San Pedro de Atacama Self-Launched: Moon Valley, Rainbow Valley, Altiplanic Lagoons & El Tatio Geysers

Fly into Calama (CJC) — book a morning arrival. Rather than a private hotel transfer, take the shared minibus shuttle (Transfer Sandy, Turismo Casique or similar, CLP 12,000–15,000 / ~£11–13 each way) which meets flights and drops at your hostel door, about 1h15 through the desert. Check into a hostel in San Pedro village (Hostal Solor, Hostal Pablito, or a private room at Hostal Mamatierra, roughly £16–25 per night). Have lunch and take it easy to start acclimatising — San Pedro sits at 2,440m. In the afternoon, book the Moon Valley (Valle de la Luna) half-day tour directly at any agency on Calle Caracoles or through GetYourGuide for about CLP 25,000–30,000 (~£22–26) including park entry. You'll stop at the salt mines, walk the Cordillera de la Sal ridges, climb the Gran Duna for the classic panorama, and catch sunset at the Ckari viewpoint — bring your own wine/cocktail instead of paying for the operator's bar service. Back in town by 8pm for dinner and an early night.

🚌Shared airport minibus Calama–San Pedro (~£13); shared tour minibus for Moon Valley included in the excursion

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in San Pedro village, private room or good dorm (approx. £18–25)

• →Shared minibus transfer from Calama Airport
• →Moon Valley (Valle de la Luna) half-day sunset tour
• →Salt extraction mines & Cordillera de la Sal walk
• →Gran Duna viewpoint & Ckari sunset

Half-day trip north into the Domeyko mountains, about 90km from town. Book it yourself the day before with a local agency or on GetYourGuide — expect CLP 25,000–30,000 (~£22–26) plus a small community/park fee. The minibus picks up from your hostel around 7:30am. The drive climbs through the Matancilla sector with its cactus and desert flora, and the highlight is the multi-coloured striations of Rainbow Valley and the Rainbow Canyon walk. En route you stop at the Yerbas Buenas petroglyphs, one of the largest rock-art sites in the region — an excellent free-standing alternative to the guided archaeological add-on the operator charges for. Back in San Pedro by early afternoon. Spend the rest of the day exploring the village: the adobe church on the plaza, the Meteorite Museum (CLP 5,000), and the craft stalls along Caracoles. Optionally join a stargazing session that evening — San Pedro has some of the clearest skies on earth — book direct with an astronomy tour (CLP 20,000–25,000) or just walk 10 minutes out of town with a star app.

🚌Shared tour minibus (included in excursion price)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in San Pedro village (approx. £18–25)

• →Rainbow Valley & Rainbow Canyon half-day tour
• →Yerbas Buenas petroglyphs site
• →Matancilla desert flora and fauna
• →Optional evening stargazing tour (CLP 20,000–25,000)

The big full-day trip south — book direct with a local operator or GetYourGuide for roughly CLP 35,000–45,000 (~£30–38), excluding park entry (Los Flamencos reserve ticket ~CLP 3,000–5,000, and Piedras Rojas ~CLP 10,000). Departure is around 7am. First stop is Toconao, an oasis village of whitewashed stone and fruit orchards, then the Chaxa Lagoon inside the Salar de Atacama where flamingos feed in the brine — this is the salt flat where you can see (not swim in) the crust formations; if you want the float-in-salt-lake experience, add the Cejar Lagoon tour on another day for about CLP 40,000. Continue up to Socaire for lunch (bring your own picnic — the operator's included lunch is the main thing you're not paying for) and admire the terraced fields. Then the high point: Miñiques and Miscanti altiplanic lagoons at 4,100m, and the surreal rust-red Piedras Rojas shoreline beside the turquoise Salar de Aguas Calientes. Expect cold, windy conditions at altitude — layers, hat, sunscreen. Return to San Pedro around 5–6pm.

🚌Shared full-day tour minibus (included in excursion price)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in San Pedro village (approx. £18–25)

• →Toconao oasis village
• →Chaxa Lagoon flamingo observation, Salar de Atacama
• →Socaire village and terraced fields
• →Miñiques & Miscanti altiplanic lagoons
• →Piedras Rojas viewpoint and Salar de Aguas Calientes

The earliest start of the trip — pickup around 4:30–5am so you reach the geyser field (4,320m) as the sun comes up and the steam columns are at their most dramatic. Book the tour direct (CLP 35,000–40,000 / ~£30–35 including park entry); this is the one excursion where a proper guide is genuinely worth it for altitude safety and geyser-field etiquette. Explore the fumaroles, bubbling mud pools and thermal springs for about two hours; most groups let you soak your feet in a hot pool — bring a towel and warm clothes, it's well below freezing pre-dawn. Most operators offer a basic breakfast (bread, cheese, coffee) — a sausage sandwich from a kiosk at the site costs a few thousand pesos and saves you the operator's off-the-shelf breakfast, or bring your own. On the way back stop at the Machuca bofedales wetlands and the tiny adobe village of Machuca for llama skewers and a look at the old church, then the Putana bog viewpoint on the altiplano. Back in San Pedro by around noon. Collect your bags, take a shared minibus back to Calama Airport (~£13) — book an afternoon/evening departure flight so you have buffer for the 3.5-hour return journey.

🚌Shared tour minibus for geysers (included); shared minibus San Pedro–Calama Airport (~£13)

🛏None — depart San Pedro (or add a night if your flight is next morning, ~£20)

• →El Tatio geyser field at sunrise
• →Thermal springs & fumaroles, breakfast at the geyser field
• →Machuca bofedales and village
• →Putana bog and altiplano plateau viewpoint