The Atacama

Most Chileans from the central region, if asked, will claim that the south is much more beautiful than the north. This is a sensible conslusion to be made, as the mountains, lakes and skiing are world class the further south you stray. Furthermore, northern Chile contains only small copper mining towns.

However, a visit up north will reveal the beauty of the Atacama desert, and its cozy litle oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama. Full of artesans and desert treks, it is the best place in the world to do some star-gazing. It is the driest desert in the world; the low moisture content and little if any light pollution, make the night sky so much more clear.



My camera was no where near good enough to capture the real night sky. Zoom in.



A few pics from Santiago.