About six hours north of Santiago lies a string of valleys on the edge of the Atacama desert, which is one of the driest places in the world. But these valleys have been transformed into lush oases by centuries of snowmelt running down from the Andes, snow melt that is less and less frequent as climate change takes hold. The water is used primarily to irrigate vineyards that are used to produce pisco, a type of brandy distilled from young wine. There also are a few boutique wineries in the area, and many farms growing table grapes, quince, melon, and all sorts of fruit. It's a strange and stunning landscape of contrasting desert hills, cacti, and vineyards. The wine, beer, and pisco was the best we had in Chile.
In the Elqui Valley, we met with the owners of a pisco distillery and a winery, and both mentioned more erratic rain, less snowfall, and irrigation issues over the past five years. And in the Hurtado valley we met an 80 year old goatherd who has seen his flock winnowed by a lack of water and forage. All of these people were proud of their works, but concerned for the future.
The area also has the clearest skies on earth, and many international observatories are based here. We visited a tourist observatory and saw many others perched on the hills. We based out of Vicuña, a town at the beginning of the Elqui Valley, where we stayed in our favorite hostel in Chile: A Spanish-style home with an open courtyard and built by the grandparents of the six siblings that currently run the place. We also got a chance to attend an annual rural fair and go horseback riding high in the sierra above Hurtado.
It is a rugged and remote area, relying on a tenuous water supply for its crops - crops we depend on in the US all winter long for our fruit. And unless something changes soon, it may dry up entirely.
Here's a link to our photo gallery. (If the link doesn't work go to this address: https://plus.google.com/photos/103829313469224560701/albums/5981706248478208673)
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