Day 1: Valley of the Moon

Morning flight from Santiago to Calama (2 hours flight) / Lunch in recommended restaurant / Afternoon in Valley of the Moon.

We will begin the tour departing from the center of San Pedro de Atacama towards the Cordillera de la Sal in the Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth, in the direction of one of its most picturesque spots: the Valley of the Moon. The names already give a clear clue to the landscape, where the rock formations reign shaped by erosion, the salt mantles, and some views that will make you feel like on another planet.

Cross the valley transversely, visiting its famous rock formations: the Tres Marías, the Cañón, the Amphitheater, and the Piedra del Coyote. To finish the tour, enjoy the sunset from a natural viewpoint, where you can see how the desert is changing color, with large volcanoes on the horizon, offering a show that will leave you speechless.

*The order of the places to visit is subject to changes on the same day of the excursion.

• Transport by car: 16,5 kilometers
• Tour duration: 3 to 4 hours
• Hiking difficulty: composed of several short walks of easy level

Day 2: Morning: Valley of Cactus & Puritama Hot Springs

We will begin our day at the Quebrada de Guatin, where we can make contact with the wildlife. We will walk through an impressive canyon with giant Cactus of 7 meters of hundreds of years of antiquity. Then we drive to the beautiful volcanic origin Puritama hot springs with healthy and restorative waters at a temperature of 32 Celcius degrees.

• Transport by car: 23 kilometers
• Hike duration: 1 hour
• Hike difficulty: Intermediate. This hike es optional
• Maximum height: 2400 meters

Afternoon: Toconao, Chaxsa Lagoon, and Atacama Salt Flat

The Chaxa lagoon is part of the Los Flamencos National Reserve and is an excursion that will give you the most intense expression of the Atacama Salt Flat. Located at 2300 meters above sea level, this lagoon is a scenario of spectacular beauty where you will find a lagoon, divided into several water mirrors where salt crusts are especially abundant and where you will find various flamenco communities.

This particular beauty has been carved by millenarian hydrological and geomorphological processes, where the saline basin receives the waters of the Cordillera de Los Andes, which are evaporated by the effect of the sun, leaving a supernatural landscape of salt crusts. The stage that shows all its splendor at sunset so prepares your camera to take a souvenir of this beautiful experience.

The vegetation is singularly scarce due to the absolute aridity of the place and life is more abundant under the lagoon water, where there is a muddy substrate that houses a rich unicellular and microinvertebrate world. Even science has found - in this underwater world of the Chaxa lagoon - chemical resources to synthesize new remedies.

Chaxa's main attraction is the diverse flamenco communities that permanently inhabit the sector. The species that you will be able to see are Parina Grande, Parina Chica, and Chilean Flamenco, protected birds that nest annually in Chaxa.

When you visit the Chaxa lagoon you will find in the heart of the Salar de Atacama, the largest salt reserve in Chile, which has an area of 3000 square kilometers and where there are large reserves of lithium, potassium, and iodine.

On the way we will go through Toconao known for its traditional Andean architecture and the beautiful Jeré ravine in contrast to the arid landscape.

• Transport by car: 70 kilometers
• Activity duration: 4 hours
• Difficulty: Very easy. Only some smooth and short scenic hikes.

Day 3: Tatio Geysers and Machuca town

Our trip to Altiplane begins at dawn to reach one of the most important geothermal fields in the world, the "Tatio Geysers", surrounded by emanations of water and steam, we will enjoy the beauty of the Andes and with this natural scenario, we will offer you a breakfast. Then we will visit the "Pozon Rustico" where you can enjoy the hot springs that the mountain range gives us. Taking the road back to San Pedro de Atacama you can enjoy the beauty of the landscape, native flora and fauna to finally stop at the village of Machuca, place of shepherds of llamas, nowadays this village of adobe, straw and wood Cactus is dedicated to the tourism offering local products such as Andean crafts, llama meat, sopaipillas, and empanadas. As a historical and architectural attraction we will visit the Church of San Santiago, patron of the town.

Lunch in San Pedro

Free afternoon

• Transport by car: 80 kilometers
• Tour duration: 7 hours
• Difficulty: Easy, Small hikes but take precautions with height.
• Maximum height: 4000 meters

Attention: Activity may include walking on uneven terrain, driving on unpaved roads with ledges, walking in the sun.

What includes

• Private tour (only your group with the guide)
• Hotel Cumbres (we are very flexible so we can make a reservation in another hotel to your budget)
• Flights: Santiago / Calama / Santiago
• Private transport (Includes pick up and drop off at the airport)
• Personal Guides
• Breakfasts
• All snacks during the tours. Breakfast at the Tatio Geysers
• Tickets to parks and activities
• First aid kit

Not includes

• Personal insurance
• Foods. Except for snacks during activities and breakfast at Geysers del Tatio

What brig?

• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Hat for the sun
• Hat for the cold
• Buff / Scarf
• Swimwear
• In general bring some clothes for warm temperatures and others for icy weather. San Pedro has a large thermal oscillation between day and night. Also some tours occur at high altitudes in the mountain.