Stars & Fire: Traditional scientific and Andean astronomy tour
The night in the Atacama Desert, its infinite sky, the fire and the stories gives life to a unique and unrepeatable sensory experience with a balanced level of knowledge of the Andean cosmovision of the sky and the scientific and formal language of the stars.
Prepared guides will help us combine the traditional scientific astronomy with the ancient Andean vision that had the first astronomers in this place, long before the first telescope was used. We observe the beauty and solemnity of celestial bodies in a unique environment: in the middle of the driest desert of the world. The Atacama desert has one of the most star-spangled skies in the world which can be observed thanks to the extraordinary diaphanousness of the desert air. In the Andean culture, astronomy is essential in the daily life of their agropastoral societies, and it integrates and influences their architecture, art, music and dances. To get even closer to the ancient experience, we will sit around the fire to share the stories, myths and legends related to heaven, in the way that grandparents did.
It is very important to consider that during moonlit nights the possibility of gazing planets and stars decreases considerably. Especially on full moon nights very few stellar objects can be gazed, nonetheless you can experience the incomparable brightness of the moon in the desert.
Prepared guides will help us combine the traditional scientific astronomy with the ancient Andean vision that had the first astronomers in this place, long before the first telescope was used. We observe the beauty and solemnity of celestial bodies in a unique environment: in the middle of the driest desert of the world. The Atacama desert has one of the most star-spangled skies in the world which can be observed thanks to the extraordinary diaphanousness of the desert air. In the Andean culture, astronomy is essential in the daily life of their agropastoral societies, and it integrates and influences their architecture, art, music and dances. To get even closer to the ancient experience, we will sit around the fire to share the stories, myths and legends related to heaven, in the way that grandparents did.
It is very important to consider that during moonlit nights the possibility of gazing planets and stars decreases considerably. Especially on full moon nights very few stellar objects can be gazed, nonetheless you can experience the incomparable brightness of the moon in the desert.
En el mundo andino, la cosmovisión está muy ligada a la bóveda celeste, donde se refleja la vida terrenal y la vida trascendente de los espíritus. Los Yatiris y Amautas (hombres sabios de las culturas andinas) siguen hasta el día de hoy sus tradiciones conforme al movimiento del cielo, especialmente en relación al movimiento de la vía láctea. Allí se encuentran representados la mayoría de los animales más importantes de la cosmovisión y la vida cotidiana de los andinos, como la llama, la perdiz, el sapo, la serpiente y las ovejas. Así, el movimiento de las constelaciones ha mostrado por miles de años, y hasta el día de hoy, el momento oportuno para sembrar, cosechar, festejar, rogar, agradecer y rendir homenaje a los difuntos. De esta manera, el cielo proporciona al hombre andino el conocimiento necesario para vivir en el difícil entorno desértico, tanto a nivel de la actividad agrícola como de la ritualidad espiritual, que están siempre estrechamente ligadas.
La observación de las estrellas tiene un alcance mucho mayor que la mera contemplación.
La observación de las estrellas tiene un alcance mucho mayor que la mera contemplación.
- Duration: 2 hours
- Altitude: 2.400 m.a.s.l.
- Difficulty: Low (altitude)
- Age: 6+
Transfer from your Hotel
Conversation
Conversation about astronomy
Contemplation of constellations
Contemplation of constellations and other celestial bodies with naked eye
Observation
Observation through the telescope
Conversation
Conversation about astronomy
Contemplation of constellations
Contemplation of constellations and other celestial bodies with naked eye
Observation
Observation through the telescope
Travelling through the harsh Atacama Desert you really encounter with the powerful climate and fast temperature changes that is a everyday fact in this land.
The dryness, the solar radiation, the strong winds, the abrupt changes of temperature between day and night, are some of the fundamental characteristics that your Atacama adventure will show you. Around San Pedro the altitude measures between 2,000 – 3,500 m.a.s.l, and the climate is characterized by having an average annual temperature between 12 and 13 ° C.
As the temperature swings it can reach up to 35 ° C in summer (December to March) and the minimum degrees below zero in winter (June to September).
What to bring?
More recommendationsThe dryness, the solar radiation, the strong winds, the abrupt changes of temperature between day and night, are some of the fundamental characteristics that your Atacama adventure will show you. Around San Pedro the altitude measures between 2,000 – 3,500 m.a.s.l, and the climate is characterized by having an average annual temperature between 12 and 13 ° C.
As the temperature swings it can reach up to 35 ° C in summer (December to March) and the minimum degrees below zero in winter (June to September).
What to bring?
- Very Warm clothing for the highlands and cool nights (several layers, woollen hat, gloves, boots)
Semi-private service: High quality standard services with a maximum of 10 passengers per group, most of them from hotels that work with us.
This excursion can also be requested in Private Service by writing directly to the email info@promissaterratravel.cl
BEWARE! Note that this tour can be cancelled in case of a very cloudy day and you can rearrange your tour or get refunded, except from the booking fee.
This excursion can also be requested in Private Service by writing directly to the email info@promissaterratravel.cl
BEWARE! Note that this tour can be cancelled in case of a very cloudy day and you can rearrange your tour or get refunded, except from the booking fee.
INCLUDED
- Cocktail
- Hot Drink
- Bilingual Guide
- Pick-up from your hotel
SCHEDULE
- DEPARTURE TIME: 15-30 minutes before the start time of the tour
- DEPARTURE LOCATION: Hotel
PRICE
- $36.000, 2 persons minimun.