Norte Chico Transportation

It was one of the nicer places we visited in Chile, a very artsy type of city which is nice. We found that the receptions at hostels have varried hours- sometimes you have to wait an hour just for someone to show up to tell you there are no vacancies. You won't go hungry-or thirsty. There are a variety of cafe's all over and big supermarket chains as well. You can bus from here to Santiago and Mendoza easily. We got here from La Serena. The murals around town are pretty amazing. We found the accomodation near the bus station a little dodgy and opted to get on a bus into town.

I was in Rapa Nui for a week last year and LOVED it!! Spectacular scenery, mysterious culture, great hiking and excellent SCUBA diving (did it every day, once or twice, and never repeated location!!). The islad never gets too crowded with tourists as there are maximun 2 flights per day during high season... People are relaxed, laid back, just talking to any local is an experience by it self. I recommend Hotel Manavai, really well located (one block away from Pea beach, few blocks from the main street) and proud owner of the town's only "cinema" where "Rapa Nui# movie plays 3-4 times per week (interesting to watch when you are there). Also, Te Moana restaurant on the main street. You can walk almost anywhere, yet renting motorbykes or horses is a good idea to go a bit further (i.e. Anakena). I loved this small island, in fact, I'm going back this year again!

3 words: Waste of time. You get all the way there on the bus $8 day pass per person, and there is only 1 distillery in town and costs another $8 for a tour and measley tastings. Then it is a 3km hike if you want to visit another distillery. You can take the bus back towards La Serena, one distillery closes for tastings at 12noon (what, do only alchohalics go Pisco tasting??!!) Apparently the Capel distillery is in Vicuna but there is no direction, information, or signposts once you get there, so you are on your own, good luck. Anyways the valley itself is very beautiful but it was THE most unsucessful day on our 2 month trip so not exactly something I will reccomend. We also spoke to a guy who did the tour from La Serena to Elqui and apparently you only visit 1 distillery and get a choice between a measley sample of pisco OR a measley sample of dessert wine. So the tours are a bust and doing it yourself is a bust. As far as the saving money reccomendation goes, I would say skip it altogether. You will spend less money buying different piscos in bottles and tasting them for yourself.

La Serena is a very beautiful city in "el norte chico" (the smaller north) its about 5 hours busdrive from santiago de chile. I wouldnt recommend you going in Winter. On one side its just more boring and on the other hand its freezing. If you are going there in Summer you ll have an awesome time.

Capital of the province of Elqui, Coquimbo lies only 12 kilometers South of La Serena and 462 kilometers to the North of the City of Santiago. This is one of the summer destinations par excellence due to its long coastline, whose beaches are suitable for bathing, nautical sports and recreational activities.
Situated 87 m.a.s.l., its climate is semiarid, typical of the steppe. It features moderate temperatures ranging between 15 and 25° C along the year, as a result of the influence of the Pacific Ocean, although in the summer, it usually reaches peaks of 34° C.
On the southern shore, Coquimbo is blessed with long beaches and bays of soft sand. La Herradura, Totoralillo, Las Tacas, Morrillos, Playa Blanca, Puerto Velero and Tongoy are the most outstanding bathing resorts, which invite visitors to sunbathe and enjoy the white sands, the temperate crystal-clear waters and the first-class service.