Not even 24 hours after touching down in Santiago, Chile, I was on the road again.
Destination? The Chilean desert.
My second day in Chile I woke up at the frighteningly early hour of 4 am. My flight to Calama, the dusty town that is the gateway to Chile’s Atacama Desert, was early and I wanted to make sure that I had enough time for my transfer to Santiago’s airport. Stiff and aching from my flight into Chile the night before, I quickly got dressed and assembled my back pack, hurriedly making my way to the hostel’s kitchen for a bite to eat. The lovely staff of Hostel Bella 269, knowing I was leaving very early, set out all of the breakfast goodies for me, even though breakfast usually doesn’t start until 7 am. So very nice of them.
My second day in Chile I woke up at the frighteningly early hour of 4 am. My flight to Calama, the dusty town that is the gateway to Chile’s Atacama Desert, was early and I wanted to make sure that I had enough time for my transfer to Santiago’s airport. Stiff and aching from my flight into Chile the night before, I quickly got dressed and assembled my back pack, hurriedly making my way to the hostel’s kitchen for a bite to eat. The lovely staff of Hostel Bella 269, knowing I was leaving very early, set out all of the breakfast goodies for me, even though breakfast usually doesn’t start until 7 am. So very nice of them.
My airport shuttle, arranged the day before by the hostel’s staff, arrived in good time and whisked me off to the airport, where I half-slept until it was time to board the plane. Once aboard, however, the views outside my little window had my full attention.
Two hours later, my LAN flight began its descent into Calama and I was struck at how different the terrain was. The landscape looked like something out of a movie.
Once in Calama’s tiny El Loa airport, I collected my bag and wondered what to do next. Gusts of cold air lashed me about the face and legs and I had to undo my pack and take out a pair of jeans and my coat. I had forgotten that mornings in the desert tend to be brisk. I pulled my jeans on over my leggings and wrapped myself in the coat. After approaching a group of what turned out to be foreign college students on study abroad in Chile, I figured out that the smartest way to get to San Pedro, the town where I would be basing myself for the next three days, was to take a taxi to a bus terminal in Calama, then a bus.
Precisely two hours later I found myself in San Pedro de Atacama. This quaint town is often hailed as a tourist trap, but it is the best place to base oneself if planning to explore the desert region. A tiny town, rife with travel agencies and touts who line the streets offering the best deals on tours, San Pedro is easy to navigate and allows travellers to plan their desert itinerary with relative ease. Within 90 minutes of my arrival, I met Marcel, a tour operator, in the street, and successfully arranged three days of tours with his help.
The first item on the docket was the “Valle de la Luna” and the “Valle de la Muerte” tours (Moon and Mars Valley, respectively). That very afternoon I was picked up by a shuttle and whisked off to this magical place. I had initially come across photos of these valleys while researching the trip, and the jaw-dropping vista begged to be seen in person. Both valleys make up the Cordillera de Sal (Salt mountain range) in Chile’s Atacama Desert. The peaks and valleys, resembling a terrain that is other-worldly, have been formed over thousands of years by wind, rain, and sun. Over time this has resulted in a plethora of impressive landscapes.
I spent the afternoon in exploration mode, fluctuating between feelings of intense glee and wonderment as I made discovery after amazing discovery.
Here are some of my favourite shots from Moon Valley:
And my favourite shots from Mars Valley, where we watched the sun set.
After watching the sun go down we packed it in and drove 15 minutes to San Pedro. Exhausted and cold, I called it an early night, since I was to have yet another early wakeup call for tomorrow’s tour: the salt flats of Atacama.
The Chilean desert is stunning. Have you ever been to a desert or seen something similar?
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow!
Absolutely stunning!! All I have on my mind is wine country when(ever) I go to Chile, but after reading this and seeing the photos, I'm thinking I might have to hit up the desert too.
GORGEOUS!! I need to go to Chile.
I thought I was going to be burried under a sand dune –
I went on a Desert Safari in Dubai!
and after a death-defying ride on the sand dunes (seriously it was a rollercoaster-ride in a jeep on the sand)
We stopped to take in the view. There was nothing around but desert for as far as the eye could see and it was beau-ti-ful!
P.S The "Cliff" pic where you are standing on the edge…amazing!
Amazing pictures. I want to go!
I'm falling in love with Chile after going through all your posts. It's just one of those countries I never really considered visiting. I'm glad your giving it some exposure.
My favorite is the 'Simba' pic(lol) with you on the edge of that cliff
These are INCREDIBLE!!!
I haven't been to the desert – well not really. But now I feel like I need to go.
Beautiful! I would love to go to a desert one day, but I'm not sure which one. I need to research that a bit.
Great post. You are inspiring me to put Chile on my "list". The picture of you on the cliff with the red scarf around your head is just….magnificent. It looks like you are conquering the world…which I guess you king of are.
Oneika….you need to come get me. How beautiful is where you are!
Wow these photos are amazing! Went to Argentina, but not Chile…must go!
Those pictures are amazing. I love the one of you w/your scarf blowing in the wind. So pretty!!
Emily w/Amazing Grapes
@anon- I know!
@Monique- I never knew anything about Chile other than the wine stuff either. I hear that the south (Patagonia) is really interesting as well!
@Terri- Take me with you when you go!
@globetrotter- Sounds cool but a bit dangerous…
How hot was it over there?? I'm thinking of making a trip!
@Canedolia- definitely worth the long flight.
@bwlivingwell- LOL it DOES look like Simba on Pride Rock!! I love that comparison!! But yes, I never really thought about going to Chile ever, I thought it was kind of a "boring" country compared to like Brazil- BOY WAS I EVER WRONG!
@Deidre: I said the SAME thing when I first saw the desert pics on google images lol
@Afromorena: I really want to go to the desert in Namibia.
@Rhona: Conquering, not sure, but I'll take it…
Thanks!
@Mrs. Pancakes: But Mr. Pancakes may not let you leave him at home… ;-0
@Alexa: Where did you go in Argentina?
@Emily: Thank you!!
Ack! Seeing these pictures and noting how thrilled you are to greet the desert terrain head-on I now realize I should have suggested you take a trip to Craters of the Moon when you were schooling in eastern Washington.
Would have been a trek since the park is near the Montana border. Vast wasteland of lava tubes and fissures. You get to climb into old air pockets and get lost in a maze of desolation. There were tours led by students who relate improbable historical facts about the once native Shoshone tribe and there's historical markers indicating where battles took place between frontier soldiers and the decimated tribes.
As impressive and otherworldy as Craters truly is, youdon't have the benefit of mountains to really survey the land. Andalso you're in London, not Spokane.