Atacama Desert in Chile - Unforgettable journey in South America

Today we have another great travel reporter treat for you: we’re heading across the pond, more specifically to the breathtaking Atacama Desert. The driest desert in the world isn’t located in Africa, but on the South American continent. Here in northern Chile, you can expect geysers, volcanoes, salt lakes, lunar landscapes, fiery red rock formations, pink flamingos, vast dunes, and plenty of adventure. The Atacama Desert in Chile is a must-see. In today’s travel report, Jasmin takes us through this beautiful part of the world and shows us some of the most beautiful places in the Atacama Desert. Have fun browsing!

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Arrival in the Atacama Desert
Arrival in San Pedro de Atacama Desert
Book a tour in the desert
Off to the desert
Off to the Valle de la Luna
Highlights in the Atacama Desert
Does traveling change a person?

Arrival in the Atacama Desert

For reasons that are hard to explain, but make me feel all the better for it. A highlight, and that pretty much at the beginning of my trip, the Atacama Desert. I remember it as if it were yesterday. I waited ages for it, and finally it was here… In the short time that I have spent so far in this diverse country, I can’t believe what is happening. So here I am, after a wonderful first national park experience in Chile, setting off on the night bus to San Pedro de Atacama.

Atacama-Wueste-Chile-Suedamerika-Karte

For two days and one night, we traveled through the most beautiful landscapes and heights in Nevado Tres Cruces National Park, near Copioapo, where you can completely surrender to the colors of nature. Plenty of sleep and great anticipation describe the bus ride quite well. Anyone who’s thinking, “How can she possibly sleep on a bus?” doesn’t know me. The buses in Chile, and indeed throughout South America, are super comfortable, convenient, and easy to book. Tip: I often used the Busbud app or simply bought a ticket directly at the bus station counter.

At 1.63 cm tall and with a large family of four siblings, I can sleep well and deeply almost anywhere. So I sit snuggled up and travel through the darkness.

I always tried to sit right at the front of the bus, on the second floor if possible, as you get a truly panoramic view.

Arrival in the San Pedro de Atacama Desert

And then, I wake up in the morning. The alarm was set specifically but wasn’t needed. The sun colors the sky above the mountains and bathes everything in a warm light. It’s incredible to travel into such vastness. Such a vast expanse of earth mounds vying for the front row on the horizon stretches out before me. From the window seat right at the front, I have a perfect view of the landscape. Mountains rise out of nowhere, shrouded in fog; the sun fights its way through small clouds, which in turn cast shadows on the landscape.

I can’t get enough of the view and am happy when we arrive and get off, but I could have easily continued. Arriving in San Pedro de Atacama, it’s less than a 5-minute walk from the bus station to the hostel. But all the other hostels are also very centrally located, as the town itself is very manageable. The early hour suggests that check-in will have to wait. But a little stroll through the town is quite nice after this long bus ride.

My hostel recommendations:

Up to 10€, Sol Atacama Hostel*, not luxury, but super friendly and extremely helpful staff.
In the mid-price range, I can definitely recommend the Backpackers San Pedro*.
Hostal Rural* is a bit more expensive at 17€, but it’s worth it to immerse yourself in this colorful oasis.

Book a tour into the desert.

When you enter the small “main street,” it’s teeming with providers from official offices. Everyone, absolutely everyone, greets you as if they know you’re a new arrival and starts chatting to you. I first got an overview, looked around, got some advice, got the various tour offers, and then returned to the hostel with the information to get a second opinion, even though I had actually already decided on a specific package.

It’s possible to do everything on your own, for example, rent a car and drive through the most beautiful landscapes, but that’s out of the question for me. I’d like to learn as much as possible, have all the peculiarities explained to me so I can absorb everything even more intensively.

I have a tight schedule ahead of me, because after consulting with the friendly staff at the hostel and some skillful flirting, which even led to an invitation to a BBQ in the evening, I’m booking a very inexpensive but good tour. Six (!!) days. But three of them are in the Atacama and three in the Uyuni Salt Flats.

Book your tour online in advance:

San Pedro de Atacama: Valle de la Luna at Sunset*
From Atacama: Altiplano Lagoons and Piedras Rojas VIP Tour*
Salar de Atacama, Altiplano Lagoons and Toconao: Day Tour*
San Pedro de Atacama: Horseback Riding Tour through the Valley of the Moon*
San Pedro de Atacama: Volcano Descent*

Off to the Desert

I’ve dreamed of this place on earth for a long time and wondered what it would be like to be right in the middle of it, and now?! Now I’m driving through here and I can’t believe my luck; I can’t express in words how grateful and overwhelmed I am. And that’s just the beginning! Before the hectic schedule begins, I have one more day to myself. It’s worth strolling through the town, observing the friendly people, dropping off laundry, and stocking up on snacks.

Experience something on your own before the guided tours start in the afternoon. I can recommend it to everyone: Bicycle through the desert! Drifting along dusty roads and sand-covered streets, surrounded by the driest desert in the world, the Atacama Desert. With the small springs and green areas, you’d hardly believe it. It’s an incredibly overwhelming feeling for me to be right in the middle of it all. The trip is supposed to take us to a small cave between the rocks.

Signs?! None, but thanks to a good description from a nice local guy, a surprisingly good memory, and my keen eyesight and attentive observation of my surroundings, I find the inconspicuous entrance. Climbing through ravines and going a little way inside, you find yourself in a tall stone castle. I stand there all alone. In this moment, a great sense of gratitude for experiencing this miracle, for being able to travel, and for fulfilling dreams, fills me.

Off to the Valle de la Luna

Blissfully, I return, because the next item on the agenda is already in the afternoon: Valle de la Luna. Standing at the highest point above the Atacama Desert, marveling at the impressive sandy landscape with its high cliffs and large sand dunes is beyond words. The colors and power of nature captivated me. The landscape lies at my feet, and I am struck by how unreal this place seems. It is a true miracle! Once again, I cannot find words to describe what I have seen; the sunset over the so-called lunar landscape in the Valle de la Luna cannot even begin to be captured.

Truly magical, and a moment of peace and tranquility (despite the crowds of tourists) overcomes me. I don’t know why, but choosing this country as a starting point, deliberately starting here, turns out to be exactly the right thing to do. Never before have I felt so at home and so much at home as I do here. Since I began to explore the country and its peculiarities – the driest desert in the world is now more than extraordinary – I have been fascinated. Fascinated by all the differences, by the beauty and power of our nature.

Highlights in the Atacama Desert

The first, Laguna Red Stone, welcomes us with a strong wind and wonderful colors that look like a painting. Nestled in the beautiful mountain landscape, a bay spreads out before our eyes, covered in a white layer of salt. Red, hence its name, and green algae embed this natural spectacle. The wind almost knocks me over. But the picturesque landscape has completely captivated me, and a broad grin spreads across my face. Tears spring to my eyes (whether from joy or from the strong wind), I zip up my jacket a bit higher, and pull my hat a bit further over my ears.

Never before have I felt so at home and so much at home as I do here.

Until we move on. We drive through the landscape, this incredibly vast nature, repeatedly encountering vicuñas (a type of alpaca) along the way, which are often found in Chile and Argentina. The next lagoon stretches out before our eyes. These colors and the beauty of nature. I don’t know if you can experience it without standing there yourself. In the end, you might think it’s all the same again and again, but that’s not the case. The colors and interplay of nature are different each time, and for me, it never loses its beauty.

Laguna Tuyaito, for example, is nestled between mountains, turquoise water, and incredible tranquility. The Putaña Volcano can be seen again and again during a landscape tour. It’s beautiful how it rises on the horizon, enchanting the eye with its snow-covered layer. I’ve seen so many lagoons, all different and yet so similar! I’ve watched flamingos in the Salar de Atacama, floated in a salt lake, seen hot springs bubble up from the earth, and taken a hot bath in a natural pool. I can’t really believe it; processing and understanding it is difficult these days anyway.

Does travel change a person?

And then there’s this one question, the one that comes to me so often, that buzzes around in my head and makes me realize how lucky I am, how fortunate I am that my heart brought me there. Does travel change a person? Will this trip change my life? I think an answer will take time, but I can say with certainty that my attitude has already changed. The pictures show glimpses of these natural spectacles, but they can’t even begin to convey the feelings I experienced.

At the end of all these eventful days, I was rewarded with one of the most beautiful sunsets. Naturally, once again at a lagoon, at Laguna Origen. The light was perfect, the colors in perfect harmony with the scenery. A picnic rounded it all off, and with that, I bid farewell to Chile for now, moving on to another country, but I can say with certainty that we’ll see each other again. That it would be so quick and intense, this reunion is another story, perhaps even a love story…

My unforgettable journey through the Atacama Desert in Chile