Pan de Azúcar National Park plans stargazing to boost tourism

Stargazing Initiative Targets Desert Slump

Extending Stays Beyond the Summer Rush

Most visitors to Parque Nacional Pan de Azúcar concentrate their trips within a few weeks of summer.

A standard itinerary typically lasts three days, covering local beaches, hiking trails, viewpoints, and gastronomy. Organizers plan to introduce regular astronomical programming to extend visitor stays by an extra night or more. José Luis Gutiérrez, the park administrator, notes that while tourists currently tour the trails and leave within three days, adding organized stargazing can effectively increase the length of stay. CONAF records indicate that the park increasingly attracts visitors with higher purchasing power who arrive in motorhomes and seek a more diverse range of activities.

Uncovering Chañaral’s Dark Sky Zones

The initiative originated with the Corporación de Desarrollo de Chañaral while local leaders evaluated new attractions for the park’s tourism circuit. Manuel Vargas, a resident and member of the corporation, led the effort by reviewing digital light pollution maps to compare Chañaral with urbanized and industrial sectors like Copiapó and Caldera.

Vargas identified distinct, highly unpolluted dark sky zones across Pan de Azúcar that do not exist elsewhere in the region. Vargas subsequently surveyed the site using a tent, binoculars, and a camera, confirming the exceptional visibility of the night sky.

Evaluating Terrain and Conditions at Astro 1

To advance the project, the corporation organized an exploratory field trip alongside Costa Orión, a local association of roughly ten astrophotography and stargazing enthusiasts.

Led by José Soriano, Carlos Ibacache, and Paoly Monardez, the group tested the terrain to evaluate wind speeds, cloud cover, vehicle access, and equipment setup. Participants determined that the area’s low hills provide optimal conditions for regional night observations, while desert heat helps disperse coastal cloud cover. The selected site, provisionally designated “Astro 1,” features flat terrain, a wide view of the sky, and accessible roads paved with bischofita. CONAF administers the protected area where the site is located, which would allow the new night tours to integrate directly under environmental conservation and safety guidelines. The preliminary field tests by local astronomy enthusiasts have established favorable baseline conditions for the site, though park officials await systematic scientific measurements to evaluate the full scope of the project.