Paranal ESO Basecamp

This photo of the ESO Base Camp at the foot of the Paranal mountain, the designated site for the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT), was obtained in late March 1994.

Paranal is located in the driest part of the Chilean Atacama desert, approx. 130 km south of the city of Antofagasta, and about 12 km from the Pacific Ocean. The altitude is 2650 metres.

The top of the mountain has been levelled to make place for the extensive VLT installations.