San Pedro de Atacama, Chile Tours and Activities

Discover the magic nuances of the desert by visiting the Toconao village, the great Atacama Salt Flat with its Chaxa Lagoon and the impressive mountain lagoons Miscanti and Miñiques in Los Flamencos Natural Reserve. The journey will begin with a visit to Lagoon Chaxa, a scenery of spectacular beauty that is divided into several water mirrors where a large number of flamingos and other birds live. Later we will visit Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons at more than 4,200 meters over sea level, surrounded by imposing volcanoes is an habitat of a variety of birds, are a truly amazing destination. Finally, we will return while the landscape gives us breathtaking views of the Licancabur and Lascar volcanoes.

On this exciting tour, we will visit the impressive Tatio Geysers, at 4000 meters above sea level on the Andean plateau. Our journey to the Altiplano starts in the early hours, so we can watch the sun rise in one of the most important geothermic fields in the world: the Tatio Geysers. There are over 70 geysers with pools of boiling water spurting vapor. It is best to see them first thing in the morning, so you can truly appreciate the beautiful contrast of colors between the intensely blue sky and the pristine vapor from the geysers. Likewise, we will observe the “Crying Grandfather,” one of the largest geothermal fields in the world. We will then enjoy a deserved breakfast in this amazing setting, in the shadows of the Andes. This will allow us to warm up, as the temperatures in the zone can range from -2°C (28.4°F) to 24.5°C (76.1°F). On our way back to San Pedro de Atacama, we will visit the beautiful “Vado de Putana,” where vicuñas, foxes, and different birds come to drink water and feed themselves, perfect for photographing landscapes and fauna. We will then stop off in the village of Machuca, a truly atacameño village of just 20 houses built from clay, straw and cactus wood. The inhabitants of Machuca all dedicate themselves to its tourism and will offer hand crafted Andean souvenirs, as well as typical food from the region such as llama meat, sopaipillas (a traditional bread made from squash) and empanadas. While there, we will also visit the beautiful San Santiago Church, named after the patron saint of the village, as well as visiting the wetlands where we can see flamingos, ducks and other birds.

To start, we travel west of San Pedro de Atacama, to the Domeyko hills, a spectacular hill formation that runs parallel to the Andes. The tour will take us back in time to when the indigenous people lived there, adding to the historical and cultural experience of the tour. We will then cross over to Matancilla, with its rich flora and fauna, to see the Rainbow Valley, named after the various colors of the surrounding hills. Its red, green, white, yellow, brown and earth colored tones combine with the blue sky and the white salt flats to create a truly unique setting. Next, we visit the viewpoint to take in the in the Cañon del Arcoiris (Arcoiris Canyon). Then, we will visit the “Yerbas Buenas” Petroglyphs archaeological site. In beautiful and ancient rock formations, we will observe petroglyphs thousands of years old that show the passage and life of the Atacameña Lickanantay culture.

A couple of kilometers outside of San Pedro de Atacama, between the jagged rocks and unusual shapes of the Cordillera de la Sal (Salt Mountains), we find the Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley), a geological wonder of the Los Flamencos National Reserve. Reserve. During the tour, you can take in the extraordinary shapes of the landscape, which will make you feel as if you were walking on the moon. We will visit various attractions with a lot of stories,such as the “Greater Dune", the Amphitheater, the “Tres Marías,” the Salt Mine, and the “Kari” viewpoint, also known as “Piedra del Coyote". During the afternoon, you can enjoy the unbeatable views of the Andes and its volcanoes. As dusk falls you will be overwhelmed by the red and golden colors of the desert sky. All this results in a simply unforgettable tour.

The night in the Atacama Desert, its starry sky and the presence of the ancestral fire, give life to a unique and unrepeatable experience where the knowledge of the Andean cosmovision of the heaven is balanced with the scientific and formal language of the stars. With the specialized guides, we will observe the beauty and solemnity of the celestial bodies in a unique environment, in the middle of an oasis in the driest desert in the world, which also has one of the most starry skies on the planet thanks to the extraordinary qualities of transparency of the air.