The Atacama Desert night sky in northern Chile is one of the most breathtaking sights I’ve ever experienced. Bill and I have been lucky enough to see incredible dark skies in places like New Zealand and the Serengeti. The Atacama Desert earned a spot on that short list.

During our 17 days in the Atacama, we experienced the night sky two different ways. We joined a guided stargazing tour with powerful telescopes and astronomy lessons. Other evenings, we walked out on the country road behind our accommodation and gazed up at thousands upon thousands of stars stretching across the sky.

In this guide, I’ll help you decide whether a guided stargazing tour is right for you, show you how to enjoy it on your own, and share a few simple tips for photographing the stars with your phone.

Quick Overview

• If you only do one thing after dark, look up!
• You don’t need a tour to experience an incredible night sky.
• A guided tour adds astronomy, telescopes, and expert explanations.
• My recommendation: Do both if you can.

Why the Atacama Desert Night Sky is so Special

Some places have beautiful sunsets. Others have beautiful mountains. The Atacama Desert has one of the most incredible night skies on Earth.

Thanks to its high elevation, exceptionally dry climate, and almost nonexistent light pollution, the stars shine with an intensity that’s hard to describe until you see them for yourself. On a clear night, the Milky Way stretches overhead like a glowing ribbon across the sky, and thousands of stars appear where you never realized they existed.

Whether you spend five minutes looking up from outside your accommodation or several hours on a guided stargazing tour, this is one Bucket List experience you won’t soon forget.

DIY Stargazing: My Favorite Memory

One evening around 10:15, Bill and I walked down the quiet road behind our accommodation in the countryside, away from the lights and the buildings. We weren’t expecting anything extraordinary. We just wanted to see what the night sky looked like.

Within minutes, we were standing beneath thousands upon thousands of stars. The Milky Way stretched across the sky like a glowing ribbon, and every direction we looked seemed filled with more stars than the last. Bill even spotted a shooting star while I tried to capture it all with his iPhone.

It was peaceful, quiet, and completely unforgettable.

If your accommodation is a little outside of San Pedro de Atacama, I highly recommend stepping outside for a few minutes before bed. You may discover that one of the best stargazing experiences of your trip doesn’t cost a thing.

We stayed outside town in the country, which made spontaneous stargazing incredibly easy. If you’re still deciding where to stay, look for accommodations with darker skies rather than lots of nearby lighting.

What a Guided Stargazing Tour Adds

While my favorite memory was simply standing beneath the stars on our own, I’m also glad we joined a guided stargazing tour because it offered a completely different experience.

Our evening began with snacks around a campfire while we waited for the sky to grow darker. Then our guide used a powerful green laser pointer to trace constellations across the sky, making it surprisingly easy to follow along as he explained the Southern Hemisphere stars, planets, and the Milky Way.

After the presentation, we took turns looking through two large telescopes. Seeing planets and distant celestial objects through the telescopes added a whole new dimension to the experience. We also received a professional photo beneath the Milky Way—a fun souvenir from the evening.

If you’re planning a trip to the Atacama Desert, I highly recommend adding a stargazing tour to your itinerary. We joined a different local operator, but if I were booking a tour today, I’d choose this highly rated Stargazing Tour because it offers a similar experience with hotel pickup, telescope viewing, astronomy guidance, and a professional night-sky photo.

DIY or a Guided Tour?

How To Photograph The Atacama Desert Night Sky

I first learned to photograph the stars during a trip to Lake Tekapo in New Zealand. Since then, I’ve used these same simple techniques in places like the Serengeti in Tanzania and now the Atacama Desert. You don’t need an expensive camera to get a great photo—your iPhone may surprise you.

Here are a few tips that have worked well for me:

• Use your iPhone’s Night Mode. It does an impressive job of capturing stars in very dark conditions. On my phone, it’s at the top of the camera screen and looks like a crescent moon with lines to make a circle. It might turn on automatically in the dark.
• Hold your phone as steady as possible. Better yet, prop it on a rock, railing, or table and use the timer to avoid camera shake.
• Find the darkest location you can. Even a nearby porch light can reduce the number of stars your phone captures. Walking around to a different side of the building can help if it’s darker.
• Experiment with different angles and exposure times. Every night sky is a little different, so don’t be afraid to take several photos.

If you’d like to learn more about using Night Mode on your iPhone, I found the tutorials at the iPhone Photography School especially helpful.

What to Bring

Final Thoughts On The Atacama Desert Night Sky

You don’t need expensive camera equipment or a telescope to be amazed by the Atacama Desert night sky. Sometimes, all it takes is stepping away from the lights, looking up, and giving yourself a few quiet minutes to soak it all in.

If your budget allows, I recommend doing both. Spend one evening enjoying the stars on your own, then book a guided stargazing tour to learn more about what you’re seeing. Together, they create an experience that’s even more memorable than either one alone.

Long after I forget the names of the constellations, I’ll remember standing beneath one of the clearest night skies I’ve ever seen, looking up in complete awe. It was one of those Bucket List moments I’ll never forget.