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Day 2:
We drove through the Toconao village on our the way to Laguana Chaxa which is a salt pan where you can see flamingoes (photos above). We aimed to arrive early to see the flamingoes, avoid the crowds and allow for other trips that day. We arrived by 8 am.
Starting the climb to 4300m on the road to the Altiplanico Lakes.
After the salt pans we continued on to to Lagunas Miscanti and Miniques (Altiplanico Lakes) and we drove via Paseo Sico to Piedras Rojas. It was a very long day with high altitude but the children did really well! We had lots of snacks and food in the car. We had supper at home.
Piedras Rojas on the way back from Altiplanico Lakes to San Pedro.
Day 3:
We decided we wanted to see the Tatio Geysers. There was a lot of should we-shouldn’t-we. They are very high and you do have to get up early. People who have seen Old Faithful don’t really rate these geysers. But their appeal is the high altitude and maybe that they are just going off every day without fail way out in the middle of nowhere. We decided we would go and see them.
View from the road in the light of day.
Make sure you bring light food to eat afterwards, really warm clothes and lots of water. You must leave really early to get there to see them at their peak. We left San Pedro by 4:45 a.m. Everyone says “follow the tour vans”and we were a bit nervous as it’s pitch dark. But, sure enough, you drive into town and you see a parade of red car lights weaving their way out of town. Make sure you follow at a good distance and don’t speed. You can’t see anything going up but coming down you will soon see you are often driving on the edge of a canyon. The park gate opens at 6 a.m. We were there by 6:15 am which was perfect timing.
After the Geysers we made a stop in Machuca Pueblo. We arrived about 8:30 a.m. which was wonderful as no one was there. One local lady said the village was particularly quiet as the locals had left to celebrate Dieciocho elsewhere. I would get there before 9 a.m. to beat the tour buses. Walk up the hill to the church, they were opening it up when we arrived and it was so still and quiet. We could soon smell the smoke from the llama brochettes that were cooking. I don’t know if it truly was llama (lots of debate about that!) but the meat was mouthwateringly delicious! You can also buy coffee, tea and pay-per-use toilets. I don’t look like I’m enjoying my meat-on-a-stick at 9 a.m. in the morning, but I am!
After the village you can drive to the Puritama Thermal Baths on way back to San Pedro. They are rather expensive, as the entry is $15,000 CLP per person, but they are worth it, especially if you plan to spend the better part of the day here. A cascading, multi-level pools of clear, natural hot baths await. In September we easily found pools to ourselves. We really enjoyed it — until our youngest looked a bit off and I scooped her out of the pool and towards the grasses just in time for her to vomit. Altitude sickness!
When you get to Puritama you park up top and, with young children, it is quite a hike down to the baths. No cars allowed. So plan your change of clothes/towels/lunch/water/hat/sunscreen packing accordingly. Maybe useful backpacks rather than cute straw baskets. At the baths you can access change rooms and toilets. There are no other amenities. There are lockers so bring a lock if you have one.
Very long day with very high altitude.
Puritama Thermal Baths (before altitude sickness hit).
Surprise view of more flamingoes on the way back to San Pedro.
Day 4:
We booked a food tour with Bite of Atacama from 9:30-2:30. This was the one tour we did. It is a walking, local food tour around the town of San Pedro. She adapted it for our children and she also offers a vegetarian option. We had a wonderful time learning about (and sampling!) different food and drinks. A very unique way to learn more about San Pedro and Chilean food. Tours in English, Spanish and German.
We went to Valle de la Luna at 4 p.m. for a few canyon walks and a scramble up to the dune for sunset. Our one regret is we didn’t go back for a full day as there are a lot of walks to do and a lot to see. If you have older children you can also sand board down the dunes, which would be fun.
Waiting for sunset in Valle de la Luna.
Day 5:
We drove out to Arco Iris/ Rainbow Valley. We arrived at 10 a.m. or so and stayed til after 1 p.m. We weren’t expecting to stay here for lunch, but we absolutely loved it. We saw one or two other cars of people and that was it. We pulled off and parked and had a picnic and explored and let the children just run. We did a lot of walking and exploring canyons. It’s very secluded. We felt very small in the canyon!
Rainbow Valley // Arco Iris all to ourselves.
On the way back we stopped in at the Laguna Cejar which is a salt pan lake you can float in like the Dead Sea. Arrive before 2 p.m. to avoid the crowds. Bring flip fops. There are change rooms but a very long wait when we got out as the crowds were starting to arrive. It was interesting and kind of weird. I am still not sure what I think about it!
Day 6:
We did some shopping at different markets in town, wandered around the cemetary and then over to the church where you can see the cactus ceiling. Then we headed back to the airport.
If you had extra time, I would add a tour of ALMA. We applied to have a tour, but we didn’t get in. I would also add Valle de la Muerte // Death Valley during the day. If I had to cut anything it would be Laguna Cejar.
What to pack:
Between my friend and I we also packed a variety of simple suppers (pesto pasta, spaghetti, fajita wraps and can of beans) along with simple food for lunches (block of cheese, salami sticks, nuts) and supplemented by shopping at the small shops in town for fresh bread, etc.
Where to eat:
We didn’t eat out much, just two nights plus the day of the flood tour. We did have supper at Cafe Barros and it was wonderful, I had very delicious lamb. We preferred the cafe to the Restaurant Barros. Friends like Adobe.
How to decide, guide or self-tour?
For the seven us with a Santiago-Calama return flight, Airbnb, 4×4 truck rental, fuel and no guided tours it worked out to $500 Canadian per person total for Monday-Saturday long trip. The only extra was food and the Bite of Atacama tour.
My in-laws went up to San Pedro in December and they booked with Chile Guru and really loved the experience. Our friends have also recommended denomades for a variation of full tour and self-tour. Another friend had great success taking the bus to San Pedro and booking ad hoc tours through the tourism centre in town. She said the bus drivers were excellent, checked seatbelts and handed out snacks and water. They thoroughly enjoyed their tours through the San Pedro tourism centre. Tours available in English and Spanish.
Combination tour:
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