A week in the driest desert in the world
As most of you know by now, I am currently in Chile visiting Florent for a month during my summer break. I have started a Master's program at the University of Oregon through the Linguistics Department that focuses on Language pedagogy and language acquisition. It has been a fun and exciting new adventure, but as always, I am yearning to travel and move. In the airport of Amsterdam, on the way to Russia, I discovered that I had a month break after starting the first term of the Master's program. This of course, was the best news that I could receive at the time because I had not seen Florent in over 7 months. So after 2 months of intense studying and working, I bought a ticket to Chile and I have been here for over 2 weeks. Today I am going to blog about the greatest adventure that we just returned from: San Pedro de Atacama.
San Pedro de Atacama, as the title suggests, is the driest desert in the world. We took an hour and a half flight from Santiago to San Pedro and then from there took another 2 hour long bus from the airport to the city of Calama. The entire journey took up most of the day, thus arriving in the evening. On the ride from Calama to San Pedro, the sun was setting and it cast a beautiful orange over the wind turbines.
Day 1: Walking Tour
Our first day there was mostly lost due to the location of the hostel that we were at. Although it received decent reviews, the distance was quite far and the shuttle buses that they offered into the city only ran during certain hours, therefore we didn't make it into the actual part of the city until 2 in the afternoon. The rest of the time was spent looking for another hostel for the remaining days. Later that day we took a Walking Tour of the city. If you ever get a chance to this, I highly recommend it. It is an entertaining way to learn about the city's culture and history and about all of the best dining areas. My first walking tour was in Bogota and Florent and I also did one in Valparaiso. Although it is technically free because it is based entirely on tips, it is recommended that you at least pay 3 to 4 Chilean pesos. Afterwards we walked around- checking different tour agencies that our friends recommended. After going to four different ones (Acamarachi, Latchir, Mitampi and Aventura San Pedro), we decided to do our tours with Mitampi because of their high reviews and low prices. In truth, most offer very simply promotions and tours. Mitampi's tour agency was recommended to me by a fellow female traveler from Santiago. At last, we decided on Pangea Norte as our hostel choice given the short amount of time to research and the close proximity in which it was located.
Day 2: Salar de Atacama
The next morning we woke up at 6 am to prepare for our first adventure to Salar de Talar also known as Piedras Rojas. We were joined by 2 Spanish guys, a combined group of 3 different Brazilian families and a French couple along with our tour guide and driver. Our first stop was at the Laguna miscanti. The air was unexpectedly sharp and cold, but the site was unimaginably impressive. The lagoon was mostly glacier melts and in the distance stood beautiful mountains covered in snow. The stop was brief as no one could stand being out there for very long. We had a simple breakfast of eggs and bread at the town of Socaire in a small family-owned restaurant before heading to our next stop: the famous Salar de Talar where the freeze was even more overwhelming. If you are reading this and you intend to go to San Pedro, remember to bring gloves, a warm hat, and lots and lots of layers. The way that the icy blue water touches the rocks and mountains looks like something out of a painting. It's gradient change of colors creates a serene view that I will never forget- with subtle purple and blue hues contrasted against the red rocks. Everywhere we turned was an amazing site! Along the way we saw lots of vicunas- they are protected animals that are in the same family as llamas. We also got to see a viscacha blended into the rocks. Viscachas are in the same family as rabbits and look quite similar as well.
The sun was finally out and we stripped our clothes on the bus as we headed to Laguna Chaxa where the flamingos roam. The landscape here was substantially different. One side was mostly select shades of blue and the pink flamingos and the other side was more of a desert landscape with brilliant colors created by the water. We returned to Socaire to eat lunch then got to explore the small town for a bit. It had one of the oldest churches located in the plaza. By the end of the day, most of us were quite exhausted.
Day 3: Geyser del Tatio
For this tour we had to leave at 5 am and arrived around 6:30. If I thought Piers Rojas was cold, then this was beyond freezing (-8 C) to be exact. Unfortunately the piscinas termales was closed so we were unable to warm up our bodies in the natural hot springs. We also had breakfast at the Geyser- trembling with cold, I guzzled hot coffee as fast as I could. Lastly we went to pueblo Machuca where most of the tourists were tasting llama meat sold by the village. Machuca consisted of about 35 families living there and most of the houses had solar panels on top of them. This was a short trip and we returned around 12:30. Our next plan was a scheduled tour to Laguna Cejar where the large contents of salt lets your float in the near freezing water. Unfortunately our plans were changed when the wind decided to pick up, causing all parks to close down for the evening.
Day 4: A day spent playing chess
The wind continued to torment us and the rest of the travelers. We were unable to do anything except stay inside, play chess and cook whatever food we could salvage. I was crazy bored out of my mind. It was worse than losing electricity- we could see outside at the beautiful desert, but was reminded of Mother Nature's abilities every few hours.
Day 5: Change of Plans
We woke up to more upsetting news- our tour to Salar de Tara was also cancelled. Instead a bus picked us up at 8 to go to Valle de Arcoiris. It was poor communication on the part of the tour agency because Salar de Tara was actually opened but they didn't have a tour ready for us. Our first stop was at the pictographs where drawings of llamas, vicunas, and humans from hundreds of years ago could be observed on these rocks. Our tour guide was more of an entertainer than an informer. But he ended up taking us to a private part of the valley where no one else was and the view was so beautiful. Ranges of colors from blue to green and red to purple laid out across the sky, plastered on the mountain like rocks. It was a site like no other. Although we had not originally planned to come here, I was so happy that we did. That evening we went to another valley called Valle de la Luna. It was nothing like the rainbow valley which had tall and luminous mountains covered in a variety of colors. Instead it had salt sprinkled on it like powdered sugar on pancakes. Later that evening, we joined what seemed like the rest of the town to watch the sunset at the mirador. It felt like every tourist that was in town that day was there, perhaps due to the lost day yesterday. We even ran into the couple that took the Walking Tour with us on the first day at the sunset watch. We stared as the sun kissed the tip of the mountains in the far distance, leaving a trace of blue and yellow.
Day 6: 20 minutes before our flight
Before leaving for Valley de la Luna last night, we went to the bus terminal to see what our options for returning to the airport would consist of. The only options were to leave at 11 or 2 (our flight was at 16:40) and since it is only an hour and a half bus ride from San Pedro to Calama Airport, we opted for the 2 pm option- but not before ensuring that nothing would go wrong. Of course, this is an impossible prediction to make. And as life and traveling would have it, our bus was 40 minutes late... Once we were finally on the bus, we transferred to another bus and arrived at the airport at 4:30. As our streak of luck would have it, there was no one at the stand for Skyline so instead we went straight to the gate only to be bombarded by a long line for the security check. We stressed the need to go through the line and everyone pointed to the front, but when we ran up, a woman in one of the blue official uniforms yelled "la fella" to us meaning "the line". Thankfully a logical security man let us through and we made it as everyone was boarding.
San Pedro de Atacama is a truly mesmerizing place and I would recommend for anyone who gets a chance to go. We didn't have enough time to do Uyuni which is in Bolivia and is also a very beautiful and famous trip to do, but it requires overnight stay. Remember that when booking tours, most agencies do not include the price of entrances which can range from 3,000 to 17,000 (Laguna Cejar) Chilean pesos. If you have enough friends and can afford to- renting a car and visiting the places yourselves is an excellent way to save money! Florent and I looked around for this option, but the prices were high for just us two.
San Pedro de Atacama, as the title suggests, is the driest desert in the world. We took an hour and a half flight from Santiago to San Pedro and then from there took another 2 hour long bus from the airport to the city of Calama. The entire journey took up most of the day, thus arriving in the evening. On the ride from Calama to San Pedro, the sun was setting and it cast a beautiful orange over the wind turbines.
Day 1: Walking Tour
Our first day there was mostly lost due to the location of the hostel that we were at. Although it received decent reviews, the distance was quite far and the shuttle buses that they offered into the city only ran during certain hours, therefore we didn't make it into the actual part of the city until 2 in the afternoon. The rest of the time was spent looking for another hostel for the remaining days. Later that day we took a Walking Tour of the city. If you ever get a chance to this, I highly recommend it. It is an entertaining way to learn about the city's culture and history and about all of the best dining areas. My first walking tour was in Bogota and Florent and I also did one in Valparaiso. Although it is technically free because it is based entirely on tips, it is recommended that you at least pay 3 to 4 Chilean pesos. Afterwards we walked around- checking different tour agencies that our friends recommended. After going to four different ones (Acamarachi, Latchir, Mitampi and Aventura San Pedro), we decided to do our tours with Mitampi because of their high reviews and low prices. In truth, most offer very simply promotions and tours. Mitampi's tour agency was recommended to me by a fellow female traveler from Santiago. At last, we decided on Pangea Norte as our hostel choice given the short amount of time to research and the close proximity in which it was located.
Day 2: Salar de Atacama
The next morning we woke up at 6 am to prepare for our first adventure to Salar de Talar also known as Piedras Rojas. We were joined by 2 Spanish guys, a combined group of 3 different Brazilian families and a French couple along with our tour guide and driver. Our first stop was at the Laguna miscanti. The air was unexpectedly sharp and cold, but the site was unimaginably impressive. The lagoon was mostly glacier melts and in the distance stood beautiful mountains covered in snow. The stop was brief as no one could stand being out there for very long. We had a simple breakfast of eggs and bread at the town of Socaire in a small family-owned restaurant before heading to our next stop: the famous Salar de Talar where the freeze was even more overwhelming. If you are reading this and you intend to go to San Pedro, remember to bring gloves, a warm hat, and lots and lots of layers. The way that the icy blue water touches the rocks and mountains looks like something out of a painting. It's gradient change of colors creates a serene view that I will never forget- with subtle purple and blue hues contrasted against the red rocks. Everywhere we turned was an amazing site! Along the way we saw lots of vicunas- they are protected animals that are in the same family as llamas. We also got to see a viscacha blended into the rocks. Viscachas are in the same family as rabbits and look quite similar as well.
The sun was finally out and we stripped our clothes on the bus as we headed to Laguna Chaxa where the flamingos roam. The landscape here was substantially different. One side was mostly select shades of blue and the pink flamingos and the other side was more of a desert landscape with brilliant colors created by the water. We returned to Socaire to eat lunch then got to explore the small town for a bit. It had one of the oldest churches located in the plaza. By the end of the day, most of us were quite exhausted.
Day 3: Geyser del Tatio
For this tour we had to leave at 5 am and arrived around 6:30. If I thought Piers Rojas was cold, then this was beyond freezing (-8 C) to be exact. Unfortunately the piscinas termales was closed so we were unable to warm up our bodies in the natural hot springs. We also had breakfast at the Geyser- trembling with cold, I guzzled hot coffee as fast as I could. Lastly we went to pueblo Machuca where most of the tourists were tasting llama meat sold by the village. Machuca consisted of about 35 families living there and most of the houses had solar panels on top of them. This was a short trip and we returned around 12:30. Our next plan was a scheduled tour to Laguna Cejar where the large contents of salt lets your float in the near freezing water. Unfortunately our plans were changed when the wind decided to pick up, causing all parks to close down for the evening.
The wind continued to torment us and the rest of the travelers. We were unable to do anything except stay inside, play chess and cook whatever food we could salvage. I was crazy bored out of my mind. It was worse than losing electricity- we could see outside at the beautiful desert, but was reminded of Mother Nature's abilities every few hours.
Day 5: Change of Plans
We woke up to more upsetting news- our tour to Salar de Tara was also cancelled. Instead a bus picked us up at 8 to go to Valle de Arcoiris. It was poor communication on the part of the tour agency because Salar de Tara was actually opened but they didn't have a tour ready for us. Our first stop was at the pictographs where drawings of llamas, vicunas, and humans from hundreds of years ago could be observed on these rocks. Our tour guide was more of an entertainer than an informer. But he ended up taking us to a private part of the valley where no one else was and the view was so beautiful. Ranges of colors from blue to green and red to purple laid out across the sky, plastered on the mountain like rocks. It was a site like no other. Although we had not originally planned to come here, I was so happy that we did. That evening we went to another valley called Valle de la Luna. It was nothing like the rainbow valley which had tall and luminous mountains covered in a variety of colors. Instead it had salt sprinkled on it like powdered sugar on pancakes. Later that evening, we joined what seemed like the rest of the town to watch the sunset at the mirador. It felt like every tourist that was in town that day was there, perhaps due to the lost day yesterday. We even ran into the couple that took the Walking Tour with us on the first day at the sunset watch. We stared as the sun kissed the tip of the mountains in the far distance, leaving a trace of blue and yellow. Day 6: 20 minutes before our flight
Before leaving for Valley de la Luna last night, we went to the bus terminal to see what our options for returning to the airport would consist of. The only options were to leave at 11 or 2 (our flight was at 16:40) and since it is only an hour and a half bus ride from San Pedro to Calama Airport, we opted for the 2 pm option- but not before ensuring that nothing would go wrong. Of course, this is an impossible prediction to make. And as life and traveling would have it, our bus was 40 minutes late... Once we were finally on the bus, we transferred to another bus and arrived at the airport at 4:30. As our streak of luck would have it, there was no one at the stand for Skyline so instead we went straight to the gate only to be bombarded by a long line for the security check. We stressed the need to go through the line and everyone pointed to the front, but when we ran up, a woman in one of the blue official uniforms yelled "la fella" to us meaning "the line". Thankfully a logical security man let us through and we made it as everyone was boarding. 
San Pedro de Atacama is a truly mesmerizing place and I would recommend for anyone who gets a chance to go. We didn't have enough time to do Uyuni which is in Bolivia and is also a very beautiful and famous trip to do, but it requires overnight stay. Remember that when booking tours, most agencies do not include the price of entrances which can range from 3,000 to 17,000 (Laguna Cejar) Chilean pesos. If you have enough friends and can afford to- renting a car and visiting the places yourselves is an excellent way to save money! Florent and I looked around for this option, but the prices were high for just us two.
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