Chile

Atacama

Travellers come from all over the world to lose themselves amongst the age-old adobe homes and dirt roads of San Pedro de Atacama…and find their place in the land of indigenous peoples. Discover the endless beauty of ancient cultures and some of the most stunning views to be witnessed on the planet. Fascinating tours allow you to explore plentiful attractions in the region: active geysers, intensely-coloured lagoons and breathtaking salt flats. When night comes, the sky calls your gaze to vast oceans of stars twinkling over the driest desert in the world. 

Highlights 

Salt Flats of Atacama 

Sitting 2,300m above sea level and encompassing 3,000 square kms, this is the largest deposit of salt in Chile and third largest in the world, holding 25% of the planet’s reserves of lithium, large amounts of borax and potassium salts. Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos (The Flamingos National Reserve) is a fauna paradise with large numbers of andino-chileno and puna flamingos, guanacos, vicuñas, and more. 

Geiser del Tatio   

This pure wonder of over 80 active geysers stretching across 30 square kms is the largest geothermal field in the southern hemisphere and third largest in the world. With temperatures exceeding 90°C, the boiling geysers of El Tatio Geyser Field produce steam curtains where they mix with the colder outside air. The resulting mist covers the area landscape, enveloping everything in a mysterious way. 

Valle de la Luna  

Declared a Nature Sanctuary, the Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) has been shaped over thousands of years by wind erosion carving the soil into crests, tips and mounds of grey-ochre colours, giving it a strange lunar appearance. The incredible landscape, the absolute silence and the sheer beauty of the earthy colours make this valley the most strikingly unique place in the world. 

Excursions 

  • Half-Day El Tatio Geysers Field 
  • Full-Day Altiplanic Lagoons & Atacama Salt Flat   
  • Half-Day Moon and Death Valleys  
  • Full-Day El Tatio Geysers & Puritama Hot Springs  
  • Half-Day Archeological Tour to Quitor and Tulor