The best things to do in The Atacama Desert

May 03 • 2024

Want to visit the Atacama as part of your adventure holiday to Chile? But unsure what activities to include and how best to fit them into your time? Here we look at the best things to do in the Atacama Desert Chile. Our Chile expert Sinead has been making her way around this amazing country on her most recent fam trip. Simultaneously testing out the best and most unique day trips, hikes, and thrill seeking activities. But, how also to enjoy some downtime staying in luxury.

Something for everyone in The Atacama Desert

The Atacama Desert is the best place to visit in Chile for the sheer variety of activities. Because there really is something for everyone; all abilities and preferences. For the super fit who love a challenge, to those who want the serenity of stargazing. Similarly for those who simply want to enjoy sipping some Chilean wine overlooking piercing blue lakes. The Atacama Desert really does have it all and will turn your Chile holiday into the trip of a lifetime.

Sinead enjoying one of the cycling routes in the Atacama

1. Get on your bike

The terrain of the Atacama specifically lends itself beautifully to cycling, with so many routes on offer. If you’ve done a little bit of cycling before and are keen to get peddling, there are some beautiful easy day trips with your private guide to enjoy the scenery. For guests who prefer a bit more of a challenge, you can take whole day trips from San Pedro reaching higher points. Likewise if you simply wanted a casual cycle before dinner for an hour as the sun sets; its all possible. So get that helmet on and get going!

The Atacama offers some of the best places on earth for star-gazing

2. All about the sky

Star gazing holidays and Luna eclipse tourism is on the up. Also with the recent eclipse in the US comes a renewed interest in seeing Big Skies and venturing to places on earth with minimal light pollution. The Atacama Desert was named ‘Stargazing capital of the World’ and therefore has some some of the world’s most important observatories. Near zero light pollution, the flat landscape and its global position give scientists and astronomers amazing views of outer space. The Atacama Desert is undoubtedly a really important area for our knowledge of stars. The observatories themselves are closed to tourists. However you can still enjoy the truly amazing experience of stargazing in the Atacama with our specialist guides who know where to take you.

Where to stay for the best star gazing?

The stunning 5* Explora Atacama Hotel has its own private observatory housing advanced telescopes. On a clear night you could be lucky enough to enjoy star gazing in complete privacy in the state of the art on -site dome. If budgets allow and you are a star gazing fan…this is the hotel to upgrade to.

Take a great camera

The Atacama skies don’t just deliver at night. Basically sunsets here are the stuff of Instagram dreams, and maximizing the golden hour with sun downer drinks and nibbles has become a Chilean specialty. After a long days adventure, we can arrange a private tour where your guide goes ahead and sets up a picnic spot to remember. Enjoy the peace, no one around you, a cold wine refreshing beer and snacks and just take it all in before darkness arrives. Overall, a very special experience.

Enjoy drinks and nibbles as the sun sets

The uninterrupted sky views from the Atacama

Hiking through red rocks in The Atacama

3. Hiking

The Atacama Desert is widely thought of as the driest place on earth, escaping rainfall for hundreds of years. The conditions mean there are many routes available for hikes. E.g quick strolls out with your guide to a view points and more challenging treks for those with a good level of fitness. Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) offers the widest variety of hikes. Both gentle strolls and challenging build- up- a- sweat trekking.

Factor in the altitude

Don’t forget to factor in possible altitude sickness on your Chile holiday. Whilst San Pedro lies at a typically unproblematic 2,407 meters, many of the excursions and activities such as hiking will reach much higher. Your expert guide will obviously factor this in when planning your days, giving you time to acclimatize and take it slowly.

Hikes tailored especially for you

If you fancy a full- day five hour hike to Patos you will be rewarded with history, culture, a delicious lunch and sheer solitude and peace on this amazing hike. Whereas if a half day adventure in the Atacama sounds more your thing, there are a range of wonderful hikes available. Journey into Canyons with views of the Salt Range. Navigate narrow trails hemmed by ravines and steep red rocks. Descend past dunes, caverns, caves and deep gorges, explore dried out river beds peppered with cacti, bubbling rock formations and waterfalls. On some hikes you can pick up a 4X4 jeep half way to cover more distance and finish with some incredible scenery on foot. Do it differently: The Explora Hotel offers a 5* luxury hike experience like no other. End the day with a private swim in the hot springs at Puritama following a hike across the Nature Reserve through a deep gorge. A deluxe and truly memorable experience; sipping a cold beer whilst resting floating tired limbs in hot spring water.

Something challenging for hardcore trek lovers

For hardcore trekkers and climbers, the Ojos del Salado will already be on your radar. Albeit not for the faint hearted, the volcano sits at 6,893m above sea level and is the highest active volcano in the world. This serious trek takes 7-15 days so is well suited for a slow travel Chile holiday, or a South America sabbatical holiday. However it will require a high level of fitness and expert guides on hand.

4. Geysers el Tatio

The remarkable Geysers el Tatio sit 14,000 feet above sea level and are one of the main draws to the Atacama desert. Generally we suggest a very early start to factor in the drive and to capture being here at sunrise. This is so the colours textures and smells of the volcanoes and bubbling geysers will be at their most spectacular and vivid. The early morning sky breaking in colour is particularly spectacular and the experience of being here at sunrise is often called seeing ‘natures fireworks’. Wrap up warm as the early start can undoubtedly be chilly. Lastly, if you have enough time on your trip to The Atacama we suggest visiting both the North and South geyser fields to maximize your experience.

Lap up the benefits of hot springs and geothermic activity

Bright red rocks and lunar landscapes of the Atacama Desert

5. Horse riding

Again there is something for everyone who wants to enjoy horse riding in one of the most spectacular places on earth. There are certainly options for all abilities and preferences. If you’ve never been on a horse before there are expert beginner guides who can take you out on a highly trained and reliable horse for a short hack around nearby loops. But if you prefer you can join a small group (or we can arrange this privately) and get away from the walking trails to explore the vivid landscape on horseback.

Experienced horse rider?

Or enjoy a longer full day ride out towards the Beter ayllu to the south of the oasis. Lastly heading onwards to the Puribeter reserve, stopping for a delicious lunch before heading to Solor Ayllu and back for the evening. We carefully choose our partners in the Atacama so you can fully trust the expert and experienced guides and know the horses are treated impeccably. The standards here are high. As a result you will certainly not regret including horse riding into your Atacama stay.

Summary

Here we’ve outlined our very best things to do in The Atacama Desert Chile. As Sinead discovered on her recent Chile trip, there is so much to do in The Atacama Desert. You could basically fill two weeks here alone but not repeat the same activity once. By and large we always encourage where possible, longer slower and more in depth trips to South America. As a result you fully get under the skin of a country and immerse yourself. The benefits of slow travel are endless. However as is often the case, if you have less time but want to make sure you tick off the very best of The Atacama, these are our top suggestions. Sinead and Sam can talk you through your trip and your requirements. For example the length of time you have, the best hotels to stay in, and particularly run through your ‘wish list’. Before putting together a fully bespoke holiday of a lifetime to Chile. Get in touch today to talk through your adventure holiday to Chile.