Along the Elqui Valley

The Elqui Valley
It’s a 200 kilometre (120 mile) round trip from La Serena east towards the Andes along the Elqui Valley – and well worth the relatively short time it takes. Follow the signs out of La Serena for Vicuña (the biggest town in the valley) and carry on alongside the river. You’ll see green fields, fruit trees and masses of vines, as this is one of the main areas for production of ‘pisco’, a kind of brandy made from muscatel grapes. As it’s the national drink, you’ll find almost every Chilean you meet will want to know if you’ve tried it once you tell them you’ve been to the Elqui Valley. Which is another good reason for sampling it.

Going inland, as the sides of the valley become steeper and the snow-capped Andes loom ever larger, you reach the end of the road at – appropriately enough – Pisco Elqui. It’s well worth stopping for a coffee, or lunch, by the pretty little square there. As in so many places in Chile, particularly outside the high season, eating out is inexpensive and the food generally of very good quality. It’s also one of the last opportunities you’ll have to pick and choose where you eat before you head into the sparsely-inhabited north of the country, where it’s often more a question of stopping off at the only roadside café for hundreds of kilometres.

On your return to La Serena, it’s also a good idea to stock up the car with food and drinks while you can. A good place to do this is the supermarket right next to the Panamericana, where parking is easy. You’ll need water in big plastic bottles and tinned food: try ‘machas’, big Chilean clams that provide an excellent protein source at those hungry moments when you’re in the middle of nowhere. And don’t forget the wonderful Chilean wine. I’d recommend taking ‘Gato Negro’ red, which tastes even better in its country of origin. Especially, would you believe, when you buy it by the carton.