La Serena - Humboldt penguins and observatories

After Iquique, we embark on a 23-hour bus journey to La Serena, another place in northern Chile on the coast. Upon arrival, we are completely exhausted from the ride to the booked hostel. We are greeted warmly by the owners and can finally get a proper sleep. The next day, we explore the city and the beach of the village, where we enjoy delicious fish and seafood-filled empanadas. The following day, we head early to the Humboldt National Park. After a 2-hour bus ride over rough terrain, we reach a small fishing village from where we take a boat to Isla Damas. There, we see dolphins, various bird species, and the famous Humboldt penguin. After the boat tour, we have some time to relax on the beach and devour a few empanadas before heading back to the city. On the last day, we are lucky with the weather and can spend the day at the beach, which is much more relaxing and beautiful than in Iquique. In the evening, the hostel owners organize a small BBQ dinner with delicious Chilean wine. We grab a quick sandwich before taking a bus to a nearby valley, where we visit an observatory. There, we learn about the southern night sky and have the opportunity to observe star clusters, distant galaxies, and the north side of the moon through various telescopes ;) We return at 4 am and after 4 hours of sleep, we continue towards Valparaiso, allegedly the most beautiful city in Chile. Until then

Best regards

Max and Marius