Chile Attractions

Venue: San Pedro de Atacama    When: Daily

The village of San Pedro de Atacama stands at 2450 metres in the middle of one of the driest places in the world - the Atacama Desert - and is an ideal base for visiting the many nearby attractions.

San Pedro is on the north side of the great salt flats of Atacama, the biggest salt lake in Chile, which covers 300,000 hectares and contains a river and various lakes and lagoons. The mysterious volcano Licancabur rises up 5916 metres, 40 kilometres away from the village. It was venerated by the Incas, who carried out ceremonies at its top. Ruins of their altars and camps remain.

The lunar landscape of the Valley of the Moon, complete with spectral natural salt sculptures, is 15km away and is a great spot for watching the volcanoes turn red in the light of the setting sun. The ancient Tulor village dates back 3000 years and is one of the archeological highlights of the area. Only a fraction of the constructions have been excavated, with desert sand still covering most of the ruins, but it is still a fascinating site.

The high plateau has a different landscape to San Pedro, with streams, lagoons and salt deposits and a variety of wildlife that has adapted to life in the harsh climatic conditions. The area is surrounded by volcanoes. Lascar climbs up 5592 meters and last erupted in 1993. Smoke rises constantly from its crater.

The area's considerable geological activity also created the Geysers del Tatio. The best time to see them is at dawn, so visitors need to leave San Pedro at 5.30am. Nearby thermal waters offer the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful thermal bath. Puritama is a thermal river in a deep rocky canyon, where there are old cultivation terraces and ancient ruins.

last but not least, the region's clear air and skies also make for spectacular night-time viewing of the stars and the Milky Way.