Santiago, Elqui Valley & the Atacama Desert  

December 8-18, 2025 (11 days)

Join us on this Carleton exclusive tour of Chile to experience the country’s spectacular skies, world-class observatories, rich cultural heritage, and diverse landscapes.

Stargazers have long flocked to northern Chile to probe the heavens: the skies are dark, the air is clean, and clouds are rare. Attracted by pristine night skies, the world’s astronomers have made northern Chile the primary center for major astronomy research observatories in the Southern Hemisphere. The observatories we shall visit by special access provided through Carleton College boast the largest and most advanced optical instruments on Earth that promise to revolutionize our understanding of the universe.

  • Your expert faculty leader—Carleton Professor Emeritus Joel Weisberg—will lead you on an adventure that begins in the vibrant city of Santiago before heading north in search of observatories and desert landscapes.
  • Travel through the lush and green Elqui Valley, dotted with picturesque villages and miles of vineyards with grapes for both wine and the local Chilean pisco.
  • Gaze through telescopes to view Chile’s famed night skies during three evenings of stargazing: one at the Cerro Calan Observatory in Santiago, one in the Elqui Valley at El Pangue Observatory, and one in the Atacama Desert where you will see the Geminid meteor shower.
  • Meet local astronomers during private tours of the Gemini South Observatory and the Vera Rubin Observatory, site of the brand new and world’s largest digital astronomy camera, that will provide the deepest and widest image ever of the universe.
  • Enjoy a behind-the-scenes private tour of Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), the largest astronomical project in existence, designed to study light from some of the coldest (and oldest) objects in the Universe.
  • Spend three days exploring the vast and beautiful Atacama Desert including the High Andes altiplanic lagoons, sunrise at El Tatio Geysers, and an unforgettable sundowner overlooking the Valle De Luna.
  • Also enjoy an optional, two-day, pre-trip extension, accompanied by Professor Weisberg with one day in the bohemian harbor town of Valparaiso and one day in Santiago’s Bellavista neighborhood.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore these incredible locations, with this Carleton leader, in the company of fellow Carls. I hope you will contact the Alumni Adventures office today at carleton@studytours.org or (800) 811-7244 to reserve your space.

Study Leader

Joel Weisberg
Joel Weisberg

Joel Weisberg is the Herman and Gertrude Mosier Stark Professor of Physics and Astronomy and the Natural Sciences, Emeritus, at Carleton College. He taught astronomy and physics courses, and also taught several multidisciplinary courses in the areas of environmental and technology studies and in science policy. Joel’s research is in the area of radio astronomy and gravitation, particularly in the study of pulsars, which are rapidly spinning neutron stars the size of Northfield containing more mass than the Sun. He has co-authored 70 scientific articles with colleagues across the world and with Carleton students, and continues to work with some of them. Joel loves to share sunsets, the night sky, solar eclipses, and modern astronomy with others, and he has done so on numerous alumni journeys, including tours in the southwestern U.S., Oregon, Hawaii, Chile, Turkey, Australia, and Mexico. He continues to teach astronomy to nonscientists in a variety of other venues as well. 


Pricing (9 nights, per person)

Double occupancy $9,990
Single Supplement $2,990

Itinerary

Monday & Tuesday, December 8 & 9:  Depart Home/Arrive Santiago, Chile
Wednesday, December 10:
Santiago
Thursday, December 11: Fly To La Serena/Elqui Valley
Friday, December 12: Elqui Valley (Vera Rubin And Gemini South Observatories)
Saturday, December 13: Fly To Calama/San Pedro De Atacama
Sunday, December 14: San Pedro De Atacama
Monday, December 15: San Pedro De Atacama (Alma)
Tuesday, December 16: San Pedro De Atacama
Wednesday – Thursday, December 17-18:  San Pedro De Atacama/Calama/Fly To Santiago/Fly Home

For the detailed itinerary, download the brochure.

Additional Information

Reserve your space online.

For more information or to reserve your space,  please call 800-811-7244 or email Carleton College Alumni Adventures.