Explore The Atacama Desert
Ticked off in December 2015
Geysers steaming at dawn, flamingos on salt lagoons and a night sky so clear the Milky Way looks like cloud.
The adventure
The Atacama is a desert of extremes. Some weather stations here have never recorded rain, the soil is so Mars-like that NASA has tested rover equipment in it, and the altitude leaves you short of breath. San Pedro de Atacama, an adobe village at around 2,400 metres, is the base for a landscape that changes colour by the hour.
Before dawn you shiver at El Tatio, more than 4,300 metres up, as dozens of geysers hiss columns of steam into the freezing air. By afternoon you're floating effortlessly in the salty Laguna Cejar, or watching flamingos sift the shallows of Laguna Chaxa. At sunset the Valle de la Luna glows orange and red, its dunes and salt ridges sharp in the low light. Then come the stars, thick enough that the Milky Way looks like a band of cloud.
Why it’s epic
- El Tatio, at about 4,320 metres, is one of the highest geyser fields in the world, with more than 80 active geysers.
- The ALMA radio telescope array sits at around 5,000 metres on the Chajnantor plateau.
- Andean, Chilean and James's flamingos feed on the lagoons of the Salar de Atacama.
- Laguna Cejar's salty water keeps you afloat like the Dead Sea.
What it is
The Atacama is one of the driest places on Earth, with salt flats, geysers, lagoons and some of the clearest night skies anywhere.
How to do it
Fly to Calama and base yourself in San Pedro de Atacama for tours to the Valle de la Luna, the El Tatio geysers and the altiplano lagoons.
Top tip
Take a night-time stargazing tour; the skies are why many observatories are here.
Need to know
- San Pedro sits at around 2,400 metres and some trips climb above 4,000, so take the first day or two easy.
- Days are hot and sunny but nights can drop below freezing, especially at El Tatio before sunrise.
- Stargazing tours avoid the full moon, so check the lunar calendar if the night sky is your priority.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £2,000 to £5,000 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- 3 to 5 days
- Best time to go
- All year (nights are cold)
- Fly into
- CJC airport
Long-haul flights to Chile plus a domestic hop to Calama and a run of guided tours from San Pedro.
Sample itinerary
- Day 1Fly to Calama and transfer to San Pedro de Atacama; Valle de la Luna at sunset
- Day 2El Tatio geysers at dawn, then the altiplanic lagoons
- Day 3Salar de Atacama flamingos and floating in Laguna Cejar
- NightA stargazing tour under some of the clearest skies on Earth
Do it yourself
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My experience
Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.
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