Essential San Pedro de Atacama with Air Ticket

Day 01: Airport - San Pedro de Atacama - The Moon Valley

Reception at the Calama Airport to the hotel in San Pedro de Atacama. In the afternoon, we will depart from the hotel to the worldwide famous Moon Valley (16:00 hrs. in summer / 15:00 hrs. in winter; summer season begins in october 1st).

19 kms from San Pedro, in the Salt Mountain Range, is the Moon Valley, declared a Nature Sanctuary and National Monument, and protected by its unique inspiring beauty. It consists of a valley surrounded by small hills with impressively sharp peaks. This tour is an unbelievable journey throughout landscapes that do not belong to our world, but to other planets.Here, in the valley it will be possible to appreciate the strange salt sculptures known as Las Tres Marias, formed by wind erosion. At dawn, the stunning colors, gold and red, will inspire our soul and body.

Continuing with the tour, we will walk through inside caves that remain from the old deposits, to get closer to valley where we will find the Gran Duna (Big Dune). After a break, we will climb this dune, which impresses with its size and is used for extreme sports as snowboarding.

Return to the hotel. Lodging.

Day 02: Altiplanic Lagoons Tour and Atacama Salt

Departure at 09:00 hrs. from our hotel.
Atacama, the largest salt flat in Chile, has the one of the largest flamingo reserves in the country (the Flamingo National Reserve). We will head through a small path, towards the Chaxa Lake, to watch and identify the different flamingo species in the area. Miscanti and Miñiques Lakes, located at 4,220 meters, are also part of the National Reserve, and are managed by the indigenous community of Socaire. The eruption of the Miñiques volcano one million years ago caused the water that once drained to the Salt Flat to stagnate, giving rise to these two highland lakes with their blue water and white shores. On the way back, we pass through Toconao, typical handicrafts in the Atacama zone, also the San Lucas Tower (National Monument and town symbol). We will visit the small factory and craft fair in the area, rich in alpaca wool items and handicrafts in cactus.
Return to San Pedro at 16:00 hrs. approximately.

Day 03: Archaeological Tour

Breakfast to start the tour at 09:00 hrs. at the hotel .
Today we will travel to the past to discover the richness of the Likan Antai culture. We will gather fascinating information about who lived in the area and how they did it, from pre-Columbian to colonial times. We will learn about the customs and traditions of the different cultures that lived in the area by visiting the most notable archaeological sites such as: Tulor and Pukará de Quitor.

The miraculously preserved village of Tulor is the oldest remaining ancient dwelling place in the Atacama Basin, and the first human settlement, called "Cuna de los Likan Antai (Cradle of the Likan Antai people)". This village has been preserved by the weather and by a cover of sand. After that, we will visit the Ayllú de Coyo where we will enjoy a tasting of typical products in Sendero de Coyo.

We will continue our journey to Pukará de Quitor, a fortress from the 12th century, built by the Inca people and invaded by the Spanish Conquistador. Quitor was a witness of decisive historic events that are part of the local culture. We ended our trip in San Pedro de Atacama, with a visit to the church before the return to hotels.

Lodging.

Day 04: Tatio Geysers - Airport

We will depart early in the morning  (04:30 AM) from the hotel, dawn from San Pedro de Atacama Hotel heading to the Tatio Geysers, a geothermal center with geysers that can only be seen early in the morning.

The Tatio Geysers are a geothermal field located in the Andes Mountain Range, being the highest in the world (4,200 meters of high) and it is located 89 kms away from San Pedro de Atacama. Tatio features, early in the morning, an stunning activity of steam fumaroles originated by the high temperature of its craters. It is surrounded by mountains reaching up to 5,900 meters.

At 07:00 approximately the highest and strongest steam fumaroles are produced, with temperature ranging 85°C, reaching 7 to 8 meters. With a outstanding setting, the Geysers are one of the most overwhelming tourist attraction in San Pedro de Atacama.

At the Tatio Geysers we will enjoy a comforting breakfast with the stunning view of the fumaroles. When returning we will testify the grandiosity of the Andes.

After seeing this spectacular sight in a magnificent natural setting, we eat breakfast. On the way back, we see the majestic Andes mountain range, whose peaks seem close enough to touch. We then arrive at Machuca, a small llama herder settlement. The village is filled with adobe houses with thatched roofs. Green wetlands lend a special charm.
Transfer to airport.

End of our services.