Visiting Chile’s Atacama Desert: Things to Do in the Other Wild Side

计划访问智利阿塔卡马沙漠吗?我们可以’t think of a more unique place to explore! Here’s what to know before you go and the amazing things to do in the Atacama!

When you hear of Chile'swildside, you might think of Patagonia in southern Chile, the remote region most often associated with wilderness.

But like every good balance of yin & yang, this South American country has a flip side too.

Meet the Atacama, the other wild side of Chile, the second longest country in the world.

There are some amazing things to do in the Atacama Desert, spectacular sites you won’t find anywhere else in the world — surreal lunar landscapes to explore, fun desert tours you can take or do on your own, andunique Chilean foodsand flavors, some found only here.

This unique destination has some of the most incredible landscapes I’ve ever seen and it may be the closest we ever get to exploring Mars.

I'm still amazed it remains one of my favorite destinations of all time!

The Atacama makes a stark contrast toPatagonia— equally epic in every way, just completely different.

The landscape here is surreal and breathtaking to see and even swim in — taking a dip in the Laguna Cejar is perfect after you tour Atacama Desert and the Salar de Atacama (salt flats) all day.

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Getting to The Atacama Desert in Chile

Considering its location — 18 hours and 1,700 miles north of the capital ofSantiagoand a staggering 2,000 miles from Patagonia — it’s easy to see why Chile is so diverse in its climate and why the easiest way to get here is to fly.

Visitors to the Atacama Desert will fly into the airport in Calama, about an hour from the main town of San Pedro de Atacama.

From the airport, you can arrange for private transport to San Pedro,rent a car and drive yourselfas we did, or take public transportation.

If you decide on public transport, be aware that this may take several hours.

Public transportation is reliable but their communication is less so. We found several bus routes to San Pedro were cancelled without much notice.

Atacama Desert Facts

The Atacama Desert lies atover 8,200 feet above sea level (2,500m), between the Andes mountain range skirting its eastern edge and the Chilean Coastal Range to the west.

Spanning across four South American countries —Peru, Bolivia, Chile, andArgentina— the Atacama desert is the driest non-polar desert in the world.

The Andes act as a natural barrier from the heavy moisture of the Amazon basin, leaving theover 40,000 square miles of desertwith such low humidity there are stillparts of the Atacama with no recorded rainfallsince record-keeping began!

惊人的,对吧?

With its intense blinding sun and high altitude, the Atacama desert is parched. Squeaky parched!

Every drop of moisture evaporates from the Earth’s surface, and the natural geo-thermal activity of the region heats the ground from below, so the simmering cauldron of sand and mud literally boils before your eyes leaving behind crusty tubes of salt jutting out of the ground.

You can actually hear the ground snap, crackle, and popping all around you.

But it's hardly barren and devoid of life.

On the contrary, there's life everywhere — steaming hot springs and geyser field puddles teem with tadpoles by the millions atEl Tatio, patches of greenery thrive among the bright yellow desert grass, and the occasional oasis appears amidst miles and miles of sand dunes.

Atacama Desert Altitude

Preparing for altitude in South Americais something every traveler should take seriously. Especially in the dry arid climate of the Atacama.

Many of the Atacama Desert tours and attractions are in places with high elevation, and it’s important to know how to acclimate.

Similar to preparing for a trip to nearby Cuzco or Machu Picchu, be sure and take a day or two to acclimatize and prepare for altitude!

Atacama Desert Tours

We love traveling independently so we were glad we decided torent a car for the week(2 wheel drive) and avoid the Atacama Desert tours, those group tours where they bus dozens of travelers here and there.

Tours are a great idea if you don’t feel comfortable renting a car.

But if you’re even the least bit adventurous (and I assume you are if you follow our blog), you’ll be fine driving.

If you tour Atacama Desert on your own, you’ll have the freedom and flexibility to explore the sites at your leisure and most importantly stay as long as you like.

It's easy to navigate the Atacama Desert on your own if you go slow and don’t drive in the dark.

In fact, several times we literally followed tour vans into places likeLaguna Cejar,Valle de la Luna, and other places, waited 15 minutes or so until they moved on, then had the entire place to ourselves for much longer.

That said, most travelers here do take group tours for day trips and sunset to the Valle de la Luna.

旅游还提供了一个自由度——没有to worry about driving, getting back in the dark, etc.

If you do rent a car, San Pedro de Atacama offers limited fuel stops and navigating around town was a challenge, but it helps to stay on the outskirts of town in hotels or hostels with guest parking.

Whichever you choose, make sure you visit these8 incredible places.In 3-5 days you'll have no problem seeing them all!

There are so many places to explore here and admire the endless views that stretch out as far as you can see.

Things to Do in The Atacama Desert

1. Explore the Town of San Pedro de Atacama

The quiet dusty town of San Pedro de Atacama deserves a few days to relax and enjoy the town.

There are colorful markets to see and plenty of local restaurants serving amazing traditional Chilean dishes!

And honestly, while I’m not Vegan, San Pedro de Atacama has so many great and creative veggie and vegan options for food, as much of their local produce and food staples are naturally vegan — quinoa, the altiplano grass that’s super high in protein, is a big one.

The town has lovely shops to buy local handicrafts, and beautiful historic churches and other cultural gems to visit.

When it comes to Instagrammable places, the Atacama Desert is a great place to be.

There are also plenty of tour operators in San Pedro de Atacama where you can book any number of Atacama trips to the surrounding sites, rent sports gear, or book a sandboarding lesson on the nearby dunes.

It’s just such a cute little town, and I especially loved San Pedro Atacama at night!

2. Salar de Atacama (7,900 ft)

The Salar de Atacama, or Atacama salt flats, covers large expanses of the desert region and you’ll find some of the most scenic flats not far from the town of San Pedro de Atacama.

Take the main road out of town and head south. You'll see signs for the Salar de Atacama with craggy basins of white salt extending out in every direction.

把车熄了火,下车and listen - and you’ll hear the snap, crackle, and pop of the scorched earth in the heat. Walking on it is another adventure entirely.

Be sure to wear sturdy hiking shoes or boots as the flats aren’t smooth at all but rather like small clusters of sharp coral.

The Salt Mountain Range and the Atacama salt plains have been shaped throughout time by the rain and wind, giving rise to enormous shapes and mineral brilliance made up of salt hills, gypsum and clay - resulting in spectacular natural sculptures of various shapes and colors.

3. Laguna Cejar

Laguna Cejar is one of the most popular Atacama Desert attractions for a reason – it’s one of the only places near San Pedro de Atacama where you can get in the cold water and swim, even if you're just bobbing about trying not to spin.

The super-salty water keeps you buoyant and won’t let you sink, making it fun but tricky to swim. You’ll stay skimming along the top of the water and never sink at all!

The water is refreshing (and cold) and the heavy salt crust leaves your skin exfoliated and baby soft.

It can also be damaging to your hair, so wear a protective hat or tie it in a top knot and try not to get it wet.

There are fresh-water showers and changing rooms next to the lake near the entrance so bring a change of clothes along with you.

>>> If you want to take a tour, there’s a 5 hour combo tour ofLaguna Cejar and the Tebinquinche Lagoonswe recommend taking. <<<

And don’t forget your swimsuit!

4. Los Flamencos National Reserve

The National Flamingo Reserve covers roughly 740 square kilometers (180,000 acres) with seven different sections, some that also lie within other sites listed here.

Flamingos feed on small crustaceans and algae rich in beta carotene, which give the birds their well known pink color.

Look for the 3 different types of flamingos: theAndean,Chilean, andJamesFlamingo.

5. Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley)

Everyday around 3:00pm, tourists in town start gathering outside tour offices waiting for the vans to shuttle them out to theValle de la Lunafor sunset.

The Moon Valley is a must-see in the Atacama and should not be missed.

For a small entrance fee you can drive in and hike on foot, or drive around the Valley in the ever-changing sunlight.

Early morning or late afternoon is the best time to go when the light is best and it's not blasting hot, but you’ll compete with tour buses later in the afternoon.

If you drive yourself just for sunset (get there before 5:00pm at least or they won't let you in), head out an hour or two ahead of time so you can hike up the dunes for the best view.

>> We recommend thisSmall Group Tour of Valle de la Lunato avoid the crowds and leave the driving to someone else!

You won’t believe how insanely beautiful sunset can be! <<

TIP:

If you decide to drive, when it's time to leave the Park (you'll see all the tour vans leaving), don't head back to town.

Instead, make a left at the entranceawayfrom the town of San Pedro de Atacama and head up to theValle Overlook, about a mile up on your left.

You'll see cars parked off in the distance. The light is just as spectacular from this vantage point and extends your sunset viewing even more.

And of course, take along a bottle of Chilean wine to pop when its done! Sunset and the Atacama Desert night sky are truly something to celebrate! :-)

6. Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley)

The Atacama’s Valle de la Muerte (Valley of the Dead) is equally as impressive as the Moon Valley nearby, but in a very different way.

Large rock formations jut out from among the sprawling sand dunes, and driving here can be tricky with rock slides and sand drifts.

If you’re into extreme sports, hook up with a sandboarding tour in town and glide down the dunes. It looked like so much fun and we will definitely plan on it for our next trip!

Driving in the Atacama Desert on your own can be tricky - just watch the sand depth and stick to the hard packed road!

7. El Tatio Geysers (14,021 ft)

El Tatio is the highest geothermal field in the world at over 14,000 feet. In the early morning hours (around 5:30am), impressive steam fumaroles are most active gushing super-heated water way up high, and creating plumes of steam in the cold mountain air.

Since the geysers are a two hour drive from San Pedro, you'll have to get up early (around 3:30-4:00am) to hit the road from San Pedro if you want to get there when they're spouting their highest.

If you're driving yourself, take your time and watch your speed.

The drive is demanding as the road is unpaved (hard packed) with lots of twists and turns, and it's pitch black out with no ambient light or street lights. But it issoworth it - especially the gorgeous drive back down - just take it slow and you'll be fine!

>>> Take an Amazing Tour of El Tatio <<<

If you’d rather not drive so early in the dark, we highly recommend taking thisTour of El Tatio, the Thermal Baths, and the flora and fauna of the Putana Valley.

It’s a great way to see the main sites, relax in the thermal baths and not have to worry about driving in the dark!

The area around the geyser field is covered with mineral deposits and thermal ponds, and is surrounded by mountains reaching over 19,000 feet.

The road to the geysers leads through the most epic lunar landscapes you’re likely to see anywhere in the Atacama.

8. Atacama Desert Stargazing

The Atacama desert is one of the world’s best places to see and photograph the night sky.

If you love stargazing or astrophotography, it should be on your bucket list.

The high elevation of the desert means you’ll have a crystal clear view of the heavens year round.

It’s such an attraction that the European Southern Observatory (ESO) operates theAtacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Arrayhere – orALMA Observatory— the largest astronomical project in existence.

ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed of 66 high precision antennas located on the Chajnantor plateau near San Pedro de Atacama.

The observatory is open for public visits during the weekends.

Plan on catching a tour when you visit, or bring your tripod to capture some amazing shots of your own.

We took a bottle of one of ourfavorite Chilean wineswith us and watched Mother Nature put on the most amazing show!

Star after shooting star seared across the night sky in front of our eyes, and we saw theSouthern Crossfor the very first time — and I couldn’t stop the CSN song from playing over and over in my head.

>>> TheMost Amazing Astronomy TourEver! <<<

Want to experience the Atacama Desert night sky in a way you’ll never forget? Why not arrange for something really special!

This private small group tour provides binoculars, telescopes, snacks, beverages (some alcoholic), and an astrophotography lesson for using your own DSLR camera.

And we thought our bottle of wine was awesome!! :-)

9.Antiplano泻湖:拉古纳Miscanti和拉古纳米iñiques (13,583 ft)

TheAltiplanic LagoonsofMiscantiandMiñiquesare located just 90 kilometers from San Pedro de Atacama but more than 4,000 meters above sea level!

As you drive up to the high elevation, you may barely notice if you get lightheaded or short of breath, as the drive up is gradual.

Both lagoons are fed by water sources that come right from the surface of the land and surrounding mountains.

These highland lagoons are one of the 7 sectors that make up the Los Flamencos National Reserve.

You'll see volcanoes, snow capped mountains, yellow desert grass, and the indigo blue of the lagoons in one incredible view after another.

There's an abundance of wildlife here too -species of flamingos, tagua cornuda nesting on the shores, Chilean flamingo, and vicuna.

At the End of the Day: Artisanal Ice Cream!

After just a few days in the Atacama, your throat may start fighting back against the constant dust and harsh desert air.

No amount of water will soothe you quite like a coat of cool ice cream, and we found the perfect place to get it -Heladeria Tierra de Sol.

It's one of theunique Chilean foodsyou have to try when you're here.

Tierra de Sol creates100% artisanal ice creammade from desert ingredients found in the Atacama like chañar, hoja de coca, and tres berries.

How cool is that? Trust me, your throat will thank you!

Where to Stay in San Pedro de Atacama

Hotel Altiplanico

We really enjoyed our stay at theAltiplanico Atacama. The adobe-style hotel is located on the outskirts of town and walkable to town.

The extensive parking space was a big plus since we rented a car, as was the food, the incredible bathroom and the walk-in shower (big enough for a party).

But my favorite part was the extraordinary views of the night sky. We did a little Atacama Desert stargazing right from our patio, watched the international space station overhead on ourSky Guide app, and was able to take photos of the night sky all around the property.

Check rates and availability.

Plan Your Visit to the Atacama Desert

What to Bring With You Each Day

• 水

• Sunglasses, sunscreen, and a hat

• Sturdy footwear

• Selfie props (you know, like the cup, purse, or bottle you'll need to play with for those false perspective shots!)

• A map or GPS

• Small denominations of Chilean pesos for site admission fees (they often can't make change)

• Swimsuit, towel, and change of clothes

• Snacks

Have you been to the Atacama Desert?