Tours

Explora Atacama Hotel Mystic Atacama Overland Trans-Altiplanic Magic of the Desert The Best of San Pedro de Atacama Desert Lagoons From Earth to the Moon Overland Express

Lodging

Hotels Hostels Campings

Excursions

Moon Valley (Valle de la Luna) Tatio Geysers Atacama Saltlake Archaeological Tour Geysers and Towns Altiplanic Lagoons Trekking San Pedro

Attractions

Moon Valley Pukará de Quitor Tatio Geysers Valle de la Muerte Cordillera de la Sal Altiplanic Lagoons Puritama HotSprings Padre Le Paige Museum Toconao and Atacama Salt lake

Services

Restaurants Padre Le Paige Museum

Additional Information

Weather Craftmanship Legends How can I get there? Atacama Desert Hallucinogenics San Pedro Town

Site Map

Interesting Links

It is a depression of 3,000 kilometers without exit of waters that receives San Pedro river and a lot of bankruptcy by which wateris filtered from the Andes Mountain. It is the greater saline deposit of Chile. Its cover is white and rough, stained by fine dust of the desert.

During our passage we will visit the Toconao town located at 2,475 meters of altitude. It is an oasis, in where people cultivate all type of fruits. In front of its square is located the Church and Bell tower of San Lucas, declared National Monument.

It occupies an extension of 100 kilometers in length by 80 of wide. The salt is product of the underground water outcrop that, saturated of salts, evaporates leaving scabs rich in salt and minerals. The rivers fed by Andean snows, cross the area allowing the configuration of multiple oasis. This it is the scene where the atacameñan culture was developed.

The air is extraordinarily dry here, which gives it a perfect transparency. The salt scab has been opened to leave space to small lagoons that are favorite habitat of aquatic birds, particularly Flamingoes, Taguas and Guallatas. The most important is the Chaxa lagoon.

The Atacama saltlake is located in the center of the most barren desert of the world. Many salt fields of and salt lakes are abundant in this place. It is well - known by its strong winds due to the proximity the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountain.

We will continue our way by the great Atacama salt which account with around 12,000 km2 of surface of immense beauty.

We will have the opportunity to admire the great variety of flamingoes and migratory birds that have found in the enormous salt their natural habitat; these birds give a very peculiar atmosphere to the sector.

Here we will be able to find a great amount of salt noninferior to the ocean salt; this phenomenon creates a great amount of life to diverse animals like reptils, insects and birds which has to us prepared a great surprise in this peculiar place full of fantasies.

To finalize this trip we will admire a spectacular sunset, enjoying the silence and the peace that the salt offers us.