This post contains affiliate links.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n Whether the Atacama Desert is worth visiting or not depends on so many factors. If you’re backpacking probably, if you’re looking for a luxury vacation in the Atacama Desert probably not. If you’ve never been to the desert maybe, if you’re from Vegas or the desert probably not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think my expectations were too high for the Atacama Desert<\/a> and we\u2019ve also been spoiled by Dubai, the Grand Canyon and living in Vegas (Red Rock and the spectacular sunsets). I was expecting beautiful and colorful rock formations, lots of flamingoes, a calm breeze, few people and basic accommodations.<\/p>\n\n\n In reality there were lots of people everywhere. You\u2019ll get seriously sandblasted even just walking down the road but at the top of the sand dunes it\u2019s full on microdermabrasion and slaps in the face. On the plus side, the town was very unique and fun to explore and the hotel and food was much better than we were expecting.<\/p>\n\n\n I\u2019m still glad we went to the Atacama Desert as it gave us a more complete experience of authentic Chile and we\u2019d always have been wondering what it was like if we\u2019d skipped it. However, we definitely preferred the Lake District which was so beautiful. There was so much to see and do both there and in Colchagua Valley<\/a> learning all about Chilean wines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only thing we would have done differently with the Atacama Desert would have been to spend a day less there. For nature-loving travelers to South America or if you haven\u2019t ever been to a desert, I think you\u2019ll enjoy the San Pedro de Atacama area and exploring it\u2019s lagoons, rock formations and seeing the flamingoes and starry skies.<\/p>\n\n\n We came from the Lake District (9:07 am LATAM<\/a> flight Puerto Montt to Santiago, approx $54) which meant getting a connecting flight from Santiago (11:44am Santiago to Calama on LATAM approx $58) which took another 1h 56 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019d booked a rental car at Calama airport with Budget\/Avis and from Calama to San Pedro de Atacama is about an hour drive. The lines were long and the service painfully slow at Budget so go with another rental car company if possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to grab lunch before you drive, the options are limited especially at that time of day. We went to Braseros Del Castillo<\/a> (which serves lunch until 16:45\/4.45pm) which was clean and new but don\u2019t order the ceviche!<\/p>\n\n\n\n We should\u2019ve known better than to order raw fish in the desert to be fair. It\u2019s down a dirt road, don\u2019t worry, your sat nav is right, unless you\u2019re using Waze which was the worst map to try and use in Chile. Stick to Google or Apple maps instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We decided to stay at Hotel Altiplanico Atacama<\/a> (from $204 per night) in San Pedro de Atacama (Domingo Atienza 282, San Pedro de Atacama) as it looked one of the nicer ones in San Pedro de Atacama. Many hotels can be very basic here as its hugely popular with backpackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Altiplanico Atacama is minimalistic modern meets rustic desert design using natural fabrics (see the video for a better idea). There\u2019s free gated private parking, an outdoor swimming pool, and free WiFi. The wifi is weak in your hotel room but better in public areas. Still, don\u2019t expect to be able to stream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hotel is clean, quiet and safe, with gates and cameras. We didn\u2019t want to be right by the main street to avoid any late night party noise. Bah humbug, I\u2019m like a granny that needs her sleep and tours often start early before it gets too hot. The hotel’s well situated and it’s only a 10-15 minute walk to the main street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The breakfast is basic and features regional products including oat cookies\/biscuits my Mum liked so much so got the recipe from the chef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They also serve Mate de Coca<\/a> tea, both the tea bags and loose leaves (which you can chew)! Now, here\u2019s an interesting tea! <\/p>\n\n\n Don\u2019t try bringing this tea home, it might not work out so well at customs for you. However, if you have any digestive issues or altitude sickness (San Pedro de Atacama is at 7,900 feet) it\u2019s supposed to be a cure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You’ll want to leave about an hour to get back to Calama Airport which is 62 miles from the hotel. The airport’s really small so it doesn\u2019t take long to clear customs, it just takes a while to return the car if you used Budget\/Avis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Hotel Altiplanico Atacama<\/a> is fully booked, these are the other hotels we\u2019d narrowed it down to. Prices may vary depending on when you go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After going to the Atacama Desert, there were definitely some things we felt we could\u2019ve skipped and others we\u2019re glad we did. 2 days and nights is plenty, we didn\u2019t need the 3rd day but if you wanted to do sand boarding or additional tours you could still do everything in 3 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try and book tours when you arrive with one of the many tour operators on the main street in San Pedro de Atacama or via your concierge. We had issues trying to contact and confirm with the tour companies we\u2019d booked with as the numbers and addresses they had listed were all incorrect! They did both show up but both were running late and you can do without the stress of wondering whether or not they\u2019re going to show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are the Atacama Desert tours we did but I wouldn\u2019t recommend the Valley of the Moon tour we did as it took too long to do very little. The stargazing tour was worthwhile and you learned and saw a lot in the 2 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n These are my recommendations for the top things to do in Atacama:<\/p>\n\n\n\n More on each of these below.<\/p>\n\n\n These are some of the top rated things to do in the Atacama Desert:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Atacama Desert Chile day tour:<\/strong> Valley of the Moon\/Valle De La Luna, Atacama Unless you get really unlucky with the weather, most evenings you\u2019ll be able to see the Earth\u2019s driest non-polar desert erupt into 1 of its most colorful expanses. The best place to watch sunset in Atacama<\/a> is at Ckari Mirador<\/a>\/Mirador de Kari – Piedra del Coyote. Get here before 7:30pm as the park closes at that time so you need to enter before then and to beat the crowds that come here to watch sunset. Wrap up warm as the temperature plummets at night at it\u2019s really windy up on the mountain top.<\/p>\n\n\n You don\u2019t need to take a tour to see the salt plains in Atacama, but that is an option or you can even take a tour from San Pedro de Atacama Desert to the Salt flats in Bolivia which are bigger than Chiles. We drove to Salar de Atacama on the way to Laguna Chaxa<\/a>. We were all disappointed in the salt flats, they\u2019re not as salty\/white as we\u2019d expected and there\u2019s really not much to see even though there\u2019s 3000 sq meters of them. Luckily we hadn\u2019t made a journey specifically to see them but saw them but en route to the flamingoes at Lake Chaxa\/Laguna Chaxa.<\/p>\n\n\n The national reserve of flamingoes is NOT where you go to see Flamingoes<\/a>, it\u2019s just a name. To see the flamingoes you can either take a tour or drive to Laguna Chaxa. You’ll want to either go early in the morning or at sunset when the flamingoes are closer to the shore. The tour buses were here by 9am and people tend to cause the flamingoes move further from shore. So if you want a closer glimpse get there before 9 am. This is a cute little hippy town that looks like the land time forgot. The streets are sandy and unpaved and red washed stone buildings front the main street. Behind those walls, they open up to a variety of restaurants and cafes from the authentic to the more modern to some that are actually quite elegant, tour operators, and shops. There\u2019s 2 trains of thought as to when the best time to do a Atacama Desert stargazing tour. If you go when it\u2019s a new moon and the skies the darkest you\u2019re going to be able to get the best view of the stars. However, if you want to see the moon and the stars through the telescope, going midway through the moon cycle like we did is a great time to go stargazing. This is the Atacama Desert stargazing tour we booked via Viator: We didn\u2019t go here as it meant a really early start (after late stargazing) and was a full day tour but it\u2019s worth looking into if you\u2019re here for a couple of days. My niece said it was worth the drive out to. You can read more about it on Tripadvisor<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This looked really fun but I\u2019m too much of a chicken and we ran out of time as the last day was a write-off as I was sick in bed. I wasn’t hungover, I picked up a cold somewhere along the way. I\u2019d recommend finding a tour through a tour operator on the Caracoles (main street) rather than online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coming from Vegas we’re pros spending time in the desert:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We ate a couple of nights at the hotel (Altiplanico Atacama) for convenience before evening tours and once in town on the main street. Finding good coffee isn\u2019t the easiest in Atacama but we found great coffee and lunch at Roots which has a more modern vibe than most of San Pedro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dinner at La Casona<\/a> was an unexpected gem of a find with live piano music, traditional food and beautifully presented salads. Either go early or make a reservation as this spot\u2019s really popular and for good reason.<\/p>\n\n\n We visited the Atacama Desert Chile in early January (Summer) but it was still cold in the wind and at night so you can\u2019t beat layers and a windbreaker. At night I wore a tank top, full zip sweatshirt, windbreaker, Barbour jacket and scarf!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s windy pretty much all of the time so go for shorts instead of skirts or dresses. We pretty much lived in sneakers as it was too dusty for flip flops and too casual for heels, etc. Pack a bag to out your dirty sneakers in so you can pack them without covering everything else in sand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We spent 3 days there but 2 is really enough to do everything. Itinerary ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you need a hire car? If there\u2019s only 2 of you, the hotel you\u2019re staying at offers an airport transfer, you\u2019re walking distance from the main street and planning on doing tours then probably not. If there\u2019s more than 2 of you, your hotel doesn\u2019t offer airport transfers or you prefer to be able to go and explore on your own as well as doing tours hiring a cars probably a good option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes. You can use your credit card in most places but Chilean peso Is useful for tipping, the grocery store, small purchases, snacks, coffee, etc. Exchange your money before you go for the best rates.<\/p>\n\n\n We loved the Lake District and exploring Patagonia: seeing the penguins on Chiloe Island, going to Osorno Volcano and Petrohue Falls. As well as visiting the different wineries in Colchagua Valley. Everywhere we went the people were so friendly and the food was so fresh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We do most of our research on where to stay and what to do via Tripadvisor<\/a>, booking.com<\/a> and hotels.com.<\/a> As well as asking friends and family who\u2019ve already been. The Atacama Desert stargazing tour was a recommendation from my niece who still says it\u2019s one of the clearest skies she\u2019s seen at night. My Mum also had a Chile Travel Guide book I\u2019d waded through when back in England over the Summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n San Pedro de Atacama: The Best Things to See & Do Atacama Desert Chile travel guides will all mention star gazing and the park but there’s also a few other things to do you should check out. It was our last stop in Chile and a recommendation from one of my nieces. San Pedro de…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":28878,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[56,728],"tags":[4668,4667,5161,35],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-28829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-travel","tag-atacama","tag-chile","tag-desert","tag-travel"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/atacama-desert-tour-valle-de-luna.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Eve Dawes","author_link":"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/author\/eve-dawesgmail-com\/"},"yoast_head":"\n![\"atacama](\"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/atacama-desert-tour-valle-de-luna.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n Is the Atacama Desert worth visiting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"San](\"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/san-pedro-atacama-main-street-horses-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"traditional](\"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/traditional-dinner-san-pedro-de-atacama-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"best](\"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/stargazing-galaxy-atacama-desert-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nHow to get to Atacama Desert?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Lunch en route from Calama to San Pedro De Atacama<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Where to stay in San Pedro De Atacama Desert?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"mate](\"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mate-de-coca-tea-leaves-atacama-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nHow to Get Back to Calama Airport from San Pedro De Atacama<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What are the best things to see and do in the Atacama Desert Chile? Atacama Desert stargazing tour and highlights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"best](\"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/flamingoes-laguna-chaxa-atacama-desert-chile-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nTop things to do in San Pedro de Atacama<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"sunset](\"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/sunset-atacama-desert-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nTop things to see and do in the Atacama Desert<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>We were underwhelmed with the desert landscape and weren\u2019t expecting the crowds. Nevada\/Arizona\u2019s desert and national parks are more colorful and diverse and Dubai has better sand dunes that you can go on, but it was still interesting to do. You could easily tour the park by yourselves in a SUV if you\u2019re not a tour person. We didn\u2019t learn much more by doing the Viator tour<\/a>.
Our Valle de La Luna Tour description was a little confusing as it says 4-12 hours! It ended up being about 6 hours with a group of 13 of us. The number and address is incorrect on the listing. So I\u2019d recommend booking something when you get there rather than booking in advance. As it ended up being stressful worrying they weren\u2019t going to pick us up and not being able to contact them.
The tour started at the National Reserve \u201cLos Flamencos” sector of Valle De La Luna\/Moon Valley and stopped in the central crater for a photo opp, Tres Marias rock formations, and then the option to climb the Dune Maggiore.
It\u2019s incredibly windy, to the point the guys were complaining the sand hurt, but the views from the top are beautiful. You can\u2019t walk on the top of the dune but that\u2019s what keeps it looking so untouched and pristine. The salt caves were closed, so we went straight to the Ckari Mirador to see the spectacular desert sunset. Along with hundreds of other tourists who\u2019d also come on tours to this point!
TIP:<\/strong> Wear sunscreen and sneakers. Don\u2019t wear a skirt\/dress and hold onto your hat!<\/p>\n\n\n![\"top](\"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/top-sand-dune-atacama-desert-chile.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n2. Sunset in the Atacama Desert Chile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"atacama](\"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/sunset-valley-moon-atacama-chile-eve-dawes-819x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n3. Salar de Atacama\/Salt Plains: Atacama Desert<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"salt](\"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/salt-plains-atacama-desert.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n4. Visiting the Flamingoes at Laguna Chaxa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s about a 45 minute drive to Laguna Chaxa from San Pedro de Atacama<\/a>. January is supposed to be the best time to see the resident Andean flamingos take flight during sunset. You probably won\u2019t need or want to spend more than 45 minutes to see all 3 types of flamingoes here and walk around the short path. I’d recommend either doing this to start or end your day and see the Valley of the Moon\/Valle De La Luna on the same day.
PS: it always smells here due to the sulphur gases that are continuously emitted from the Lascar volcano<\/a> but you don\u2019t notice it after a while.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"Visiting](\"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/chilean-flamingo-lake-chaxa-atacama-desert-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n5. San Pedro De Atacama Main Street<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Finding good coffee isn\u2019t the easiest in Atacama but we found great coffee and lunch at Roots<\/a> which has a more modern vibe than most of San Pedro. The best dinner we had was at La Casona<\/a> which had live music, traditional food and beautifully presented salads. Either go early or make a reservation as this spot\u2019s really popular and for good reason.
Like many areas of Chile, the area has a lot of poverty so dress super casual. Leave your heels and wedges at home and be prepared to get very sandy and wind swept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n6. Atacama Desert stargazing tour San Pedro De Atacama<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Astronomical tour with guide and pick up – San Pedro de Atacama by Astrotour
<\/a>This tour picked us up from the hotel (about 30 minutes late, so don\u2019t stress, they will show up) and drove us about 10 minutes outside of town to their location. At different times of the year you\u2019ll be able to see different things: planets, open and closed clusters, galaxies and stars via their high-end, computerized and manual telescopes and their laser pointer.
There was only 5 of us in our group which meant lots of time to ask questions and look through the telescope. The highlight for me was seeing the moon through the telescope and being able to take a photo of it with my iPhone.
TIP:<\/strong> Wrap up warm for your Atacama Desert stargazing tour, even though we went in their Summer, it gets cold and windy at night.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"best](\"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/moon-telescope-atacama-chile-985x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n7. El Tatio Geysers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
8. Sandboarding in San Pedro de Atacama<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tips for spending a day in the desert<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"valle](\"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/valle-luna-atacama-tour-groups.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhere to eat in San Pedro De Atacama<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"best](\"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/best-restaurant-dinner-san-pedro-de-atacama-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhat to wear in the Atacama Desert?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How many days do you need in the Atacama Desert?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How to explore Atacama<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Do you need cash in Atacama?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Atacama](\"https:\/\/glamourandgains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/atacama-desert-tour-tres-marias.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhere else besides Atacama should I visit in Chile?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Shop the post<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How we did our research for visiting Atacama Chile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
More travel guides<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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