Must-visit spots in Atacama Desert - The driest desert in the world (Travel Diaries Day 56)

After spending over three weeks in Patagonia, Reid and I had gotten used to the region’s vast, dramatic landscapes: endless stretches of land with towering peaks on the horizon, rivers and turquoise lakes, moody skies heavy with low clouds and rain. It was peaceful but still full of adventure and excitement.

We knew we were about to step into a completely different world.

On our flight to the Atacama Desert, I was lucky enough to get a window seat. I watched as the landscape changed beneath us. The lush greenery slowly faded, becoming more and more arid; the mountains grew taller and more rugged, their volcanic peaks standing out sharply in the scenery. Soon, all I could see was an expanse of yellow and orange and total dryness.

Volcano views from the plane to Calama

We landed in Calama at around 2,260 meters above sea level. The temperature felt quite comfortable, but I could immediately notice the dryness of the air. This was the highest altitude I’d ever been to. I had read that altitude sickness usually kicks in around this elevation, and we might feel a bit breathless or get a mild headache or struggle to sleep. Honestly, at first, I felt nothing unusual. But that night, maybe for the excitement, maybe for the altitude, I didn’t sleep a wink!

Calama itself is a small city, mostly known for its airport, the gateway to the Atacama Desert. From there, we took a shared taxi to San Pedro de Atacama, the main base for exploring the region.

The drive to San Pedro was astoundingly different to anything we'd seen in Patagonia. Instead of rolling hills and lush forests, it was flat, barren, and expansive - a vast nothingness stretching out for miles, broken only by a distant mountain range. It really felt like we had just landed on the Moon!

Atacama is famously the driest desert in the world. It averages less than 1 mm of rain per year, some places even go decades without a single drop. So, naturally, it rained during our visit!

We were pretty unlucky with the weather: clouds hung low and covered the views of volcanoes in the distance. Locals told us that on a clear day, you can see all these volcano peaks from San Pedro, but we barely could see any.

Luckily, there was plenty more to keep us busy. We spent five days in San Pedro, and let me tell you: we did not get bored.

San Pedro de Atacama

This small town is the main base for any activity around the Atacama desert. You'll find accommodation options ranging from budget hostels to boutique hotels, plus cozy cafés, restaurants, and countless tour agencies ready to sell you all kinds of tours at competitive prices.

The town itself is built mainly of adobe with cute wooden street signs everywhere. The streets are unpaved, which means dust is kicked up by vehicles passing through. This dust sticks to your skin all day, especially combined with the desert’s intense heat, so come prepared to be a little dirty!

If you want to book tours, there’s a whole street dedicated to that, Caracoles, lined with agencies. You can usually walk in and find a tour even for the same day, so advanced booking isn’t necessary unless you want to secure a spot during the high season. The agencies are competitive but also seem to collaborate quite a bit. For example, we booked our Piedras Rojas tour with White & Green, but the actual operator was another local agency.

Some agencies stand out for their size and reputation, like Atacama Magic, but honestly, in my experience, most offer very similar itineraries and experiences. If I had to recommend one, I’d say stick with White & Green: they were reliable, professional, and we booked all our tours through them, including the 3D2N Uyuni flats tour.

If you’re more independent and want to rent a vehicle, companies like 4x4 rentacar or Wicked Campers offer 4x4 vehicles which are highly recommended given how rough and unpaved many roads are.

In our case, we decided to go with tours: driving those rugged roads ourselves seemed stressful, and we didn't feel that renting a vehicle would provide us significant savings. Also, some rental companies told us that we wouldn't be allowed to drive to Geysers El Tatio, due to bad road conditions - but then what's the point of renting a 4x4 if we couldn't get to the places where we wanted to go?

As for accommodation, you’ve got options ranging from budget hostels like Hostal Rural to mid-range hotels like Hotel Kimal or splurge-worthy boutique places like Tierra Atacama.

For eating out, there are some nice options.

You can't miss La Picada del Indio. We randomly stumbled upon this place while shopping for tours. We arrived right at opening time (noon), were seated immediately, and enjoyed one of the best menu del dia meals we had in all of Chile: a soup, pollo with mushroom and rice, and even a dessert. It was delicious, quick, and unbelievably cheap for only $ 8.000!

Another highly recommended spot is Franchuteria, a café famous for its baked goods and coffee. I was skeptical, as this place was very popular and I was concerned it was just a tourist trap, but I have to admit it lived up to the hype. Their croissants were surprisingly good, and I finally had a proper cappuccino after 2 months on the road!

Now that you know a bit about San Pedro, here are some must-visit spots I absolutely recommend in the Atacama Desert:

Piedras Rojas

Hands down my favorite place in the whole Atacama Desert! The landscapes at Piedras Rojas are simply otherworldly.

This spot sits at about 4,200 meters, so altitude is definitely something to prepare for. The name quite literally means "Red rocks" and that's because... you guessed it, the rocks here are strikingly red. These rocks get their color from iron oxide deposits in the soil, rich of minerals. They contrast beautifully with the shallow salt lakes all around them and the snowy volcano peaks in the background.

If you go with a tour, expect a very early start (pickup around 6 am!) and a long drive (around 4-5 hours each way). The good news is you’ll stop for breakfast, which the tour agency usually provides. The route itself is stunning, with beautiful views of mountains and, if you're lucky, you'll even spot vicuñas and guanacos grazing along the way.

This was the first time both Reid and I would get to such high altitude. We did what we could to prepare: carrying along a stash of altitude sickness pills and even coca candies (spoiler: they tasted quite... earthy?). We also followed local advice: drink lots of water, avoid heavy meals and alcohol the night before. So, that's what we did, and as we reached 4000m we didn't feel much of a difference, except just a little more tiredness. To be fair, we were also drinking like camels. We learned that apparently, when you're at high altitude you become dehydrated very quickly. So most of the altitude sickness symptoms are actually from dehydration and the best way to reduce the symptoms is simple: drink water.

Magic candies

At Piedras Rojas, the short walk from the bus to the viewpoint was easy and absolutely worth it. And the views... are just... insane! I had never been in such a unique place before. The reflections on the salt flats created a mirror-like effect, just a glimpse into what we would later experience in Uyuni! In the distance, the towering volcano Licancabur made a breathtaking backdrop. In case I haven't been convincing enough: seriously, you can't miss it.

Tours to Piedras Rojas often include also visits to two nearby volcanic lakes: Miscanti and Miniques. When we visited, it was cloudy so we couldn't see much, but on a clear day, these lakes offer a stunning, surreal scenery.

Geysers del Tatio

If you thought waking up early for Piedras Rojas was tough, brace yourself for the pickup time for Geysers del Tatio: 4 AM!

Yes, you read it right! That’s because the best time to visit the geysers is at sunrise. At this time, the air is still very cold from the night, which creates a stronger contrast with the steaming geysers. That's to say, you get to see the steam and mist better.

Located at 4,320 meters, these geysers are the third-largest geyser field in the world and also one of the highest! The geothermal activity creates bubbles and plumes of steam that glow in the dawn light. Truly magical.

The road to Tatio is rough and bumpy - about two hours on an unpaved track. With such an early wake up call, we were hoping to get some sleep, but it was so bumpy that it was impossible!

Also, be prepared for freezing temperatures. Reid didn’t bring his fleece nor his hat, and he seriously regretted it that morning. Layers and warm clothes are a must!

Valle de la Luna

If you read my post about North Sardinia, then you'll know that we have a hippy community in the north of the island called Valle della Luna. Well, this is not what I'm talking about here! Atacama’s Valle de la Luna shares the name but none of the hippies. Instead, it’s a surreal, otherworldly landscape that really makes you feel like you’ve stepped on the Moon.

You can explore Valle de la Luna on your own by bike or vehicle, but I highly recommend a guided tour: there is so much to learn about the history and geology of this place, and you can only really appreciate that with a guide. Most tours start in the early afternoon, picking you up from your accommodation and driving just outside San Pedro.

One of the highlights that blew my mind in this tour was learning about the visible marks left in the rocks by massive earthquakes that happened millions of years ago,. These earthquakes were so powerful and devastating (so called cataclysmas) that they caused the rock to liquefy (my mind can't even comprehend this). Today, you can still see the waves and folds in the rocks, looking like frozen ocean swells. Totally mind-boggling.

The area is extremely rich in minerals like salt, selenite, magnesium, and evaporite. The latter is a special mineral abundant here that only appears when it rains: first, rain dissolves the minerals contained in the soil, and then as the water evaporates (hence the name!) it leaves behind these minerals. The result is a coat of white powder which looks just like snow!

A famous landmark here is Tres Marías, three rock formations that look like statues of three praying women and once held sacred significance for locals - until one was unfortunately destroyed by a careless tourist. Sad but true.

Your tour will usually end with an epic sunset from one of the viewpoints. A perfect way to wrap up such a special day.

Other things to do near San Pedro

• Laguna Cejar: A salty lake where you can float effortlessly, similar to the Dead Sea but less salty.

• Laguna Escondida de Baltinache: Another hidden salt lake known for its crystal-clear turquoise waters.

• Stargazing tours (weather permitting): Even if clouds hid the stars for us, this remains one of the top things to do here. The Atacama Desert’s skies are known to be the clearest on Earth due to minimal light pollution, making it a prime spot for stargazing tours.

And you - would you like to visit the Atacama desert? Which of these places would you like to see the most? Let me know in the comments!

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