The Atacama Desert in Chile is one of the most beautiful places in the world - although sometimes it looks like we're in another world! Here I'll show 10 things to do in the Atacama Desert!
In 2014 we traveled to the Atacama Desert in Chile and had one of the best trips of our lives! Before you go you should do some reaseach so you can enjoy the most of your trip.
Here I'll show the places you must visit, but first, I'll give you some basic information.
Jump to:
- Where do you fly into to go to Atacama Desert?
- When should I visit?
- How many days do I need in San Pedro de Atacama?
- What is there to do?
- Where should I stay?
- Is the Atacama Desert worth visiting?
- Things to do
- 1. Valle de La Luna
- 2. Valle de la Muerte
- 3. Salar de Atacama
- 4. Geysers del Tatio
- 5. Rainbow Valley
- 6. Cejar Lagoon
- 7. Petroglifos
- 8. Salar de Tara
- 9. Puritama Hot Springs
- 10. Horseback riding
- 💬 Comments
Where do you fly into to go to Atacama Desert?
The Atacama Desert is on the north of Chile and to get there the best option is to fly from Santiago, Chile's capital, to Calama, the nearest airport, about 2 hours by car from San Pedro de Atacama.
When should I visit?
We visited in August and the weather was pretty good. But it was windy! One of our tour guides recommended November. Just avoid January and February because it can rain and there's a good chance some places will be closed.
How many days do I need in San Pedro de Atacama?
We stayed for 5 days and for us it was just perfect ad we got to see the most popular places as well as the most distant ones! 3 full days should be the minimum.
Remenber that San Pedro de Atacama is at 2500m (8200feet) above sea level, and some tours take you all the way up to 4800m (15700 feet) or even higher if you go in one of the volcano hikes. And you should allow time to adapt to the height (leave the tours to the higher altitudes for the last days).
What is there to do?
In the Atacama Desert there are mostly hikes. Most hikes are easy and short. Of course there are strenuous hikes, but you don't need to go on them to enjoy the Atacama Desert.
In San Pedro de Atacama there is not much to do. There are some souvenir stores, restaurants and bars.
As you'll see, there are plenty of things to do and you get to decide what to do (or not to do).
Where should I stay?
We stayed at Tierra Atacama and highly recommend! The hotel is gorgeous and the service excellent. Everything was included (transfer from and to Calama airport, food and all excursions - some of them were private). It's more expensive than if you stay in a comfortable hotel in downtown San Pedro and pay everything separately, but we think it was totally worth it. (Tierra Atacama website - Tierra Atacama at Booking.com)
But you can, and should, check other accommodations in the Atacama Desert.
** Any stay booked through the links to Booking.com on this page will revert in a small percentage to the blog, at no extra cost to you.
Tierra Atacama Hotel
Lunch at Salar de Tara - provided by Tierra Atacama Hotel
Is the Atacama Desert worth visiting?
Yes! Yes! And Yes! It was definitely one of the best trips of our lives! But we love the desert, so, if you are not a desert person, if you should consider other destinations.
Things to do
So here are 10 things to do in the Atacama Desert. We visited all these places and just loved them. But if you don't have time for everything, numbers 1 through 4 are a must!
1. Valle de La Luna
This is simply a must do experience if you go to the Atacama Desert. It’s beautiful, very close to San Pedro and a great excursion for your first or second day because you will start to get used to the altitude.
Valle de la Luna is a part of the Reserva Nacional los Flamencos and was declared a nature sanctuary for its great natural beauty and strange lunar landscape. It has different stone and sand formations that have been carved by wind and water, such as the Salt Caves. The Moon Valley has an amazing range of colors and textures, looking similar to the surface of the moon. There are also dry lakes where the composition of salt makes a white covering layer of the area.
Unlike most tourists, we visited Valle de la Luna in the morning and we could feel like the desert was only ours (much different from an afternoon visit - our guide said you almost have to fight for a spot to take a look at the scenery).
2. Valle de la Muerte
The origin of the name is not really known. Valle de la Muerte (Valley of Death) is said to have this name because one of the first explorers - that did not speak Spanish very well - compared it to a landscape of Mars (Marte - in Spanish) and locals undestood "muerte" (death).
Either way the name fits. It does look like a Martian landscape, as well it could be dubbed as valley of death - because hardly nothing grows or lives there.
You can go on the Cornisas hike, and hike your way from the top of the valley, going down sand dunes until you reach the valley floor.
3. Salar de Atacama
The Atacama Salt Flat is the largest salt flat in Chile, it is located 34 miles (55 km) south of San Pedro de Atacama and it is another great place to visit on your first day because the altitude is the same as in San Pedro and this will give you a chance to get used to it.
People usually visit the Atacama Salt Flat in the morning (tour operators do that and I can't understand why) but Tierra Atacama takes its guests in the afternoon, when it's almost empty and we have the chance to see one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world!
Some areas of the salt flat form part of Los Flamencos National Reserve so you will see many flamingos, free in their habitat.
The views of the mountains as the sun sets are really amazing. And it changes every minute, with different shades and colors!
4. Geysers del Tatio
It is among the highest-elevation geyser fields in the world. It has over 80 active geysers, making it the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere and the third largest in the world. So you don’t wanna miss this adventure, right?
Just know that you have to go at sunrise otherwise you won't see the steam. So be ready to wake up really early 🙂
This is definitely a must do experience when you visit the Atacama Desert.
5. Rainbow Valley
The Valle del Arcoiris has its name from the multicolored rock formations, created by different minerals from different ages. Some rocks are from the jurassic period!
6. Cejar Lagoon
How about floating in a salt laggon? Just like the Dead Sea, at Laguna Cejar you just float, without the need to know how to swim.
But one warning - the water is cold! We went in August (the end of winter here in the South Hemisphere) and we could not even feel if we were floating, as it seemed like a thousand needles were piercing us 😉 In the warmer months (November though March) the experience must be a lot better.
Disclaimer: we HATE cold water, and our cold threshold is very low. We've been to Disney in February and we could not believe how there were people in the pool! So, if you live somewhere that is cold, you may not get bothered by the cold water at all!
7. Petroglifos
The petroglyps are contained in as area close to the Rainbow valley. They are scattered around and are the first recordings of humans in the area. They are believed to have been made by people travelling from the north to the south. Only the spiritual leaders were authorized to make the inscriptions on the rocks.
8. Salar de Tara
At 4500 meters (14700 feet) above sea level you may want to slow down to fully appreciate the Tara Salt Flat. You can only get there with a tour guide that is used to the region, as most of the tour is off-road, because there are no roads to be followed.
But that's what makes it one of the most remote and most incredible places to visit in the Atacama Desert.
You get the see rock formations sculpted by the wind, such as the Indian and the Cathedrals, as well as take a closer look at flamingos in their natural habitat.
9. Puritama Hot Springs
Termas de Puritama are natural hot springs inside a valley. You get to see the desert mountains and a lush vegetaion surrounding a crystal clear creek of warm waters. A great way to beat the low humidity of the desert!
10. Horseback riding
Not a place, but an experience not to be missed! This is an incredible experience offered by Tierra Atacama. You get to spend a couple of hours horseback riding in the Desert.
Have you ever been to the Atacama Desert? What were your favorite places to visit in the Atacama Desert?
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