Family Adventures in the Atacama Desert

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Duration

6 days

Difficulty

Low

Location

Atacama Desert

Date

June to November

USD $3.180

Per person in DBL

6-Day Family Adventures in the Atacama Desert

Amity Tours has developed this new tour in the Atacama Desert for families who love being active, go hiking during the day and rest comfortable at night. You’ll hike among astonishing landscapes surrounded by volcanoes and secret paths between valleys, salt flats, gorges, in addition to learning about Atacama history, culture, archaeology, and its native flora and fauna.

Atacama Family Adventure Tour Highlights

  • Explore the driest desert in the world
  • Ckari Gorge trail hike in Moon Valley
  • Star-gazing experience 
  • Cejar Lagoon and Ojos del Salar
  • Atacama Salt Flat and endemic fauna and flora
  • Savor Chilean cuisine and taste traditional Atacamean specialties
  • Cacti Valley, Guatín ancient settlement and Puritama hot springs
  • Third largest Geothermal field in the world: Tatio Geysers
  • Cultural experience and special encounter with the Likan Antai indigenous community
  • High plateau Lagoons: Miscanti and Miñiques

 

Itinerary

For flight quotes (international and domestic), please contact our partner Exito Travel.  

Before we kick off our family adventure tour in the Atacama Desert, you should take a day or two to adjust to local time and recover from your travels, and allow for any flight or luggage delays. You should fly into Calama airport (CJC).

In Chile, domestic flights are operated by 3 local airline companies: LatamSky Airline and JetSmart.

We recommend staying at Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás in San Pedro de Atacama, which is well-located with lots of restaurants and other facilities just a short walk away.

Suggested Hotels

Official Airport Transfer

The official shuttle company at Calama’s Airport is called TransVip.

They are the only authorized shuttle company at the airport, and their staff wears a green and orange uniform.
By contract with the airport, they must have available transport based in the domestic flights arriving every day.

They have a counter at the airport, on the ground floor next to the car rental companies.

They offer regular shuttles to San Pedro de Atacama at $12.000 pesos (USD $17 per person), and they need a minimum of 4 people.

If they don’t have the 4 minimum passengers, or if you want to have a private shuttle, with the same company you can do it at $75.000 (USD $100 per vehicle).

You don’t need reservations and you can pay in Credit Card or Cash. The ATM is on ground floor.

All their shuttle services will drop you off at the hotel or address you are staying in San Pedro de Atacama. Driving time is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Our meeting hotel address is CALLE TOCOPILLA, SIN NUMERO, SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA.

Welcome to Atacama – the driest desert in the World.

Morning excursion

On the first day of our family adventure trip, our local team will meet you at La Casa de Don Tomas Hotel in San Pedro de Atacama at 9am.

We will have a great introductory experience to the Likan Antay culture as we visit the different ayllus around San Pedro de Atacama.

The Ayllu is an ancient type of organization and land management, created by the Altiplano people who inhabited these desert sites.

We will meet Wildo and his family who will share with us an introductory conversation regarding the territory and some of their tradition. We will experience different traditions of the Likan antay people.

Afternoon excursion

After a good rest, we’ll head towards the Salt Mountain Range where the Mars Valley is located. This mountain range forms a natural barrier between the Pacific Ocean and the Atacama Salt Flat.  

After ascending a small dune, we will hike north along one of the cornices bordering the Mars Valley. The stunning panoramic view allows us to appreciate how erosion has molded the Salt Mountain Range, revealing the geological processes that shaped it. 

The most fun part of the excursion is a steep but enjoyable descent down a dune, from where we cross the valley on our way back to the van. 

Altitude: 2,600 meters above sea level

Distance: 3,7 kilometers

Time hiking: 1 hour 20 minutes

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: La Casa de Don Tomas Hotel 

 

Morning Ride

Today we’ll bike towards Ojos del Salar, the Tebinquinche & Cejar Lagoons, where you’ll get the change to swim, enjoying the gravitational effect caused by the amount of salt condensed, floating very easily. Your eyes will be amazed with the beautiful turquoise color of the lagoon. 

Distance by bike: 40 kilometers

Elevation: 2.400 meters above sea level 

Intensity level: Low/Easy

Afternoon Hike

During the afternoon, we’ll head toward the Moon Valley, located in the Salt Mountain Range, which forms a natural barrier between the Pacific Ocean and the Atacama Salt Flat. The hike starts at the Coyote rock, a strange rock formation and getting deep into the mountain range and it geologic forms. 

We’ll hike 2 hours by the Kari George, admiring beautiful views of Atacama. The Moon is well-known due to it statuesque and rocky formations. Salt emerges to the surface, covering the surface with a dry, whitish layer that gives the place a lunar aspect.

Distance Hiking: 8 kilometers

Elevation: 2.400 meters above sea level

Intensity level: Low/Easy

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: La Casa de Don Tomas Hotel 

 

Morning Hike

After breakfast, departure from your hotel towards the North-East. The excursion starts out by ascending from the Guatín settlement surrounded by hundred-year-old cactus. 

The hike begins climbing along a 820-feet slope towards the Puritama hot springs. Once we reach the hot springs, we will relax in mineral hot water and enjoy snacks. 

Distance Hiking: 6,8 kilometers

Elevation: 3.600 meters above sea level

Intensity Level: Beginners-Intermediate

Afternoon Excursion

In the afternoon, we will drive towards Toconao. Upon arrival, we will visit the main Plaza, the Church and the historic Bell tower, all of them historic symbols of this town. Moreover, we will visit some vegetable gardens and sample some local wine. 

Afterwards, we will continue towards Los Flamencos National Reserve, where the Atacama Salt Flat is located and bird watching is amazing. The Atacama salt flat is the biggest salt field in Chile and its large quantities of salt make the surface white and rough. 

There, we will wait until sunset and then head back to hotel in San Pedro.

Distance: 2 km

Difficulty: Easy

Altitude: 2,400 meters above sea level

Accommodation: La Casa de Don Tomas Hotel 

Meals: Breakfast 

 

We begin our journey through geothermal fields from the most visited spot on the Tatio geysers. We then escape the common by following paths made by the passage of vicuñas, they take us to a river of thermal waters where several pools are formed. 

We will continue our hike at the source of this river, the Great White Geyser. Finally, we will hike back to the van. We will enjoy a picnic lunch at the geothermal field where you will be able appreciate great views and take a bath at thermal pool. 

Return to San Pedro de Atacama where you can rest and relax for a while. 

At night we will enjoy an amazing astronomy outing. We’ll spend 2 hours that starts with an astronomy lecture in a specially equipped room, followed by a naked eye star-gazing and finally, a celestial bodies telescopic observation.

Distance: 4.5 kilometers

Time hiking: 3 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch and Evening Cocktail

Accommodation: La Casa de Don Tomas Hotel 

 

Today in the morning, we’ll depart towards Socaire village (3.300 meters above sea level) to acclimatize and appreciate the small church of San Bartolomé. We continue our day driving to Miscanti and Meñiques lagoons of crystalline water and intense blue color (4.350 meters above sea level). 

Surrounded by numerous volcanoes and mountains, they are a habitat for a variety of species, such as the Chilean flamingo, the small parina, the player Baird and the horned crane, among others. 

Afterwards we´ll continue our trip towards the Aguas Calientes Salt Flat. We will enjoy a picnic lunch surrounded by beautiful colors and the Andes Mountain Range. Finally, we will reach Piedras Rojas where we will be able to find endemic fauna and flora and enjoy panoramic views. At night we will enjoy a farewell dinner at a restaurant in town.

Meals: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch and Farewell Dinner 

Accommodation: La Casa de Don Tomas Hotel  

 

Our last adventure will lead us by bike to the San Pedro River and follow its course in Catarpe Valley. We go through the Pukara de Quitor, an old fortress, and cross the Devil’s Throat, a canyon inside the Salt Mountain Range with zigzagging paths between striking rock formations. 

Back to the hotel and private transfer to Calama Airport (CJC).

End of our services. 

Bike Distance: 16 kilometers

Meals: Breakfast

 

family adventure atacama chile

Difficulty

Easy: You don’t live for hiking, but you definitely love to spend time in nature. These hiking tours are appropriate for all people and suitable for older adults in good health with overall good mobility, who are comfortable participating in up to 3 hours hiking per day.

Itinerary Modifications

Slight itinerary modifications might occur due to weather and or road conditions, or force majeure.

Weather notes

We suggest visiting the web for current conditions in Chile and doing your own research on this topic. www.meteochile.cl/ or www.accuweather.com

The Atacama Desert is commonly known as the driest place in the world. Although the almost total lack of precipitation is the most prominent characteristic of the Atacama Desert, exceptions may occur. The Invierno Boliviano or Altiplano Winter is a phenomenon which can produce a little rain and abundant electrical storms, and occurs in January and February. 

The average rainfall is about 15 mm. (0.59 in) per year. This desert is so arid that many mountains higher than 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) are completely free of glaciers. Indeed, only the highest peaks have some permanent snow coverage.

In San Pedro de Atacama, the local climate is extremely dry and mild, with daytime temperatures between 25ºC to 30ºC  (77ºF–86ºF) in the summer (December to February) and 18ºC to 25 °C (64 to 77 °F) in the winter (June to August). Night time temperatures routinely drop below 0 °C (32 °F) and can reach as low as −10 °C (14 °F) in the winter.

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