We originally planned to travel from Peru, through Bolivia, and into southern Chile. But then the civil unrest occurring in South America at the end of 2019 made us rethink our itinerary.
Right before we arrived in Bolivia, shit hit the fan. The president fled to Mexico. There were a ton of protests and riots that turned violent. The people of Bolivia were fighting back against corruption, but the damage was wide-spread and frightening. Travel to and from La Paz was significantly hindered and we were completely unsure how (or if) we would be able to get around. So, instead we decided to explore more of Chile, and quickly honed in on the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile.
Here is our itinerary for the perfect 5 days in the Atacama:
Day 1:
Land in Calama, rent car, drive to San Pedro de Atacama
Find lodging, stock up on groceries
Day 2:
Road trip to Laguna Misconti
Day 3:
Road trip through Cordilla de La Sal
Day 4:
Sunrise on road to Laguna Cejar, swim at Laguna Cejar
Road trip through Valley de La Luna
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Day 1: The Arrival
We flew from Cusco to Calama on LATAM, and rented a car from the airport with Avis. Even though we had scheduled this rental car in advance, the pick up process was extremely long, confusing, and expensive.
- The prices are significantly higher for automatic vehicles
- The smaller sedans are much cheaper than the larger all wheel drive vehicles, so we went with the former even though an SUV would have been helpful in navigating the desert. If you have it in your budget to splurge for an SUV or truck, it might be worth it!
- Be aware that there may be huge fees for purchasing car insurance which was not part of the original quoted price but is highly recommended!
We then drove from Calama to San Pedro de Atacama (~1.5 hours) and found our Airbnb. We went with an Airbnb instead of a hostel so we could have our own home base from which to explore. There are also hostels available, but we really appreciated the additional flexibility of having our own place and car while staying here.
There is a downtown area of San Pedro de Atacama with many bodega-type of grocery stores that offer a surprising amount of variety in grocery options. Here you can also find cafes with WiFi, bars, restaurants, stores, and tour companies to help you explore the area if you don’t have your own vehicle.
By the time we got settled it was already early evening, so we enjoyed a night of relaxing in our Airbnb’s outdoor kitchen with gin and tonics as we planned out the next day!
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Day 2: Road Tripping to Laguna Misconti
This was our first real day of exploration, and we took advantage of it! We had picked up groceries downtown the day before and made lunch to take with us on the road.
We decided to drive to Laguna Misconti, heading south through Los Flamencos National Reserve and a few small towns. After about an hour and a half drive, we reached Lagunas Misconti and Miniques. There was an entrance fee of 3,000 pesos each (~$3.60 USD). Then, we were able to drive around and explore the lakes.
Both lakes featured vicuñas and flamingos, which were so cool to see out in nature with us! Laguna Misconti has a long path alongside that allows you to get much closer to the water and the animals that we enjoyed. We then parked the car next to the path and enjoyed a nice picnic while we took in the views. As always, we saved a ton by cooking for ourselves. Don’t forget to pack extra water – you never know what’s going to happen while you’re exploring the desert!
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Day 3: Road Tripping through Cordilla de La Sal
The next day we once again packed up a picnic lunch and a ton of water for the day’s adventures. We tried to drive to Laguna Baltinache north of town, but had to turn around about half way there because the road got really rough and we were worried we would damage our rental car. Determined not to let this throw off our day, we instead drove through the Cordilla de la Sal. These giant salt deposits were super beautiful against the surrounding desert! We enjoyed the views and stopped several times to get out and take it all in.
We then drove over to the Valley of the Luna for a sunset drive through the Park. Unfortunately this park closes at 5 PM, so we instead purchased tickets to come back the next day! Then we enjoyed a leisurely sunset drive around San Pedro de Atacama. The sunsets here are stunning, and should definitely be a priority for any visitors.
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Day 4: Road Tripping to Laguna Cejar & Valley de La Luna
We were eager to see a desert sunrise over the surrounding mountains. We woke up while it was still dark and made coffee and breakfast sandwiches to take with us, then hit the road. We drove down the road to Laguna Cejar, stopping before the park entrance to avoid paying an entrance fee. We turned facing Cerro Toco, poured our coffee, and waited. The surrounding mountains are so tall that we didn’t actually see the sun rise above the horizon until after 7. But the views of the stars and eventual sunrise was so worth it.
Later that morning, we continued our drive all the way to Laguna Cejar, which also includes Laguna Piedra and Laguna Baltinache (with a road we could actually traverse). Entrance to the park was 10,000 pesos each (~$12 USD), which was the most expensive park we visited but so worth the extra expense. The 3 lagunas here are salt lakes so you can float around weightlessly (think miniature dead sea) and enjoy the desert views. They also have onsite showers so you can rinse off the salt after swimming.
Keep in mind that swimming is currently only allowed in Laguna Cejar, and be mindful of lotions and sunscreen that may leak into the water and impact the environment!
Afterwards, we drove out to Valley de la Luna. Entrance here was 3,000 pesos each (~$3.60 USD). The park is gorgeous and it felt like we were driving on the moon! Plus there are a bunch of look out areas and places you can do short walks to soak in the nature even more.
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Day 5: Hiking Cerro Toco
On our final day here, we decided to take on the legendary Cerro Toco. Cerro Toco is a giant volcano on the outskirts of the Atacama towards the Bolivian border. At this point in our travels we had done a solid amount of trekking and day hikes. We are active people and felt like we were up for the challenge. At the same time, though, this was the highest elevation we had ever attempted. Cerro Toco stands at a whopping 5,600 meters (~18,400 feet for our American friends). Even the parking lot where you start the hike is around 16,000 feet in elevation.
As soon as we got out of the car we felt the elevation. And we didn’t stop feeling it the whole way. We stopped very frequently to check in with each other and hydrate. More than once we stopped and debated whether we should keep going. We have never felt elevation like this before. Every step took effort, and we often debated with each other and ourselves on whether we could safely continue. But we made it to the top and it was incredible. We can still hardly believe the effort that hike took, or how gorgeous the views are from the top.
Please remember that this is an extremely challenging hike, and visitors should take care to make sure they are properly acclimatized to the altitude and extreme desert climate before attempting this!
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On Day 6, we returned to Calama, dropped off the car, and flew to Puerto Montt to continue our adventures. More to come on that latter!
We had an amazing time exploring this area, and hope this helps those trying to get out there to the Atacama!
Happy Traveling, friends!
Summer & Jackson
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