Easter Island – the full travel guide
Atacama desert: the driest desert on Earth
Crossing the border from Bolivia to the North of Chile, brought me to San Pedro de Atacama. The place for visiting the Atacama desert and its surroundings.
How to get around: rental car or joining organized tours?
On my day of arrival I was in doubt if I should rent a car the next three days, or join the organized tours. Both have their merits. With a rental car I would have the absolute freedom to stop wherever and whenever, only it needed more organization; buying my own entry tickets online and driving everywhere myself.
Doing tours I could take a more relaxed approach, having the comfort of being picked up, rest in the bus, but also getting to meet fellow travelers to hang out with. Both options would be at a similar price when traveling solo. After careful consideration I opted for the tours.
3 Day itinerary in the Atacama desert
Day 1 – Piedras Rojas
First day I did a full day tour to Piedras Rojas and the lagoons Miscanti and Miniques. This is the furthest place from San Pedro and a bit more than a 2 hour drive one-way. The road is fully paved and has an astonishing landscape to get there. For a moment I wished I had taken a rental car to be able to take all the photo stops.
View from the road
And more views
In the morning the first stop was at Laguna Chaxa, in the early morning the flamingos are out and near the shore, and the still water giving a beautiful reflection.
Flamingos at Luguna Chaxa
It’s rather windy and chilly at Piedras Rojas. Make sure to dress for winter! Luckily I was all prepared with my 5 layers of clothing. But the view of the greenish blue lake against the deep red rocks make it all worth it.
Piedras Rojas
The lagoons Miscanti and Miniques are right next to each other and used to be one. All these sights are at an elevation of more than 4.000 meters.
Laguna Miscanti
Laguna Miniques
Day 2 – Geysers del Tatio & Valle de la Luna
In the morning I have a very early pick up to visit the Geysers del Tatio. The geysers are most active in the early morning around sunrise. Again the winter outfit is a must, at an altitude of 4000 meters and a temperature of -20°C in the morning.
Geysers del Tatio just before sunrise
The sun is rising
Meters of steam coming from the geyers
After a short lunch break I have my afternoon tour to the Moon Valley, which is only a few km from San Pedro de Atacama. Today I’m blessed to have both a stunning sunrise and sunset as part of my day. First stop is the big dune, as it’s already late afternoon, a beautiful shadow casts the lines of the dune.
The great dune
At sunset we stop at the Mirador Coyote where we enjoy a Pisco Sour, which must have become my favorite drink while traveling through South America.
Salud, cocktail and sunset!
Day 3 – Valle del Arcoiris & Termas de Puritama
For the last day I also have a morning and afternoon tour lined up. In the morning I’m visiting Rainbow Valley. First stop is at the petroglyphs and learn about its history. After breakfast the rainbow valley, who honors its name with the presence of the various minerals giving it all these colors.
Walking the trail in Rainbow valley
Rainbow valley and its colors
Between the narrow cliffs
The last afternoon it was time for a bit more relaxing activity. Visiting the hot springs of Puritama. I only had to put on my bathing suit and jump in one of the 8 pools. Although I have to admit that I thought the hot springs would be nice and hot. Although they definitely weren’t cold, I hoped for a warmer experience. Therefore although the place was gorgeous, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Chilling in the termal bath
Which tour agency?
At Caracoles, the main street of San Pedro the Atacama, an abundance of travel agencies offer the same tours. On Google Maps I noticed Atacama Connection who got a whole bunch of excellent reviews and who execute their own tours.
One of the main reasons for me to join a tour was to meet up with fellow travelers. Because I’m doing multiple tours, most days I’m grouped with the same people. Only I was unlucky to be the only English speaker each time. Luckily I was vibing a lot with the guide Pedro and the driver Victor, making it a total blast for the full 3 days.
San Pedro de Atacama
The town itself actually is pretty nice to hang out at for a few days, and I wished I stayed longer to have a bit more down time. It has a wild west vibe with the unpaved streets and the one story buildings. At an altitude of 2.000 meters it also wasn’t cold at all in July.
The dusty town of San Pedro de Atacama
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