Chile - Part 3 — Matt Wilenchik

Atacama Desert

The Atacama Desert was our third destination for our trip to Chile. As we started to plan the trip my dad pitched it as a spot. I wasn’t very familiar with the area, but he expressed having had a desire to visit for many years. What was I supposed to say? No? I am always keen to visit a new place.

The Atacama Desert is in the north of Chile close to the border of Bolivia and Argentina. It is high desert surrounded by big mountains, including some powerful looking volcanoes. The landscape is scattered with lagoons, hot springs, flamingos, and guanacos.

When I say it is high desert, I mean it. San Pedro De Atacama, the main town in a vast sea of dust and dirt, is located at an elevation of 8000’. Many of the attractions are well over 10,000’ including the geysers at 14,000’ and a volcano that is over 22,000’!

It is a wild and unique landscape unlike anything I had previously experienced, and it was well worth the visit.

Getting there

The main hub for the area is San Pedro de Atacama. Like an oasis in a cartoon, it seems to pop up in the distance toying with your mind. It is a bustling little town with many pedestrians only roads in the heart of town that truly comes to life when the sun comes down.

Flight

There is no airport in San Pedro de Atacama. The closest airport was Calama which was a roughly 1.5-hour drive away.

We took the first flight of the day from Santiago to Calama. (There are a lot of other options but it was the quickest, but not the easiest, way for us coming from Puerto Natales) It was a quick two hour jaunt up. JetSmart, SKY, and Latam all service this airport as with most destinations in Chile.

The airport was far more built up than the one we visited in Puerto Natales having multiple jet bridges, along with several cafes and shops.

Car Rental

Yet again we rented from Avis as I am a member of their program. This time around it was an official Avis rental counter and it was at the airport meaning that we didn’t have to go anywhere.

The bummer here was that the counter was not yet open when we landed so we had to wait for a bit. When they say they open at 9a, they mean they arrive at 9a. The staff was friendly and helpful though did not speak much English. Thank goodness for google translate. The car was in good condition and had carPlay capabilities which is nice. Again all their vehicles are manual transmission only.

A couple of things to note

Once you get to San Pedro many of the roads are dirt and sometimes quite beat up. While the car company knows that you will be required to drive on dirt, there are a handful of destinations that they ban. This did not interfere with anything we had planned but it is worth being prepared for. There was a company renting some pretty heavy duty 4x4 jeeps that would be a great alternative. They might also make some of the journey a bit more enjoyable.
Puerto Natales options were quite limited, but Calama had quite a few rental car agencies available. So if you are not a dedicated member of Avis it might be worth exploring what is available.
If you go this route get your coffee before you exit the secure area because there is no coffee in the main hall of the airport.
The other car rental agencies were already open when we got there unlike Avis.

Airbnb

We ended up staying in arguably one of the most unique AirBnb’s I have ever stayed at.

We stayed with Pablo an older artist who truly embraced the desert living lifestyle. The unit that we stayed in was effectively a mud hut that his mom had designed, and he built. It was rustic but had everything we needed including a beautiful view of the volcano. It did not have AC and was particularly hot if you wanted a mid-day snooze. Even at night it was a bit hotter than my liking, but it was totally comfy.

The kitchen was an outdoor kitchen that was shared with his home. Luckily, we didn’t do much cooking besides coffee otherwise I don’t know that I would have felt super comfortable. That said, Pablo was super gracious. He offered us food and suggestions for activities and restaurants. He was very welcoming and took the AirBnb’s overall experience from an 8 to a 10.

His property was on the outskirts of town and given the heat we never walked to town from there. It was nice to be slightly outside the hustle and bustle. We were close to the main highway allowing for quick access to many activities and one of the only gas stations.

Since most of “downtown” is pedestrian only, be sure you have parking available so you don’t have to park outside and walk in as it could get tiring.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/31531374?source_impression_id=p3_1711320782_xK2N6Uyo3MugKMLf

San Pedro de Atacama

Food

The magical garden dining at Franchuteria

The coffee was not mind blowing but it did the trick

A (huge) delicious sandwich at Franchuteria. Perfect to share or have half there and half later

Franchuteria – This was a recommendation from Pablo and one of his buddies and it turned out to be one of our favorite spots. Franchuteria is a bakery and café. They sell delicious breads and pastries. Their coffee is nothing fancy but enjoyable, nonetheless. The café is all stuff from the bakery elevated. You can order the breads with various spreads. The real winner for us were the sandwiches. There was a prosciutto, pesto, parm, and arugula sandwich on a baguette that was delicious. They are perfect for day excursions. The sandwiches were huge and could easily be split or have half now, half later.
The backyard style patio for eating was a magical forest of weird looking desert trees that created a magical ambiance. Best of all it is located on the outer part of town so parking is a piece of cake.
It is worth noting that despite what google says they open at 5a. However, this is only for baked goods. If you want to grab a baguette or croissant for your excursion, it is worth a stop, but remember to bring your own coffee.
Food - 4.5/5 * Drinks 3.5/5 * Staff 4/5 * Vibe 4.5/5 - Overall 4.25/5
Gustavo Le Paige 527, San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile * +56966601122 * https://www.instagram.com/lafranchuteria/?hl=ja
La Picada Del Indio – We found this from a blog and was our first meal when we rolled into San Pedro. They had a nice patio out back of the restaurant with lots of shade. They had a nice set menu available for lunch for a reasonable price, sadly they were already out of the main dish that we wanted. I ended up with a chicken and potato dish that was good but quite plain and uninteresting.
Food - 3.5/5 * Drinks 3.5/5 * Staff 3.5/5 * Vibe 4/5 - Overall 3.5/5
Tocopilla 418, 1410000 San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile * +56956414532
Adobe – Probably our best meal in San Pedro. Similar vibe to La Picada we sat in the covered back patio. The food was very tasty. We shared a (huge) salad which felt nice as we were both craving some greens. I had a beef stew of sorts that had a kick to it with a side of delicious potato wedges. Luckily, we escaped just as the music started as it was a bit much.
Food - 4.25/5 * Drinks 4/5 * Staff 4/5 * Vibe 4/5 - Overall 4/5
Caracoles 211, Antofagasta, San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile * +56947732897 * http://www.cafeadobe.cl/
Heladeria Babalu – The days get very hot. Between activities on one of the days we needed an afternoon pick me up and we visited this tasty little ice cream shop. Simple, tasty, and worth it.
Food - 4/5 * Drinks n/a * Staff 4/5 * Vibe 3/5 - Overall 4/5
Caracoles 140, 1410000 San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile * +56999432271

Sights

Geysers del Tatio - Without a doubt this is probably the most visited attraction for visitors to the region. It is the third largest geyser field in the world, and largest in the southern hemisphere. This geyser field also happens to be at over 14,000’ elevation!
I think the elevation was probably the most daunting part of this for me as I had never been up that high. It was absolutely worth it, and no problem for me. They do have staff on sight monitoring people at all times. Any signs of struggle and someone approaches to check on you.
It is a long, at times very bumpy, two hour drive that takes you up into the mountains. We left a little after 5am from our Airbnb in the pitch black quickly leaving town and angling up into the sky. You are not alone though as most tours go first thing in the morning. The first half of the drive is generally paved and progressively gets worse the closer you get to the geysers. We stopped after about an hour to sit and catch our breath, drink some coffee, and check out the amazing night sky.
The geyser fields themselves are amazing. Watching the sun come up over the mountains lighting up the steam was mesmerizing. There are geysers of all shapes and sizes. Some barely bubbling above the surface, other just letting out big bursts of steam, and others spewing hot water to progressively higher heights. We spent close to two hours at the geyser field and that was more than enough. Bring any food, water, or coffee you want as there is nothing up there or along the way.
Attraction 4.5/5 - Facilities 3/5 - Staff 4/5 - Overall 4/5
Est time needed 6 hours (incl. 4 hours driving)
B-245, Antofagasta, Calama, Antofagasta, Chile * +56952154756
Puritama Hot springs – This is easily in my top 5 hot springs that I have been to in the world. It is not up there in terms of heat as the hottest pool is barely body temp, but it was perfect considering the heat of the desert.
Reservations are required to enter. The best deal is the sunset special. It starts in the evening around 5p if I remember correctly and gets about two hours to roam the different pools.
It is roughly 30-45 minutes driving from town (up the same road to the geysers) and mostly paved. From the parking area it is a hike down into the canyon where the hot pools are located. It is a river flowing the top pool being the hottest and getting progressively cooler as you go down. There are waterfalls, and pools hidden in the weeds. It is magical.
There are restrooms and picnic facilities in the canyon if you want to spend some time down there. It is about a 15-minute hike back up to the car at roughly 11,000’ elevation.
Attraction 4.5/5 - Facilities 4.5/5 - Staff 4/5 - Overall 4.5/5
Est time needed 2 hours (incl. 1 hours driving)
Ruta, Guatin, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile * +56991244232 * https://termasdepuritama.cl/
Valley de la Luna – One of the wildest landscapes I have seen. It is very surreal and something out of Star Wars. The roads in the park are all dirt and a mellow drive. Once out of the car there are several walks to do. They were slightly underwhelming for us, only made worse by the midday heat. For a few extra dollars you can get entry to the sunset viewpoint. This was very worthwhile. The view is stunning and one of the best sunsets I have seen in a long time, over a crazy landscape. Get there early because it gets crowded quick. There are some alternative viewpoints nearby that are free for sunset.
Attraction 3.5/5 - Facilities 3/5 - Staff 3.5/5 - Overall 3.5/5
Est time needed 2 hours
https://maps.app.goo.gl/dTVsxiwqaX47BR7v7
Laguna Cejar – The saltwater lagoon similar to the dead sea. We had one failed attempt to visit and thought oh well, but then found ourselves with a bit of extra time on the last day and cruised out there. So cool!
It is roughly 30 minutes driving from town (there are two ways to go, and one stays on the highway longer and is much more enjoyable). The morning is open to the general public and the afternoon it is open only to tours so be mindful and plan accordingly. Also, you have to book a slot and the times start on the hour. The entry fee gets you access to 3 different lagoons. The first one is a crazy color, but you can only observe it from quite a distance. The last one has flamingos and we skipped it because we had already seen plenty of the pinky animal and we were on a time crunch.
The second lagoon is Laguna Cejar. It is the only one in the area that you can actually swim in. They allow you to stay for 30 minutes which is more than enough. It is such a cool experience. The water is so salty that you float with zero effort! The water is very cold, so it is super refreshing.
They have showers and changing rooms available at the car park.
Attraction 4.5/5 - Facilities 4/5 - Staff 4/5 - Overall 4.5/5
Est time needed 2 hours (incl. 1 hours driving)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/UupE6jo1m63tAHqh7 * https://ticket.lagunascejarypiedra.com/
Ojos del Salar – This spot is another lagoon. Really it is two deep holes in the middle of the desert with water in them. They are a bit creepy because it is hard to tell how deep they go.
However, the reason we went is because we had read that you can swim in one of the two and unfortunately you can no longer swim in Ojos del Salar. So ultimately it is an underwhelming pit of water.
Attraction 2.5/5 - Facilities 2/5 - Staff 3/5 - Overall 2.5/5
Est time needed 1.5 hours (incl. 1 hours driving)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/NkPGdw343k5Xr16h9
Laguna Tebinquinche – this lake is included in the entry to Ojos del Salar. It is more of a salt flat than a lagoon. This spot is slightly more interesting than Ojos del Salar, but not by a whole lot. It is striking to see the piles of salt build up. Similar to Valle de la Luna, we were there midday and the heat was brutal.
Attraction 3/5 - Facilities 3/5 - Staff 3/5 - Overall 3/5
Est time needed 1.5 hours (incl. 1 hours driving)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Uwf91t88Mf6H4hth6
Laguna Flamingos – On the drive down from the geysers is the flamingo lagoon. Directly off the road there is a lagoon with the exotic pink bird hanging out. It feels very out of place. It is certainly a cool site and a worthwhile stop on the way down the mountain. I would not go out of my way to visit this spot.
Attraction 3.5/5 - Facilities n/a - Staff n/a - Overall 3.5/5
Est time needed 0.5 hours (on the drive back from geysers)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/pkJsFr1gotpV5r5R8

Others to visit

We got a couple of other recommendations while we were in San Pedro but sadly did not have the time to visit everything.

Piedras Rojas – A high desert lagoon with beautiful red rocks. Sounds like there are a number of beautiful spots up there and far less frequented by tourists.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/APYR1uvw6HngXApn7
Laguna Chaxa – Another popular spot to watch flamingos
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Nq7SVX7iu5iucgwd6

The tours

It is not necessary to rent your own car and drive everywhere. There are plenty of tours that make the rounds and take you to all of the popular spots. While it is not what I would want to do there is something to be said for it.

Number 1 you don’t have to drive. Two hours each way up the windy, bumpy road to the geyser is exhausting. Being able to kick back and watch the scenery sounds pretty good.

Number 2 they feed you. After the geysers all of the tour vans would pull off the dirt road and set up to cook breakfast. We were well stocked but that sounds pretty nice.

Number 3 they get Laguna Cejar at the hot part of the day. We always wanted to jump in a cool body of water in the afternoon and the tours have a lock on that. Its bullshit, but another plus for the tours.

The make the whole experience very convenient but honestly if you are prepared and a seasoned traveler they don’t offer anything that you can’t get on your own. At your own pace I might add.

Summary

This is not your regular tropical beach destination that most people pick for their vacation, but it is unlike anywhere I’ve been before, and I really enjoyed it.

The landscapes of the desert are unique and stunning. The vibe of the town is alive but tranquil. The salt of Laguna Cejar and the minerals at Puritama are nourishing for the body. The night sky is stunning.

I would highly recommend going to the Atacama Desert if you get the chance. Personally, I would love to go back with more time and take loads more photos.

This spot really opened my mind to how diverse of a country Chile is in terms of landscape, and we didn’t even make it to the coast. I think it would be so cool to drive a car from one end of the country to the other to experience the wide ranging landscapes and the warm and welcoming Chilean people. Until next time.

Scroll through some of my favorite photos from the desert below…