#gazing at the heavens
at Ahlarkapin observatory
THE KNOW-HOW
Sightseeing in Atacama doesn’t stop when the sun sets. High altitude, clear
skies and minimal light pollution provide the perfect conditions for astronomy.
ALMA-the world’s largest ladn-based observatory-is sited just 40 minutes
southeast of San Pedro but until its visitor centre opens as planned later this
year, it remains strictly for scientists. In San Pedro, guests staying at Hotel
de Larache (explora.com) can make use of
an observatory dome with a Meade 16-inch telescope to observe globular clusters
and nebulae. Guests at Tierra Atacama can go on outings touching on Andean
cosmology at the nearby Ahlarkapin Observatory (included in hotel rates; tierraatacama.com), while French
astronome Alain Maury offers beginner-friendly Star Tours just outside town (spaceobs.com).
