Side Trips

National Flamingo Reserve: The Salar De Atacama, Valle de la Luna & The Southern Altiplanic Lakes

The National Flamingo Reserve is divided into seven sectors and distributed over a vast area of land, including portions of the Salar de Atacama (Atacama Salt Flat). When San Pedro tourism was in its infancy, a trip to the Salar bordered on a major expedition trip; now it is among the most accessible destinations (as is Valle de la Luna). The Salar is a tremendous 100km-long (62-mile) mineralized lake with no outlet, and it is covered nearly completely by saline minerals and dust that combine to create a weird putty-colored crust. The salt flat is the largest in Chile, and it is home to 40% of the world's lithium reserves. In some areas, lagoons peek out from under the crust, such as at Laguna Chaxa, the traditional stop at the Salar due to the Conaf interpretative center here (open daily Sept-May 8:30am-8pm and June-Aug 8:30am-7pm). But it is difficult to see flamingos at Chaxa, and as destinations go, it is a fairly boring stop. Head instead to the little-known Laguna Sejar, where the locals go, 19km (12 miles) from San Pedro. This emerald lagoon is encircled by white salt encrustations that resemble and feel like coral reef -- so bring flip-flops. Sejar affords a remarkable swimming experience, floating in water so saline it renders you virtually unsinkable. Bring a large bottle of fresh water to rinse yourself off with afterward. Check with a tour operator for a half-day trip, or rent a bike, though some parts of the road are very sandy. The way here can be a little tricky, so ask someone at your hotel to explain the route to you carefully. Early is best to visit, when there is no wind.

Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon) still ranks as one of the best attractions here, but you'll share the lookout point during the sunset hour with a hundred or more tourists, especially during the summer. The valley is a depression surrounded by jagged spines of salt-encrusted hills, with an immense sand dune running between two ridges. Try to organize a tour for an afternoon hike through the Cordillera de Sal (Salt Hill Range), ending at the lookout point at sunset. This is the best site to enjoy Atacama Desert's colors as they melt from violet to gold. For an unforgettable night, come on the eve of a full moon, when ghostly light casts shadows on an already eerie landscape. The Valle is 15km (9 1/4 miles) from San Pedro and can be reached by bicycle or vehicle. To get here, head west on the street Licancabúr toward Calama, and follow the left-turn sign for Valle de la Luna. Warning: There's a minefield between the northern gate and the main highway to Calama. Heed the warning signs, and don't wander off around the gate.

Heading south 38km (24 miles) from San Pedro, you will reach the oasis towns Toconao, Camar, and Socaire. These three towns are not as picturesque as their counterparts in the Atacama Desert, so you might want to just continue on. What you are headed for are the high altiplanic lakes, Laguna Miscanti and Laguna Miñeques, two stunning cobalt-blue lakes at the foot of their respectively named peaks, and the Salar de Talar and the Laguna de Tuyajto, where it is easier to spot flamingos than at the Salar de Atacama. This journey is recommended in order to view high-altitude lakes on a less strenuous trip than the Salar de Tara, near the Argentina/Bolivia/Chile border. More adventurous types are better off visiting Tara because the reserve is larger, the salt flat's colors are more intense, and there are no other tourists. The Salar de Tara (also part of the Flamingo Reserve) rates as one of the most memorable journeys in the Atacama area, but few visitors are aware of it. The trip requires a round-trip 200km (124-mile) drive mostly along bumpy roads in a 4X4, with a moderate hike.

Geysers Del Tatio/Baños de Puritama

Without a doubt a highlight in the Atacama Desert, the Geysers del Tatio (Tatio Geysers) are nonetheless not the easiest excursion -- there's not a lot of physical activity required, but tours leave at 4 or 5am (the geysers are most active around 6-8am). At 4,321m (14,173 ft.), these are the highest geysers in the world, and it is a marvelous spectacle to watch thick plumes of steam blow from holes in such a windswept, arid land. Interspersed between the geysers, bubbling pools encrusted with colorful minerals splash and splutter -- but exercise extreme caution when walking near the thin crust; careless visitors burn themselves here frequently. Herds of vicuñas, the smallest camelid with the animal kingdom's finest wool, graze in this area. There is a hot springs pool at the geyser site that most tours stop at, but I urge you to find a tour company that includes Baños de Puritama . A lump of rusting metal at the geysers is what's left of a previous misguided attempt to industrialize the underground source of energy. The geysers are 95km (59 miles) north of San Pedro. I strongly recommend travelers with their own vehicle not drive here -- even habitual drivers to the geysers can get lost in the dark amid myriad dirt roads. If you insist, buy a map at the military's geographic institute in Santiago and get an experienced driver to run you through details of the route, or hire a day guide. The Turistel maps are good in general but often lack sufficient detail when you really need it at the dirt-road level.

Due to the high altitude, this journey is not recommended on the first or second day of your stay in San Pedro. Some travelers save this for last, returning directly to Calama with stops at colonial villages and ruin sites. But it is a long journey, and a far better option is to head back to San Pedro and stop at the Baños de Puritama, a sybaritic hot springs oasis composed of well-built rock pools that descend down a gorge, about 60km (37 miles) from the geysers (or 28km/17 miles from San Pedro, heading out on the road that borders the cemetery). They are run by the luxury Hotel Explora and cost a steep $16 (£8) to enter, but it's worth it. You may want to tote a snack and a bottle of wine to enjoy while there. There are changing rooms and bathrooms on the premises.

Pukara de Quitor

The Pukará is a 12th-century, pre-Inca fort that clings to a steep hillside some 3km (1 3/4 miles) outside San Pedro. Although formidable, the fort was no match for the Spanish, with their horses and steel swords, and it was conquered in 1540 by Francisco de Aguirre and 30 other men. This is an ideal bike ride from San Pedro but a searing hot walk during the middle of the day. On bike, you may want to continue north from the Pukará up through the valley along the dirt road for 2km (1 1/4 miles), where a short scramble up the eastern, right-hand ridge will take you to the tiny Inca ruin of Catarpe. It's a quiet, contemplative spot with a beautiful view of Licancabur and other Andean peaks.

Aldea de Tulor

Tulor, Atacama's oldest pueblo, is a fascinating attraction, if only because of its age, estimated to have been built around 800 B.C. The site remained intact in part because it had been covered with sand for hundreds of years, and today it is possible to see the walls that once formed the structures of this town. There are a few reconstructed houses on view as well. Tulor is 9km (5 1/2 miles) southwest of San Pedro.

Bolivia's Laguna Verde

Why not visit Bolivia for the day? Early afternoon journeys to the shimmering turquoise lakes on the backside of Volcano Lincancabur put travelers in a high-altitude wonderland including a hot springs pool. This is an easy journey, but perhaps not as grand as the Salar de Tara. Rental vehicles may not cross the border; if you have your own vehicle, you'll need to register at Customs on the road out to Bolivia and pay an entrance fee at the Bolivian border. Better still, go with a Bolivian tour operator out of San Pedro. Try Colque Tours, at the corner of Caracoles and Calama (tel. 55/851109; www.colquetours.com). They can also take you deeper into Bolivia to the fantastic, snow-white salt flats of Uyuni, the biggest in the world.