Private Program 4 Days / San Pedro De Atacama

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
TWO HALF DAY DEPARTURES: a.m. Valley of the Moon / p.m. Valley of Rainbow
2 stops
1
Valle De La Luna
In the morning, departure 9h00 a.m. Modality: Panorama // hiking. Total duration: from 3 to 4 hours. Distance: about 20 km. Meals included: none Return: before lunch time The visit to the Valley of the Moon and the Valley of Mars is a "must do" in the region. It is located at 2,500 meters above sea level and only ten minutes by car from San Pedro de Atacama. Here we will visit part of the Cordillera de la Sal, which is actually the set of folds and hills where these two valleys meet. A topography carved by rain and wind for millions of years allows us to see different layers of highly soluble sediments such as clay, sand, conglomerates and different types of salt; creating a unique and fascinating landscape. The reddish and muddy tones interspersed with white layers illuminated by the intense sun of the Atacama Desert, create a unique landscape that seems from another planet, and that in turn is framed by the imposing Andes Mountain Range, the backbone of America.
4 minutes • Admission ticket not included
2
Valle Arcoiris
In the afternoon, departure 15h00 Modality: Scenic // Hiking Total duration: 3 to 4 hours. Distance: about 150 km round trip. Meals included: none. The Arcoiris valley is located about three thousand meters above sea level in the Domeyko mountain range, located west of Salar de Atacama on the road between Calama and San Pedro de Atacama. This valley shows us a unique place for its geology; Its particular formation of magmatic origin is rare in the world. The result: mountains of contrasting green, red, gray, white and purple.
4 minutes • Admission ticket not included
Day 2
FULL DAY: SALAR DE QUISQUIRO & MONKS OF THE PAKANA
1 stop
3
Salar de Aguas Calientes
Full Day, departure 9h00 Modality: landscape / scenic Total duration: 8 hours. Distance: about 300 km. Meals to include: picnic lunch (extra cost per person is detailed in inclusions and exclusions) Taking the international route to Paso Jama (Argentina), in less than 30 kilometers, we go from 2,400 meters of altitude to 4,700 meters of altitude, and we are quickly in the Andean Altiplano. This itinerary allows us to understand the geological formation of the Altiplano and to know directly the immensity of its landscapes, the diversity of its flora and its typical fauna.  One of the most important points of the visit are the monks of Pakana, huge columns of rock, remains of the ancient volcano caldera eruptions. Very close to the magnificent Salar de Aguas Calientes and Laguna Negra. The Salar de Quisquiro and the Loyoque lagoon are the next sector to visit in this context of a plain surrounded by rocks and mountains. Here, we can appreciate the Bofedales, a type of unique wetland typical of the Altiplano that forms small meadows at the edges of these lagoons and water sources.
7 hours • Admission ticket not included
Day 3
FULL DAY PLUS: TUYAJTO LAGOON, SALAR DE TALAR, MISCANTI AND MIÑIQUES LAGOONS
1 stop
4
Lagunas Altiplanicas
Full day excursion, departure at 9:00 a.m. Modality: landscape / scenic Duration: 10 hours Distance: 400 km round trip. Meals to include: Picnic lunch and snack in Socaire. Our first stop is the Salar de Talar, also popularly known as Piedras Rojas due to the accumulation of iron oxide in the rock formations that border the salt flat. It is a landscape of unique colors, painted by the geological whims of all the volcanoes that have inhabited this region and the salts that later accumulated here. The same happens with the Tuyajto Lagoon. An hour away, returning by the same road, we take another detour to the east to visit the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons. Unlike the previous sites, these lagoons are much deeper and have much larger volumes of water, as well as freshwater tributaries, but they are not free of salts; thus offering us other colors and landscapes
10 hours • Admission ticket not included
Day 4
EARLY MORNING: TATIO GEYSERS
2 stops
5
Geyser del Tatio
In the morning, departure 5h30 a.m. Modality: landscape / scenic Total duration: from 7 to 8 hours. Distance: about 200 kms. Meals to include: breakfast type picnic (extra cost per person is detailed in inclusions and exclusions) Return: Before lunch time. The geysers of Tatio represent the third geothermal field in the world with 6% -8% of the total geysers that exist. Early in the morning, as soon as the sun rises, we can observe a particular phenomenon: by the contrast between the boiling water coming from the geysers and the temperature of the place, which can be lower than -20 ° C in winter, the columns of Steam rise from each thermal source.
7 hours • Admission ticket not included
6
In addition to the geysers, the landscape seen in this part of the Altiplano, located more than four thousand meters above sea level is beautiful. The road back to San Pedro is part of the excursion and is probably the best place to observe the fauna of the region and high Andean wetlands.
1 hour • Admission ticket not included

Additional info

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Many of the visits are about 4000 meters above sea level, consult your doctor for contraindications

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