CHILE: Discover Alto El Loa

Are you looking for a place where tradition and daily life merge with history? The Alto El Loa heritage route does this and so much more. Visit this green valley, bursting with life where the river´s waters are colorful, there are fields of carrots, corn and alfalfa, and where animals graze and time seems to have stopped.

Live the culture of Atacama at the village of Chiu Chiu and visit its church, a Historical Monument, one of the first to be built in Chile. Visit the archaea-astronomy observatory at Paniri Caur, which integrates modern astronomical observation and the Andean cosmovision of the Atacama people.

Travel to the picturesque area of Ayquina, which every September 7th and 8th is transformed by the Virgin of Guadalupe festival, receiving over 10,000 people. And in Caspana, be amazed by the green terraces that contrast the pink stone, mud and hay roofed houses. Don’t miss out on the 17th century church and the Ethnographical Museum while there.

In Lasana, the fields of flowers are intertwined with the desert rocks and the regional food merges with the arts and crafts. You can try llama meat, patasca (broth made with mote) and rabbit, as well as some traditional pastries. Carrot tea and jam are typical products that are worth trying.