Chile - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 401

Formerly home to Nobel Prize-winner
Gabriela Mistrál , it has a museum at
Gabriela Mistrál 759 (Jan & Feb
Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10.30am-7pm,
Sun 10am-6pm; March-Dec Mon-Fri
10am-5.45pm, Sat 10.30am-6pm,
Sun 10am-1pm; CH$600), dedicated to
her. Planta Capel (daily: March-Nov
10am-12.30pm & 2.30-6pm; Dec-Feb
plus public holidays 10am-6pm;
CH$1000; T 51 2411251, W piscocapel
.cl), the valley's largest pisco distillery , lies
just south of town, and has half-hourly
bilingual tours tracking the Muscatel
grape's journey from the vine to the pisco
bottle, culminating in a small free sample
at the end.

Hostal Valle Hermoso Gabriela Mistrál 706 T 51
2411206. Family-run, beautifully refurbished colonial-
style house with small, clean rooms, some without
windows. E xcellent fresh breakfasts included. Doubles
CH$25,000

EATING
Halley Gabriela Mistrál 404. Vicuña's best-known restau-
rant serving roast cabrito (baby goat; CH$8900) in a rather
formal setting.
Restaurant Solar de Villaseca Punta Arenas s/n,
Villaseca. This famous place, 6km from town in the village
of Villaseca (take a colectivo from the bus station; about
CH$700), cooks up traditional cuisine in ten solar ovens -
for obvious reasons, daylight hours only. Closed Mon.
Soledad y Yo Carrera 320. A typical picada or family
restaurant, popular with locals, serving up substantial
servings of Chilean favourites. Three-course lunch CH$4500.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By bus Vicuña's main terminal is one block south of
the Plaza de Armas, on O'Higgins, at Prat ( T 51 2411348).
For Santiago and other major cities, it is easiest to return
to La Serena.
Destinations Via Elqui buses go to La Serena (20 daily; 1hr
15min); Coquimbo (20 daily; 1hr 30min); and Pisco Elqui
(20 daily; 1hr).
By colectivo From La Serena stop across the street
from the main bus terminal. Colectivos to La Serena and
Coquimbo leave from the bus station when full (daily
7am-9pm).
Tourist information Inside the Torre Bauer, San Martín
s/n, in the northwest corner of the Plaza de Armas (Mon-
Fri 8.30am-5.45pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 9am-2pm; T 51
2670308).

Observatorio Cerro Mamalluca
he Observatorio Cerro Mamalluca is
located 9km northeast of Vicuña.
Compared to those in other observatories
in the area, its 30cm telescope is tiny, but
it still offers magnification of 150 times
- sufficient to look closely at the craters
on the moon and to view nebulas, star
clusters and Saturn. There are two tours
offered (both CH$4500; 2hr 30min;
4 nightly in summer from 8.30pm,
4 nightly in winter from 6.30pm): “Basic
Astronomy” and “Andean Cosmovision”,
looking at the night sky as seen by the
pre-Columbian inhabitants of the area.
Shuttles to and from the observatory
(CH$1500 return) depart from the
Cerro Mamalluca office in Vicuña
(Gabriela Mistrál 260, office 1; Mon-Fri
8.30am-9pm, Sat & Sun 10am-9pm;
T 51 2670330, E reservas@mamalluca
.org, W munivicuna.cl/mamalluca) half an

4

ACCOMMODATION
Hostal Donde Rita Condell 443 T 51 2419611, W hostal
donderita.com. A homely set of rooms surrounded by
a leafy garden, complete with pool and terrace area.
Overseen by a charming Ge rman hostes s, who prepares
delicious breakfasts. Doubles CH$26,000

PISCO
The climatic conditions in the Elqui Valley are ideal for growing the sweet Muscatel grapes
from which the clear, brandy-like pisco , Chile's national drink, is derived. Pisco is a constant
source of dispute between Chile and Peru. Peru claims that the drink originates from the
Peruvian port of the same name, and some historical records demonstrate that pisco has been
consumed in that area since the Spaniards introduced vineyards in the early 1600s.
Chileans claim that they have also been producing pisco for centuries, that their pisco is of
better quality and that it plays a greater role in Chilean society. In both Chile and Peru, pisco
is normally consumed in a pisco sour - a mix of pisco, lemon juice, sugar syrup, egg white,
crushed ice and a drop of angostura bitters. It goes down deceptively smoothly, but packs
a real punch.