The Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert is the most arid desert in the world. This natural phenomenon that lies 2,440m above sea level offers a real spectacular landscape. Beside this, the Atacama region offers many cultural highlights such as the fortresses at Lasana and Quitor or the historical village of Caspana and the church of Chiu Chiu in which it is clear the Spanish colonial influence.
The idyllic village of San Pedro de Atacama and the modern copper city of Calama are oases in the middle of the desert. San Pedro is the ideal starting point for many sightseeing trips. It offers reasonable good hotels and many nice restaurants. Experience the spectacular El Tatio Geysers at daybreak, the bizarre landscape of Valle de la Luna ('Moon Valley') around sunset, the huge white and crusty Salt Lake of Atacama, which vastly stretches out as far as the eye can see and the blue – green alitplano lakes of Miscanti and Miñiques. These are just a few of the highlights this desert offers you.
Travel information and recommendations |
| Travel time: |
Whole year |
| Flight hours: |
Santiago – Calama 2:10 – 3 hrs;
Calama – Antofagasta – Arica is 2 hrs. |
| Transfer time: |
Airport Calama to San Pedro de
Atacama is 1,5 hrs. |
| Regular coaches: |
To Salta in aprox. 10 hrs. |
| Minimum stay: |
2 nights in San Pedro |
| Notes: |
No bank or cash machine in San Pedro de Atacama but one
money exchange office.
Possibility to offer Bolivia or/and Argentina combinations.
After midnight no public electricity. |
The Highland (Altiplano)
This extreme dry landscape has been and still is home to the Aymara Indians.
Their ancestors’ caravan route is marked from the highland to the ocean with geoglyphs, which you can observe while driving up from Arica to the Andean town of Putre. Along this ancient trade route you find historic Pukaras, defensive fortresses of the Incas. The archaeological museum in the Azapa Valley, just twenty kms away from Arica, has an extraordinary collection of sand preserved mummies and pre-Incas relics dating back 10,000 BC.
It is hard to surpass the beauty of Lauca National Park, where you can find six snow-topped volcanoes and several emerald lakes. It is easily reached from Arica, 160kms to the east and at an altitude of 3,500- 6,500m. The 137,000ha area has been declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Especially during the afternoon, you can enjoy to observe a wide variety of birds, from pink flamingos (parinas), to several kinds of ducks. The four South American camelids, guanacos, vicuñas,
llamas and alpacas, complete this extraordinary scenery.
Travel information and recommendations |
| Travel time: |
Whole year.
Bolivian winter. Between January and March
heavy rains are possible which could change
itineraries without prior notice. |
| Flight hours: |
Santiago – Arica is 3 ½ hrs;
Calama – Antofagasta – Arica is 2 hrs. |
| Transfer time: |
Airport – Arica 30 min;
Arica – Tacna (Perú) 1 hr. |
| Regular coaches: |
To La Paz in 9 hrs |
| Minimum stay: |
3 nights (2 Arica / 1 Putre) |
| Notes: |
Possibility of Perú or/and Bolivia combinations |
Norte Chico/La Serena
This region, 450kms to the north of Santiago, is famous for its attractive and fertile valleys that run from the Andes to the coast. Water is not abundant but the climate allows the cultivation of vegetables, export fruits and grape vineyards. The predominant crop grape is used mainly in the production of the local liquor, pisco.
The main city, La Serena, has a charming neo-colonial character and is well known for its mile-long beaches. Besides this, you will find there one of the major attractions of this
area, the Fray Jorge National Park, located 11 kms south of La Serena.This rain forest, full of large-leafed trees and lianas, lies in the desert close to the ocean. It is a refuge for foxes, partridges, loicas (similar to robins) and eagles.
Another attraction is the green and fertile Valle del Elqui, surrounded by mauve, ochre and yellow mountains. The main town of the valley is the picturesque Vicuña, founded in 1821. It is the birthplace of Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957), the first woman, who won the Nobel Prize in 1945 for Literature.
Because of the excellent conditions of the sky with almost 100% clear nights all over the year, many astronomical observatories have been built at higher elevations in the Valle del Elqui; Cerro Tololo is the largest one in the southern hemisphere and the second largest in the world.
In the Valle Hurtado, 80 kms to the south of La Serena, you will see small no aging villages. The architectural style of houses and churches, the life style and methods of working the land haven’t changed for ages. Close to the Hurtado town, you can spend a few nights at a rebuilt hacienda and explore the valley on horseback, by car or simply walking. This valley offers a petrified forest and several rock paintings, traces of the ancient Diaguita culture.
In Norte Chico it is possible to combine cultural excursions with one or more days at a pleasant beach, because in the Pacific Coast, just to the south of La Serena, several smaller fishing villages and beach resorts offer travellers beautiful spots to relax.
Travel information and recommendations |
| Travel time: |
Whole year – best from October to
April for visiting the beaches |
| Flight hours: |
Santiago – La Serena 1 hour |
| Transfer time: |
Airport - La Serena 30 min;
Airport – Valle Hurtado 3 hrs |
| Regular coaches: |
To Salta in aprox. 10 hrs. |
| Minimum stay: |
2 nights in La Serena |
|
= self-drive
