R&J Travels

Introduction

Although San Pedro de Atacama is a very small town, it is located in the huge Atacama desert, the second driest desertThe only place drier than the Atacama Desert is Antarctica. There is no mistaking that you are in the desert, with the weather being very hot, sunny, and dry all the time. Every day the UV strength indicator in the town read '11 - extremo!' on Earth. Its privileged location certainly makes it the best place for exploring the stunning arid rocky landscapes, volcanic geysers and salt lagoons. Unfortunately, this comes with a high price tag. Most of the best treasures of the desert are over an hour's drive from San Pedro itself, so you'll need to rent a car or join a tour to see them, neither of which are cheap With Chile having a reputation for being the most expensive country in South America anyway, we needed to avoid spending large amounts on tours unless absolutely necessary.. However, as we had just finished our Salar de Uyuni adventure, where we saw numerous salt lagoons, geysers, and rock formations, we didn't feel like we were missing out by not seeing all of these around San Pedro. Instead, we focused on the steep, rocky valleys, huge sand dunes, and sunset miradors that we could visit easily by ourselves with a little planningWe had hoped that Chile would provide more useful online information about its tourist attractions, since it attracts a significant number of tourists each year. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and in fact a lot of the tourist attractions have unnecessary rules and layers of beurocracy which make visiting them more complicated than they should be. Planning is advised, but with a lack of reliable information, improvising is inevitable.. There is plenty to see just outside the town, and finding and exploring these locations on our own made for some very fun and rewarding adventures.

San Pedro

San Pedro de Atacama is a cosy, well-equiped town that is very popular with tourists. The centre is full of artisanal souvenir shopsThese were some of the best quality (and also most expensive) souvenirs we saw in South America. The usual tacky keyrings and fridge magnets were nowhere to be seen, with just expensive jewellery, hand-carved ornaments, and other uniquely designed gifts., expensive cafes and restaurants lining the streets, alongside travel agencies promoting tours ranging from midnight stargazing to day-trips through the rocky terrain. Besides buying a refreshing cold drink to combat the relentless desert heat, there is not a lot to do in San Pedro itself, but its unique location means that the wonders of the desert lie literally right outside of the town.

Although San Pedro is generally a sleepy town, the day we arrived there was a loud and colourful parade. The dancers all wore huge layered costumes despite the unbearable heatThe dancers did have several assistants, who were running round with spray-bottles full of water to cool them down, and they somehow managed to keep the energy up all afternoon.

Renting a Bike in San Pedro

Without hiring a car or taking an organised tour, the only option left to get around the Atacama desert is by bike. Some of the most popular sights in the Atacama are suprisingly close to San Pedro itself, and so cycling is a very popular budget-friendly option.

There are many bike rentalYou will also be given a high-vis vest and helmet with your bike, which are mandatory to wear in the Valle de la Luna. You should also get a puncture repair kit, a lock, and a map of the area. shops in town with various offers in terms of hours and price, so do shop around. We decided a 24 hour rental was the most cost effective way for us to see the sights we wanted to see (a 24hr rental will cost you CLP18,000 or ~£15). Obviously, cycling around the desert all day would be exhaustingIn total, we cycled 36km on the first afternoon, and 21km on the second morning. In the desert heat, packing enough water was the biggest challenge!, but if you start the rental from around 2pm you can spend the afternoon cycling, keep the bikes overnight at your hostel and then go again early on the second morning before returning the bike.

Devil's Throat

In our opinion the best place to go cycling in San Pedro de Atacama is, without a doubt, Garganta del Diablo ('Devil's throat'). This narrow, rocky valley is too small to be accessed by cars, and so is an exclusive passage for pedestrians and cyclists. To get to the valley, you have to ride north out of town for 3.5km along a very bumpy road, until you reach the entrance of the park. Here, you must pay an entrance feeEntrance fees are required for absolutely everything in Chile, even when there is no mention of them anywhere online/in the town. Fees are always much higher for toursits from outside South America as well. To enter the area around the Devil's Throat, you must pay CLP 5000 (~£4.50), before another 3km ride to the start of the valley. Although it is not the reason for making the trip, the views along this stretch are spectacular, with pointed red rocks angled up towards the sky and a gentle river running parallel to the path.

There's no mistaking when you have entered the canyon itself, and it is obvious why they call it the Devil's throat. The path twists and winds through the landscape, with just a narrow gap between the tall, irregular walls, and overhanging protrusions and dark caves dotted throughout.

Eventually, after we followed the varied route theough, slaloms, hairpins, caves with worryingly-low ceilings, a few shortcuts which often involed jumps, and 2 vertical sections we had to hual our bikes over, we reached the mirador path. Bikes have to be left at the bottom, and the remaining path must be covered on foot as it climbs up steeply. The hot hike is worth it, because from the top you are rewarded with a panoramic view over the desert. To one side, the rocky valley can be seen, with the narrow path you have just cycled winding its way through. To the other side is flat sandy plane reaching towards Bolivi far into the distance, where volcanoes can be spotted.

We decided to turn back after the mirador and we suddenly realised that we had been going uphillCycling through sand, uphill, is very tough! On the way back, you will pick up a whole lot more speed, which can be tricky when it comes to the sharp bends as it is easy to skid on the loose surface. the whole time. We zoomed down the way back and were out of the canyon before we knew it.

Sunset and Stargazing

To end our first day on the bikes, we cycled west along route 23, to a popular sunsetSunsetsThe conditions were not ideal on the evening we went to the mirador. The view was incredible, and the horizon went a soft shade of orange, however the following evening had a much more spectacular display. We watched from the town centre as the sky lit up a vivid red, and wished we had been at the mirador that evening instead. spot for many tours. We passed the valley of deathThe Valle de la muerte, or valley of the dead, is another popular attraction in San Pedro. It is full of steep sand dunes which you can slide down on a sand board, and it is open despite recent online comments suggesting it is closed. Unfortunately, we ran out of time (and energy) with our bikes, so did not manage to explore it., and continied cycling until we reached the top of a large hillUnsurprisingly, this panoramic viewpoint is up a rather steep hill. The whole ride from San Pedro is noticably uphill, and it gets very tiring very quickly. Conversely, riding back down takes no time or effort, as you roll all the way back to town., approximately 5km from San Pedro. This mirador overlooks what feels like the entire Atacama. From this high, the desert was laid out before us, with the low sun accentuating the shadows in all of the rugged rocky terrain.

San Pedro de Atacama is famous for being one of the best places in the World for stargazing. The clear skies and lack of light pollution in the desert mean even NASA frequent this town for astronomical observations. There are many tours on offer that drive tourists deep into the desert to look up at the galaxy. However, you can get a look at the stars by yourself from any secluded spot outside of town. On our cycle back from the sunset, we found a quiet spot away from the road to stargaze. As our eyes slowly adjusted, hundreds and thousands of stars slowly appeared, until the whole sky was full. Had we been on a higher budget, we would have liked to take a proper stargazing tour, to have a guide tell us about what we could see. Additionally, all the tours provide a telescope for use which would have been a very cool opportunity. Unfortunately our phone cameras were not good enough to get any photos of the beautiful night sky.

Valle de la Luna

Valle de la Luna ('valley of the moon') is San Pedro's most popular attraction, but confusingly you can only visit between 9am and 11am, as entrance is reserved for private tours during most of the day. This doesn't afford much flexibility, and is frustrating since the best time to visit is supposed to be sunset. To get there by cycling, you have to head south along route 23 for approximately 5km. The road is smooth and wide, so the ride doesn't take too long. At the entrance gate, you have to payYou are supposed to be able to buy tickets either online in advance, or at the entrance. However, the only ticket machine at the entrance was broken, and the staff refused to accept cash or card payments at the gate. As a result, everyone had to log on to the guest WiFi one by one to purchase tickets on their phones, before being allowed to enter. the rather extortionate entrance fee of CLP12,000 (~£10), before continuing along the track, which quickly becomes bumpy, sandy, and very hilly, necessitating frequent walking breaks.

Valle de la Luna is home to towering sand dunes and craggy landscapes in the otherwise monotonous desert. There is one main road running through the Valley, with three main stops after 7km, 8km, and 11km to see the best attractions. At each point, you must dismount and hike along a short circuit on foot, to reach the miradors.

Each of the miradors provide a different view over the diverse desert. Some are next to huge towering sand dunes, while others provide panoramic views of the sharp rocky landscape. One of the most famous sights is the amphitheatre, a large rocky plateau with a gentle curve similar to a theatre, that sticks out of the ground as if it was placed there deliberately.

Overview

Whilst San Pedro de Atacama is certainly designed for tourists to spend a lot of cash on tours and entrance fees, renting a bike can be a cheap alternative. Although you can't see everything in the Atacama, cycling allows you to explore the closer attractions, which include huge sand dunes, narrow rocky valleys, and breathtaking viewpoints of the vast desert. If you want a quick, efficient, tiring and dusty way to see the highlights of San Pedro, then this is it, and it is definitely a lot more rewarding than taking lots of tours.

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