San Pedro de Atacama is located in the Atacama desert towards the northern regions of Chile. The Atacama desert is the driest in the whole world. And yet, there is a little oasis in it called San Pedro that has turned into a tourist hub for all kinds of desert explorations and activities.
Why Visit San Pedro de Atacama?
San Pedro de Atacama is a haven for activity and adventure. It is particularly unique because it is in the middle of an incredible desert that has volcanoes, salt flats, dunes, thermal hot springs, and more. Because of this, there is something for everyone and no shortage of unique activities to pursue.
In addition, there is an airport near the town of Calama that you can fly into and take a bus directly to San Pedro de Atacama to make your trip easier. And you don’t even need to rent a car for most of the activities here.
How many days do you need to visit San Pedro de Atacama?
To best see the region around San Pedro de Atacama, you should have at least 3 days. However, if you want to do more adventure activities, you will need more time. It is important to note that the town is at the elevation of 7,900 ft (2,407 m) above sea level, which you will definitely feel if you come from sea level. If you want to participate in more strenuous activities, such as hiking up some of the volcanoes, you will need to allocate time to adjust to the elevation.
How to Navigate the Town of San Pedro de Atacama
San Pedro de Atacama currently thrives off of the tourism of the town. As a result, it is no surprise that the streets of the town center are lined with tourism agencies. It’s nothing like we’ve ever experienced before: store front after store front being either a tourism agency, a currency exchange, or a restaurant.
As you walk down the street, many agents will approach you to try to sell you their tours. I would recommend going to one of these agencies to learn about all the different tours and experiences in the region. Most tour agencies in town sell the same tours at the same price so understanding your options is important. From there, you can choose an agency that you prefer based on online ratings or recommendations from your hotel.
The majority of hotels and restaurants in San Pedro de Atacama are located around the center. The town is pretty small so the furthest you would have to walk is 20 minutes if you stay in accommodations towards the edge of town.
How to Book Your Tours through the Different Agencies in San Pedro de Atacama
There are a few different prices presented when it comes to the tours. The online price will be the most expensive one. It is not necessary to reserve any tours online since there are so many tour agencies providing the same tours and you will always find availability. The second price is the list price on the sheets that the agencies will give to you.
The third price is a discounted one that you will only get when you talk to an agent in person about the tours that you want to do during your visit. Only then will they help you build out a schedule during your stay and give you the “discounted” price if you reserve all the tours with the same agency. This is what you will want to do to get the best price possible for your experience in San Pedro de Atacama.
The Basic Tours/Activities to Do Around San Pedro de Atacama
The following four tours are considered the “must-see” visits when in San Pedro de Atacama as they are considered the highlights of the region. Beyond these tours, there are many unique adventure tours that you can consider that will allow you to explore the activities that the region has to offer. Some of those are listed in the following section.
Valle de la Luna – This afternoon tour is the nearest to the town of San Pedro de Atacama. It is so close that you could visit it without a tour by just renting a bike at one of the many bike rental shops around town. However, the tour will give you a geological and historical background around the region and the reason that the region has different formations. This is a great introduction to the geography of the area.
Geyser del Tatio Tour – The Geyser del Tatio tour is an incredible sunrise tour to visit the unique geysers of the region. The reason it is so early in the morning is that it is easier to see the mist from the formations in the early sunlight. The tour includes breakfast and a few additional stops to see flamingos and other wildlife in the area.
Astronomical Tour – San Pedro de Atacama is one of the best places in the world to see the stars. Every night, there is an astronomical tour that will teach you about the constellations, the galaxies, the moon, etc. This is one of the best tours we’ve taken and it is an incredibly unique opportunity to see the sky like you will never see it again.
Piedras Rojas – This tour visits many different unique landscapes and landforms that are truly unique to this region, including lagoons and rock formations that are truly beautiful. We did not visit this one because we planned to go to Uyuni (see below) and were told that the tours and landscapes would be similar. However, if you are not going to Uyuni, this is one of the top things to do from San Pedro de Atacama.
The Sky Is the Limit with What to Do from San Pedro de Atacama
There are truly so many other things that you can do around San Pedro de Atacama, due to the number of different landscapes and formations all around and the thermal ground in the area. Below are some of the other activities available in San Pedro de Atacama.
Puritama Hot Springs – interested in spending time in some natural hot springs and thermal water? Then this is the tour for you
Laguna Cejar or Lagunas Baltinache – have you ever floated in a salt-dense body of water? Well here is your chance to experience the buoyancy of being in salty water (much much much saltier than the ocean).
Sandboarding on the dunes – Some companies can take you to dunes where you will learn to sandboard (with a snowboard) down the dunes.
Visit the salt flats on the Salar Route – get the chance to stand on a vast salt flat
Rainbow Valley – visit a rainbow mountain and see petroglyphs in this cultural tour
Trekking volcanoes and waterfalls – you can hike in different regions to see some volcanoes and waterfalls or hire a private guide to summit one of the volcanoes
Visiting the Uyuni salt flats – you can spend 4 days crossing the border to Uyuni, Bolivia and back to San Pedro to visit the incredible Uyuni salt flats along with other beautiful landscapes in the region. Many different companies provide this all-inclusive tour that includes transportation, food, housing, and the organization to take you to different incredible destinations between San Pedro de Atacama in Chile and Uyuni in Bolivia. If you do not want to return to Chile and want to continue your trip through Bolivia, you can do this tour in 3 days.
And more!