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This popular festival has more than 100 years of history in the Elqui Valley. It is based in Vicuña, and is celebrated in the months of January and February. It consists of the participation and competition of each town, through the election of a Queen, with dances, invited artists and a great parade of floats with groups and individual costumes.
It provides tours in Spanish and English. Tours are in the evening and include star observation using big telescope, outside constellation description using laser pointer, taking pictures of the moon and short theoretical PowerPoint. Tours can be booked on the same day at the office: Gabriela Mistral 260. Instead of taking a minibus, you can also hike there and potentially see the night sky after dusk.
Check out this scenic dam between La Serena and Vicuña.
Climb the small mountain (the one with the antennas on) just north of town for a complete panorama of the surroundings. Mind the sun, and bring some water along.