Travel to E-ELT Armazones


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Please note that public visits are currently not allowed due to safety precautions.

Media visitors please consult this page

The European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) is part of the Paranal Observatory and is located on Cerro Armazones, only 20 km from Paranal. For information on weather, clothing, travel, food and accommodation please consult the Paranal Travel Page.

Health & Safety

Weather and Clothing

Please consult the Paranal Travel Page.

Special Health and Safety advisory

Visits to Cerro Armazones (3060 metres), site of the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) are allowed to media and high-level visits only under special authorization. In the case of media visits, the authorization has to be requested in advance (contact: contacto@eso.org)

A visit to Armazones at 3000 metres altitude, has some safety, security and health constraints. All Armazones visitors are required to:

  1. Have slept at least one night at around 2000m to 3000 m altitude for acclimatization before they can go up to the AOS.
  2. People travelling to Armazones must meet the requirements given in the E-ELT Safety Manual (on p. XX-XX in the version of xx June 2013), which is the authoritative text and must be consulted for full details. In particular:
    • External Visitors (Authorized visitors and freelancers) are required to sign the release waiver before being escorted to the site. Media visitors or others visiting as part of a job assignment may wish to consult with their supervisor or Human Resources department before signing.
    • ESO’s Members of Personnel have to have successfully completed a High-Altitude Medical Examination (HAME) within the past year. It is strongly advised to carry a paper-copy.
    • Contractors ascending to the Armazones peak are required to either present a (max. one- year old) medical certificate from their occupational physician certifying on the basis of a high altitude exam, and that there is no known medical condition that makes it inadvisable for them to perform work beyond 3000 metres, or provide a certificate signed by their HR department (max. one year old) stating that their employee meets the legal requirements and those of their workplace accident insurance (social security) to perform work at beyond 3000 metres.