13 Remote Stargazing Getaways With Pure Darkness And Pure Wonder

2. Atacama Desert, Chile

High in the Chilean Andes, the Atacama Desert presents one of the most extraordinary stargazing experiences on the planet. With its bone-dry climate, high elevation, and near-constant cloudless skies, this otherworldly landscape has become a haven for both NASA scientists and passionate skywatchers alike. The absence of light pollution renders the night sky startlingly vivid—stars appear almost within reach, and the constellations blaze with rare intensity. It’s no wonder the European Southern Observatory chose this remote expanse as home to some of its most advanced telescopes.