1B

Escape to the driest desert of the world and to the breathtaking landscape of Altiplano. The contrasts that you will see while driving are like one huge photo that seem to be very unreal. Blue lakes, orange sanded and rocky areas in front of snow capped volcanoes form a beautiful background that will impress you. Take some pictures from the many lookouts to carry home a piece of this memorable place on earth.

Itinerary

Day 1 Arica - Azapa Valley (25 km / 16 mi)

Pick up your car at the airport or the downtown rental office. El Morro, a steep hill to the south of Arica centre is a great place to visit. The Azapa Valley is a fertile valley where olives, tomatoes, and tropical fruits are grown. It is famous for its archaeological sites that date back to the 10th century AD and for the archaeological and anthropological museum
"San Miguel de Azapa“. Overnight in Arica.

Day 2 Putre (3.500 m/11.483 ft above sea level) (148 km/93 mi)

Drive up towards the highland village of Putre, located at an altitude of 3500 m / 11,483 ft.
In the afternoon, you will enter the valley of Putre, surrounded by snow-capped volcano peaks. Pre-Hispanic Putre is the capital of the Parinacota Province. Overnight in Putre. (Breakfast)

Day 3 Lauca National Park - Arica (225 km / 141 mi)

Discover the captivating beauty of the Lauca National Park with its impressive variety of exotic flora and wildlife such as vicuñas, alpacas, Andean flamingos, as well as other species. In the park you will be able to visit Lake Chungara, the highest lake in the world, and the village of Parinacota with its beautiful church. In the afternoon you will return to Arica, stopping in the Lluta Valley to admire the geoglyphs on the arid hillside which were made by pre-Columbian inhabitants. Overnight in Arica. (Breakfast)

Day 4 Arica - Iquique (318 km / 198 mi)

Drive through the „Pampa“, a dry desert at 1.000 - 1.200 m/3,280 - 3,940 ft above sea level. Various deep canyons intersect this high and dry plain. You will then enter the region around Iquique where the 19th century saltpetre boom left its marks. Overnight in Iquique. (Breakfast)

Day 5 Iquique - San Pedro de Atacama (550 km / 342 mi)

For the greater part of this long journey, you will be heading south through the Pampa del Tamarugal before turning east to the famous Atacama Desert. During the whole trip roads will be paved. Overnight in San Pedro de Atacama. (Breakfast)

Day 6 Salar de Atacama and Moon Valley (100 km / 62 mi)

San Pedro de Atacama once was the center of the Atacama civilization; the museum Padre le Paige in the centre of town has a collection of over 380,000 exhibits, including mummies
discovered in the area. We recommend visiting the Salar de Atacama, the largest of the Chilean salt lakes in the morning or early afternoon (100 km/62 mi) from San Pedro), then drive to the Moon Valley. The scenery of the Moon Valley at sunset is impressive and should not be missed. Overnight in San Pedro. (Breakfast)

Day 7 El Tatio and Puritama (4.321 m/14.177 ft above sea level)(94 km / 58 mi)

After an early start (about 04.00 a.m.) you will be able to visit the El Tatio Geysers, a geothermal field flanked by soaring Andean peaks at an altitude of 4,321 m/14,177 ft above sea level. At dawn, powerful spurts of steam shoot out of various blowholes. After your visit to the geysers, you will drive back to San Pedro; on your way you can visit the Hot Springs of Puritama to relax and warm up in the beautiful thermal baths. Overnight in San Pedro. (Breakfast)

Day 8 San Pedro – Calama / Antofagasta (100 km/ 62 mi to Calama; 320 km/ 199 mi to Antofagasta)

After breakfast, you will return your car either in Calama or Antofagasta airport or city
office. (Breakfast)

End of services

Back to Newsletter

Back to Newsletter