The sands on the beaches of nearby Isla Damas and the scintillating stretches of coast that run between La Serena and Coquimbo to the south glimmer in the sun almost as clearly as the stars that twinkle in the dark night sky above the rustic Pisco cellars of the Elqui Valley. And between both of these shimmering lands sits Chile’s second-oldest city, La Serena. The city itself is draped elegantly over a series of palm-dotted coastal hills, cascading down to the frothy rollers of the Pacific in neighbourhoods of elaborate neocolonial construction.

In the heart of town, the exquisite ‘traditional area’ is spiked with the countless outlines of church belfries, from the neoclassical Church Cathedral of La Serena to the cut-stone frontispiece of chapels cracked and creased by centuries of seismic activity. Between the tree shaded avenues, students and sun-seeking tourists flood by the bus load towards the beaches around the Avenida Del Mar. Along with it all, La Serena tour guides sell trips out to the Mamalluca observatories and the edges of the mighty Atacama. This is a town at once primed for relaxation, adventure and cultural immersion alike.