The 15 Best Atacama Stargazing Tours

1.Etno-Stargazing Tour with Transfer

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 629 reviews · 2h 30m · from $41Our pick

Spend 150 minutes outside San Pedro with astronomy guides such as Felipe, Claudio, and Salvador. Learn Western and Andean sky traditions, view planets and galaxies through large telescopes, take a starry portrait, and warm up with coffee, tea, or red wine.

“Claudio was passionate about astronomy and made the lecture fun and interactive. His knowledge of the various stars, galaxies, and constellations we observed was impressive. The photos on the platform were fun. Having wine, snacks, and other drinks served after the astronomy lecture and observation created the opportunity to socialize, which was an added bonus.”

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2.Stargazing Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 489 reviews · 2h 30m · from $35Best value

Travel 15 minutes from San Pedro de Atacama for a guided night-sky session with Llama Stargazing. Guides such as Alejandro, Alberto, and Connie explain constellations, planets, and Southern Hemisphere astronomy, then help you use telescopes and take a starry portrait. Warm drinks, snacks, blankets, and transport are included.

“We are a family of four with two elementary-school age children. We had our own rental car and followed the bus to the stargazing site. It would have perhaps been better to take the bus because the road was dark and dusty. Our guide Alberto met us at the site. There were benches with cushions and blankets. He offered a selection of drinks to enjoy while our eyes adjusted to the dark. Alberto was personable and particularly kind to our children. He spent about 20 minutes talking about the night sky, how to find the Southern pole, and a lot of cool scientific facts about the stars. He was engaging…”

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3.Astronomical Tour with Guide and Pick Up San Pedro de Atacama

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 145 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $38

Join guides such as Patricio or Nathan at 9:30 p.m. for a 2.5-hour astronomy session outside San Pedro de Atacama. You will use manual and computerized telescopes, identify southern constellations with a laser, and receive a professional night-sky photo. Pickup, blankets, chairs, drinks, snacks, and a restroom are included.

“Interesting facts, guides with lots of knowledge. Got great pictures of the full moon (we still got to see many stars even though it was full moon), with help from the guide. Free wine, whiskey, coffee, tea etc after the activity.”

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4.“Astronomical Adventure in San Pedro de Atacama”

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 96 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $35

Meet at Plaza Apacheta at 9:30 pm for a desert observatory visit, astronomy talk, drinks, snacks, and views through 14-inch and 16-inch telescopes. Finish at Death Valley for a Milky Way photo before returning to San Pedro. Warm clothing and sturdy shoes are essential.

“Horrible company. Horrible interaction as in actually none. No response to any question. I want my money back. Did I say Horrible?”

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5.Guided Atacama Desert Stargazing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 93 reviews · 2 hours · from $49

Meet in central San Pedro de Atacama for a two-hour evening outing into the desert. Your English- or Spanish-speaking guide uses telescopes to show stars and planets, explains Andean cosmovision, and serves wine or coffee with a snack. Hotel drop-off and two photos are included.

“informative and friendly. a really interesting and different experience and the Milky Way looked amazing. nice selection of drinks and snacks and good photo op.”

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6.Rapa Nui Stargazing

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 62 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $140

Meet your local guide at Katipare Library for a small-group night outing to a remote telescope site and Anakena Beach. You’ll study stars, planets, and Polynesian navigation, enjoy hot chocolate and local cake, then receive a long-exposure photo beside the moai at Ahu Nau.

“This is a unique experience. I was lucky to have booked a night the conditions were optimal (other participants to the trip had had the trip postponed two nights in a row because of too many clouds etc). The guides are superb, making "stargazing" accessible to those who (like me) know next to nothing about it. Thanks to telescopes brought along, one gets to see stars / planets otherwise inaccessible. Since that night, I never look at the stars with the same look :-)”

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7.Stargazing Hiking Valle de Elqui

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 46 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $100Top rated

Loreto leads this private evening outing from Vicuña to Villaseca, pairing a mountain sunset with meditation, sound bowls, indigenous astronomy, and views through Celestron 20x80 binoculars. You’ll hike with poles, enjoy tea and snacks, and receive astronomical photographs.

“Loreto is absolutely passionate about creating an experience that you will never forget. Fantastic and highly recommend her tour!”

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8.Pisco Elqui: Mountaintop Stargazing and Night Portrait

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 20 reviews · 2h 30m · from $54

Ride 15 minutes from Pisco Elqui to a mountaintop clay auditorium for Spanish-led stargazing under unusually dark skies. An astronomical guide explains southern constellations, then a 20-inch telescope reveals celestial objects. Etienne and Gabriel are named guides on some departures. A pisco sour and digital portrait are included.

“Super Tour mit tollen Sternbildern. Super Guide, sehr freundlich, nahm sich viel Zeit. Empfehlung!”

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9.Easter Island: Rapa Nui Stargazing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 16 reviews · 3 hours · from $140

Meet at Katipare Library for a three-hour Rapa Nui night outing with guide Marc, or Mark, depending on the booking record. Learn how Polynesian voyagers read the southern sky, visit Ahu Nau Nau, use a telescope, and take a digital photo beside the moai.

“Overall, it’s a good tour but it wasn’t much to do. We spent good amount of time with the telescope but not much going on that night. I like that we had pictures taking in front of the Moai statues. All is good but not worth the cost.”

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10.Stargazing Experience with Transfer

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 8 reviews · 2h 30m · from $44

Travel 15 minutes from San Pedro de Atacama to a dark-sky observation site, where a Spanish or English-speaking astronomer explains the night sky, ancient Greek constellations, and telescope viewing. Enjoy wine, pisco sour, or juice, then warm drinks, snacks, blankets, and basic astrophotography before returning.

“Péssimo. Tour com um grupo enorme de cerca de 50 pessoas, muito mal organizado, com um transporte inqualificável. TOTALMENTE Desaconselhável.”

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11.Milky Way Sanctuary Stargazing Tour at Pangue Observatory

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 5 reviews · 6 hours · from $225

Travel from La Serena through Vicuña to Pangue Observatory in Chile’s Elqui Valley. With guide Cristobal and a small group, you’ll use 16-inch or 25-inch telescopes to view planets, nebulae, clusters, galaxies, and more beneath exceptionally dark skies.

“This tour is awesome! The town of Vicuña was absolutely adorable and the stars are a once in a lifetime experience! Cristobal was very knowledgeable and accommodating. The guides at the observatory were great and the driving was excellent”

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12.Etno-Stargazing Tour with Transfer

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 5 reviews · 2h 30m · from $45

You’ll spend 150 minutes under San Pedro’s famously clear sky, using telescopes to view planets, deep-space objects, and constellations before hearing how Andean peoples understood the Milky Way. Spanish-speaking astronomy guidance, hotel transfers, coffee, cookies, and a sky image by email are included.

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13.Stargazing Tour in the Atacama Desert

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 5 reviews · 2h 30m · from $45

Travel 15 minutes from San Pedro to Ayllu de Coyo for naked-eye sky watching with Rodrigo Zúñiga’s astronomy program, then use electronic telescopes for planets, clusters, nebulae, and stars. Spanish and English are offered, followed by hot drinks, Chilean wine, snacks, and a campfire.

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14.Astronomical Tour with a Guide

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 4 reviews · 2 hours · from $95

Travel 10 km from San Pedro de Atacama for a two-hour astrophotography tour with a Spanish and English-speaking guide. Learn about the Andean view of the sky, use a telescope to see planets, and receive two starry-sky photos per person. Guide René has received special praise.

“DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY! Noone showed up at the pick-up point and we couldn‘t reach anyone via the phone. We got a text response after the tour should have started already. After communicating the situation the person on the other end said she was „figuring it out“ and to „take our time“. Then she never texted us again. It was our last night in Atacama which means that we didn‘t get to go stargazing at all, so basically they ruined our trip.”

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15.Chile: Astronomical Tour in the Atacama Desert

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 4 reviews · 2h 30m · from $100

Meet bilingual astronomy guides for a 150-minute night under Atacama's clear skies. Use telescopes to view stars, planets, clusters, and possibly Saturn's rings, then learn simple astrophotography techniques. A drinks bar, two photos, and return hotel transfer are included.

“I have 5 stars based on the enthusiasm and personality of the guides. They were great. The organisation lets them down, we were given incorrect details around pick up time and location with no communication when we reached out. We were left waiting for the pick up for an extra hour and a half, which was unnecessary.”

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