Tours, tours, tours. Navigating San Pedro de Atacama

Given it hasn't rained in some parts of the Atacama desert in over 400 years, it was a tad surprising to step down from our 16 hour bus ride from La Serena only to plant a flip-flop straight into a puddle. The small, dusty bus station was damp from a night's downpour - fifty year's worth of rain in one night - while up in the mountains, where Chile meets Bolivia, a sudden burst of snowfall had closed the border. Yet, as we scrambled about at 7am collecting our bags, the harsh sun was already beating down from a clear, crisp blue sky, suggesting it wouldn't be long until things were back to normal.

Anything less than 250mm of rain a year is enough to illicit desert status. The Sahara averages 7mm a year, the Atacama just 1mm. This region is so dry because of its location, wedged up high between the tectonically active Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean, where the cold Humboldt current drastically reduces the chance of rain clouds forming. This means there's almost no greenery or shade here, which in turn means no cities, so no pollution. Only cactuses and hardened grasses survive the moon-like landscape that is home to a variety of wind-sculpted canyons, extensive salt lakes, and towering geothermal geysers. A journey through them promised to expose a world like nothing we had ever seen.

Our overall plan in South America was to take a tour of the high roads from Chile, through Bolivia, before ending back at the sea in Peru. From this point at San Pedro we would be at high altitude for the next 3 weeks. We aimed to take a 3-day 4x4 tour through the desert to Uyuni, which meant climbing from 3,000m to 5,000m in the space of a day. We needed to acclimatise our bodies to the sudden lack of oxygen they would experience the best we could, so we decided to hang around for a few days and take some of the day tours that helped turn the sleepy mining village of San Pedro into a backpacker's haven. This would also give us time to choose an operator for our 4x4 experience.

Deciding which tours to take turned out to be a time-consuming business for two reasons. Firstly, there was limited information about which day tours were worth the money and which ones were devised to grab the tourist buck. Secondly, reviews of tour companies, of which there are about one hundred, for both day and 4x4 tours, varied wildly, if they existed at all. As such, we did quite a lot of wandering and researching in between coffees. Below is a summary of our findings.

Day tours 

Choosing a company: For day tours the companies all appeared to offer very similar experiences. All had mostly good reviews on places like TripAdvisor, although all also had a few disgruntled one stars. Prices were also similar. A few companies charge more for something a bit different such as a truck you can stand on to view sunset instead of the standard minibus, or a fully English speaking tour guide instead of one who will talk mainly in Spanish before pausing to fill you in on the basics via English. Ultimately the only real way to find out if they are any good is to take a cheaper tour (e.g. Valley da la Luna) and draw your own conclusions. The guide who takes the valley tour is often the same for the geysers, so if you like the experience stick with it, otherwise twist. Be prepared to find yourself shunted to another company's tour if the operator you choose doesn't sign up many people that day. It's annoying but makes economical sense.

Choosing a tour: We went on 4 tours while in San Pedro and overall our experiences were great. 

 

 

1. Valley da la Luna (valley of the moon) - this tour is the most popular one for sunset and is located just outside of town. If you want to go it alone you can hire a bike and make your own way there instead. The tour takes you through the spectacular landscape of the valley before moving to higher ground to watch the valley turn dark as the sun falls behind the horizon. 

Start/end: 3pm pick up, 7pm finish

Average booking cost: 10,000 Pesos

Extras: 5,000 Pesos valley entrance fee

Overall: Do it, sunset was one of the best we've ever seen.

 

2. El Tatio Geysers - these are 2 hours out of town and a visit will take you up to 4,200m in altitude. The Geysers are most active at the moment the rising sun casts its warmth over the cold ground, so be prepared for an early, 4am, start. On the way pack the tour stops off to see small local villages or canyons, which do start to become a little tiresome. Try one of the local empanadas, though.

Start/end: 4am pick up, 1-2pm finish

Average booking cost: 15,000-20,000 Pesos

Extras: 2,000 Pesos geyser entrance fee

Overall: Do it, it's not everyday you get to wander along while the Earth belches around you.

 

3. Salt Lagunas  - these lakes sit at the lowest points of the desert where any rain that does fall eventually ends up. As the water slowly evaporates away large salt crystals build up around the lake. If you go to Cejar for sunset, there is the chance to swim in one of the lakes although only for 15 or so minutes because otherwise the salt starts to irritate the skin. There are showers available if you do take a dip. If you're lucky you'll also see flamingos. Most tours will offer nibbles and a drink (cocktail, coffee etc.) as you watch sunset. Having seen the valley and geysers we were less impressed with salt lakes and didn't think there was really that much to see.

Start/end: 3pm pick up, 7pm finish

Average booking cost: 15,000 Pesos

Extras: 15,000 Peso Cejar entrance fee

Overall: Skip it, it's expensive and if doing a 4x4 tour to Uyuni you'll see plenty of salt lakes.

 

4. Astronomy - like in the Elqui valley, the night skies over the Atacama are some of the clearest in the world. Seen from here the Milky Way is an obvious, bright belt arching across the sky. It's pretty startling if, like us, you live in a city. The astronomy tours point out the constellations and use telescopes to give you a better view of the moon, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars. Most have Spanish speaking guides with an assistant who translates into English, others offer an English or even French speaking guide on certain days of the week. The tours don't run if there's a full moon owing to the light obscuring the view.

Start/end: 8pm pick up, 10.30pm finish

Average cost: 15,000-20,000 Pesos

Overall: Do it, if you're a novice you'll learn a lot.

3 day, 4x4 tour to Uyuni

Choosing a company: the blogs on these tours are quite extensive, and while most people had wonderful experiences, a few had some real gripes - lazy, drunk or aggressive drivers, poorly maintained vehicles, food poisoning, cold nights, or altitude sickness. Saying this, quite a few of the negative reviews seemed to come from the highly pampered. One we remember complained of 'Not enough vegetables and luke warm showers', heaven forbid! It became clear quickly that the success of the trip rested on two things: getting a good driver who will look after you and a good 4x4 vehicle. This means there is a lot of luck involved. The most highly reviewed company is Cordellier who are (strangely) the only recommended company in the Lonely Plant and Rough Guide, it also means they're by far the most expensive at $180. Some work on the assumption that a higher charge means better results, but we were very unimpressed when we spoke to them. The lady spent less than a minute going through the route and told us here were only two slots available so we best sign up right now. In the end we went with Atacama Mistica ($100) because on the two occasions we approached them, different people give an in-depth explanation of the route and answered our questions. The owner also gave us his personal number for emergencies and didn't attempt to flog us expensive sleeping bags for the first night, allowing us to hire one at the accommodation if we wished. This is no guarantee for a good tour but it was a good start. In the end we had a wonderful time.

The route: We'll give a better review of the tour in another blog, but as a summary the first two days take you through the Atacama desert viewing Lagunas, a volcano, a smaller salt flat and different rock formations. The highest point is 5,000m at the Bolivian geysers (different and Es spectacular to those in Chile), although you soon descend. The third day is spent at the Uyuni salt flats, with a drop off in Uyuni (via the train graveyard) at about 3pm. The first night at 4,100m is cold and if you're not used to the altitude could mean an uncomfortable night sleep. The second night is lower at 3,500m and in a warmer salt hotel. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all provided. It can get warm in the car but still be cold outside, so be prepared to layer up and down constantly.

Things to note:

- Sleeping bags. Most places will say you need one but ask if your beds come with sheets. Ours did and we were more than warm enough with them and a few clothes on. 

- Altitude sickness. The tour rises quickly so make sure you drink lots of water and don't eat a heavy meal the day before. Ask the company if they carry emergency oxygen.

- Drivers. Your driver will likely speak Spanish and no English, so look up what you will be visiting before departing. It's likely someone on the tour will translate for you if you don't speak Spanish.

- Take extra Bolivianos. There is a 150B park entrance fee close to the border and a 30B fee at the salt flats. You'll also need change for the toilets and hot springs. Just across the border the toilet attendants still accept Chilean Pesos.

- Bring snacks. The food was good but we still craved the odd cookie.