ESO's professional observatories at Paranal and La Silla can be visited free on Saturdays with advance booking, and the Mamalluca, Collowara and Cruz del Sur tourist observatories, in the Coquimbo Region, received Starlight certification in 2025. A stargazing tour costs from CLP 25,000 in San Pedro de Atacama and CLP 43,000 to Mamalluca with transfer from La Serena, according to Nomades. The Elqui valley is also home to the world's first International Dark Sky Sanctuary, designated in 2015.
*Updated on 10 November 2026.* Note on ALMA: its public visit programme is suspended, according to its official site. This list covers all of Chile; for the valley in detail, see our Elqui valley astrotourism guide.
How we chose this list
- Real certifications: the Starlight Foundation (tourist observatories, May 2025) and DarkSky International (Gabriela Mistral sanctuary, 2015).
- Open visits: only places that receive the public today; the conditions of ESO and ALMA were checked on 10 November 2026.
- Price: that of the observatory or the published tour, with source and date.
- Reviews: Google Maps rating and reviews on 10 November 2026.
- The list is not exhaustive: there are more municipal and private observatories, and many lodgings with telescopes.
View the data as a table
| Starlight tourist observatories | 3 |
| ESO observatories with free visits | 2 |
| Gabriela Mistral Sanctuary | 364 km² |
| Stargazing tour from | CLP$ 25,000 |
Comparison of the best places for stargazing in Chile
| Place | Region | 2026 price | Getting there | Best season | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mamalluca Observatory | Coquimbo | Tour with transfer CLP 43,000 adult, 37,000 child (Nomades) | Vicuña; 5 h return from La Serena | Moonless nights | Families |
| Collowara Observatory | Coquimbo | Entry about CLP 10,000 (Meteored); tour CLP 43,000 (Nomades) | Andacollo, an hour from Coquimbo | Moonless nights | First observation |
| Cruz del Sur Observatory | Coquimbo | Ask Combarbalá municipality | Cerro El Peralito, 3.5 km from Combarbalá | Moonless nights | Off the beaten track |
| Paranal Observatory (ESO) | Antofagasta | Free, with booking (ESO) | Taltal district; daytime visit | All year, Saturdays | Science |
| La Silla Observatory (ESO) | Coquimbo | Free, with booking (ESO) | La Higuera district | Saturdays; also Sundays April to August | Science |
| Stargazing tour in San Pedro de Atacama | Antofagasta | CLP 25,000, 2 h 30 (Nomades) | 15 minutes from town | March to December | Photography |
| Gabriela Mistral Sanctuary | Coquimbo | No regular tourist visits | Elqui valley, 364 km² | — | Knowing where the best-protected sky is |
| Mamalluca | Coquimbo | 43,000 | 4.5 | 2,164 |
| Collowara | Coquimbo | 43,000 | 4.6 | 832 |
| Cruz del Sur | Coquimbo | No data | 4.8 | 98 |
| Paranal (ESO) | Antofagasta | 0 | 4.8 | 195 |
| La Silla (ESO) | Coquimbo | 0 | 4.8 | 393 |
| Tour in San Pedro de Atacama | Antofagasta | 25,000 | 4.2 | 108 |
The best places for stargazing in Chile, one by one
1. Mamalluca, Vicuña (4.5; 2,164 reviews). The best-known tourist observatory in the Elqui, Starlight certified since 2025. The Nomades tour lasts five hours (18:00 to 23:00), needs at least five passengers and includes the entry.
2. Collowara, Andacollo (4.6; 832 reviews). Municipal and also Starlight certified. It can be visited all year with a booking: one day ahead in low season and a week ahead in high season, according to the regional tourism office.
3. Cruz del Sur, Combarbalá (4.8; 98 reviews on its main listing). The third Starlight observatory in Coquimbo, on Cerro El Peralito. We found no published price for 2026.
4. Paranal (4.8; 195 reviews). Home of ESO's Very Large Telescope. Tours are free every Saturday of the year, 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:00, booked only through the online form; children under 4 cannot enter. It is a daytime visit: you see the telescopes, not the night sky.
5. La Silla (4.8; 393 reviews). ESO's other observatory open to the public: September to March, Saturdays at 10:00 and 14:00; April to August, Saturdays and Sundays at 10:00.
6. San Pedro de Atacama. The Nomades tour costs CLP 25,000 per person, lasts 2 hours 30 minutes and requires a minimum age of 7. SPACE (San Pedro de Atacama Celestial Explorations) has operated since 2003 and is rated 4.2. In January and February the Altiplano winter rains can cloud the sky. See things to do in San Pedro de Atacama.
7. Gabriela Mistral Sanctuary. In August 2015, DarkSky International designated AURA's land in the Elqui valley as the world's first International Dark Sky Sanctuary. It is a scientific site with no regular tourist visits, but it explains why the valley is so good for observing.
Map of the best places for stargazing in Chile
View the data as a table
| San Pedro de Atacama | $25.000 |
| Paranal | Free, Saturdays |
| La Silla | Free |
| Mamalluca | Starlight |
| Gabriela Mistral Sanctuary | DarkSky 2015 |
| Collowara | Starlight |
| Cruz del Sur | Starlight |
Which one to choose for your trip
- With children: Mamalluca or Collowara, with a child rate; Paranal and La Silla by day, from age 4.
- For science: Paranal and La Silla, free on Saturdays with booking.
- In San Pedro de Atacama: a 2 hour 30 minute tour, best from March to December.
- To sleep under a great sky: CasaMolle, in Vicuña, with two Michelin Keys (see the best hotels in Chile).
- In any case: pick nights close to the new moon and bring warm clothes, because the desert gets very cold at night.
To combine night and day, see the pisco route in the Elqui valley.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the stars best seen in Chile?
In the Elqui valley (Coquimbo) and the Atacama Desert (Antofagasta), where the professional and tourist observatories on this list are.
Can you visit ALMA?
Not for now: the public visit programme is suspended and there are only visits for educational and research institutions and the media.
How much does a stargazing tour in Chile cost?
From CLP 25,000 in San Pedro de Atacama and CLP 43,000 to Mamalluca with transfer from La Serena, according to Nomades. Visits to Paranal and La Silla are free.
