Top Tours and Adventures in the Atacama Desert

Chaxa Lagoon

After landing in the Calama airport we drove 1 hour to reach our hotel in the city of San Pedro de Atacama. Arriving just before 3:30, we barely made the 4:00 tour for the Laguna Chaxa (Chaxa Lagoon). The tour starts off with a visit to the traditional village of Toconao. Here, I made my one and only purchase (besides food) in Chile: a miniature fluffy llama. Not only am I supporting the local people with my purchase, but I also have a soft and fluffy llama to rub and personify.

Then we headed to Chaxa Lagoon, ready to go with sunscreen and sunglasses. I wouldn’t bother with a hat unless it has straps to wrap around your chin — it’s incredibly windy out there. The salt crystals intensify the heat, sun bounces off them and onto your skin, so sunscreen is a must.

The lagoon is part of the Los Flamencos National Reserve. At any point throughout the year, there are three different types of flamingos that visit the lagoons: Andean, Chilean, and the James. The flamingos that visit here feed on tiny micro-invertebrates (basically sea monkeys) that live in the salt flats. The reason flamingos are pink are because of this food.

Tour

Not Recommended

Time

1hr drive from San Pedro

Tip

Bring a long lens if you’re a photographer, the flamingos don’t always get so close to shore. We didn’t capture magic hour, but the photos still turned out alright. I recommend going for sunrise or sunset to get some more magical colors.

Mountain Bike Devil’s Throat

With lots of ups and downs, the path through Devil’s Throat Valley in the Atacama Desert is suitable for the experienced and inexperienced mountain biker. We’re both experienced road bikers and thought the trail was a fun challenge. Around each turn you may choose to take a steeper route or the flatter one. In some spots the rocks are so close to your head you’ll need to be short like us, or slow down and make your way through.

Ice Age quartzite crystals are sprinkled in the twists and turns of this Mars-like landscape. It’s really a site to see. The geographic formations and colors we thought were comparable to Bryce Canyon in Utah.

Tour

Recommended

Time

3 hours round-trip leaving from San Pedro de Atacama

Tip

It’s a rocky road to get there, so if you forget your padded cycling pants your bum will be in a world of pain. Even with the pads, we had some light bum bruising!

The blues of the Cejar Lagoon outmatched the sky.

Cejar Lagoon

After a dusty bike ride from San Pedro de Atacama, we were ready to view the blue of the Cejar and surrounding lagoons. The Laguna Cejar is a sink hole lake in the Salar de Atacama, with a salt concentration from 50-228 parts per thousand. The high salt concentration allows you to obtain neutral buoyancy and float in it like the Dead Sea. Floating in the Laguna Cejar was a zen-like experience and not to be missed on your visit to Atacama. There are three lagoons in the Cejar area, only one is swimmable and the other two are there for viewing. You’ll find some flamingos in the lagoons, but they’re far off (unlike the Chaxa Lagoon where flamingos are often close to shore).

The blue colors of the lagoons are truly unbelievable. We aim to create travel photos true to reality, and these photos have no filters on them to make the water appear more blue.

Tour

Not Recommended

Time

2.5 hour round trip bike ride from San Pedro de Atacama

Tip

The water in the cejar lagoon is freezing, but the feeling of buoyancy is unforgettable. Run straight to the showers when you get out, the salt cakes on your skin fast.

Climb Láscar Volcano

The Láscar Volcano is the most active volcano of the Northern Chilean Andes. It last erupted unexpectedly in October 2014 If you want to push your body to its limit while you’re here in the Atacama, then you should climb the to its smokey crater. The volcano measures 18,000 ft (5,592 m) total in elevation, but you’ll drive up to 16,000 feet and climb from there.

Leaving at 5:00AM, it takes 2 hours to reach the base of the volcano. Along the way we saw donkeys, llamas, vicuñas along the way. One we reached the altiplanic lagoons that are at the base of the volcano, we stopped for breakfast and observed a massive flock of flamingos.

We slowly ascended, stopping to catch our breath and get our heart rate back to normal-ish. The view from the top is worth the incredibly energy it took to get there. IT IS EPIC. Lascar is flanked to the east by the older, but higher Volcán Aguas Calientes, so you’ll see that and the Andes mountains in their majestic beauty. The descent goes much quicker. I basically hopped, skipped, and jumped my way down. I was excited to have completed this insanely heard ascent (and to get back inside a warm truck).

Tour

Required

Time

4 hr drive round trip, 3-6 hr trek depending on your lungs (we made it in 3 hrs!)

Tips

• There are no baños on this mountain, so you’ll have to do your business behind a rock. The rock will shield you not only from the wind, but also the eyes of your your guide and boyfriend.
• We went in December, and still experienced a bit of cold wind. If you’re a delicate female flower like me, when it comes to cold temperatures I have zero tolerance. I pushed through it and eventually warmed up (albeit I did have a layer of Underarmour, North Face, and Patagonia on my core). Collin only wore a sweatshirt and a windbreaker, he runs warm.
• Wear a scarf of neck warmer that you can raise above your nose and breath through easily, so your face doesn’t blow off with the wind. I wore the Songbird Bandana from Free People, and it worked totally fine (and doubles as a cute hair accessory).
• On the way back, ask your guide if you can stop and photograph the llamas – they let me get within a few feet of them, and I got some amazing photos.