offwegooo.com
Travel guide
The Atacama Desert
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to May, and September to November
offwegooo.comPrint it, fold it, take it with you
Welcome
The Atacama Desert, in a few days
San Pedro de Atacama is a few adobe streets at 2,400 metres and the base for geysers at 4,300 metres, salt flats full of flamingos and some of the clearest skies on Earth. Everything is done on trips from the village, with 4am starts and a 25°C swing between afternoon and dawn.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · El Tatio geysers · half a dayOver 80 active vents on a plateau at 4,320 metres, the southern hemisphere's largest geyser field, at their most spectacular in the freezing dawn.
- Afternoon · Puritama hot springs · about 2 hEight natural pools stepped down a gorge at 3,500 metres, fed by a warm river and linked by wooden walkways through the reeds.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás€170 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Pukará de Quitor · about 1 hA 12th-century Atacameño fortress on a rocky slope 3 km from San Pedro, its stone enclosures stepped above the river and the oasis.
- Afternoon · Stargazing near San Pedro · an eveningDry air, altitude and no light pollution give one of the world's best night skies, viewed through several telescopes at a site outside the village.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Quechua Hotel€90 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Valley of the Moon · about 2 hRidges, craters and dunes carved by wind in the Cordillera de la Sal, where the ground crackles as salt crystals expand in the sun.
- Afternoon · Laguna Cejar · about 1 h 30A brine lagoon in the salt flat so salty that you float without effort, leaving a crust of salt on your skin as it dries.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Toconar€150 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Laguna Chaxa and its flamingos · about 1 hA shallow lagoon in the Los Flamencos reserve where three flamingo species feed: Andean, Chilean and the rarest, James's flamingo.
- Afternoon · Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons · a full dayTwo dark blue lakes above 4,100 metres ringed by ochre peaks, reached by track from the village of Socaire, with vicuñas crossing the road.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Jireh€165 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Empanadas de pino: beef, egg and a single olive, baked.
- Pastel de choclo: sweetcorn baked over minced beef, served in a clay dish.
- Ceviche and shellfish straight out of the Pacific.
- Completo: the Chilean hot dog, buried under avocado and mayonnaise.
- Central valley wine, and pisco from the north.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Pickpockets work Santiago and Valparaiso: bag in front, phone away.
- The distances are enormous. Fly between the north and the south.
- Book Torres del Paine months ahead in high season. The refuges fill first.
- The north sits high. Climb to Atacama slowly and drink more water than you want.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Spanish
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hola |
| Thank you | Gracias |
| Please | Por favor |
| Yes | Sí |
| No | No |
| Excuse me | Perdone |
| Goodbye | Adiós |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Habla inglés? |
| I don't understand | No entiendo |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
| Where are the toilets? | ¿Dónde están los baños? |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favor |
| Help! | ¡Socorro! |
| Cheers! | ¡Salud! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyChilean peso (CLP)
BudgetAbout €130 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to May, and September to November
PlugC/L · 220V
Tap waterSafe to drink in the cities
TippingAround 10%
Emergency133 / 131
EntryVisa-free for 90 days for EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat well outside the tourist trail.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/atacama-desert
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.