January 9 – January 11: Atacama Desert

San Pedro de Atacama is a charming desert town in northern Chile, known for its adobe buildings, bustling markets, and laid-back vibe. It serves as a hub for exploring the Atacama Desert’s surreal landscapes, including Valle de la Luna, high-altitude lagoons, El Tatio geysers, and some of the world’s clearest night skies.

The Atacama Desert, located just west of the Altiplano, is one of the driest places on Earth, with some areas receiving almost no rainfall for centuries. Spanning around 105,000 square kilometers, it sits at an average altitude of about 2,400 meters. Its extreme aridity, combined with high altitude, creates a striking landscape of vast salt flats, ancient volcanic peaks, and barren plains. The clear skies and dry conditions make it a prime location for astronomical research, offering some of the best stargazing in the world. The Atacama also serves as a natural laboratory for studying Mars-like environments.

There is an array of half- or full-day tours you can do from San Pedro. Some people suggested that the best way to explore the desert would be to rent a car and visit the scenic spots before the tourist crowds arrive, but in cases like this I prefer things to be a little more organized for me, and I don’t mind paying the extra bit. Joining tours is always a bit of a gamble – sometimes they offer a great balance of information, activity, and scenery, while other times they turn out to be disappointing, mass-tourism money-grabs. I can honestly say that the tours in San Pedro de Atacama were among the best I’ve done in the last 10 months. Everything was smoothly organized, the guides were informative without overwhelming you, and perfectly bilingual. We saw many interesting places, without them feeling to be just quick 10-minute photo stops. It also seems to be a local custom to offer a small buffet of snacks and drinks at the end of each tour.

• Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley): A surreal landscape with towering rock formations and vast salt flats, offering stunning views at sunset.
• Geysers del Tatio: One of the highest geothermal fields in the world, where you can witness impressive geysers and steam vents at sunrise.
• Laguna Cejar: A saltwater lagoon where you can float effortlessly, thanks to its high salinity.
• Lagunas Altiplánicas (High-altitude Lagoons): Two picturesque lagoons, Miscanti and Miñiques, set against towering volcanoes in a remote high-altitude desert setting.
• Piedras Rojas (Red Rocks): A striking landscape with red-colored rocks, salt flats, and turquoise lagoons, ideal for photography.
• Salar de Atacama: The largest salt flat in Chile, offering vast, white expanses with wildlife such as flamingos and stunning desert vistas.
• Star Gazing: The clear, high-altitude skies of the Atacama make it one of the best places in the world for stargazing, offering breathtaking views of the Milky Way and distant constellations.

Atacama Desert picture gallery :