San Pedro de Atacama is a village in the far north of Chile , in the province of El Loa, located in the Antofagasta Region, Chile.It is located at 2,400 meters of altitude. Because it is a unique place in an region such as Atacama Desert , it is called the oasis of San Pedro de Atacama.
Until the early 1990s, the tiny village of San Pedro de Atacama was known only to a handful of tourists who preferred remote and exotic travels.
Today San Pedro de Atacama is one of Chile’s three most popular tourist destinations along with Torres del Paine and Easter Island. Its popularity is due to the location in the center of one of the most picturesque landscapes of the northern part of Chile.
San Pedro de Atacama offers a variety of accommodation options, restaurants and agencies that offer guided tours to nearby attractions.From the city, there are the main tours to the desert organized by the Chilean Government or specialized tourism agencies.
Access : Coordinates: -22.916667, -68.2 / By train :
San Pedro de Atacama is not yet connected to the Chilean rail network. The closest train station is in Calama, which is currently not served by passenger trains
/ By plane :
The nearest airport is in Calama, about 100 kilometers northwest of San Pedro de Atacama. From there there are daily connections to Santiago de Chile and to La Serena /
By bus :
There are regular bus connections to San Pedro, for example, with KTUR and Turbus to Calama /
By car : San Pedro de Atacama is connected by the asphalted Ruta CH-23 with Calama and thus to the Chilean trunk road network. Northern Argentina with the cities of San Salvador de Jujuy and Salta can be reached via the Jama and Sico passes.
Highlights :
- Atacama Desert : The Atacama Desert is a hyper-arid region located in Chile in South America. The Atacama is known to be one of the driest regions on Terre Note
- Pukara de Quitor an impressive 12th century fortress on top of a steep hill with a beautiful view of the area.
- Padre Le Paige archaeological museum rich in Atacamenan ceramics, mummies, fabrics, and religious objects, among others.
- Artisanal center of San Pedro do Atacama. / the cozy Plaza de Armas is the “Casa Incaica”, the oldest house in the oasis.
- Iglesia San Pedro – The colonial era church of San Pedro de Atacama : The whitewashed village church of San Pedro de Atacama, built in the 17th century in the colonial style
- The exact destination is the Atacama Desert, in the north of the country, and the starting point will be the small village of San Pedro de Atacama.
Outlying Highlights :
- the Moon Valley: The main attractions of the Moon Valley: Salt Canyon / Three Marys (Tres Marias) / Coyote Stone (Piedra del Coyote) / Death Valley (Valle de la Muerte) / Amphitheater (Anfiteatro)
- Salt cave : More recently, this amazing cave was almost unknown to visitors to San Pedro de Atacama, but for more than 10 years it has been included in the schedule of tours to the Moon Valley.
- Geysers del Tatio : They are located at an altitude of 4200 m above sea level and 100 km from San Pedro de Atacama. With more than 80 active geysers, El Tatio is the largest geyser field in the Southern Hemisphere and the third largest in the world after Yellowstone in the United States and the Valley of Geysers in Russia.
- Laguna Cejar : Another interesting place of San Pedro de Atacama is the Laguna Sehar. Located at the northern end of the Atacama salt marsh (20 km from the town), it offers a beautiful panorama of the Andes.
- Lagunas Altiplanicas : The salt lagoons Miscanti and Miniques lie at an altitude of over 4000 meters on the edge of the volcanoes of the same name
- Salar de Atacama : The Salar de Atacama south of San Pedro is a mostly dry salt lake with some lagoons which form their own biotopes
- Termas de Puritima : Geothermal springs with pleasant bathing temperatures around 30 degrees. / Licancabur, a volcano near San Pedro de Atacama.
- Toconao : The oasis Toconao is about 35 kilometers southeast of San Pedro and is a popular stop on the way to the Laguna Chaxa and the Lagunas Altiplanicas
- Socaire : The small village of Socaire is at 3500 meters on Ruta CH-23 towards Argentina and has a church.
- Salar de Tara : Salar de Tara is one of the most interesting places in the Atacama Desert , Here tourists’s interest is caused by peculiar stone formations: stone towers (“Catedrales”), Monjes de la Pacana and the huge salt lake Tara.
- Valle del Arcoiris : the Rainbow Valley includes a visit to three different parts. “Hierbas Buenas” – the village of Matancilla – the Rainbow Valley with a number of hills of various colors, from white to black, from blue to red.
- Salar de Uyuni : The largest salar de world is in Bolivia and can be reached from San Pedro via 3-day tours to Uyuni.
Activities : sightseeing / photo opportunities / trekking / Sandboarding : surfing on huge sand dunes / bike rides / landscape observation / Archaeological tours / Star Tours
Go next : Valle de la Luna : About 12 kilometers west of San Pedro / Geysirs del Tatio : The third largest geothermal field on earth and at the same time the highest in the world extends at about 4,200 meters above sea level about 80 kilometers north of San Pedro / Salar de Atacama :
The Salar de Atacama south of San Pedro is a mostly dry salt lake with some lagoons / Salar de Uyuni : The largest salar de world is in Bolivia and can be reached from San Pedro via 3-day tours to Uyuni.
