enchanted valley (valle del encanto)

If you happen to be in the neighborhood of Ovalle you should stop by the Valle del Encanto which is located on route 45, 15 minutes from route 5. Depending on how much time you have and how fast you walk it may take anywhere from 1 to 2 and a half hours to see everything. At first it's not very easy to spot the petroglyphs but once you see the first shapes on the rocks you know what to look for. The person working at the gate was very friendly and jovial. Overall a nice archeological experience.

Children ages 6 and 9. We went with a guide and it was a great experience. It was a site you could really explore and imagine life 3000 years ago. Not a formal site. Easy for all ages. Some walking.

There are three main areas, stretching around a kilometre along the bottom of a valley that has plentiful bird life and numerous small rodents (chinchillas?) running around among the varied vegetation – cacti and aromatic bushes, with some larger trees where the stream ran through the valley bottom. The rock carvings themselves were a little underwhelming; many were hard so see in the sunlight, and lacked the wow factor that I had perhaps hoped for. Maybe I was hoping for obviously spaceship-like carvings in the fashion of Erich von Daniken. Nonetheless there were a large number, as well as a lesser number of painted ones (again very indistinct). The area beyond the picnic area at the Western end is possibly the best, with one rock in particular covered with several primitive stick figure carvings and lusher vegetation including willow.It's easy to reach by car from Ovalle - just take the main road towards the coast and Santiago (which is not signed, of course in Ovalle itself), and after a few kilometres turn left onto an unmade road following the signpost. Although you can park at the barrier, most people seem to take their cars into the valley proper - in June (winter) it was very quiet and peaceful.

This wonderful attraction has some fascinating examples of rock art, including paintings and petroglyphs all over the Enchanted Valley. The site is a little difficult to find if coming from Ovalle as there are very few signposts along the way so just stop and ask someone. The main gripe with these attractions (apart from the usual lack of information in English), is the lack of good signage indicating where the art actually is - make sure to not miss out on the 'banos del inca' at stop number 3 of the trail - it is a huge hollowed out rock that the Incas used for bathing. This is not on the map (the map is next to useless), so find the guide who is roaming around somewhere inside and ask him to show you them. Also, these petroglyphs are not being looked after properly. Like so many other pieces of rock art in South America, there is no money or political will to look after them, and so they are fading fast. Many visitors touch the rocks and paintings making them fade very quickly - they need to be protected from grubby fingers, and from the sun and wind too. Even the scientists have written all over the rocks with their catalog numbers for each piece, because that is the bad science practiced in the old days! Otherwise a very interesting and fascinating place. Take water and do not touch!

We were based in beautiful old colonial town of La Serena, and used local tour operator Encanto Chile to show us the hidden gems all around this area. Lots of outdoor stuff, but blue skies every day. We visited old gold mines beyond the Elqui Valley at Andacollo, where there is a massive Church built almost entirely of wood, even the pillars. We took a trip into the Andes - high, remote and beautiful. In the Limari Valley we did a wine tour and then a visit to the valle Encanto to see ancient petroglyphs. Highlight was trip out to Islas Damas - offshore wildlife reserve - a sort of mini Galapagos. Every evening we ate out in one of the many excellent fish restaurants strung out along the miles of beach in and around La Serena. We've done a lot of the main tourist trails in Chile, but this area is worth a try for something completely different

We drive there from La Serena passing uninteresting town Ovalle. After long drive we arrive the small canyon with few petroglyphs. It was not so interestinh for us. There are several picnic tables but no water stream.

Liked the fact that like so many tourist spots in Chile that are off the beaten track there were few other people. Unspoilt nature with petroglyphs and rock carvings of the ancienct Molle civilization. A great detour on the way to Ovalle and before or after a visit to the Tabali winery if you so wish.

On a side trip through the valleys that line the Chilean coast, our guide took us through the Valle del Encanto, a flower-lined arid valley littered with the petroglyphs and geoglyphs of the long-disappeared Diaguita and Molle people who inhabited northern Chile before the Inca conquest in the 1490s and subsequent Spanish colonization a few decades later. Don't expect a large scale attraction...just revel in the fascinating array of pre-columbian art in a valley held sacred by the native peoples.

Es un pequeño y hermoso valle en el cual puedes encontrar muchos petroglifos y pictografías. muy antigua de la cultura Molle. aunque esta señalizados muy pobremente, se pueden encontrar. El punto negativo es que falta información en el lugar. a pesar que entregan un mapa fotocopiado al ingreso algo pobre. igual en el lugar hay sitios de camping, para pasar una tarde en familia.

lugar imperdible, pinturas upes tres de más de 4.000 años, tour cero a de 1h 20m, sensacional la atención del guía (Señor Salvador).

Vale cada km rodado! Fica ha 1:30h de La Serena e é um lugar mágico. Seja pela energía, pelo silencio ou pelas dezenas de pinturas e gravuras nas pedras. Falta um pouco de sinalizacao na saída de Ovalle!

Como su nombre lo dice, quedas encantado con lo que puedes descubrir. Realize esta visita junto a mis hijas Veronica y Alyson y si tu eres amante de las culturas milenarias este lugar te gustara y puedes pasar horas realizando un buen y liviano hiking dentro del cañón, esta es la segunda vez que visito el lugar y se nota que le estan realizando cambios que para algunas personas pasaría despercibido, pero para mí son muy importantes, esta a pocos minutos de Ovalle con buen acceso, felicitaciones !!!Importante si van en verano no se olviden se su repelente contra insectos ya que los zancudos que le pueden dejar un buen recuerdo.

me encanta el valle es tan relajante ,acampé muchas veces hoy está prohibido siento tanto ,eran mis fines de semana largo junto a mis amigos de montaña ,y de la tercera edad nos pasamos días y noches espectaculares .

naturaleza abundante para disfrutar de una excelente vista por todo el paisaje que encontraras ,lugar adecuado para realizar una escapada y asi relajarte y distenderte con todo lo que este lugar tiene para ofrecerte ,mucha tranquilidad ,vale la pena el hecho de que sea alejado de la ciudad .

No es un paseo corto ya que queda fuera de Ovalle. Vale la pena si se puede coordinar con una visita a la viña Tabalí.Imperdible para los amantes de las culturas originarias.