
The 007 Road Trip: Driving to James Bond's Futuristic Hideout at Cerro Paranal
Chile, south-america
8.6 km
2,635 m
moderate
Year-round
Okay, picture this: you're in Chile's Atacama Desert, about to climb Cerro Paranal, reaching a staggering 2,635 meters (8,645 feet) high! The road, Ruta Observatorio Paranal, is completely paved, but don't let that fool you – it's a seriously steep climb, with gradients hitting 12% in spots! From the B-710 road, you'll ascend for about 8.6 kilometers (5.34 miles), gaining 566 meters in elevation. That's an average gradient of around 6.58%. The views? Absolutely unreal. Keep an eye out for the Cerro Paranal Observatory at the summit, home to some seriously impressive telescopes (Very Large Telescope & VLT Survey Telescope). Fun fact: part of the James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, was filmed here! There's even a hotel, La Residencia, for staff, but sadly, no overnight stays for tourists. Just remember the last stretch is often gated. Get ready for an out-of-this-world driving experience!
Where is it?
The 007 Road Trip: Driving to James Bond's Futuristic Hideout at Cerro Paranal is located in Chile (south-america). Coordinates: -35.5796, -72.8927
Road Details
- Country
- Chile
- Continent
- south-america
- Length
- 8.6 km
- Max Elevation
- 2,635 m
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Coordinates
- -35.5796, -72.8927
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