| La
Serena and surrounding hills
The southern part of the North Region is another land of contrast whose center is La Serena.
Here the Andes Mountains and the mountain range of the coast join to form
one great territory of hills. Here everything has the colors of the
desert. Soft pastel tones of ochre, pink and mauve. But the traveler can
enjoy two great contrasts:
certain years, when a weak rainfall exists, the desert flowers, awakening
plants and insects.
This is a fabulous spectacle of nature that
attracts specialists and the curiosity of many.
Another splendid contrast is offered by the intense green color of the
transverse valleys. These are formed by lavishly fertile lands, producing
delicious fruits and a unique climate.
The sky is considered to be the clearest in the world. To study the
astronomical phenomena on the clear nights, the largest concentration of
observatories in the planet has been built here.
Copiapo (green meadow in Aymara) was born as a
port for shipping the silver ore from the area.
Today,
it is the town which has won back the most land from the desert and
kilometers of green vineyards stand in sharp contrast to the colors of the
desert.
La
Serena |
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| This
is one of the fastest growing tourist areas in Chile. It is known for the
beauty of its colonial and neo colonial architecture. La Serena’s
elegant main avenues, streets like Francisco de Aguirre Boulevard, form a
center that is essentially one giant garden lined with trees and full of
marble statues.
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The city, the second oldest in the country, has
been miraculously well preserved. Ponder past cultures by studying the
city’s 29-plus colonial churches the stone San Francisco Church,
constructed during the 17th century, is a prime example and visiting the
Archaeological Museum, which has a particularly fine collection of
Diaguita (that’s pre-Inca) artifacts.
Take time to shop a little at Mercado La Recova,
a great place to find regional crafts, musical instruments, woolens and
dried fruits from Elqui Valley, then stop at the view-point of the
University of La Serena to view the city, Coquimbo Bay, and the harbor
beyond. Visit the Monumental Lighthouse, the official symbol of the city,
then continue along the coast-hugging Avenida del Mar, past Peñuelas
beach to Coquimbo, a port once overrun with pirates but now outgrowing its
narrow, bustling streets. Drive through the city, along Costanera Avenue,
around the Plaza de Armas, to beautiful La Herradura beach.
It also has one of
the largest handicraft markets in the area where you can find the unique
Indian pottery of the Diaguitas Indians, woolens and articles made of the
beautiful Guayacan wood. It also has great beaches and modern hotels.
Coquimbo |
| This
picturesque and once thriving port seems somehow to be frozen in time.
Houses with endless steps seem to have come directly out of a century old
photograph. Not to be missed is its market featuring handicrafts unique to
the region and at very good prices.
Valle del Encanto
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| Turning
inland, pass a number of ranches and farms en route to the Valle del
Encanto, or Enchanting Valley. This idyllic site was home to a
hunter-gatherer civilization 4,000 years ago, but researchers believe it
was the Molle culture, around 700 B.C., that left their mark on the
landscape with more than 30 petroglyphs, which are stone images, either
etched or painted (snakes, for example, and fish, sun symbols and heads
with what appear to be antennas or tiaras), and a number of piedras
tacitas, which are intriguing indentations in stones. From here, continue
south to the Limari Valley, just past Ovalle, and Chile’s northernmost
vineyard, Francisco de Aguirre. This may be pisco territory, but since
1993 this winery has been successfully producing fine wines, cabernet
sauvignon, chardonnay, and cabernet franc, among them. Tour the
facilities, learn about the winemaking process, and sample the goods.
Damas Island Nature Reserve |
| Head
North out of La Serena some 75 miles on the Pan American Highway to Caleta
Punta Choros. Here, take in the views of Gaviota, Chañaral, Choros and
Damas islands, the later three of which are part of the Humboldt Penguin
National Reserve: a protected territory covering some 2,000 offshore acres
where the Humboldt penguin has been known to nest. Settle into a motor
boat and sail escorted, most likely, by a leaping, lurching colony of
bottle-nosed dolphins along the rocky shores of Gaviota and Choros
islands, happy home to sea lions, sea gulls, pelicans and the like.
Disembark on Isla Damas, enjoy a picnic lunch, and spend the afternoon
relaxing on the white-sand beaches of La Poza and Tijera.
Vicuna
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| About
70 Km. from La Serena to the north lies this little village that was
founded in 1821. With less than 2,000 souls it an ideal place to relax. It
is famous as the birth place of Gabriela Mistral, the Chilean Noble Prize
poet. |
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