This past Monday was a holiday here in Chile, so we decided to take advantage of the long weekend by taking a road trip to Chile’s Norte Chico region. We set our sights on the sunny Valle de Elqui, a beautiful valley in the Andes that is blanketed with a patchwork of vineyards. The dry climate means days are bright and sunny, and nights offer some of the clearest skies on the planet.
We set out early Saturday morning, taking Ruta 5 out of the city and toward the coast. The majority of the drive took us along the coastline, and offered some beautiful views as we passed by remote beaches and rugged cliffs. After about 5 hours of driving, we stopped for lunch in the city of La Serena, one of Chile’s oldest towns and home to about 200,000 people. Much of the waterfront has been built up with condos and vacation rentals, but the beachfront was relatively quiet during the off-season. We chose a small seafood restaurant called La Tabla, which offered a beachfront patio and made for a nice break in our drive.
After lunch, we turned away from the coast and toward the mountains. The Elqui Valley is long and narrow, and we entered its first noteworthy town, Vicuña, after about 40 minutes of driving. From there it was another 45 minutes on a winding 2 lane road to reach the town of Pisco Elqui, where we would be staying. Along the way we passed by several small, quiet hillside towns and took in our first views of the valley.
We arrived in the late afternoon and checked into our hotel, which was actually a small 2 story cabaña, equipped with its own small kitchen and an incredible patio with a small pool that overlooked the valley. It was too cold to enjoy the pool (although Matt did jump in, only to immediately run out and straight into a hot shower), but we made good use of the patio once the sun went down. It would be an understatement to say that the night sky over Pisqo Elqui was beautiful. It was truly unlike anything I have ever seen with my own eyes. Not only were the stars bright and abundant, but you could clearly and easily make out the Milky Way as it stretched out above us. After a long day of driving, we made ourselves some sandwiches and spent the evening admiring the sky, taking some photos and resting up for the day to come.
We woke Sunday morning to sunshine streaming through our window, and headed out in search of breakfast. The owner of our hotel mentioned there was a small place just up the road that served breakfast, so we wandered down a long driveway to a large, 2-story house. The place was empty when we arrived, and a sign that read “Ya Volvemos” or “We’ll Be Back” hung on the back balcony. We took a seat at one of 4 tables that was set for breakfast, and waited about 15 minutes before an older woman emerged and greeted us.
She was an artist, who spoke both Spanish and English, and runs a restaurant and art studio out of her home. Just inside the balcony doors was a living room/gallery filled with paintings, scarves, jewelry and other hand made items for sale. In the corner of the room was a small kitchen, where she made us omelettes, espresso and pressed juice while we sat outside and took in the view of the valley, bathed in the morning sun.
There was something about Pisco Elqui that was just so completely relaxing. Often when we take trips, it takes me awhile to unwind and disconnect from the stress and chaos of day to day life. But from the moment we arrived, I just felt at ease. I suppose maybe it was a combination of the remote location, the natural beauty and the slow pace of life in the valley. Whatever the reason, as we sat sipping coffee on this balcony, I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity to experience such a uniquely beautiful place.
After lazily finishing breakfast, we decided it was time to check out the town’s main attraction, Pisco.
What, you ask, is Pisco? It is a brandy like liquor made from grapes that is wildly popular in Chile. The vast majority of the vineyards in the Elqui Valley exist to produce it, and there are a variety of distilleries, small and large that are open to the public.
Both Peru and Chile lay claim to Pisco as a national drink, and the name of Pisco Elqui was actually given to the town in 1936 to strengthen Chile´s claim to the drink. It is popular mixed with lemon juice and simple syrup (known as a Pisco Sour – the Peruvians also add egg white and garnish with Angostura bitters) or with Coke (what is referred to as a”Piscola”). Personally, I prefer it with Ginger Ale.
We left our hotel and headed away from town, toward an old, historic Pisco Distillery called Los Nichos. While many of the big Pisco Manufacturers also have distilleries in the area, I would highly recommend a stop at Los Nichos. Established in 1868 by the Rodriguez family, it is the oldest operating distillery in Chile. Small, artisanal and family run since it’s inception, the distillery offers tours and tastings (in Spanish) for only $1000 CLP (about 1.50 USD). We hopped on an afternoon tour where we learned about both the history and process of making Pisco, and got to try 3 different kinds. We picked up a couple of bottles before heading back toward town.
On the way back, we grabbed a late lunch at Hacienda Miraflores, which I would highly recommend. Not only were the views great, but the food was phenomenal. We each ordered a steak and spicy mashed potatoes, and washed it down with a Pisco Sour. If you read my post about Buenos Aires, you know that neither Matt nor I are normally big steak eaters, but this was one of the best steaks I have had and it only set us back about 10 USD.
We hit one more Pisco distillery after lunch, where I purchased and poured my own bottle of Mistral Gran Nobel Pisco. Then, it was back to the hotel to change and get ready for the Chile vs. Argentina match up in the finals of the Copa Americana. We had been told by a couple of locals, that a bar called Rumor was a good place to view the game. The bar itself was small, but had a huge back patio, where they had set up a TV. By game time, the patio was full and anticipation was high.
After a long, scoreless 120 minutes (90 minutes of regulation plus 2, 15-minute over time periods), the championship came down to penalty kicks. The crowd was full of nerves, but the anxiety quickly turned to pure, unadulterated joy when the deciding PK was scored and Chile was victorious.
We joined in a couple rounds of cheering at the bar, and then began making our way home. What should have been a 10 minute walk ended up taking well over an hour as we found ourselves in the town square where an impromptu “riot” was beginning. I use the word riot loosely, because in a town of less than 1000 people things can only get so out of hand. I think the extent of any damage was one particular speed limit sign that took a beating when a middle aged man decided to turn it into a drum, keeping rhythm with the various chants and songs by hitting it repeatedly with a champagne bottle (this went on for at least an hour).
When we first arrived, a small crowd was forming and spurred on by one particular old man, decked out in team Chile attire, who was running in circles waving a flag and repeatedly starting a chant that went “CHI! (CHI!) LE! (LE!) CHI-CHI-CHI!, LE-LE-LE! Viva Chile!” As the night wore on, a band arrived in the back of a pick up truck and jumped out to join in the fun. It seemed that everyone who owned a car decided to load up their family and friends and drive in circles, through the square and back again, honking all the while.
Here are a few photos and a link to an video that Matt posted on Instagram that give you a feel for the celebration.
It was a great end to an even better day. Eventually we made our way back to our hotel, where we marveled once more at the sky before heading to bed. Although it was a little on the far side for a weekend road trip, I’m so glad we were able to experience this charming little Valley during our time here in Chile.