This is about my trip travelling to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile from Santiago on a road trip up the country.
Getting To San Pedro de Atacama
I started the journey in neighbouring Argentina where I crossed from Mendoza to Santiago.
It was a relaxed crossing up in the mountains before descending on the chaos of a big modern city, Santiago.
Part of the crossing on the road from Mendoza to Santiago.
After only 2 days exploring the best of the things to do in Santiago, I headed north to the relaxed city of Valparaiso, which is famed for it’s laid back vibe, street art, cafes and bars.
It didn’t disappoint and having spent time checking out the street art and wandering around the streets it was time to start heading north to the final destination of San Pedro de Atacama, which was one of the main things to see in Chile.
Valparaiso, Chile.
En-route I stopped at an observatory to do some stargazing.
Chile has some of the best places to see stars on the planet so it couldn’t be missed!
Star watching in Chile.
San Pedro de Atacama
Finally arriving it was time to properly relax and take it easy.
Up ahead was days of chilling out and exploring the best things to do in San Pedro de Atacama.
The Desert
The San Pedro de Atacama desert is one of the main places to get into when there.
Plenty of hotels and guest houses arrange day tours there which can possibly include doing some sandboarding in San Pedro de Atacama.
Being in the desert is very peaceful and as well as the sand dunes there are a lot of rock formations to check out.
San Pedro de Atacama Desert.
Exploring the rock formations in the area.
Sunset in the desert.
The Salt Flats – Salar de Atacama
The San Pedro de Atacama salt flats (known as Salar de Atacama) is what the area is most famous for.
They are the largest salt flats in Chile and are around 50km south of the main area that you stay in.
In that case, the best and realistic way to see them is to go on an organised tour.
You will see the vast expanse of the salt flats and can take a dip and float in the water in some parts. As there is so much salt you can’t sink!
The salt flats.
Sunset on the salt flats.
Bathing in the highly salt concentrated water in the San Pedro De Atacama salt flats.
Relax in San Pedro De Atacama
San Pedro De Atacama is a popular stop, and a must-visit stop for that matter, in Chile and on any trip from Chile into Peru.
Chilling in a hammock at a homestay in San Pedro De Atacama.
There are plenty of other things to do in San Pedro de Atacama apart from the salt flats and desert area so check out some tours and activities in the region.
Travel To Chile
Where to stay in San Pedro De Atacama: FIND PLACES TO STAY HERE
For more reading on San Pedro De Atacama and Chile pick up the Lonely Planet Chile guide to help plan your trip more.
I recommend using SafetyWing Travel Insurance for your trip, just in case, it’s best to be prepared.
If you liked this article a share would be cool!
