Cerro Santa Lucia, a beautifully landscaped park that is adorned with ornate facades, stairways and fountains. At the highest point there is a viewpoint of the Alameda, the main avenue in the city. The Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral was interesting as well. It is named for the Chilean poet who was the first Latin American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature and has large exhibition spaces and airy outdoor plazas. We saw the colorful political murals, watched some young dancers practice their routines and spent some time in the delightful bookstore.

Parque Forestal, Santiago, Chile

Cerro Santa Lucia, Santiago, Chile

Terrazo Neptuno, Palacio Hidalgo, Cerro Santa Lucia, Santiago, Chile

View of La Alameda from Cerro Santa Lucia, Santiago, Chile

View of city center from the top of Castillo Hildalgo, Cerro Santa Lucia, Santago, Chile

Public library, Santiago, Chile

Centro Gabriela Mistral. Santiago, Chile

Mural, Centro Gabriela Mistral. Santiago, Chile

Mural, Centro Gabriela Mistral. Santiago, Chile

Sunset in Providencia District, Santiago, Chile

We made a brief detour southwest to the coastal town of Isla Negra – the home of Pablo Neruda, another Nobel winning poet and one of my favorites.  Isla Negra was the favorite of his three homes and he is buried here, next to his third wife.  His lovely home overlooks a windswept ocean headland and reflects his love of the sea, with its collection of shells, ships in bottles and nautical instruments.  Reservations are essential in summer. While waiting our turn we watched a biographical documentary, visited his burial site below the home, and enjoyed the magnificent grounds.  We were given an audioguide to visit his home. No photos are allowed inside, though we managed to sneak in a few!

View of Pablo Neruda’s home from his burial place at Isla Negra, Chile

View of the beach from Casa de Pablo Neruda, Isla Negra, Chile

Burial place for Neruda and his third wife, La Casa de Pablo Neruda, Isla Negra, Chile

Burial place for Neruda and his third wife, La Casa de Pablo Neruda, Isla Negra, Chile

View from La Casa de Pablo Neruda, Isla Negra, Chile

La Casa de Pablo Neruda, Isla Negra, Chile

Inside La Casa de Pablo Neruda, Isla Negra, Chile

Inside La Casa de Pablo Neruda, Isla Negra, Chile

Seashell collection, La Casa de Pablo Neruda, Isla Negra, Chile

Seashell collection, La Casa de Pablo Neruda, Isla Negra, Chile

Seashell collection, La Casa de Pablo Neruda, Isla Negra, Chile

We drove toward the region of Norte Chico (Little North) along the Panamericana Highway. Though we were mostly on the coast, the topography was semidesert – hot and dry, so different from the south. We camped on the beach in the sleepy town of Los Vilos, after having been given permission by the young caretakers.  They were also wild camping while building a snack bar in the shape of a geodesic dome. It was a great spot for pelican watching at sunset and beach walking in the morning.

Camping on the beach, Los Vilos, Chile

Geodesic dome on the beach, Los Vilos, Chile

At Parque Nacional Bosque de Fray Jorge, a cactus-riddled semidesert, we found 400 hectares of verdant Valdivian cloud forest! To our surprise, it much like the one we had hiked in, 1205 km to the south. This area is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, and well worth a visit. The problem is the long drive on a hot dusty ripio (unpaved road) to get into it. The park closes at 6 pm but the last access to the forest is at 4:30 so we camped outside the gate, enjoying the desert sunset against the Andes.  There are not a lot of mammals here but we saw large beetles, and a Chilean iguana.  We heard an Austral owl and saw hundreds of stars when it got dark. Early in the morning we walked the trail when the  the plants were still dripping with moisture from the blanket of fog that rolls in daily from the Pacific.  In the Visitor Center we learned that many scientists believe this forest used to be larger and that this phenomenon is the result of dramatic climate change… yet another example of what is going on worldwide.  In any case, finding a cloud forest in the midst of this parched environment was pretty amazing.

Parque Nacional Bosque Fray Jorge, Región de Coquimbo, Chile

The drive to Parque Nacional Bosque Fray Jorge, Región de Coquimbo, Chile

“Ripio” road to Valdivian rainforest, Parque Nacional Bosque Fray Jorge, Región de Coquimbo, Chile

Camping outside Parque Nacional Bosque Fray Jorge, Región de Coquimbo, Chile

Chilean Iguana, Parque Nacional Bosque Fray Jorge, Región de Coquimbo, Chile

Desert beetle, Parque Nacional Bosque Fray Jorge, Región de Coquimbo, Chile

View from entrance to Parque Nacional Bosque Fray Jorge, Región de Coquimbo, Chile

On the trail through Parque Nacional Bosque Fray Jorge, Región de Coquimbo, Chile

On the trail through Parque Nacional Bosque Fray Jorge, Región de Coquimbo, Chile

On the trail through Parque Nacional Bosque Fray Jorge, Región de Coquimbo, Chile

On the trail through Parque Nacional Bosque Fray Jorge, Región de Coquimbo, Chile

Further along the Panamericana Highway are the beach cities of Coquimbo and La Serena.  Both of them have long white sand beaches and attract many summer tourists.  The more scenic of the two is La Serena.  We drove all along the beaches of Coquimbo, which were lined with modern highrises.  There are more of them in the city.  There was so much traffic that we had trouble finding a place to stop for a photo.  La Serena, on the other hand, is Chile’s second oldest city and still has some architecture from the colonial era.  It is also the gateway city to another major tourist attraction, the spectacular Elqui Valley. Of course, at the height of the tourist season,  navigating the city was a challenge, as was parking our van near the Tourist Information Center.  We wanted to meander the leafy plazas here but our number one priority at the moment was a place to sleep.  The friendly young man at the Tourist Center promised us a good campground about 3 km from the city.  However, we found that this was not the case and we actually drove about 50 km before we found one with a hot shower.  By then we were in the Elqui Valley so we decided to visit that region first.

Coquimbo, Chile

Coquimbo, Chile

La Serena, Chile

La Serena, Chile

City center, La Serena, Chile

Colonial architecture, La Serena, Chile

The Elqui Valley was the home of poet Gabriela Mistral.  It is also the heart of pisco production (Chile’s potent national drink made from grape brandy). The region is filled with quaint villages and carpets of vineyards.  It is also famous for its futuristic observatories, hence the name “Ruta de las Estrellas.”  We had an awesome visit at Observatorio Cerro Mamalluca in Vicuña.  There were only 5 people in our English speaking group so we had many opportunities for stargazing as well as photographing the moon with our iPhones through one of their telescopes!

The moon, taken with an iPhone 6s through a telescope, Observatorio Mamalluca, Vicuña, Chile

We enjoyed our picturesque drive through the Elqui Valley, visiting Montegrande, birthplace of Gabriela Mistral,) and Pisco Elqui (formerly La Unión but renamed to publicize its famous product).  The highlight of our journey was Horcón artesanal market, a feast of colors, dream catchers, wind chimes and jewelry.  There are gorgeous handmade arts and crafts, local all natural food and cosmetic products, all sold out of bamboo stalls. A lovely place to stop for lunch!

Tourist Information, Vicuña, Chile

Pisco vineyards, Elqui Valley, Chile

Pisco vineyards, Elqui Valley, Chile

Hotel Elqui, Pisco Elqui, Chile

Statue of Gabriela Mistral, Montegrande, Chile

Pueblo Artesanal, Horcón, Chile

Pueblo Artesanal, Horcón, Chile

Pueblo Artesanal, Horcón, Chile

Lunch at Elqui Natural, Pueblo Artesanal, Horcón, Chile

We had originally planned to leave for Argentina through the Elqui Valley but had recently decided to continue north to San Pedro de Atacama.  So we returned to La Serena, hoping to visit more of the city.  Unfortunately it was to not to be.  We were stalled in a massive traffic jam in the city and finally decided that was our clue to exit while we still had our sanity. Did I mention that big cities are not our thing?