Valley of Hurtado (Andacollo, Pichasca, Hurtado and Vicuña)
Duration: 1 day

From La Serena we head south. After apr. 50 km we reach Andacollo, a pilgrim place. Around Andacollo there are mines digging for gold, copper and iron ore. Besides big international companies you can still also find private gold diggers, which get their gold in "trapiches" (gold mills) from the rocks.
We will see such a "trapiche" and have one of the gold diggers explain us exactly how they are digging for gold.

After visiting the "Basilica" and the "Templo Chico" (small temple) with the famous "Virgen de Andacollo" (Virgin of Andacollo) we will continue towards Pichasca, a national monument where we can see "Arboles petrificados" (fossilized trees) and an ancient cave, home of the precolumbian indigenous natives.

After that we travel further up the Hurtado Valley. This valley has kept its pristine typical South American style until today. From the small village "Hurtado" we wil use a hardly frequented gravel road through the pre-Cordillera.

On this way you can enjoy a phantastic view of the surrounding mountains (4.000 m) and the North American observatory "Tololo".

In Vicuña we can have dinner and/or go for a tour at the „Mamalluca“-observatory. Mamalluca is the only observatory here where you really can watch stars at night.
Then we will return to La Serena.