Ancestral Atacama Adventure

5-day Atacama Desert trip

Trip Length: 5 Days
Group Size: 1-10
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
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This Atacama Desert trip takes you through the past and present of the region, deep into the desert's heart. Perfect for adventurers and culture lovers!

We delve into the diverse world of geysers, valleys, and lagoons to learn about the worldview of the original Altiplano people and explore their culture through unique food tastings.

Ancestral Atacama Adventure: culture, nature, and gastronomy combined on an Atacama Desert trip.

Stars in the Atacama Desert (2)

 

Highlights

Highlights

  • Explore local agriculture.
  • Go on an astronomical tour.
  • Visit Miscanti and Miñiques Lagoons.
  • See the Tatio Geysers in action.
  • Discover the magical Moon Valley.

Itinerary

Day 1: Atacama Arrival and free afternoon.

Atacama Desert, Chile

We’ll arrive at Calama Airport and drive straight to San Pedro de Atacama, passing the impressive rock formations of the Cordillera de la Sal (Salt Mountains). The afternoon is free for you to explore the little town of San Pedro.

Arrival flight must be before 12:00 PM (midday).

Overnight at Hotel Kimal (3 stars) or similar, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

Meals: None.

san-pedro-de-atacama church

Day 2: Moon Valley at Dawn & Local Food Tasting.

Atacama Desert, Chile

We’ll be picked up at around 6 AM (exact time will vary depending on the season) to experience an unforgettable sunrise in front of the Andes mountains. We’ll then stop by a traditional ayllu, an ancient self-sustaining unit of land developed by the altiplano people. Here we will taste traditional food specialties from the region and learn about their history. Everything here is locally produced - right down to the cups and bowls - which allows us to better understand the culture. We then head back to the hotel for lunch at around 11 AM.

After lunch (not included) we’ll head out around 4 PM for an afternoon of cultural fun to learn about the local Atacameño culture, their beliefs, and their history.

Overnight at Hotel Kimal (3 stars) or similar, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

Meals: Breakfast and Appetizer.

Moonvalley-4

Day 3: Altiplanic lagoons, traditional agriculture, and astronomy.

Atacama Desert, Chile

We’ll head south to the high desert and visit Laguna Miscanti, home to wild vicuñas. Next, we stop in Socaire to explore ancient Atacameño weaving traditions, returning to the hotel around 5 PM. After sunset, we’ll travel to the best stargazing spot in the Atacama Desert, where we’ll experience why it’s known for having some of the clearest skies on Earth. We’ll marvel at the celestial beauty and learn about the ancient Andean cosmovision, a tradition of stargazing that predates the telescope.

Overnight at Hotel Kimal (3 stars) or similar, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch.

altiplanic lakes

Day 4: Tatio Geysers & local cultural experience.

Atacama Desert, Chile

This morning, we’ll journey into the Andean altiplano at sunrise, visiting the Machuca and Putana wetlands to explore vital ecosystems. Next, we’ll discover the small town of Machuca, known for its llama history. Around 9:30 AM, we’ll have breakfast at the famous Tatio Geysers, 4,320 meters above sea level, followed by a visit to ‘Geyser Blanco,’ where the adventurous can soak in the river.

By 2:30 PM, we’ll head northwest to walk through the charming town of Río Grande, explore the Rainbow Valley’s ancient rocks, and finish the day with sunset views from Death Valley.

Overnight at Hotel Kimal (3 stars) or similar, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

Meals: Breakfast.

tatio geysers_0

Day 5: Goodbye San Pedro.

Atacama Desert, Chile

After breakfast, we will drive to the Calama Airport to take our flight back to the capital... Adiós Atacama!

Departure flight must be after 5:00 PM.

Meals: Breakfast.

Birds Atacama Desert

Accommodation

Hotel Kimal 3*, standard room (nights 1-3).

Located in the the historical center and magic splendor of the archaeological capital, San Pedro de Atacama desert area in northern Chile,  Hotel Kimal invites you to enjoy its warm hospitality with the full range of services in a setting of traditional local architecture. Offering pool and outdoor hot-tub, bar and restaurant open all day, wellness therapies, different room capacities they have one of the very best location to roam around town, just a few steps from the emblematic Caracoles Street.

If this hotel is not available, a similar alternative will be offered.

Optional: Upgrade to a 4 star hotel.

Included

Included

  • 4 nights accommodation at a 3-star hotel.
  • Daily excursions as indicated in the itinerary.
  • All ground transport as indicated in the itinerary.
  • Entrance fees to national reserves and Indigenous communities visited.
  • English-speaking guide during excursions.

Not included

  • Flight tickets.
  • Insurance (it is mandatory you purchase appropriate insurance for this trip).Voluntary tipping to guides and staff.
  • Personal items.

Facts

Excursions are subject to availability and the opening of the indigenous communities to carry them out. If the activities described in the itinerary are not available, alternatives will be informed.

Departures

Regular Departures are available every day on request.

Flights

Flights in and out of Calama must be between 8AM and 8 PM. Transfers for flights outside these time frames must be booked in private, at an additional cost.

Starting / finishing point

This trip starts and ends at the Calama Airport.

Physical demands

This trip does not require physical activity other than walking normally over rather flat terrain. Nevertheless, as you will be touring in high altitudes (the highest point reached on the fourth day at Miñiques Lagoon is 4,300 meters / 14,108 feet), oxygen deprivation - altitude sickness - will affect everyone to some extent. Guides will have oxygen tanks every day at disposition if someone feels sick during the tour.

Group size & guiding staff

Minimum 2 passengers.

Maximum 10 passengers per group.

Transport

We use 4x4 vehicles that seat up to 4 people.

We use an H1 Hyundai van or a Sprinter for larger group sizes.

Weather

The Atacama region's weather follows a typical desert pattern of hot days and cold nights. The Atacama Desert is considered the driest place on earth, and rain is rare at any time of year!

  • Spring-Summer (October to March): Daytime temperatures usually range between 20°C - 24°C (68-77 F). Nighttime temperatures will most likely range from 5°C - 0°C (41 - 32 F)
  • Autumn-Winter (April to September): Daytime temperatures range from 15°C -20°C (59-68 F). Nighttime temperatures will most likely be -10°C - 0°C (14 - 32F)

What you need to bring

Once you book the trip, we will send you a pre-trip Information booklet with useful and detailed information about your trip with us.

Itinerary modifications

We reserve the right to change the order of the days in any itinerary at the trip guide's discretion and based on operational considerations. The trip guide can modify, change, or eliminate part of the itinerary based on safety/weather considerations.

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We are a Chilean owned adventure tour operator, based in Santiago de Chile, operating adventure tours in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. Our base prices are in Chilean Pesos (CLP), but we charge prices in USD based on the exchange rate valid on the day of payment.

Destinations | Chile

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