Attractions

The boom in tourism has given birth to dozens of tour operators that line the streets of San Pedro, which can be classified into two divisions: traditional tours and active expeditions (although a few offer both). Always try to book a reservation ahead of time, especially during the summer. Tour operators have minimum group sizes, but if you've made a reservation, they will take you regardless of the group size being under the minimum.

If you can afford it, I strongly recommend hiring a private guide. A private guide will take you on uncommon tours, such as the remote salt flat Salar de Tara, and can adapt to your whims. Many are ex-guides from luxury hotels, with years of experience and insider contacts around town, but turnover is high, so check with Sernatur to contact a registered guide. Azimut 360 (tel. 2/235-1519; www.azimut.cl), offers adventure trips and classic day trips around San Pedro. It can guide climbers up one of the four volcano routes in Chile and Bolivia. Costs vary; normally, a private guide charges one fee, around $65 to $80 (£33-£40) per day for two to four people, and $100 (£50) for six. Extras, including lunch, a car and driver, and entrance fees, can push the daily cost up to around $250 (£125) for a group of two to four people.

For traditional tours (Valle de la Luna, the Salar de Atacama, Tatio Geysers, and archaeological tours), the following are tried and true: Desert Adventure, corner of Tocopilla and Caracoles (tel./fax 55/851067; www.desertadventure.cl); Cosmo Andino Expediciones, Caracoles s/n (tel. 55/851069); or Atacama Connection, Caracoles and Toconao (tel./fax 55/851421; www.atacamaconnection.com). For traditional tours with a wildlife theme, try Natura Expeditions, Domingo Atienza 388 (tel. 55/851825). For mountain biking and sandboarding, try Southamericanadventure, Caracoles 317 (tel. 55/851373). Average prices are: Valle de la Luna, $10 (£5); Tatio Geysers, $40 (£20); Salt Flat and altiplanic lakes, $45 (£23).

Marvel at the clear night skies with Celestial Explorations, Caracoles 166 (tel. 55/851935; www.spaceobs.com), which gives amateur astronomers an opportunity to view constellations visible only in the Southern Hemisphere. The 3-hour tour leaves nightly except for evenings around a full moon, and costs $20 (£10), which includes transportation, use of powerful telescopes, and an easy-to-understand interpretation of the stars by a trilingual astronomer.

In Town

San Pedro is chock-full of handicraft boutiques, and there is a crafts fair that begins at the plaza, between the Municipal Building and the museum. For more sophisticated works of art influenced by the Atacama culture, try La Mano Arte (tel. 8/219-0627; exhibition and sale at restaurant Adobe), which stocks pottery, jewelry, and sculptures.