The Atacama Desert plays host to some of the most stunning landscapes anywhere in the world. If you are into scenery on an epic scale you won’t be disappointed. I based myself in San Pedro which was ideal for getting to all of the major attractions, and with planning you can easily do two sites in a day. San Pedro is also a lovely little town ideally set up for tourists with good facilities, places to eat and loads of great little shops. I stayed at the Hostal Katari which at 195,000 pesos (about $220) for 5 nights was very good value (lovely room, clean and friendly staff). I chose to self-drive which was fine, Chilean drivers being respectful and accommodating. This gave me the chance to get out early to the sites and avoid the crowds. It also gave me a chance to drive some of the most spectacular roads in the world. The route east to the Argentine border is utterly otherworldly and south through the Atacama salt flats and up into the mountains was magical (go see the Salar de Agunas Calientes and Laguna Miscanti whilst you’re there) Most sites are ticket only admission but with a bit of patience you can arrange this yourself online. The major sites are also staffed (who were very helpful and patient as I don’t speak Spanish), and have toilets. Prices are reasonable around the $10-$15 mark and very good value. The El Tatio geyser fields are well worth a visit as long as you can tolerate the atrocious roads! And the ruins at Pukara de Quitor about 5km out of town should not be missed. I’d also recommend a swim in the Laguna Cejar which is also home to flamingoes and Valle de la Luna is a must see. San Pedro also offers a huge array of organised tours on minibuses. These range from a couple of hours to full days out. If you don’t want to drive or want the benefit of the knowledgeable guide these are well worth it. I did the Valle de la Luna tour with Whipala which was excellent. A truly incredible place!

Wow. What a stunning place to visit. We did not know what to expect when we booked to stay at Atacama desert. The scenery was stunning. Allow at least 3 night stay to acclimatise to the altitude to go experience the geysers. It is well worth it.

The Atacama Desert is one of the world’s truly phenomenal natural wonders that stretches over 1,600 km providing stunning landscapes. It is among other things the driest non-polar desert, the only hot desert to receive less rainfall than polar deserts and the world’s largest fog desert. It is very arid, and sits between 2 mountain chains that include volcanoes, 4,000m high lakes and unique flora and fauna like the vicuna, llama, grey fox, alpaca, flamingo and more. There are gigantic rock forms, rainbow rocks, glistening lakes, salt flats, hot springs, geysers and still more. It has been shaped over a millennia by adverse weather and our own galaxy which has caused earthquakes. meteor showers and lava eruptions. Temperatures here are extreme from 2C to 35C, sometimes even on the same day between day and night. It is known for its starlit skies that are world renowned. It really is a remarkable place.