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San Pedro de Atacama Travel Guide

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San Pedro de Atacama
Moon Valley, San Pedro
This desert oasis village, having been continuously inhabited for 10,000 years, was prized by the Inca and Tihuanaco Empires for its mineral wealth and importance as a stopover on the caravan trade routes. It sits at the northern end of the Salar de Atacama, a vast salt lake that is home to a variety of bird life. Today it is one of the major destinations of northern Chile and an attractive, albeit touristy village. It has a little 17th-century church built with local materials and a small well-organised museum. San Pedro is close to archaeological sites, bird life of the salt flats and Valle de la Luna, and lies within easy reach of the nearby altiplano and the El Tatio Geysers.




Attractions

El Tatio geyser field © philliecasablanca/2051929659

El Tatio Geysers

At an altitude of 13,760 feet (4,300m), this is one of the world's highest geyser fields. Best viewed at sunrise when there are changes in atmospheric pressure, the steaming fumaroles are spectacular, shooting up clouds of steam 35 feet (112m) into the air. Mineral...  see full details



Laguna Chaxa, Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos © daniel_gc/2281064872

Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos

Within the reserve is the Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon), a surreal landscape of salt peaks formed by uplifted lake sediments that have been shaped into dramatic formations by wind erosion. With a surreal blend of pastel colours the valley...  see full details


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