The Atacama Desert, the driest non-polar desert in the world, receives so little rainfall that parts of it have never recorded precipitation in the history of measurement, a combination of extreme aridity, high altitude, and minimal light pollution that makes it one of the best places on earth for astronomical observation, alongside landscapes so Mars-like that NASA has tested rover equipment here.
Otherworldly Landscapes
Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley), just outside San Pedro de Atacama, features wind-eroded rock formations and salt crust deposits that genuinely resemble a lunar surface, sunset tours are the most popular, when the changing light dramatically alters the colour of the surrounding hills.
The El Tatio geyser field, one of the highest-altitude geyser fields in the world at over 4,300 metres, is best visited at dawn, when the cold air makes the steam plumes most dramatic against the sunrise, trips depart extremely early to arrive before sunrise.
Stargazing and Salt Flats
Several observatories near San Pedro de Atacama offer public stargazing tours using serious telescope equipment, taking advantage of the region's near-total absence of light pollution and famously stable atmospheric conditions, among the best amateur stargazing experiences available anywhere.
Laguna Cejar and the salt flats surrounding San Pedro offer a saline lake so buoyant that floating effortlessly is almost involuntary, similar in principle to the Dead Sea, framed by distant volcanoes across the flat desert horizon.
Recommended Stay · Atacama Desert · San Pedro de Atacama
Explora Atacama
An adobe-style lodge on the edge of San Pedro, offering all-inclusive guided excursions across the desert's key sites, with a pool looking out toward the surrounding volcanoes.
