Oct 17, 2009 - San Pedro de Atacama

After our tour of Salar de Uyuni we crossed the Bolivian border into Chile and made our way to the desert town of San Pedro de Atacama. The town is completely tourist orientated (as tourism is pretty much its sole purpose) but it was all quite nice, although quite dusty, and we really enjoyed being there, apart from the cost! San Pedro de Atacama is an expensive town by most standards but after cheap Bolivia it was a bit of shock to adjust to the prices! Anyway, we still managed to have fun by going sand boarding on the dunes of Death...

Oct 10, 2009 - Atacama desert tours

We make tours within the Atacama Desert. Guided tours in English and Spanish to the most important tourist attractions in the area, such as Geysers El Tatio, Salar de Atacama, Valley of the Moon, Death Valley, Highland lakes, Tulor Village, etc. The services are conducted in private and regular, as passengers needs. High mountain ascensions, trekking or hiking, are led by specialists in the area and your own first aid. For travel we have 3 vehicles Hyundai brand "h1", fully equipped with conditioning air and emergency equipment at...

Sep 16, 2009 - The best place in the world...San Pedro de Atacama Desert

For four days, our group made a trip to the San Pedro de Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. San Pedro is the world's dryest desert and you could definitely tell the moment you stepped off the plane and felt like all the liquid got sucked out of you. We left Santiago on Saturday at about 4 am, went on a 2 hour plane ride, and arrived at about 8:30 am, tired but excited. As we drove into the dessert, my mouth just hung open. Ive never seen anything like it. The sand and the mountains go on forever! We arrived at our hotel/hostel which was...

Mar 14, 2009 - Museo Gustavo Le Paige

Archeologists love the Atacama because due to its almost non-existent rainfall (and I mean almost, we were witness to the few days of rain a year). The dry air has helped to preserve a wealth of artifacts for thousands of years. This delightful museum has a large collection of shamanic items used for preparing and consuming hallucinogenic substances. The detailed displays portray the region’s evolution from the early cultures to the invasions by the Incas and the Spanish. The museum gives greater depth to the archeological sites nearby,...

Mar 13, 2009 - Aldea de Tulor

Located just ten kilometers outside of San Pedro de Atacama, the ruin of this small pre-Columbian village gives a small glimpse into the past. The village is thought to have existed about 3,000 years ago with a population between 150 and 200 inhabitants. The people first came to the area as hunters following animals down from the Andes. When the animals became scarce, they turned to gathering their food and eventually began rudimentary farming. They spent their time in textile and ceramic production while supporting themselves with...

Mar 13, 2009 - Pukara de Quitor

The impressive site of Pukara (Fortress) de Quitor dates back to the twelfth century. It was built in a strategic location along an ancient trade route and was used mainly for defensive purposes. Around two hundred structures can be seen along the terraces and retaining walls that spill down the hillside. The buildings were constructed using large and small blocks of rock held together with mud as mortar. The name comes from a pre-Hispanic agricultural society, the Ayllu de Quitor that lived at the foot of the Pukara along the Rio San...

Mar 12, 2009 - After The Rains

San Pedro sits on the edge of the depression that was created between the rising Andes and the Domeyko range. In the summer months of January and February, the hot dry air rises and creates an area of low pressure, which allows moist, humid air to flow in from Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay where there is plenty of water. Large water-filled clouds form over the high peaks and foothills. The resulting rains are known as the ‘Bolivian Winter’ rains and are quite intense and short-lived. The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain, or so the...

Mar 11, 2009 - The Valley Of The Moon

A visit to the Valley of the Moon to see the sunset is one of the three most popular tours here in San Pedro. Almost every tour company offers this excursion and includes a visit to the nearby Valley of Death as well. The tour starts at 3:30 pm and returns just after dark. We had seen several pictures of the incredible landscape in this area just outside of San Pedro, but no picture can really do it justice. Our tour guide, Gonzalo, explained to us that a journalist misunderstood the Spanish word for ‘Mars’ and thought the name of the...

Mar 9, 2009 - Salar de Atacama y Lagunas Altiplanicas

Our first tour from San Pedro started early and lasted till late afternoon. As we drove towards the Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, we learned about the small indigenous communities that farm outside of San Pedro. There is little vegetation along the highway, however now and then there are large green trees clusters together indicating a small farm or village. The trees were planted to encourage the ground water to come closer to the surface and allow for crops to be grown and goats and llamas to be raised. We travelled about 65 km...

Mar 6, 2009 - San Pedro de Atacama

San Pedro was a small oasis village, elevation 2240 m (8,000 ft) on a flat plain in the shadow of a chain of volcanoes ranging as high as 6880 m (22,000 ft). It has become the hottest tourist destination in northern Chile due to its proximity to some of the most beautiful landscapes and jaw-dropping scenery in the region. The tiny town strains to accommodate the huge crowds that arrive; especially during the summer months of December, January and February. We held off visiting until the schools re-opened at the beginning of March so that...

Feb 18, 2009 - les geisers du Tatio

Il y a une attraction qui nous attire vraiment et qui est les geisers. Il y a un champ de geisers a 100Km de San Pedro de Atacama. Le chemin est difficile et il faut y aller tot le matin pour profiter du spectacle. Le tour organisé est vraiment trop cher et la seul solution serait d’essayer de faire du stop a 4h de matin. Mais vu qu’on a pas de reveil... Nous passons donc notre nuit dans le camping en se disant qu’on en verra d’autres. Mais comme par hasard, nous avons choisi le seul camping qui n’a pas de restrictions de bruit la nuit, et...

Feb 13, 2009 - San Pedro De Atacama

On nous a beaucoup conseille d'aller a San Pedro de Atacama et maintenant nous y sommes. Comme a notre habitude, maintenant nous trouvons un petit endroit sympa ou planter la tente. Mais soudain, en pleine nuit, nous entendons des cris et des gens qui chantent. Nous sommes vendredi soir et des jeunes viennent faire la fete just a cote de notre tente. La plupart ne nous remarque meme pas mais ils n'arreteront pas de chanter jusqu'au premiers rayons de soleil. Tres courte nuit. La journee qui vient nous visitons San Pedro: c'est un petit...