Atacama Desert Trips

From the adobe village of San Pedro the classic sights fan out: Valle de la Luna for sunset over its wind-carved rock, the Salar de Atacama with its flamingo lagoons at Chaxa, and the El Tatio geysers, which steam best at dawn from over 4,000 m. Higher still lie the altiplano lakes of Miscanti and Miñiques and the reds and greens of Piedras Rojas, while the Puritama hot springs and the Pukara de Quitor fortress sit close to town. The tours reach further too: north into the Aymara country of the Lauca highlands near Putre, east over the border to the Argentine puna, and, on the longest trip, all the way south to the Lake District and Torres del Paine. It is one of the most otherworldly corners of Guided Chile tours and Guided South America tours.

The desert has the clearest skies on earth, and a night under them, often at a small observatory, is a highlight for many; the geysers at dawn and a float in the salty Cejar lagoon are others. Beyond the landscapes it is a living culture: the Atacameno people of San Pedro and the Aymara of the far north shape trips built around their traditions, food and villages. There is Mars-like scenery genuinely used to test space rovers, and for independent travellers a self-drive route links the Chilean and Argentine sides. It is as much about cultural tours and quiet wildlife tours, from flamingos to vicunas, as about adventure sport.

A few things are worth knowing. San Pedro sits at around 2,400 m and the high sights are far higher, so days can be warm but nights are cold the year round and the altitude needs respecting. The clearest skies for stargazing fall in the dry months from April to September. Watch too for the altiplanic winter, the brief summer rains of January and February that can cloud the highlands and close some high roads, even as the desert floor stays dry.

Trips on offer across the Atacama, shorter to longer:

1. Guided Chile’s Atacameno Cultural Experience Tour 4 days of desert landscapes and Atacameno culture around San Pedro.
2. Guided Aymara Chile Cultural Experience Tour 6 days in Chile’s far north, the land of the Aymara.
3. Self-Guided Atacama Desert Self-Drive Tour 8 days driving the Chilean and Argentine sides at your own pace.
4. Guided Atacama Desert Overland Tour: Argentina and Chile 10 days overland through the driest desert on earth.
5. Guided Atacama Desert, Lake District and Torres del Paine Tour 12 days linking the desert, the lakes and Patagonia.