Elqui Valley: Pisco & Organic Wine Day Trip with Lunch

4.86

(144 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I almost missed the van because I couldn’t find my sunglasses — classic me. The driver just grinned when I apologized in clumsy Spanish, waved me in, and we set off from La Serena. The road curled through hills that looked dry at first, but then suddenly everything went green. Our guide, Camila, kept pointing out things I’d never have noticed: papaya trees, goats nibbling by the roadside, even the way the light changed as we got closer to the Puclaro reservoir. It was windy up there — my hair kept sticking to my lip balm — but the water was this strange blue-green that made everyone go quiet for a second.

I’m not usually a big drinker before noon, but honestly? The CAPEL pisco tasting was worth it. There’s this smell inside the distillery — kind of sweet and sharp at once — that stuck to my shirt all day. Camila explained how pisco is made (I only half followed), but I remember her laughing when someone asked if Chilean or Peruvian pisco was better. “Depends who you ask,” she winked. The organic vineyard after that felt different: quieter, more serious somehow. We tasted wine outside under some scraggly grapevines; it wasn’t fancy, just honest and earthy.

Lunch in Pisco Elqui was simple but good — chicken stew with rice and these little salads I still crave now. I wandered around after, poking into shops selling woven bags and soap that smelled like herbs I couldn’t name. Kids were playing soccer in the square; one of them tried to teach me a trick shot (I failed). Later we stopped in Montegrande, where Gabriela Mistral lived; her statue stands by the church with wildflowers at its feet. Something about that spot felt gentle, like time slowed down for her poems.

By the time we reached Vicuña for ice cream (lucuma flavor — weird but good), everyone was sun-tired and happy-quiet. There’s something about sharing a long day with strangers that makes you feel less like a tourist and more like you belong for a minute. The Elqui Valley isn’t perfect — dusty roads, odd weather swings — but maybe that’s why it sticks with you after you leave.