Location: San Pedro de Atacama
Top Things to do in San Pedro de Atacama
Top Restaurants in San Pedro de Atacama
What to do and see in San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta Region: The Best Hidden Gems Things to do
Looking for an unusual and beautiful landscape? Sandstone canyons, flamingo-dotted salt flats, steaming geysers, hot springs, volcanic peaks and alien-looking rock formations are on offer all around San Pedro de Atacama. Hiking, biking and horseback riding are the preferred means of exploration. Death Valley here is surprisingly great for picnics.
Restaurants in San Pedro de Atacama
1. Salar de Tara
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2,226 reviews
Reviewed By Birdsocks - Boston, United States
This was one of my favorite spots in the Atacama - partly because it is absolutely breathtaking, and partly because it was one of the less crowded spots I visited. It's location makes it impossible to access with a bus - so it is limited to a handful of sprinter vans and camp trucks like mine at any given time. This is accessed via the Monks (Monjes de Pacana) and there is no "road" leading to it. For those not part of a tour, who are looking for the Monks and Salar de Tara on their own - here's some important advise: There weren't any signs letting you know you were close to the Monks...or any signs for the site at all, on the road from San Pedro. The cartoony map from town had them in a slightly different spot on the curves of the road than where they were - we were worried we'd missed a turn off. But not to worry - they are there and you really cannot miss them - they're adjacent to the road and very recognizable. Side note: You will be sharing the curvy and mostly uphill road from SPdA to this location with LOTS of trucks transporting cars to Bolivia/Argentina (maybe from the coast?). They are super slow on the hills and you'll be often stuck behind them when the road is too curvy to pass. Once at the Monks - to get to Salar de Tara requires a 20-30min off road drive. There are lots of car tracks going every which way - some may lead to completely different places, so I would not suggest trying to find this on your own. Even with a GPS app, it is not a direct route, and tourists get lost in the area a lot trying to find the site. We followed one of the sprinter van tours from Monjes de Pacana, and then did the same thing to get back afterwards. The tour guides seem very kind and happy to lead the way so you don't get lost! At the Salar, there are lots of animals, a gorgeous landscape, a baño, and smaller crowds - definitely worth the drive! This is one of the higher altitudes in the area - the weather is super dodgy/undpredictable! We saw sun, rain, hail, and snow on our day trip to visit these. A guide advised that rain often starts in the area around 2 or 3pm, and suggested leaving by that time. He was spot on, as it started raining around 2pm as we headed out.
2. Atacama Desert Stargazing
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 701 reviews
The Original Stargazing Tour with the most personalized service, enjoy a unique experience in one of the cleanest and clearest skies in the world. Traditional and Special Night Trips with maximum of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14 persons depending of the tour.
3. A Bite of Atacama
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 120 reviews
'A bite of Atacama' invites you to discover the best local cuisine and culinary gems of San Pedro de Atacama on a 4 hour guided food and cultural walking tour. Get to know the local food, discover new flavours, learn about food tradition and heritage, as well as culture and history of the Andean region. ...and see off the beaten track parts of San Pedro!
4. Time Travel Atacama
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 466 reviews
Astronomical services for you. We offer 2 different services about the universe. Our main tour it is call "The Big Bang Experience", here we are going to learn about cosmology, the origin and developing of the universe, watch the night sky with the naked eye and also with telescope. Finally we make pictures through the telescope and a personal portrait of you with a starry background. We also have for you an astro photography tour so you can learn how to take pictures of the night sky with a tripod and also through the telescope. Tours include trransfers to hotel, hot beverage, space music and Photography souvenirs.
5. Libreria Del Desierto
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 52 reviews
Facing the volcano Licancabur, Librería del Desierto -Desert Bookstore- is a totally different bookshop, located in the core of the Atacama Desert. As soon as you get there, the staff of the bookstore offers you a cup of tea or coffee, in order to increase the pleasure of reading a good Chilean book. We're a specialized bookshop at northern Chile, and members of Editores de Chile, a group of Chilean independent publishing houses. We offer a wide selection of books, such as maps, novels, local history, photography, poetry and gastronomy, among others. You're more than welcome to visit us.
6. Tours 4 Tips
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 225 reviews
Tours 4 Tips San Pedro specializes in giving you the best intro of the city at your own budget.
7. Sorbac
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 410 reviews
Our experiences seek to discover Atacama in a special way. Based on the contact with Nature. We invite you to do sport's, to contemplate, to share, to laugh, to photograph. After all, we believe that the most important ingredient of every trip is adventure, which is our biggest motivation.
8. Atacama Contact
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 12 reviews
Welcome to the driest desert in the world, the Atacama. We want to share with you one of the most beautiful places in the world. We aim for every one of our excursions to be an unique experience, we take care to design them to provide you with intimate moments within nature. It's essential for us to create personal experiences allowing visitors to be in touch with the natural, social and cultural.
9. Phaway Atacama Ballooning Experience
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 137 reviews
Experience another world. Lift off into the Andean sunrise for a spectacular balloon flight across the Atacama desert. Live a magical dawn as the sun rises behind the Licancabur Volcano and paints the Cordillera de la Sal in dramatic light. From your comfortable and secure position aloft the views are magnificent and unique. Meet us in San Pedro de Atacama to experience the world's driest desert at the foot of the Andean altiplano from the air. We operate daily flights in the Atacama and have plenty of availability -Information correct as of November 2019.
10. Valle Arcoiris
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 848 reviews
Reviewed By GeoSmithG
Another place if you love geology you must to visit. Here we can find different kind of minerals and the visible stratification and action of the faults makes this place a "geologist holy grail". Fortunatly as I did private tours, we did this visit after lunch when the area was completly empty and I spent several hours walking and taking photos of this geo wonder.
