Observatory Stargazing Tour from Santiago
Overview
Available languages
5 hours
Mobile ticket
If you are fascinated by the photos and pictures of light year distant planets, stars and galaxies far far away, then don’t miss this chance to get a glance of the famous Chilean clear skies only half an hour away from the city. The observatory is owned privately and located in the Andes. At this Observatory you will have the unique experience of partly stargaze in broad daylight. A unique experience because there is no other place in the world where this is being done!
Please bring some warm clothes as temperatures drop significantly at night close to the Andes mountains in Chile. And to be fully prepared, please download the paid application "Sky Safari" on your own phone to observe some objects by pointing it to the sky.
**As our tour is as exclusive as our Astronomer is eccentric, please reach out to us to check availability before booking.
**In case of limited weather conditions, we propose an alternative (gourmet) Stargazing Experience
**Please be flexible in your dates
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Children must be accompanied by an adult
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Andes Mountains
After arrival to this privately held Observatory in the middle of the Andes Mountains, you will be offered a glass of wine or other refreshment by our host. Followed by a brief presentation given by an experienced astronomer on where in the universe earth is located, complemented with astounding facts about planets, stars, galaxies and what can we expected to observe on the telescopes. Next we begin the observation of the clear sky with our bare eyes and the guidance of our astronomer, we continue then with simple binoculars and move onwards in technology to bigger and higher tech telescopes until you finally get to see the beautiful celestial bodies on the astrophotography telescope. We will make sure you receive the pictures through e-mail! To put your feet back on the ground, our host will serve you a glass of wine, cheese and other appetizers while you share your experiences and impressions with other members of the tour.
What‘s Included
Bilingual guide
Boutique appetizers & wine
Explanation by astronomer
Welcome glass of wine
Private transport
Optional gratuities for guides and drivers
Dinner
Items of personal nature
Travel insurance
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
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Observatory Stargazing Tour from Santiago
Pickup included
Reviews
32 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Great evening out under the stars on the outskirts of Santiago.
Pippa354,,Jan 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00What a great evening. Yes, it is a bit more expensive than some of the other tours you can do in the Santiago region, but so worth it. Damaso and his colleague Franco describe themselves as "romantic astronomers". You spend the evening in their garden on the outskirts of Santiago. The garden is a quiet paradise full of telescopes of all shapes and sizes. You start of watching sunspots and solar flares on the setting sun, then move to the planets in the evening light and finally to the stars/satellites after dark. Throughout you will be plied with charcuterie board, snacks, ceviche and endless wine while entertained by the hosts. Francisca at Chile Off Track was super helpful getting all the logistics sorted for this evening.
Do it! Excellent!
Glory453,,Dec 10, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Excellent experience. Multiple telescopes and observatory. I saw close ups of Venus, Jupiter, the moon, the sun and even a galaxy. The property was wonderful. It’s a private home of an astronomer with both indoor and outdoor lounge spaces, a pool, a bar, and grounds full of surreal sculptures created by the astronomer. His family served us wine and snacks. A wonderful stargazing unique experience. I’d do it again!
Fabulous viewing of the night sky
Evan C,,Mar 1, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00We had a great evening with a fabulous host. The technical descriptions were of great interest. The views through the telescopes were very good in spite of the unfortunate smoke in the sky from the brush fires. The wine and food was also delicious. We highly recommend the experience.
Stargazing tour is excellent.
TripswithAngie,,Feb 20, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Fantastic tour. We drove about an hour and a half from our Santiago hotel to a hill top compound. The views were incredible. We learned so much about indigenous culture and astronomy. Highly recommend.
Wonderful evening
Dennis H,,Jan 19, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00Had a great time. He is an avid amateur astronomer and his passion clearly shows. Not just the shear number of telescopes but his willingness to share his knowledge is wonderful!
Beyond our expectations!
Robert A,,Nov 15, 2023
- Review from Viator
5.00This is a must do experience. Our host’s passion for the cosmos was infectious. We assumed we would travel to a rural area in the Andes but went about 45 min (with traffic) outside of Santiago to our host’s home. We were welcomed to his outdoor paradise and incredible telescope collection and the stargazing adventure began. The wine was great as well as the appetizers. They even respected one or our party’s nut allergies by creating a separate selection for her. It was a magical evening. My wife and I went with our two adult Childers (in their 20s) and cousin. We are still talking about it and sharing our etherial photos.
A Tour Not to be Missed!
Brigitte M,,Nov 12, 2023
- Review from Viator
5.00Such an amazing experience! We had a driver come pick us up in Santiago, drive into the hills for 30mins, and we arrived at a wonderful private observatory where the hosts entertained us for over 3 hours! Damasco was simply wonderful, very knowledgeable and so passionate! His wife served us wonderful wine and snacks. Only wish that I knew of this tour earlier. Highly recommend!
They should just cancel if it’s cloudy
Megan D,,Sep 8, 2023
- Review from Viator
2.00The person leading the tour should really cancel the trip and not leave it up to the person to decide to continue with the experience. It was relayed to me that there may be “unfavorable conditions but it could change because you never know in September”. Once we get there he greeted us with “I don’t understand why you all came? Why are you here?” Whoever was messaging me did not make it obvious that the astronomer was 100% we wouldn’t see anything/we shouldn’t come… they just cancel at that point because we then got dropped off and couldn’t leave for 3 hours. He gave us a tour of his property, hardly talked about the telescopes, or the observatory. He showed us moon picture on an app. They were very nice and did give us snacks and drinks per the overview. However, it was pointless, I never would have gone had it been clear to me there was no chance of stars.
Once In a Lifetime!
brooklynchile,,Apr 16, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This excursion was expensive, but to me, it was totally worth it! It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Initially, we actually weren't even sure if we were going to be able to make it to the excursion since we had a very tight turnaround right after a long day trip to Valparaiso. But, our tour manager Claudia, from Chile Off Track, did a wonderful job of keeping in contact even before we arrived in Santiago, and then continuously working to coordinate our transportation from our hotel in Santiago after our arrival. With her assistance, we managed to make it right on time for the initial part of our amazing experience - viewing solar flares! Before I get too deep into the stargazing portion of the experience, though, let me first say that by far, what made it truly outstanding was our lovely host, Damaso. He so warmly welcomed us (he and his sweet little dogs) into his beautiful home situated in the Andes mountains. Right away. we were offered beverages (we all opted for a crisp, delicious champagne) and yummy hors d'oeuvres and were made to feel immediately comfortable. And, at one point later in the evening, his kids even nicely brought out additional hot snacks. But, back to stargazing...Damaso is so knowledgeable and clearly has a very deep love and enthusiasm for what he does. His passion is infectious! Throughout the evening, he calibrated and recalibrated the plethora of telescopes he'd set up for optimal viewing of various stars. And, he also patiently explained what we were seeing on each occasion, as well as how we could refocus the telescopes for optimal personal viewing when switching from one guest to the another (there were only 4 of us total, so it was a nice, relaxed atmosphere). And the things we saw!😮🤯Beforehand, I'd imagined that we'd view the planets like Saturn, etc. But, when we were able to see the actual colors of various nebula?! My mind was completely blown! All in all, I am so happy that we stumbled upon this gem of an experience. It was absolutely incredible and a true highlight of my time spent in Chile!
Not as described. Expensive drive for long dinner and little astronomy.
annbuggey,,Apr 9, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00This tour was not accurately described or what we expected. If you are interested in a good dinner and limited stargazing, fine. Our primary interest was astronomy and we were shown 1 view in three telescopes. The staff were excellent, the food was very good, but the very long drive from Santiago was not worth the time and expense.
From US$487.00
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