San Pedro de Atacama Desert Beauty

DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY AND PHYSICAL CONDITIONING: Medium.  Conditioning is relative, however one needs a certain ability to make the most of a trip into the driest desert in the world and during excursions on dirt roads and at altitude (the highest being the Tatio Geysers, whose road briefly crosses a pass at over 4000 meters- 13,200ft). 
 

TRIP MENU: The following is the excursions schedule followed by descriptions of each activity.
 

Distance: San Pedro/Salt Flat/San Pedro, 79 kms.

Visit to Toconao, the liparita stone craftsmen village, impressive view of the Jeri valley, hike along this landscape. Next, visit to the Chaxa lagoon, in the middle of the salt flat, pink flamingos' habitat and nesting area.   
 

2    Valley of the Moon: 16:00 to 19:30 hrs

Distance: San Pedro/Moon Valley/San Pedro, 41 kms.

Located in the salt mountain range, 90% salt and 10% other minerals, an unusual landscape are treasured at the bottom. Made up by attractive and impressive geological formations of diverse shapes and colors, moon valley has attracting the attention not only of frequent travelers but also from scientists. Giant dunes and beautiful salt crystal on the crouching ground make you feel like in another planet or the moon itself. This stage turns more attractive during sunset.
 

Distance: San Pedro and surrounding, 3 kms.

Special visit that overcomes to 12,000 years of prehistory time in which the first human groups inhabit the desert of Atacama developing a form of life fused in the respect and gratefulness to the Mother Earth (Pachamama) this visit will be guided to the Archaeological Museum of San Pedro de Atacama, possessor of an important anthropological collection of the Atacameña culture, we will continue this visit towards the Markets of sample of local and international crafts, the municipal large house, Church, House of Pedro de Valdivia, among others.
 

4- Yerbas Buenas Petroglyphs: 08:30 to 15:30 hrs

Distance: San Pedro/Rio Grande/San Pedro, 96 kms.

Going back to the main road back to Calama, we take a detour to get the surroundings of the  Yerbas buenas gorge.  Impressive collection of carved rock designs that let us know about the former social groups in Atacama.
 

5- Atacama's Ruins: 16:00 to 19:00 hrs

Distance: San Pedro/Quitor-Tulor/San Pedro, 28 kms.

Visits the indigenous Pukara of Quitor and we will continue to the archaeological village of Tulor, that is made up of connected circular rooms between if. The village has been covered by the sand, without signs of its inhabitants until today...
 

6- Tatio Geysers: 05:00 to 13:00 hrs

Distance: San Pedro/Tatio Geysers/San Pedro, 192 kms.

Short hike around the geothermal field with boiling mud and steam clumps that make a geological stage of enormous beauty.   Return through the overwhelming landscape of the Andes.  On the way, Tocorpuri and Sairecahur volcanoes.
 

Distance: San Pedro/Lagoons/San Pedro, 234 kms.

at 4500 mts. these lagoons are surrounded by impressive volcanoes originated by the rising of the Andes in ancient geological times, they get their underground water from thaws. on the way, we will also visit Socaire, a town of the Atacama basin.
 

8-

Distance: San Pedro/Qda.Guatin/San Pedro, 82 kms.

We will begin this long walk in the Gorge of Guatin, where it is possible to see the amazing flora and the fauna, continuing this route we will arrive to Puritama Hot Spring, it's a natural hot spring that gives place to several pools for a thermal bath, known for it's healing  properties.
 

 9-

Distance: San Pedro/Cejar Lagoon/San Pedro, 60 kms.

It is a natural environment of marvelous beauty, turquoise waters, surrounded by salt crystals of different shapes.  Their geomorphologic constitution is a very particular case in the Atacama Salt Flat, due to the dissolution of karstic structures. It is also located on the flamingo's route.
 

 10-

Distance: San Pedro/Marte Valley/San Pedro, 20 kms.

Also known as Death Valley, located in the mountain range of the salt, being one of its main attractive rocky strangers formation and the gorges that surround it.
 

 11-

Distance: San Pedro/Pakana/San Pedro, 290 kms.

at about 135 kms. South east of san Pedro, Pakana is a group of rocky structures in columns that have remained since geological times, as the result of volcanic eruptions, which took place during the tertiary era. Wonderful landscape with extraordinary ecosystem of the Tara salt flat as background, at 4500 mts.