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The Atacama desert ecoregion part of Inca Trail to Machupicchu and driest desert on earth offers wonderfull natural beauties. Atacama is a land of contrasts from endless salt flats to magical geyser fields , altiplanic lagoons with pink flamingos and much more all with base at San Pedro de Atacama hispanic historical Andes desert town.
The Atacama Desert is also the perfect honey moon destination, silent beautifull and very romantic Atacama is the perfect scene for those looking for emotional landscapes to make memories for a life time.
Horse riding at Atacama desert is also a very demanded activity, there are several beautifull horseriding trips arround San Pedro.
Archeological and Astronomical tours are also very recomendable to have when visiting San Pedro de atacama and the Atacama Desert, everything is set up for observation on the clearest skies on earth. ( If your main objetive is to have a gereat astronomic aproach we recommend to avoid full moon dates.)
From moderate to hard trekking, walking tours, expeditions and mountaneering are available from San Pedro de Atacama, from 1 to 4 hours as for expample The Moon Valley, The Death Valley, Sejar Lagoon and other walking tours to long days of volcano climbing expeditions that are also very possible, some of this expeditions and it peaks are Licancabur (5916 meters above sea level), Sairecabur (6006 meters above sea level), Lascar (5450 meters above sea level), Toco (5616 meters above sea level ), San Pedro (6170 meters above sea level) , Putana (5850 meters above sea level ) Colorado (5700 meters above sea level) , Kimal ( 4200 meters above sea level).
When traveling to Atacama desert you will be inmerse in a magical environment that will make you feel like in other world, the red soils and erosioned landscape makes you feel in a scientiflicly prooved place similar to Mars.
To introduce you into to atacama “like in other world experience” we would like to tell you a little about Atacama Desert highlights and main activities you can experience with Travel Atacama
San Pedro de Atacama is a very rustic adobe built beautifull colonial indigenous Oasis town with variety of hotel alternatives, lots of fun and a lots of outdoors activities geting involved with pre and post hispanic atacameños or lickantai culture in a magical land.
A mesh of restaurants situated between narrow pedestrian streets with rustic atmosphere gives life to San Pedro, a town that preserves all national monuments like the 500 hundred year old church and Pedro de Valdivia´s house on his expedition to fund not only San Pedro but also Santiago on his expedition from Cusco to Santiago. Also colorfull craft markets will give the chance to purchase some local clothe or souvenir.
Tatio Geysers and geothermal fields offers one of the most spectacular and wonderfull natural events, every morning when hight temperatures of boiling water under this magical place gives life to more than 80 active geysers with steam fumaroles reaching between 7 and 8 meters hight between 6 and 7 am. also time when geysers get their maximum presure. Tatio Geyser fields are located 89 kilometers from San Pedro de Atacama, thick cloth is recomended dew to low tempretarures, also bath suit to take a relaxing bath at the natural mineral hotsprings of Puritama.
Atacama Salt Flat is located 20 kilómeters from San Pedro de Atacama, salt lake set in middle of the desert is a unique experience you must have when traveling to Atacama. At Sejar lagoon you will feel the wonderfull experience to flote on water , yes get back and lay and let you rest while you wacth this magnific scene with Licancabur Volcano and endless horizons. At Tebenquiche lagoon you will be able to walk over this lake that has not more than 15 centimeters deep, get a walk into the lake and see your self reflected in this salted water lagoon in the middle of Atacama Salt flat with beautifull scenes of desert life.At Chaxa Lagoon also in the Atacama Salt flat inmerse into Los Flamencos National park you will have a very relaxing walk when hundreds of pink flamingos will adorn the lagoon, all this in an educational interactive explained walk about how Atacama Salt flat was formed and on Flamingo birds habits and how they feed, very recomendable for a romantic walk.
The Moon Valley Natural Sanctuary is a very special, beautifull and interesting area to visit, it soils formed by sand and stone gives similarity to the moon landscapes and shapes..The moon valley is magical place to be specially at the Sunset when sun light paints the horizon with colors from pink to purple to finally turn black.
Geologic formation of the driest place on earth will be explained and how time moulded this place in such way during the millenia. Let your self impress with huge salt fugures moulded by millenary winds and finally get throught wonderfull salt caverns to finish the journey with the most beautifull Sunset of your lives.
Altiplanic Lagoons are also one of the unmistakable Atacama andean beauties. Snowed mountains shining on it waters sorrounded by lots of flamingoes and several other birds and altiplanic species are attracted to water giving a unique scene of life and beauty at the desert. Miscanti and Miñique lagoons are located 90 kilometers from San Pedro at Los Flamencos (The Flamengoes ) National Reserve also at 4000 meters altitude over sea level. On your way you will pass through very little undeveloped desert towns such as Toconao and Socaire, good place to stop, halve a walk and help local indegenous comunities buying some local souvenir or having a refresshing icecream.
Tara Salt Flat is located 130 km from San Pedro at 4500 meters above sea level and near to the Aegentina boarder where the Tara salt flat deposit is located. Here we will see impressive volcanic columns and structures modified by the erosion. Also, we will see the "witness or monks of the Pakana", a group of rocky structures formed by violent volcanic events in the past. In order to finish our trip we will see in this same place a huge wall sculpted called Farellones de Tara.
Pukará de Quitor is a pre inca fort built by atacameños on the XII century to ptotect themselves from other Southamerica inhabitants and recent Aymaras expansion. On the summit of Quitor hill sorrounded by San Pedro river is where this ruins are located and is the perfect place to get involve with pre-hispanic habitants of Atacama desert called Atacameños also known in Kunza (this tribe language) as Likan-antai. Here you will relate with there culture, construction techniques and way of living and theyre strong belief in nature divinities. Excellent short archeologycal aproach.
Village and ruins of Tulor buried by sand drag down by the desert wind. This city dating from around 2800 BC was inhabited at the time of glory by about 200 inhabitants. Today is presented as a museum, place where site built homes are reproduced with the same materials centuries ago. There are 22 enclosures made of adobe with wooden ceilings up to 2 meters high. Around them it was also built a wall network which interconects all the enclosures between them.Today it can be visited thanks to a reaserch proyect which in 1982 allowed the removal of 10% of the sand that buried the town. In the site there is a walking bridge, an altitude viewing point and a local museum where you can enjoy of traditional food. From all these places you can see the architecture and the formation of the village. ¡ And much more !
