Valle de Catarpe
Valle de Catarpe
5
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- stanislawy30 contributionsFun bike rideWe cycled this valley to the church and the devil's throat. Church is overrated, but the devil's throat is beautiful. This is the one and only sight in the area I would recommend by bike. Great fun to cycle through the devil's throat.Visited November 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 16 November 2023
- HERtravel27London, United Kingdom15 contributionsGreat beginners but adventures bike rideGreat little half day/day trip out of Atacama. Relatively flat ride although quite bumpy with loose sand, gravel and stones. Cost is $5,000 pesos which you pay at the beginning. Then there’s a cycle to the Devils throat where you can walk around the wonderful rock formations and walk ip to the the view point. It’s a tough walk but well worth it for the amazing views. Then continue cycling along to the Church at the end of the path. All in all including breaks and lunch it took us about 6 hours. Toilets only at the beginning. Really great little trip but definitely hard work. Make sure you take at least 2litres water on hot daysVisited November 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 28 November 2023
- nauj63South East England, United Kingdom994 contributionsLike Petra ?I’ve never visited Jordan, but I imagine that what I experienced today is similar to the route into Petra. Towering ‘walls’ of red rock, circuitous routing, intriguing navigation…the perfect setting for a rigorous test on the back of a bike. And at the end of the road, a challenging ascent at 2,550 metres to a viewpoint which inspired…for mile upon mile. It was satisfying to have a certain level of fitness confirmed and all the more so, given the effects of altitude.Visited December 2023Travelled soloWritten 16 December 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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maq44
Heerlen, The Netherlands57 contributions
Jan 2020
We got there by accident, having missed the road to another valley - but we were not disappointed. The Comunidad Indigena Atacamena de Catarpe runs access to the Valley and there is enough of interest to spend a good part of the day there. We had a picnic at the Capilla de San Isidro, a lovely spot to have a bite to eat. The Quebrada de Chulakao is impressive. It was nice and quiet, not the crowds you get at Valle de la Luna, a welcome change.
Written 3 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HERtravel27
London, UK15 contributions
Nov 2023 • Friends
Great little half day/day trip out of Atacama. Relatively flat ride although quite bumpy with loose sand, gravel and stones. Cost is $5,000 pesos which you pay at the beginning. Then there’s a cycle to the Devils throat where you can walk around the wonderful rock formations and walk ip to the the view point. It’s a tough walk but well worth it for the amazing views. Then continue cycling along to the Church at the end of the path. All in all including breaks and lunch it took us about 6 hours. Toilets only at the beginning. Really great little trip but definitely hard work. Make sure you take at least 2litres water on hot days
Written 28 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sibylleontour
Altdorf, Switzerland429 contributions
Oct 2023 • Solo
Beautiful gorge, the first hour of the hike is great. After that it gets quite long to the church, 2.5 hours including a detour up one of the hills (not at the official Mirador). Back to the starting point another 1 hour on the road (lucky, someone gave me a ride 🚙) Bike would be cool, but there are a few places where you have to push your bike.
Written 13 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
stanislawy
30 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
We cycled this valley to the church and the devil's throat. Church is overrated, but the devil's throat is beautiful. This is the one and only sight in the area I would recommend by bike. Great fun to cycle through the devil's throat.
Written 16 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NataliePatricia
San Francisco, CA650 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
This place is great for adventurous independent travelers who have cabin fever with the large tour buses.
Hire a bike from SPA (3000 CLP for half day) for an easy cycle out of town around 10km north of SPA. Be prepared for slightly bumpy dirt road with potholes and occasional slippery sand dunes. Fine for those comfortable on a bike and for beginner mountain bikers.
Cross a river (locals may assist wit safe place to cross) and follow signs to Catarpe where you will pay a park fee 3000 CLP. Before you commit ask about river and weather conditions as there are a few more river crossings which may get knee deep if yeh park rangers decide to open the “river door”.
Once you get past these you will enter the Devils throat (chulakao ravine) which is a fun twisted canyon with steep walks, low caves and interesting terrain and textures. There are a couple of spots you will need to carry your bike over boulders to continue but it’s worth the effort.
Hire a bike from SPA (3000 CLP for half day) for an easy cycle out of town around 10km north of SPA. Be prepared for slightly bumpy dirt road with potholes and occasional slippery sand dunes. Fine for those comfortable on a bike and for beginner mountain bikers.
Cross a river (locals may assist wit safe place to cross) and follow signs to Catarpe where you will pay a park fee 3000 CLP. Before you commit ask about river and weather conditions as there are a few more river crossings which may get knee deep if yeh park rangers decide to open the “river door”.
Once you get past these you will enter the Devils throat (chulakao ravine) which is a fun twisted canyon with steep walks, low caves and interesting terrain and textures. There are a couple of spots you will need to carry your bike over boulders to continue but it’s worth the effort.
Written 24 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karen B
Saint Paul, MN62 contributions
Aug 2019
If you like biking and outdoors I'd put this top on your list for Atacama. We only found out about it from a friend who had a private guide - the hotel and tourist office never mentioned this place to us. It was our favorite thing we did/saw in our 3 days at Atacama. We rented bikes in San Pedro and biked about 4 km to the park entrance. You pay a small fee and enter. You are biking on dirt/dust/a bit of rock roads but there is hardly any traffic. There were a few construction vehicles, a few other bikers and a few hikers but otherwise hardly anyone was there. We took our time, lots of photos etc., and left our bikes twice to walk to three places - and our whole round trip took us about 5 hours. You could definitely do it much much faster than that if you wanted. Once we parked our bikes to walk to the tunnel, it was about a 25 minute walk up to the tunnel entrance. Was neat to see. Our favorite part was the 'devils throat' section called Q... de C... something and that was where we got to bike around twists and turns between narrow openings in rocks that rose above us. A definite must! Bike rental in town was about $4.50 for 6 hours and that included a helmet, bike, pump, and bright yellow vest. Bring lots of water (you'll need it) and a snack.
Written 1 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PaddyKar
Brisbane, Australia114 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
We visited this place in a 4x4 just after the area had rain and had had quite a lot for this area in the past few weeks. The roads are dirt and quite pot holed. Now, we saw a few 2x2 in the area and they did ok but couldn’t go across some of the river’s fords we did as the waters had risen quite a bit. This was the only place in all the places we visited around SPA where I chose to use the low range, mainly in 2nd gear. And clearance is an issue.
The old church, the fort ruins, the canyon are worth the visit but we didn’t get to the tunnel.
The road to the area, including Pukará de Quitor, from SPA, is on the left as you enter SPA from Calama at the 1st stop (Pare) sign on Licancabur Road.
The old church, the fort ruins, the canyon are worth the visit but we didn’t get to the tunnel.
The road to the area, including Pukará de Quitor, from SPA, is on the left as you enter SPA from Calama at the 1st stop (Pare) sign on Licancabur Road.
Written 12 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gaspar Calderon
Santiago, Chile23 contributions
Aug 2018 • Solo
I arrived to the airport of Calama, then took an Uber from the airport to the city of Calama and then took the bus to San Pedro. You have to pay 3.000CLP aprox for the bus that will take 1:45 minutes. Once you arrive to the center of San Pedro, you can rent bikes for 10.000CLP aprox and have a nice lunch in the market next to the soccer field for 5.000CLP. After that you can ride your bike going to Pukará de Quitor, that is located in Valle de Catarpe, also you can visit the tunnel, that was build many years ago.
If you keep riding you will find the Capilla de San Isidro, a really old chapel.
I recommend to do this tour for the day, going at 12:00 pm until 18:00 pm, you should bring your sunscreen, glasses, a hat and a light jacket for the way back just in case.
Good luck in your trip to Valle de Catarpe! It will be fun.
If you keep riding you will find the Capilla de San Isidro, a really old chapel.
I recommend to do this tour for the day, going at 12:00 pm until 18:00 pm, you should bring your sunscreen, glasses, a hat and a light jacket for the way back just in case.
Good luck in your trip to Valle de Catarpe! It will be fun.
Written 3 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bonjour peut on payer l'entrée sur place directement ou faut il réserver ? merci
Written 18 August 2024
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