Regions of Arica-Parinacota, Tarapacá, Antofagasta, Atacama and Coquimbo
Visit the driest desert in the world that still has the most amazing variety of flowers. See the “Desierto florido” a climatic phenomenon that occurs in the Atacama Desert. The phenomenon consists of the blossoming of a wide variety of flowers between the months of September and November in years when rainfall is unusually high. Also visit archaeological ruins and the Andean highlands.
ACTIVITY LEVELS are rated using a scale of 1 through 5, with 1 being the easiest or least physically demanding and 5 being the most difficult or physically demanding. 1 (Easy), 2 (Easy – Med.), 3 (Medium), 4 (Med. – High), 5 (High)
REGION: Northern Chile
ACTIVITY LEVEL: 2 (Easy to Medium)
SUMMARY: Visit Padre Le Paige Museum in San Pedro de Atacama; see the fortress Pukara de Quitor, the site of one of the first conflicts between Spaniards and Indians; visit the 2,000 year old village of Tulor; and see the Church of San Pedro, a National Monument since 1951. Optional lunch.
DURATION: 4-5 hrs.
REGION: North of Chile.
ACTIVITY LEVEL: 1 (Easy).
SUMMARY: Nowhere on Earth is better for stargazing than Chile’s Atacama Desert, where super-observatories have opened up to a wave of astro-tourists seeking unpolluted skies. Please note: The tour does not operate on full-moon nights.
DURATION: 2 – 3 hrs.
REGION: Northern Chile.
ACTIVITY LEVEL: 4 (Medium-High).
SUMMARY: Hike alongside the confluence of two rivers in Guatín canyon, where one river comes from the warm thermal springs of Puritama, and the other is the Purifica River, whose waters are from the Andes Mountains Range.
DURATION: 6 -7 hrs. (4 hour hike).
REGION: Northern Chile
ACTIVITY LEVEL: 3 (Medium - High)
SUMMARY: Early morning start to reach Geysers del Tatio; enjoy the beauty along with breakfast; visit Pozon Rustico and a swim; stop at Machuca village. Then see San Santiago Church and return to San Pedro.
DURATION: 7 hrs.
REGION: Northern Chile
ACTIVITY LEVEL: 4 (Medium - High)
SUMMARY: Visit Geysers del Tatio with breakfast; take a swim in the thermal waters of Pozon Rustico; stop at the village of Machuca, an ancient settlement of llama herders. After lunch, visit archaeological sites, including Pukara de Quitor and the village of Tulor.
DURATION: 10 hrs.
REGION: Northern Chile
ACTIVITY LEVEL: 2 (Easy)
SUMMARY: Visit the Valley of the Moon, in the middle of the arid salt mountain range, a landscape of salt and clay shaped by water and wind over millions of years.
DURATION: 5 hrs.
REGION: Northern Chile
ACTIVITY LEVEL: 3 (Medium)
SUMMARY: See the flamingos of the great Salar de Atacama in Los Flamencos National Reserve in the Chaxa lagoon; visit the highland lagoons of Miscanti and Miñiques at the base of volcanoes; enjoy lunch in the pre-Inca village of Socaire; and visit the town of Toconao.
DURATION: 10 hrs.