CHILE: The Atacama Desert

The Atacama Desert, in Northern Chile, is one of the driest non-polar deserts in the world.

Stretching along northern Chile, it lies between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains.

Parts of the desert are so barren that scientists use the area to simulate conditions on Mars.

To really explore the area we based ourselves in the little town of San Pedro de Atacama for 4 nights.

About 20 km from San Pedro de Atacama is Laguna Cejar. It is a salt lagoon with views of the Andes, and, depending on your luck, flamingos.

The lagoon is surrounded by white salt crusts and desert landscapes. The housecoats are so we can wear our bathing suits and save time in the salt lagoon showers, which are closely monitored for water consumption in the desert. Another environmental protection: no sunscreen allowed in the lagoon.

The lagoon is even saltier than the ocean, so you can float, similar to the Dead Sea.

Laguna Tebinquiche is another lagoon near San Pedro that is shallow and also extremely salty. 

There are pretty reflections of the Andes mountains in the water. 

Another lagoon, Laguna Cejar, proudly boasts 3 different types of flamingos; Andean, Chilean, and James’s flamingos. 

They feed in the shallow mineral-rich pools.

To protect the lagoon and the flamingos, there are walking paths through the volcanic rock.

The setting is stark, but beautiful, with cracked salt crusts, scattered lagoons, big skies and distant volcanoes. (There are 7 active volcanos in the area.)

It was a treat to watch the flamingos fly.

Southeast of San Pedro de Atacama is Lagunas Miscanti, a high-altitude lake in the Andes. By high altitude I mean about 4,200 meters (13,800 ft) above sea level. To put that into perspective, Denver is the Mile High City at 1,636 meters (5,367 feet), so the high plateau lakes are about 2 ½ times higher than Denver.

The lake is framed by snow-dusted volcanoes and wide-open altiplano (high plain) landscapes.

Laguna Miñiques is another high plain lake close by. 

We got lucky and watched vicunas feeding. 

Piedras Rojas (Red Rocks), in the Salar de Aguas Calientes, is about 4,000 meters (13,100 ft) above sea level.

There are deep rust-red volcanic rocks beside bright turquoise lagoons. 

The red color comes from iron-rich volcanic material oxidized over time.

Then, about 90 km northeast of San Pedro are the El Tatio geysers, at 4,370 meters above sea level. 

We got an early start so that we could see the geysers shortly after dawn, when they are at their maximum activity. 

I also think the early start is so that the air is still very cold and you can see the steam coming off them better. It is all about the pictures. 

If you don’t have pictures then you weren’t there and it didn’t happen.

There are 40 geysers, 60 hot springs, and 70 fumaroles. 

“Fumarole” is a new one for me. "A fumarole is an opening in the Earth’s crust—usually near a volcano—where hot gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide and sulfur gases) and steam escape into the air.  Unlike geysers, fumaroles don’t erupt water—they’re more like constant steaming vents releasing heat and volcanic gases."

As a reward for our early departure, our guide and driver prepared a breakfast for us, with a view.

We were so fortunate to have a guide that was passionate and incredibly knowledgeable about the area. He knew everything about the geology, history and wildlife. And we were also fortunate to have some friendly Brazilian dentists join us.

And then finallllly.... Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon). 

It is one of the most iconic landscapes in the Atacama Desert, just outside San Pedro de Atacama and still within the Los Flamencos National Reserve.

It gets its name because the terrain looks almost lunar—a mix of wind-carved rock formations, sharp ridges, sand dunes, and white salt deposits in the Cordillera de la Sal. 

There’s virtually no vegetation, and the dryness is so extreme that it’s often used as an Earth analog for Mars. 

Marie was pleased to see this.

Sunset is just the best!

And so ends another good day in the Atacama Desert with a stunning sunset.

Nature at its best.