The Best of San Pedro de Atacama

Day 01: Calama Airport / San Pedro de Atacama / The Moon Valley
Reception and transfer from the Calama Airport to your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama. In the afternoon, departure from the hotel to the Moon Valley (04:00 pm in summer / 02:30 pm in winter; summer season begins in October 1. Subject to confirmation). 19 km from San Pedro, in the Salt Mountain Range, is the Moon Valley, declared a Nature Sanctuary and Monument and protected by the uniqueness of its beauty. It consists of a depression surrounded by small hills with impressively sharp peaks. The tour is an imaginary trip to landscapes that does not belong to our world, but to other planets. We will see the Dinosaur Valley and Death Valley, where there is a spectacular panoramic view of the area. We continue to the Moon Valley, where we will find geological formations that are the result of successive foldings of the earth's crust. In the valley is possible to appreciate the salt sculptures known as Las Tres Marias, formed by wind erosion. Continuing with the tour we will walk through the interior of the caves that remain from the old deposits, to get closer to valley where is the Big Dune. After a break, we will climb this dune, which impresses with its size and is used for extreme sports as snowboarding At sunset, a bold palette of golds and reds appear, touching the soul and sensibilities of the visitor. Return to hotel. Lodging.
Day 02: San Pedro de Atacama - Puritama Hot Springs.
At 08:30 am departure to the Puritama Hot Springs. Located at 30 Km. aprox. from San Pedro de Atacama we will find the Puritama River, its waters come from the Mountain Range, they warm up because of the proximity of the vulcanic material and this place, they surface. This area features the basic services needed and terraces in each swimming pool. Here, we will enjoy an incredible landscape, a 33°C thermal bath with healing properties. Return to the hotel, lodging.
Day 03: San Pedro de Atacama - Altiplanic Lagoons - Atacama Salt Flat
At 08:30 am (pick up is 30 minutes before in reception of the hotel). In this excursion, we will visit Piedras Rojas (Red Stones) located in the Tara Salt Flat with its fascinating and beautiful red-colored landscape, remarked by its owe-inspiring geological formations born from the rusting of the iron. After that, we will go through the path to the Altiplano in order to visit the Miscanti and Miñiques Lagoons, located more than 4,200 meter above the sea level and surrounded by great and imposing volcanoes from the Andes Mountain Range and flora and fauna in their natural environment. We will continue to Chaxa Lagoon, a scenery and beautiful landscape, divided into several water mirrors where a great number of flamingoes and other birds such as Andean Flamingoes. Finally, before we return, while the landscape features marvelous views of the Licancabur and Lascar Volcanoes, we will visit Toconao with a typical colonial architecture, San Lucas Church, the first National Monument. Return to the hotel. Lodging at the hotel.
Day 04: San Pedro de Atacama - Archaeological Tour
Breakfast in the hotel. At 09:00 am. departure from the hotel. A landscape without history loses the richness that time and people have brought to it. Therefore, on this excursion, we invite you to discover the richness of the Atacama, or 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 remarkable 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)".Pukará de Quitor, a construction from the 12th century, was a witness to decisive historic events that are part of the local culture. We end our trip in San Pedro de Atacama, with a visit to the church before the return to hotels. Lodging.
Day 05: San Pedro de Atacama - Tatio Geysers - Calama Airport
Departure at 5:00 am from the hotel. Pick up at the hotel at 4:30 am. Subject to confirmation. We leave at dawn from San Pedro de Atacama Hotel to go to the Tatio Geysers, a geothermal center with geysers that can only be seen very early in the morning. 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 services.