| From | Car | Bus | Tours |
|---|---|---|---|
| From SantiagoGoogle Maps | 405 km on Route 5 North (Ruta 5 Norte) to Socos, then Ruta 45 to Ovalle; about 4 h 40 min. | From the San Borja, Alameda and Sur terminals there are more than 30 daily departures to Ovalle; the trip takes between 5 h and 5 h 30 min and arrives at the Media Luna terminal. | |
| From La SerenaGoogle Maps | 87 km on Ruta 43 to Ovalle; about 1 h 20 min. | From La Serena's Terminal de Buses (Av. El Santo 1475) about 50 buses a day leave for Ovalle; between 1 h 10 min and 1 h 30 min. | There are full-day tours from La Serena that combine a Limarí winery with the Valle del Encanto. |
You'll want a car. The wineries form two clusters: west of Ovalle, along Ruta D-45 (10–20 km), and in Punitaqui, about 25 km south.
Harvest is in March and April. The Fiesta de la Vendimia de Ovalle (Ovalle harvest festival) is held in early March in the Plaza de Armas. Dry, sunny climate, with cold nights and hot afternoons in summer. The wineries open mostly Monday to Friday; on weekends, only a few and only in the morning.
From La Serena it's doable in a day: a winery and the Valle del Encanto. From Santiago, better to spend a night in Ovalle, where the accommodation is.
Base town: Ovalle.
Where the visits are concentrated:
Flagship grapes:
Bus times and frequencies come from a timetable comparison site (CheckMyBus), not from the companies; no companies are named. The 2027 date of the Fiesta de la Vendimia de Ovalle has not been announced (2019–2025 editions: first weekend of March). In 2020 Sernatur cited a Fiesta de la Vendimia de Punitaqui in early April; it was not confirmed whether it still takes place. No winery in the valley publishes its harvest month; “March and April” is the general season indicated by Sernatur. No day tours from Santiago were found.
Hollow dots are approximate locations. Open this valley in the map with filters.
Those open to visitors first.
Organic and biodynamic winery in El Ciénago, Punitaqui, founded in 1999: Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère in red blends such as Doña Ana. No published tourism offer; visits by appointment only.
Family winery with Trentino roots on the Las Lluvias estate in Punitaqui, Limarí Valley: Syrah, Carménère and Viognier, a wine shop and a cellar tour by advance booking.
Boutique winery in Limarí with vineyards planted in 1993 beside the river, 30 km from the sea; its own wines since 2005, made partly by gravity flow, and visits Monday to Friday.
Family winery in Punitaqui, in the Limarí, with vines planted in 1998: Syrah and a Syrah–Cabernet Sauvignon blend in its Reserva line. Guided tours with tasting, arranged beforehand by phone.
One of Limarí's pioneering wineries, with its cellar in a ravine beside the Valle del Encanto and vineyards running from the coast to the Andes. Visits only by advance booking by email.
Winery and pisco distillery in Limarí, founded in 2018 in Quebrada Seca between limestone soils and coastal breezes: Tololo Black and Blue piscos, wines and sparkling wine. Visits subject to availability.
