--- title: "Coquimbo Cruise Port" url: https://cruisello.com/destinations/south-america/coquimbo description: "Star-gazing capital of the southern hemisphere" --- # Coquimbo πŸ‡¨πŸ‡± Β· Chile Β· South America > "Star-gazing capital of the southern hemisphere" ## At a Glance - **Avg. Ships/Day:** 1.2 - **Avg. Time in Port:** 8.1h - **Visiting Sailings:** 11 - **Cruise Lines:** 3 ## Peak Season Busiest months: Nov (5 sailings), Jan (3 sailings), Mar (3 sailings) ## About Coquimbo Coquimbo is a working port city on Chile's northern Pacific coast, connected by a short road to the more polished La Serena next door. The Cruz del Tercer Milenio, a massive concrete cross on the hilltop, offers wide views over the bay and the arid landscape behind. Below it, the Barrio InglΓ©s has a grid of 19th-century mansions left over from the copper and silver mining booms, when British traders lived and worked here. The beaches at La Herradura and Totoralillo Norte are good for a quick swim. The Elqui Valley, about an hour inland, is where Chilean pisco originates, and several distilleries run tastings. The valley is also one of the world's best stargazing locations, with observatories like Mamalluca offering night viewings. La Recova market in La Serena sells handmade jewellery, lapis lazuli, and local dried fruit. For food, harbourfront restaurants serve camarones al pil-pil, shrimp in a garlic and chilli oil. Taxis wait at the port, and Spanish is the main language, though English is understood in tourist spots. ## Quick Facts - **Currency:** CLP (Chilean Peso) - **Language:** Spanish - **Timezone:** America/Santiago (UTC-3) - **Tipping:** 10% at restaurants ## Location Coordinates: -29.9485, -71.3351 - [Open in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/cruise+terminal+Coquimbo/@-29.9485,-71.3351,13z) - [Open in Apple Maps](https://maps.apple.com/?q=cruise%20terminal%20Coquimbo&ll=-29.9485,-71.3351&z=13) ## Things to Do in Coquimbo Top-rated shore excursions that fit a typical ~8h port call. Prices are starting prices per person. | Tour | Rating | Duration | Fits Port Day | From | Provider | |------|------|------|------|------|------| | [Astro Tour & Wine Tasting](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/3d300928-9cca-4074-baf0-23efffad70fd.md?via=markdown) | 4.8β˜… (5) | 4h | βœ“ | €41 | Viator | | [Elqui Valley and Vicuna Private Tour Including Lunch](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/68e2e859-51e9-4b4d-97b5-f88f6cc6431f.md?via=markdown) | 4.4β˜… (19) | 7h | – | €369 | Viator | | [Astronomy and Astrophotography Tour](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/904aa98b-702c-4a30-899a-ab8898814514.md?via=markdown) | 4.8β˜… (12) | 6h | – | €50 | Viator | | [Elqui Valley Nature Immersion | Wellness & Sound Healing](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/be4faa2c-9377-49c3-baaa-ba2397d6655e.md?via=markdown) | 5β˜… (1) | 4h | βœ“ | €64 | Viator | | [Puclaro Reservoir Kayak Experience](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/2508376b-80cc-433b-98c1-87949a29892c.md?via=markdown) | 5β˜… (1) | 4h | βœ“ | €82 | Viator | | [La Serena and Coquimbo Private City Tour Including Lunch, Shore Excursion](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/358bfe44-88f9-4aba-9bf7-35890431937b.md?via=markdown) | 4.8β˜… (5) | 6h 30m | – | €363 | Viator | | [La Serena and Coquimbo City Tour (SIB)](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/ff331a62-9888-4871-babd-4ccc0534c3f4.md?via=markdown) | 3β˜… (2) | 3h | βœ“ | €60 | Viator | | [Astronomical Observation Milky Way Sanctuary Pangue Observatory](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/49e5a377-7a44-4a93-a32f-b67574061345.md?via=markdown) | 3.7β˜… (7) | 7h | – | €195 | Viator | | [Activity in Fray Jorge National Park](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/2ec01099-6ad3-4133-91c2-837ffcf92fc3.md?via=markdown) | 5β˜… (3) | 7h | – | €73 | Viator | | [La Serena: Visit to Mamalluca Observatory. Entraces & transport included.](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/6522a236-f476-45a8-b9c1-30d156f9b972.md?via=markdown) | 3.3β˜… (7) | 6h | – | €73 | Viator | | [Parade in Elqui Valley Cochiguaz Nature and Wines](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/4ae2c5e5-09f2-464c-87c4-bc3c052a16a8.md?via=markdown) | – | 7h | – | €73 | Viator | | [Elqui Valley Boutique Stargazing Experience with Astrophotography](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/9a049e9e-39d8-435b-8eb9-59542e6bdef5.md?via=markdown) | – | 6h | – | €90 | Viator | Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews. ## Nearby Ports - [ValparaΓ­so (Santiago)](https://cruisello.com/destinations/south-america/valparaiso-santiago.md): 186 nm - [San Antonio](https://cruisello.com/destinations/south-america/san-antonio.md): 219 nm - [Robinson Crusoe Island Chile](https://cruisello.com/destinations/south-america/robinson-crusoe-island-chile.md): 442 nm ## Cruise Lines Serving This Port - [Carnival Cruise Line](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/carnival-cruise-line.md) - [Celebrity Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/celebrity-cruises.md) - [Holland America Line](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/holland-america-line.md) ## Cheapest Available Sailing **[View this cruise β†’](https://cruisello.com/cruises/pacific-tidewash-cabo-to-valparaiso~CEL-CELEBRITY_EQUINOX-20281105-15.md)** - **Price:** €1,139 per person (€2,277 total for 2 guests) - **Cruise Line:** [Celebrity Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/celebrity-cruises.md) - **Ship:** [Celebrity Equinox](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/celebrity-cruises/celebrity-equinox.md) - **Duration:** 15 nights - **Departure:** 2028-11-05 - **Itinerary:** Pacific Tidewash – Cabo to ValparaΓ­so ## Featured Cruises from Coquimbo Prices are per person, two sharing, in the fare's own currency. | Cruise | Ship | Line | Departure | Nights | Price | |------|------|------|------|------|------| | [Pacific Odyssey – Acapulco, Lima & Coquimbo](https://cruisello.com/cruises/pacific-odyssey-acapulco-lima-coquimbo~CCL-FIRENZE-20270104-15.md) | Carnival Firenze | Carnival Cruise Line | 2027-01-04 | 15 | €1,143 | | [Humboldt Current – Lima & Panama Canal](https://cruisello.com/cruises/humboldt-current-lima-panama-canal~HAL-OOSTERDAM-20270324-16.md) | Oosterdam | Holland America Line | 2027-03-24 | 16 | €2,139 | | [Cape Horn Current – Fire & Ice to Buenos Aires](https://cruisello.com/cruises/cape-horn-current-fire-ice-to-buenos-aires~HAL-ZAANDAM-20270103-41.md) | Zaandam | Holland America Line | 2027-01-03 | 41 | €8,999 | ## Browse Cruises - [All cruises visiting Coquimbo](https://cruisello.com/cruises.md?stopoverPorts=coquimbo) (11 sailings) ## Browse - [South America cruises](https://cruisello.com/destinations/south-america.md) - [All Destinations](https://cruisello.com/destinations.md) - [All Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruises.md)