Tour in the driest desert in the world, the Atacama.

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Calama Airport - San Pedro de Atacama

  Arrival at Calama airport, transfer to San Pedro de Atacama and check-in at your hotel.

• day 2

  Salar de Atacama - Altiplano Lagoons

  Departure at 06:00 from San Pedro de Atacama; departure towards the south, traveling through the Atacama Salt Flat basin, to visit Tambillo, the village of Toconao with its colonial church and ancient fruit orchards. From here, you will head towards the Great Atacama Salt Flat, the third largest on the planet and the world's leading lithium production site, visiting the Chaxa Lagoon, part of the National Flamingo Reserve. The excursion will continue through the small village of Socaire, located at an altitude of 3250 m and 89 km from San Pedro. It is a village of pre-Hispanic origin, characterized by its terraced crops and beautiful churches. Nowadays, it is distinguished by its typical Atacama cuisine. You will continue towards the Altiplanic Lagoons of Miscanti and Miñiques, located at 3500 m altitude, surrounded by Andean hills. It is one of the rare places where the 'Tagua Cornuda' nests, a species endemic to this area, and habitat of many aquatic birds and mammals such as the culpeo fox and the beautiful vicuñas. Return to San Pedro de Atacama to arrive around 15:00.

• day 3

  El Tatio Geysers - Valley of the Moon and Death Valley

  Departure at 04:30 in the morning heading northeast, climbing the hills and mountains of the Andes Cordillera, to arrive at the Tatio Geysers after about 1h30 of travel. Located about 89 km from San Pedro de Atacama, and at an altitude of 4,230 m, this geothermal field is made up of more than 80 active geysers of different magnitudes. They must be visited early in the morning, as they manifest with greater intensity at dawn, when the temperature is lowest and the difference between the boiling water and the atmospheric temperature allows the condensation of steam. In summer, the temperature can be -6 °C and in winter -20 °C. Upon arrival at this reserve, you will have time to visit the different geysers and steam columns, but also to bathe in the thermal pool. You will have breakfast with a view of the geothermal field and, on the way back, you will pass through the village of Machuca. Return to San Pedro de Atacama around noon. In the afternoon: Valley of the Moon. Departure from your hotel at 16:00 to visit the viewpoint with a huge panoramic view of the Andes Cordillera, the Great Atacama Salt Flat, the Oasis of San Pedro, and the entire Salt Cordillera. From here, you will continue the visit through the Valley of Death, exploring its labyrinths and canyons, during an easy walk of about 35 minutes. Upon leaving this canyon, you will head towards the Valley of the Moon, first "descending" into the salt cave, impressive caves where it is possible to appreciate the heart of salt, gypsum, and clay of the Salt Cordillera. Continuing to the Valley, crossing it transversely and visiting the Amphitheater, the Three Maries, and finally, to finish, a wonderful view of the Andes Cordillera. Return and arrival in San Pedro de Atacama around 20:00.

• day 4

  San Pedro de Atacama - Geoglyph Paintings - Pica

  Departure at 8:00 am, where you will take the road to cross the Atacama Desert, the driest in the world, where you can appreciate all the grandeur and beauty of its landscapes. The destination awaiting you will then be Pica, a precious and exclusive oasis of this country, remarkable for its radiant sun. You will visit one of the most important archaeological heritages: the Geoglyph Paintings. You will appreciate these places, unique in this part of the world, which highlight an unparalleled beauty of Rock Art, with approximately 400 figures spread over 66 panels representing men, animals, places, and abstract drawings. Without a doubt, this visit will amaze your eyes with the true meaning of this ancestral culture. You will cross one of the most impressive wooded areas of the Atacama Desert, the Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve, which has the privilege of being surrounded by precious Salt Flats and enjoying exceptional brightness. Within this reserve, you will have the pleasure of appreciating some 24,000 hectares of artificial Tamarugo plantations and, if you are lucky, you may observe some small reptiles typical of this place, which survive the drought and aridity of this grand desert. Later, you will pass through the small village of Quillagua, this famous oasis located on the banks of the Loa River, which has various crops and a village where a church, a railway station, and the border post stand out. According to National Geographic, Quillagua is the driest place on Earth. In this way, you will have the opportunity to discover a very small place, but which, at the same time, represents the driest portion of the planet. Finally, after enjoying these fabulous places of great cultural interest, you will cross the desert until you reach Pica, this precious desert oasis, where your fourth day of excursion will end.

• day 5

  Pica - Atacama Giant - Cariquima - Colchane

  Departure in the morning from one of the most beautiful landscapes in Northern Chile, Pica. This oasis in the middle of the desert is very attractive, as it has a unique ecosystem, as well as different environments, such as the Pampa, the Altiplano, and the Cordillera. You will then head towards the most fascinating saltpeter works in Chile. The saltpeter offices of Santiago Humberstone and Santa Laura, built in the middle of the driest desert in the world, were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. These ghost towns have become tourist sites visited by hundreds of travelers each year. Rust, ruins, and debris symbolize the beauty and silence of these former saltpeter works. Leaving behind these fantastic villages, you will continue your journey to Huara, a place with excellent climatic and geographical conditions, which provide landscapes suitable for adventure tourism, ecotourism, and agritourism. It is here that you can enjoy a good lunch, during which you will also discover the culinary aspect of this area. You will discover the largest representation of a human being in the world: the Atacama Giant (El Gigante de Atacama), located on the slopes of Mount Unita (Cerro Unita), a few kilometers from the village of Huara. It is an enigmatic geoglyph of the desert, an archaic marvel that attracts hundreds of tourists. The Atacama Giant is considered one of the most impressive archaeological attractions in Northern Chile. You will appreciate the largest prehistoric anthropomorphic silhouette in the world: this giant is 86 meters high and leaves the image of a pre-Inca man, traced thanks to the accumulation of stones and the wear of the terrain. The mysticism surrounding this humanoid representation has several visual interpretations. You can have your own as well, but it is said to be a divine representation made by the ancestral cultures that inhabited the region between 1000 and 1400 BC. You will then arrive at Cariquima, a different model of ancestral Aymara life, which is the central meeting point for indigenous communities. This village has been known for centuries for the virtuosity of its artisan weavers. The journey continues to Colchane, from where, from the border area of the village, you can observe not far away, on the slopes of Mount Ancovinto, a wooded area of giant cacti over 10 m tall, extraordinary places that only this plain at 3700 m altitude can offer you. Arrival at the border village of Colchane, located 212 km from the city of Iquique, at an altitude of 3700 m in the heart of the Altiplano. Dinner and accommodation.

• day 6

  Colchane - Isluga National Park - Salar de Surire - Putre

  Departure in the morning to the Altiplano villages of Enquelga and Isluga, natural scenes that showcase beauty in all its splendor. Highlighted and surrounded by a bofedal where llamas and alpacas abound. Also notable is the attractive church in the village of Isluga, which dates from the 17th century, built of adobe, precious for its unique beauty. You will cross Altiplano trails, deserts, and pampas where you can relax in front of the beauty of the Tamarugal. The diversity of ecological environments will allow you to appreciate the beauty of the desert, such as the Arabilla lagoon, surrounded by small bofedales and small queñua groves, as well as typical local birdlife. You will continue towards another of Chile's most privileged attractions, the Volcan Isluga National Park, located at over 4000 m altitude. You will visit the Polloquere hot springs, where you will have a perfect panorama on a magical circuit. After enjoying the surrounding beauty, panoramic views of flamingos feeding or swirling in the lagoons, you will enjoy a delicious and appetizing picnic. You will continue your journey approaching the most captivating destination of this tour, whose area is very extensive and is located at 4200 m altitude. The Salar de Surire, this National Monument, is characterized by its sublimity, the presence of saline deposits that stamp the wonder of a landscape of intense white color, contrasting with the pure blue of its lagoons, which will undoubtedly amaze your eyes. The Salar de Surire, in all its extension, also has the primary characteristic of protecting the existence of precious species such as the rhea, the flamingo, the vicuñas, the alpacas, and the llamas. You will also be able to appreciate majestic scenes such as the villages of Ancuta and Guallatire, located 83 km from Putre on the plain facing the Guallatire volcano. Volcano where you can also see its white and pure summit due to the snow. The route continues to the Vicuñas National Reserve, which, as its name indicates, was created to preserve the vicuñas. The flora and fauna of this place are among the most attractive, where you can distinguish different species. After enjoying unforgettable landscapes, you will discover and be able to photograph the typical fauna and flora of these visited places. You will then take the road to the village of Putre, where your sixth day of excursion will end.

• day 7

  Putre - Lauca National Park - Chungara Lake - Putre

  You will leave Putre to head towards Lauca National Park, which covers an area of 137,833 hectares and is a Biosphere Reserve of the Precordillera and Altiplano of the Arica and Parinacota region. To access the wonderful world of altitude, a short walk in the Grottes Sector is a must, one of the most fascinating trails in this natural paradise at 4,300 meters above sea level, where you may have the chance to spot one of those viscachas that usually only appear very early in the morning or at sunset. But what makes this little trek especially precious is the mystical feeling that this place produces, as it already hosted the first indigenous peoples nine thousand years ago. Along the way, you can, with a panoramic view from the Chucuyo Viewpoint, observe and appreciate the wonders of a unique ecosystem with an amazing fauna and flora. You will also visit the picturesque village of Parinacota, declared a National Monument, where you can appreciate the traditional architecture: old houses and a characteristic church, simple adobe constructions but of great heritage value, as they preserve the remains of a colonial past and the deep religiosity that maintains the treasure of Aymara culture. In addition, you will visit the Cotacotani Lagoons Viewpoint, in the midst of a diverse and exclusive fauna, where flamingos, ducks, vicuñas, viscachas, and taguas stand out. The route will lead you to one of the most beautiful attractions of Lauca National Park, Lake Chungara, one of the highest in the world, located at 4,500 meters above sea level, whose hypnotic magic leaves thousands of tourists speechless every year, reflecting the blue sky and the summit of the Parinacota volcano in its crystal-clear waters. Facing the lake, the famous Payachatas (twin) volcanoes stand out, whose mythical magic has given them various interpretations, including that they guard an Inca treasure, or that they represent a couple of lovers. The route passes through Chucuyo, an ancient locality of pre-Columbian origin, unique in the area, where you will enjoy a rich typical Altiplano lunch. Your second day of the tour will end with a bath in the hot waters of volcanic origin. The Jurasi Hot Springs, which emerge in the middle of a ravine, are highly attractive to hundreds of travelers, due to their medicinal power to treat rheumatism. Finally, after enjoying beautiful colors, diverse landscapes, and regaining strength with a fascinating thermal bath, you will take the road back to Putre.

• day 8

  Putre - Arica

  Departure from Putre passing through the small village of Socoroma. You will be captivated by the admiration of its architecture as well as its beautiful terraces of young crops. You will stop on the road to have lunch in one of the largest and most complex tambos of the Inca era: the Tambo de Sapahuira, a site with great potential for cultural tourism circuits and where you can enjoy the typical gastronomy of the Chilean Altiplano. You will continue your journey to one of the most important archaeological complexes in the region, declared a National Monument: the Pukará de Copaquilla, located at the crossroads of the road, strategically placed on the ground of a rocky promontory that drops abruptly (about 150 m) to the bottom of the ravine of the same name. The route will continue to the Ravine of Chardons, so named because of the presence of thistles on the Candelabra Cacti, accomplices of the typical desert vegetation. Their branches, usually located on their upper part, give them a candelabra appearance, hence their name. Your next stop will be Poconchile, a village surrounded by large alfalfa crops. This village is also attractive thanks to its church, the San Gerónimo church, declared a National Monument due to its preservation since the 17th century. You will cross the Lluta Valley, the natural exit from the Chilean Altiplano to the sea, a privileged place that presents along its entire length a very wide green bottom, framed by steep bare sides, providing strong contrasts. You can also discover fabulous geoglyphs, with enigmatic anthropomorphic representations generally associated with animals. The next stop will be the Sacred Mountain (Cerro Sagrado), which invades the sides of the Azapa Valley and which, for its part, presents various geoglyphs associated with mythological forms. From the Mirador Las Llosyas, you will be able to better observe the magnificent panel of geoglyphs on this mountain. Then, you will appreciate the different natural, human, and geometric forms offered by the geoglyphs of the Tropilla. You will then discover the Sombrero Mountain (Cerro Sombrero), where you will see the first drawings of this rock art. You will cross another of the most prodigious valleys of Northern Chile, the Azapa Valley, known for its archaeological development with more than 10,000 years of history. The visit to this fertile and precious oasis includes, among other things, the contemplation of surprising geoglyphs. You will end your last day of the tour in the Atacama Desert by heading to the prestigious city of Arica, where this expedition will end.