San Pedro de Atacama walking tour & city guide

The village

Dusty streets of adobe houses lead to a whitewashed church with a cactus-wood ceiling. The Calle Caracoles is lined with shops and tour agencies.

The desert

The Valley of the Moon has dunes and rock formations that glow at sunset. The El Tatio geysers steam at dawn, and flamingos feed in the salt lagoons. Stargazing tours take advantage of the clear night sky.

A day in the Atacama

Start before dawn with a trip to the El Tatio geysers, at 4,300 meters, where columns of steam rise into the freezing air as the sun comes up. In the afternoon, visit the Valley of the Moon, a landscape of salt-crusted ridges and sand dunes, and stay for sunset, when the rocks glow red and pink.

At night, join a stargazing tour; the Atacama has some of the clearest skies on Earth, and the Milky Way is breathtaking.

Good to know

San Pedro is at 2,400 meters, and many excursions go much higher, so take time to acclimatize and drink plenty of water. Days are hot and nights are cold.

Other highlights include the Altiplanic lagoons, the flamingos of the Chaxa lagoon and floating in the salty Cejar lagoon.