Exploring Valle De La Luna: Chile
When arriving in San Pedro de Atacama, one of the driest places on earth, you'll be spoilt. Literally for choice.
From exploring the ruins of Pukara de Quitor, stargazing, sandboarding, checking out one of many Lagunas, visiting the geysers and let's not forget watching a mesmerising sunset over Valle de la Muerte while exploring Valle de la Luna. So let's talk Valle de la Luna.
While it's possible to explore on a bicycle, I decided to go for a tour for this one. Here are my reasons for it:
#1. I wanted to see the sunset. And yes, I was too much of a wuss to go alone for sunset, knowing that I would be cycling back in the dark. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any takers to undergo this little adventure with me, so I settled for a tour.
If you do cycle to Valle de la Luna, be sure to go early in the morning to avoid the heat of the day. Be sure to have all the correct safety equipment for cycling in the dark.
#2. It's not the easiest 16km to cycle as the terrain is largely uphill and there's very little shade. Since I would be cycling to Laguna Cejar and Quebrada del Diablo, a good 54km in total, I decided to give my little legs a rest.
#3. While I’m normally one to avoid tours, this tour was actually really great! Our tour company did the tour backwards; in other words, we avoided visiting places with other tour groups altogether.
I learnt a lot about the region from a local expert, as often it can be a little tempting to show up and just take pictures, thinking you've done the trip justice.
Views over Valle de la Luna
Why visit Valle de la Luna?
Valle de la Luna gets its name from, well, being shaped like the moon. Millions of years ago, the territory was covered by water and the region used to be an ocean. However, due to the movement of tectonic plates, layers of rock were pushed and folded over time. Wind and rain erosion have led to many impressive rock formations, creating some stunning landscapes. Its impressive formations might make you think you're walking on the moon. Scientists have even tested prototype robots for Mars due to its dry terrain.
If you go on the tour, you'll visit some impressive salt caves which, for only two weeks of the year, get flooded with water. If that doesn't make you want to go, then maybe an awesome sunset will!!
How was the tour?
So, did I mention I'm not a fan of tours?! To be honest, this one was pretty good!! The guide was great and spoke English and Spanish (I was the only one that needed the tour translated, and he very kindly did that). We started off exploring the valleys, moved onto the salt caves, visited some weird rock formations and finished off with a great sunset.
The nuances? As with any tour, you're being herded around. Five minutes here for a picture, ten minutes there. Saying that some of the locations we visited would have been hard to get to on a bike. So I'm glad I did it!
If you're super keen to go on a bicycle, you can check out my top tips here for cycling in the Atacama Desert here.
Tour prices can vary; be sure to shop around! I paid CLP 13,000, which was the cheapest I found at the hostel next door to mine. If you're more than one person, be sure to try and haggle a discount ;). Most tours will start in the afternoon to catch the sunset over Valle de la Muerte.
Overlooking Valle de la Muerte
Where to stay in San Pedro de Atacama
Being a tourist hotspot, there's a tonne of places to choose from.
Budget-friendly places to stay
Hostal Lackuntur
I stayed at Hostal Lackuntur. It had a great kitchen, a local market nearby, dorms were cleaned every day not to mention a nice pool. I booked last minute, and it was the best I could find, although it's not the cheapest.
Hostal Campo Base
If you have a little more to spend, Hostal Campo Basecould be what you're looking for on your trip to San Pedro de Atacama. Be sure to book early for this one, especially in high season!
Apartments and Boutique hotels to stay
Ckuri Atacama
A beautiful traditional property in San Pedro de Atacama with a mixture of wooden decor with colourful accents, it’s an amazing place to relax after a day of exploring the desert.
A gorgeous retreat, Casa Jardín is the perfect place to spend a night under the stars.
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