We finished off our travels through Chile and Argentina with a five-night stay at Tierra’s lodge in San Pedro de Atacama. With a permanent population of about 11,000, San Pedro acts as the primary base camp for exploring the surrounding landscape. Los Flamencos National Reserve covers roughly 740 square kilometers and includes several distinct sectors including Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley), several high-altitude lagoons, salt flats and more. San Pedro sits at nearly 2,400 meters (8,000 feet) above sea level and some of our excursions took us above 4,000 meters.

Los Flamencos National Reserve is home to all three flamingo species found in Chile, as well as vicuñas and foxes. Because the Atacama Desert is the oldest, driest non-polar desert on earth, vegetation is highly adapted to the conditions. We learned to recognize the Rica Rica, a highly aromatic herb endemic to the region. The plant is traditionally used to help with stomach and circulatory issues, but is increasingly featured in local gastronomy.

Getting There

We checked out of The Singular in Santiago before the dining room opened for breakfast. As with our first departure from The Singular a few weeks before, they packed us an excellent bagged breakfast, which we enjoyed after checking in and passing security for our 09:45 flight.

On the drive to the airport, we handed thank-you notes with enclosed tips to our Santiago driver and guide. Later in the trip, Claudio, our guide, shared that in all the years he’s been guiding, no one had ever written him a thank-you card!! We like to pack blank cards that we’ve had printed up with some of our other travel photos over the years. (Note to self – select a few photos from this trip to print as blank notecards.)

We found our friends, Keith and Ali, at our boarding gate. We met them our 23-day Antaractica, South Georgia and Falkand Islands/Malvinas expedition cruise back in 2023. This wasn’t a surprise. We expected to meet them there, since we discovered about a year before our trip that they’d be in Patagonia / Atacama at around the same time and we each tweaked our itineraries so we’d have a couple of days of overlap in San Pedro de Atacama. But we’d booked into different accommodations, so after landing, we didn’t see them again until the evening.

Departing Santiago

Arriving Calama

When we landed in Calama, I had just 10 minutes left on the audiobook version of “My Friends” by Fredrik Backman. It’s one of the two best standalone books I’ve read this year. The other is “Theo of Golden” by Alan Levi.

Tierra Atacama

After an hour and 15 minute van ride from Calama to San Pedro de Atacama, we arrived at our final lodge of the trip. Tierra Atacama is a sister property to Tierra Patagonia. It has recently been completely refurbished and ended up being our favorite accommodation of the entire trip.

Carol, the assistant manager, welcomed us and gave us a tour of the property and the traditional welcome drink – a vibrant purple, non-alcoholic infusion made from a mix of ayrampo seeds, rosemary, lemon juice and sugar. The ayrampo is a type of local cactus fruit that gives the drink its striking colour. We made one request of Carol: please check whether we could have our friends join us for supper that evening.

The lodge has 32 guest rooms and a Michelin score of 18.9/20. On site amenities include a pool, spa, bar, shop and extensive outdoor spaces including an astrophotography deck and a yoga area. Of course they also have a full slate of guided activities.

The big window from our room faced the two sibling volcano peaks: Volcan Licancabur and Volcan Juriques, pictured here at sunset that evening.

Planning our Days

After settling in, we met with head guide Francisco to plan our days with Tierra. Some were already locked-in, as we’d pre-arranged for a hot air balloon ride the following morning, as well as a day and half with Keith and Ali. But we penciled in plans to go explore the high altitude lagoons with a local photographer one day, some astrophotography one evening and a volcano hike another day.

By the time we finished up with the guiding desk, Carol came by to tell us that as long as we were seated right when the dining room opened for supper service at 18:00, it’d be okay for our friends to join us.

The food and company were excellent. We even ordered a side of fries to share, a sly nod to our shared habit of ordering them with every dinner on our Antarctica cruise. Not only did we rehash memories from our Antarctica and Svalbard expedition cruises, we compared notes about our respective adventures in Patagonia. We again invited them to join us for the hot air balloon ride, but they remained unconvinced it was something they’d enjoy!

Hot Air Balloon Ride

It was still black when our driver picked us up at 0530 to take us out into the desert for our sunrise hot air balloon ride. While we enjoyed our first breakfast of the day, a 3-person support crew and pilot Jowi handled the logistics of getting the balloon ready for flight.

As the balloon inflated we spotted the words “Opel Willy Nazareth-Wetteren.” I didn’t think to ask at the time, but I’ve since learned this refers to a well-known automotive dealer group in Belgium. As best I’ve been able to discover, it’s one of three balloons purchased to serve as flying billboards in Europe. The particular balloon we flew in served as a dealership advertisement for almost two decades before being transferred to the French registry of hot air balloons. How it ended up in the Atacama desert is something we didn’t think to ask.

We learned the balloon we floated in was medium-sized (650 kg) and could hold up to 10 people. Our flight had only the three of us, so we had plenty of room to move around and take photographs.

Jowi also explained that the balloon, registered in France, undergoes recertification after every 100 hours of flight time. Our peak altitude was about 1900 meters. The hot air blowers consumed 170 liters of propane over our one hours flight.

From the Air

Sunrise was quite muted, but the views were spectacular – ancient farming villages around natural oases, Moon Valley, a river with red-brown water flowing and lots of shrubs including Rica Rica.

We braced for landing, which is not an especially controlled experience. The pilot can do a great job judging the descent, but a gust of wind or uneven ground can make for a rough touchdown. We had only one bump before the basket settled, but it was a dusty experience!

After climbing out of the basket we enjoyed our second breakfast of the day while the crew deflated and packed up the balloon. From there, it was about a 20 minute drive back to San Pedro, where we had our third breakfast of the day!

After a swim and some relaxation time, we ate lunch and then it was time to head out.

(Aborted) Rainbow Valley Excursion

A third-party driver picked us up and then circled around to pick up our friends, Keith and Ali. From their hotel, we headed northwest from San Pedro, towards Rainbow Valley, 90 km away.

Rainbow Valley (Valle del Arcoíris) is a ravine that empties into the Salado River. The valley walls feature a rainbow of colours:

• The bottom layer is iron-rich red ochre clay deposited by volcanic eruptions;
• On top are layers of rock salt, gypsum and calcite deposited by the Atacama salt flat;
• In between are rock formations formed from cooled magma containing iron and magnesium, that oxidized green;
• Other minerals (cobalt, lamprophyre) are behind unusual colours like yellow, blue, pink and purple.

All-in-all, it sounded to me like it’d be similar to Artist’s Palette in Death Valley National Park. Unfortunately, we never got the chance to confirm that guess. About a half hour along the road, we learned what rainy season is like in the Atacama Desert. It absolutely poured! And there was lightning and thunder all around us. The only way to try to record it for posterity was to shoot video. Mr GeoK extracted a few stills from the video clips, which give a general idea of what it was like.

In the interest of safety, we unanimously voted to turn around. Well, except for our guide, who was afraid of getting reprimanded or that he’d not be paid for the excursion. We assured him we’d confirm with the tour company that it was our choice to abort and tipped him well. Then it was time for refreshing drinks at Keith and Ali’s hotel.

El Tatio Geysers, Mirador de Machuca, Cactus Walk

Our full-day excursion in the company of Keith and Ali began at 06:15 the next morning. Our driver/guide, Jorgé, really hyped the possibility of catching a rainbow geyser eruption, only possible when the sun comes over the shoulder of the mountain east of the geyser field. So we didn’t stop anywhere along the way to photograph the beautiful sunrise colours. Too bad, because there was no rainbow geyser eruption the day of our visit. 🙁

El Tatio Geyers

El Tatio is the third largest geyser field in the world (after Yellowstone National Park and the Valley of Geysers (Russia)). But it’s the largest in the southern hemisphere and the highest in the world at 4320 meters. The water from the El Tatio field eventually forms the Rio Salado and is a major reason the river has very high arsenic levels.

Vent types and deposits found at El Tatio include hot springs (often containing ball-like rocks called oncoids), sheet flow over terraces, geysers and fountains, and mud pools. Steam vents are particularly noticeable in the morning, emitting carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide plus other components.

When we arrived, the parking lot was full. We spent quite a while here.

Aside from the obvious (geysers and hot springs), highlights included spotting a viscacha. Mountain viscachas live high in the Andes and resemble long-tailed rabbits. But they are close relatives of chinchilla.

Geothermal Potential

The most depressing part of the visit was learning how attempts to harness the geothermal resource at El Tatio basically ruined the hydrodynamics (that may not be the proper term for it) so that the geysers are now much less impressive than they once were.

In the 20th century, a few different efforts were made to try to harness geothermal power from the El Tatio field. Unfortunately, geothermal well drilling activity in the 1970s substantially altered the behavior of the field. Our guide told us that many geysers have disappeared or become significantly less impressive.

Despite the unintended consequences for the geysers, a 2005 dispute over natural gas supplies between Argentina and Chile renewed interest in the geothermal potential of the area. After an environmental impact review, the Chilean government gave the green light to a project here. Then, in September 2008, an older well that was being reused as part of the project blew out, creating a 60-metre high steam fountain that wasn’t plugged until almost a month later. After public demonstrations and amplified local pushback, the project was suspended. After several legal cases and with the passage of time, it seems that value of the tourism at the geyser field outweighs its geothermal potential.

Breakfast, Vicuñas and Birds

By the time we left El Tatio Geysers, the parking lot was almost empty. So were our stomachs, so we appreciated Jorgé’s announcement that our next stop would be for breakfast! After a short drive along the secondary highway, he turned right and drove down a cut through a valley wall to a very windy spot that looked across a valley-bottom wetland. Simply labeled Prainha (beach) on Google Maps, this spot was home to a herd of vicuñas and to a wide variety of birds including: giant coots, lesser yellowlegs, white-winged cinclodes, Andean crested ducks, puna ground-tyrants, Andean gulls and Andean yellow-billed teals.

Breakfast was excellent, with freshly-brewed coffee, an assortment of cold dishes and hot, freshly-made toast!

We took a short walk after breakfast, to get a closer look a the vicuñas. They are distantly-related to llamas, guanacos and the wild ancestors of domesticated alpacas. Golden-brown vicuña fleece is the most luxurious and warmest natural fiber in the world. Consequently, it’s very valuable. In the early 1960s, vicuñas were driven to near-extinction by poachers who killed the animals for their fur. As a result, indigenous Andean communities in some countries have been granted the legal right to round up wild herds and shear them alive. Unfortunately, vicuñas are highly sensitive to stress and disease, so cannot be successfully farmed. The long-term plight of vicuñas is still in question.

Feeling the Altitude

Between walking around at the geysers and clambering up and around some huge boulders to get a better view of the vicuñas, we concluded that we were more affected by the altitude than we expected. So once we returned to the lodge, we’d visit the guide room to cancel our plan to hike up a volcano.

Just two minutes down the road from our breakfast spot, Jorgé stopped to let us enjoy an elevated view of the wetland, plus a view across towards the Andes mountains and Putana Volcano.

Snack Shack

Jorgé noticed how much we were enjoying the landscape, so he laid on a few more stops that he said he usually doesn’t make. One was at an old snack shop, now falling to pieces. Just upslope, we had an unobstructed view north, where we could see the spring-fed oasis where we stopped for breakfast and towards El Tatio just beyond.

Vado Río Putana

Our stop at the Putana River Ford included an expansive view of many volcanoes and a telephoto-friendly line of sight to some old mining ruins. Housing structures, foundations and abandoned piles are all that remain from the once busy mine that extracted sulphur from the upper flanks of Putana Volcano (still active). The mining company commissioned a road to the volcano’s 5,600 meter summit a little over 20 km distant. Apparently some 4x4s still use the road, but it takes about 5 hours to reach the summit. These industrial artifacts are a stark contrast to the spectacular natural surroundings.

Mirador de Machuca

We stopped in the little village of Machuca just long enough to pay the fee to use the baños. Then we continued to the Machuca wetlands – another high-altitude oasis fed by an underground aquifer. While there, we were really blessed. Not only did we see all three species of flamingos found in Chile, but we also observed flamingos in flight. Flamingos are infrequent fliers, generally taking flight only at dawn or dusk to travel between breeding and feeding grounds.

The Chilean Flamingo is the most common and widely distributed flamingo in Chile. Identifying features include the black tip and pink base on the beak and bright pink joints.

Andean Flamingos have yellow legs and 3 toes (all other flamingos have 4 toes).

James’s (Puna) Flamingos were once thought to be extinct. In addition to being the smallest of the 3 species (about 92 cm), they have black-tipped beaks with a yellow base and red legs.

Cactus Valley

Our penultimate stop was about 5 km outside the little settlement of Guatin, at a place we called Cactus Valley. We actually stopped to walk a short finger (200 meters) overlooking Quebrada Jorquencál O Escalera (Jorquencál Ravine or Staircase). Its terrain and microclimate are well suited for growing giant cacti that can reach up to 7 meters in height. Cerro Sairecabur and other volcanos loomed in the distance.

In hindsight, we should have done the full Cactus Valley hike rather than the Devil’s Canyon Hike, to get a closer look at the vegetation and experience the microclimate for ourselves.

We had one more chance to photograph the impressive cacti at Estancionamento Vale dos Cactos (or so it’s labeled on Google Maps). I believe this is where vehicles park for the longer hike down inside the ravine.

BBQ and Double Rainbow

Back at the lodge, we enjoyed a fantastic BBQ dinner with smoked chicken, steak and pork. Desert options were also great.

And once again, it poured down rain, with a beautiful double-rainbow show afterwards.

High Altitude Photography Excursion

Once Pierre (our driver/guide) and Rodrigo (local photographer) picked us up at 07:00, we were surprised to learn that Rodrigo thought he was there to photograph us all day, whereas we thought he’d take us to some of his favorite photo locations and share some of his framing / composition tips. Oh well, it turned out just fine because Pierre knew a lot a great places for photography and we ended up with more photos of the two of us than we usually come home with after traveling. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Socaire

Our first stop was just outside the little town of Socaire. We had to hold here for about an hour, while road crews checked route 23 for icy conditions and/or damage after the previous evening’s rainstorm. Pierre knew a few places to pass the time taking photographs: an old church, and a viewpoint overlooking distant lithium mines and landscapes at dawn.

Mr GeoK enjoyed a brief sighting of a Culpeo. It looks similar to the South American gray foxes we saw in Torres del Paine. But Culpeos are more closely related to wolves and jackals. One distinguishing feature of Culpeos is the black dorsal stripe.

Iglesia Antigua

This historic church is a Chilean National Monument and dates back to the 17th century. The adobe walls, chañar wood and cactus beams are hallmarks of its unique Andean-colonial architecture. The church and its bell tower are specifically oriented towards Miñiques Volcano, considered sacred by the locals. The churchyard offers great views of the town’s pre-Columbian agricultural terraces and ancient system of waterways.

When we returned to town so Pierre could check-in with the control station for the second time, at least a half dozen vans and small buses were waiting for the all clear. As soon as he got the go ahead, Pierre drove non-stop to Piedras Rojas (Red Stones), so that we’d be ahead of the crowds.

Although the drive was non-stop, it wasn’t non-pause. There were a couple of great wildlife photo opportunities and Pierre slowed while we rolled down our windows for a few shots. And I kept shooting through the window as the sun rose high enough to light up the volcano peaks dusted in fresh snow.

Piedras Rojas

The intense red of these rock formations is due to oxidized iron-rich minerals. The brilliant red contrasts vibrantly against the stark white of the surrounding Talar salt flat and snow-capped volcanos, brilliant blue sky overhead and bright turquoise of seasonal lagoons. Pierre explained that this region is crossed by ancient caravan routes and that there are indications of pre-Columbian campsites. Locals control access to the area and have people patrolling so that visitors don’t step outside clearly marked areas. NASA has used this area to test Mars landers and other equipment.

When we arrived, there was just one other vehicle in the parking area. By the time we left, it was quite full and there was a line-up for the bathrooms. In the interim, we walked slowly, due to the 4,100 meter altitude. That encouraged us to slow down and take our time with photo compositions. I had particular fun trying to include the red rocks, snow-dusted Miñiques (nearby volcano) and standing water in my frames. Looking in the other direction, south towards the Argentinian border, we captured the triple-peaked Cerro Pular.

Despite the fact the landscape looked inhospitable, we spotted two viscachas and a lone vicuña during our time at Piedras Rojas. The vicuña, in particluar, seemed very accustomed to people being around.

Mirador Salar de Talar (aka Mirador de Aguascalientes on Google Maps)

Now that we’re back home and I’m looking up places we stopped to be sure I get the names right, I’ve found that several locations in Patagonia and Atacama either have no names or incorrect/inconsistent/confusing names on Google Maps, names that disagree with what our local guides shared. This is one such location.

Less that five km further along from the Piedras Rojas parking lot is a small roadside parking area and a 150 meter trail leading to a viewpoint overlooking the salt flats (and yes, some hot springs, so maybe that’s the reason behind the Google Maps label). We saw more James’s flamingos, scrubby vegetation and reflections abstracted by patches of water and salt flat.

Laguna Tuyajto

Another 8 km along Pierre stopped near Laguna Tuyajto. We were admonished to stay on the road…no crossing over the guardrail to approach the shoreline.

This is another salt lake, with a maximum depth of 0.6 meters (2 feet). In the present day, the lake is groundwater-fed via four permanent plus seasonal springs. Laguna Tuyajto is part of an endorheic basin, which means a drainage basin that retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water. New water is offset by evaporation to maintain equilibrium. As with other lakes in the area, this one has clearly delineated historic shorelines, for example from when water levels were higher during periods of greater glacial melt. Fireplaces dating back eight- to ten-thousand years have been found at Laguna Tuyajto.

Today, Laguna Tuyajto is a quiet and crowd-free location because it is just far enough from Piedras Rojas that most tourists don’t make it that far.

Lagunas Miscanti and Miñiques

We stopped here as we slowly drove back towards San Pedro. At one time, these Altiplanic Lagoons were one enormous body of water. But lava flow from , created by a fault line. But then a lava flow from the Miñiques volcano formed a wall creating the larger Laguna Miscanti and the much smaller Laguna Miñiques.

Laguna Miscanti was quite busy, with lots of rental cars and vans parked up near the small building with washrooms. But not many people made the walk down near the shoreline along the very limited trail. There were a few birds near the shore and we spotted one lizard, possibly an Atacama smooth-throated lizard. I found photography here to be quite challenging. The laguna very wide, requiring panoramic stiches. And the limited pathway was far from the shoreline, so we had to deal with lots of boring foreground. In the end, we took quite a few abstracted reflections to try to create something a little more interesting.

There were just a few other vehicles in the parking area for Laguna Miñiques. While we could see quite a few more birds, they were further away. We also spotted a few vicuñas just a few meters from the shoreline. The landscape here reminded me of some parts of the Icelandic highlands.

Picnic on the Altiplano

Our penultimate stop was just off the highway, among some faded red rock formations that both sheltered us from the wind and framed our view of the Miñiques volcano complex. We kept a sharp eye on the weather during lunch, as thunderheads were developing around us.

Lunch was outstanding. But there was way too much food for the four of us!

Tropic of Capricorn / Camino del Inca

We spent just a few minutes at our final stop – the spot where the Tropic of Capricorn intersects the ancient Inca Highway network, known as Qhapaq Ñan. The modern Andean roadways roughly parallel the ancient route as it crosses the Atacama Desert. Spanning more than 40,000 km (25,000 miles), the Inca Highway network is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Garganta del Diablo Hike

After feeling the altitude at El Tatio Geyers and our breakfast spot two days before, we headed to the guides’ room when we returned to the lodge to come up with a Plan B in lieu of a hike to the top of a volcano. Lucky for us, this easy half-day hike was available. Tierra’s information labels this as Devil’s Canyon and it’s only about a 15 minute drive to the trailhead from the lodge. We were a small group – the two of us, US expats Micki and Phillip, and our guide, Pablo.

Our van left the lodge just before 0900 and we started hiking at 0915. We found it to be quite hot, and really appreciated the few sections of the canyon that were in the shade.

Geology for the Win

Notable features included the geology. Garganta del Diablo is carved out of the Cordillera de la Sal (the Salt Mountains), a secondary Andean mountain range. Roughly 25 million years ago, tectonic forces lifted ancient lake beds and sediment layers upwards – predominantly gypsum, clay, calcium and halite (rock salt). Since then, wind and infrequent flash floods have carved the landscape to the point it resembles lunar or Martian surfaces. The high halite content, which is bright white when first exposed, is the reason for the name.

At some points we were hiking in the open, where well-adapted vegetation included summer flowers. There’s an obvious viewpoint, reached before we approached the true Devil’s Throat.

Down in the winding canyon, we spotted petroglyphs and some rock formations that reminded us of “The Treasury” in Petra.

As we came to discover by the fact we encountered more mountain bike riders than hikers, this is a highly regarded mountain biking route. At the opposite end to where we started there’s a control point where users pay a small fee to access Garganta del Diablo, as well as a small covered parking area. Most users rent mountain bikes in San Pedro and ride from there, as it’s only about 10 km (7 miles) from town.

Our hiking distance was 5.3 km, with 116 meters total elevation gain, -2 meters net. Since the elevation was around 2500 meters, we didn’t feel the altitude at all. But since we’re unaccustomed to the heat, we did wish we’d started earlier in the day.

Lodge Amenities

Back at the lodge, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch and then headed to the pool again. We enjoyed this outdoor pool a few times during our stay. We also carved out a bit of time for relaxing massages in the spa. Mother Nature presented another beautiful double rainbow to end our day.

Astrophotography

Another amenity we used was the astrophotography platform at the back of the property. This is where the lodge hosts stargazing and astrophotography sessions in the evenings, weather permitting. We were always asleep by the time those sessions started.

But each day that we didn’t have an early pick-up, Mr GeoK headed out to hone his astrophotography skills. I joined him twice. Due to the daily afternoon thunderstorms, we struggled with condensation on our lenses. And the first morning, light leaking from the lighting along the outdoor boardwalks was a problem. But after a short conversation with the manager, Mr GeoK would just let the front desk staff know when he was heading out and they’d turn off the outdoor lights for him. Light leaking from the town was still a bit of a challenge when it came to framing our shots.

Scenic Route Back to Calama

On our final partial day in Atacama, we took the scenic route back to Calama, with driver/guide Pierre at the wheel. We really enjoyed his company two days earlier, when we toured the high-altitude lagoons, so we paid extra to book him for the day.

Tierra’s lodge is a short distance from central San Pedro de Atacama, so we began our slow departure with a walking tour of the town.

San Pedro Walking Tour

The San Pedro oasis is fed by an underground aquifer, an obvious attractant for human habitation in the driest non-polar region in the world. Evidence of pre-Columbian settlements in the area date back about 3,000 years. The Inca arrived and conquered the San Pedro de Atacama region around 1450, under the reign of the Inca ruler Túpac Yupanqui. Spanish conquistadors arrived in the area in 1540.

San Pedro de Atacama was part of Bolivia when it declared independence from Spain in 1825. Chile laid claim to the area following the War of the Pacific (1879 to 1884), after which Chile gained significant resource-rich territory from Peru and Bolivia. Unfortunately, we did not have time to visit the R. P. Gustavo Le Paige Archaeological Museum to learn more about the region’s history.

Even today, the streets in town are made entirely of compressed dirt, mud and sand, giving it a uniquely rustic feel. The buildings are well made, and there were only isolated instances of minor damage to vulnerable structures as a result of the 2024 magnitude 7.4 earthquake centered near San Pedro de Atacama.

We came away impressed by the Iglesia San Pedro de Atacama, a Catholic church constructed during the Spanish colonial period and reportedly the 2nd oldest church in Chile. The structure is constructed entirely of local materials, featuring thick adobe walls, a ceiling made of cactus wood and no nails, as beams were lashed together with strips llama leather. Most recently restored in 2009, the building was declared a national historic monument in 1951.

Moon Valley

Moon Valley is about 13 km (8 miles) west of San Pedro. Part of the Cordillera de la Sal (Salt Mountains), Moon Valley has basically the same geology. Some of the main features are the Duna Mayor (a short hike to a viewpoint), the Amphitheater and Tres Marias. Due to time constraints, we did not have time to do any of the short hikes. But Pierre stopped several times so we could take photographs. And we did get out to walk around the Three Marias – quartz and granite formations that resemble sculptures.

Cordillera De La Sal Viewpoint

Finally heading towards Calama, we made a quick stop at this viewpoint, which we’d traveled past at least three times already during our time in the Atacama Desert.

Petroglifos Yerbas Buenas and a Second Attempt to Visit Rainbow Valley

Located about 90 km north of San Pedro in the Domeyko Mountains, the Yerbas Buenas Petroglyphs feature more than a thousand carvings in extremely hard ash-flow tuff. These date back from 2,000 to 10,000 years, evidence that the site served as an important stop on ancient trade routes connecting the Amazon, the Andes and the Pacific Ocean.

Petroglyphs of note include a depiction of a monkey, suggesting the site was visited by travelers from the Amazon. Several carvings show the domestication of llamas. Some petroglyphs are carved messages showing locations of nearby water. Others are ceremonial images by shamans or records of daily life.

From here, we’d hoped to continue to Rainbow Valley, which would have been our destination the afternoon after our hot air balloon ride. But between the major storm that afternoon and heavy rain each of the following days, Pierre confirmed that the road was seriously damaged and would likely be closed for up to several days! He shared that this is an annually recurring problem in the region. For example, the road to the high altitude lagoons had been washed out the afternoon of our visit and would likely be closed for at least two weeks. Local transportation authorities are finally moving on from the annual rebuild approach and to building more weather resilient main roads in the region.

Here are a few scenes captured on the road before we reached the cones blocking access to Rainbow Valley:

I guess Rainbow Valley will be at the top of our list if we ever return to the Atacama Desert.

Farewell Atacama

We bid farewell to Pierre – and to Atacama – at the Calama airport. Calama is an industrial city that has developed as “home” for everyone working in the Chuquicamata Mine, located just outside the city limits. Chuquicamata is the world’s largest open-pit copper mine.

We noted several wind turbines and extensive solar deployed around the city, both as we approached and from the air after take-off.

Final Thoughts

During our trip planning phase, Atacama was kind of an add-on to our main objective, which was to explore parts of Patagonia. But overall, it turned out to be an unexpected highlight of our month away. Of particular note:

• Astrophotography
• Beautiful (but stark) landscape, especially the high-altitude lagoons
• Spending time with our friends
• The people we met, particularly the outstanding guides
• Hot air balloon ride

We recommend taking a hard look at adding a few days in San Pedro de Atacama if you’re planning a trip to Patagonia.