The Complete Guide to the Atacama Desert in Chile 

The Atacama Desert, in the north of Chile, is the driest desert in the world, and one of the most unique places I have ever explored. The small, dusty town of San Pedro de Atacama reminds me of the old western movies. Outside of town, you will find all the magic of the Atacama Desert, Chile! Snow-capped volcanos, salty lagoons, massive sand dunes, and crazy rock formations characterize Chile’s Atacama Desert. 

There is a lot to pack in on your visit to the Atacama Desert! I stayed for 5 days and I still didn’t see everything. This guide to the Atacama Desert in Chile will give you the perfect itinerary for your visit and some helpful tips to do the most on a budget. 

Laguna Cejar

How to get to the Atacama Desert:

There are a few ways to access the Atacama Desert in the far north of Chile. The fastest way is to fly from Santiago to Calama (nearest airport) and take transportation from there. The drive is an additional 2 hours from Calama and there are plenty of buses to catch.  You can usually find cheap flights within Chile.

Another option is to take a bus. However, the bus from Santiago to the Atacama is over 24 hours! I don’t really recommend this as I think you can find a cheaper or similar priced plane flight. I took the bus from La Serena to Calama (2 more hours from here to San Pedro De Atacama). This was a more manageable overnight bus ride. Some people also enter the Atacama from the towns of Iquique or Arica, as well as, through the Uyuni Salt Flats. 

Dusty Streets of San Pedro de Atacama

When to visit the Atacama Desert:

You can visit the Atacama Desert year-round. The Chilean summer months of Dec-Feb are the most crowded. If you visit during the rainy months of summer (Nov-April)  flooding may occur. 

I visited at the end of May and the weather was amazing! I think winter is the best time to visit the Atacama because the temperature is much milder (although COLD at night!) and there is very little rain. This will be the months of May – October. There are also fewer people. 

Laguna Miscanti y Miniques

5 Things I never Travel Without

1. Travel Insurance – Heymondo has been my go-to for the last few years. I love how reasonable the prices are and how easy it is to sign up. They also include coverage of a bunch of adventurous activities! Click here for 5% off your policy.
2. Travel Credit Cards – Having a good travel credit card is a game changer! Not only do you get the benefit of zero transaction fees, but these cards provide other benefits such as, free Priority Pass, free TSA Pre-check/Global Entry, annual travel credits, great point earnings and travel partners. My two favorite cards are the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Capital One Venture X.
3. Kindle – I love reading and Kindle makes it so easy to download new books on the go!
4. Osprey Backpack – whether I’m hiking in Patagonia or backpacking Europe, Osprey offers versatile backpacks for any type of travel
5. AirPods – These are a total game changer for traveling. I love the noise cancelling capability because it makes airplanes silent and blocks out unwanted noise. They are so much easier to wear around than normal headphones. 

Key Attractions:

• Valle de la Luna
• Laguna Cejar
• Ojos del Salar
• Laguna Tebinquiche
• Astrophotography & Astrology Tour
• Laguna Chaxa (Flamingos)
• Laguna Miscanti y Miniques
• Piedras Rojas
• El Tatio Geysers 
• Valle de Marte
• Lagunas Escondidas de Baltinache

Where to stay in San Pedro de Atacama

Hostelworld is a great place to find budget accommodation all over the world. Hostal Pangea is the best budget accommodation in San Pedro de Atacama. The hostel has a social, friendly vibe. They organize tours to the local attractions for a reasonable price. Best of all, they are one of the only hostels in town that let you drink your own alcohol on the premises. 

Key Tips for Visiting the Atacama Desert:

• Rent a car to explore the sites! 
• Don’t expect anything to be fancy
• Book your stay on Hostelworld
• Take a start gazing tour
• Bring a lot of sunscreen
• Never travel without Travel Insurance! 
• Be extra cautious when transiting through Calama 
• Maps.me and google maps are very helpful to plan your trip

Renting a Car in San Pedro de Atacama

One of the best things you can do on your visit to the Atacama is to rent a car for a couple of days. This will save you a lot of money and give you the freedom and flexibility to explore on your own time. I was traveling solo and I made 3 friends to split the cost of the car rental and gas. In total, we each paid 25,000 Chilean Pesos for gas and the car. We were also able to rent the car from 9 am until 4 pm the next day! I recommend Europcar. Most of the roads are super easy to drive on and very uncrowded. The only difficult road was the 14 km to Lagunas Escondidos because it is all gravel and corrugated. 

Renting a car saves a lot of money because all the tours charge for the transportation and then they don’t even include the entrance fee to the sites. You can easily map out where you want to go and skip paying for the transport. You also get to choose how long you visit a place and you can avoid the crowds! 

Another option is to rent a car in Calama if you plan on having it for your whole stay.

Biking to Los Ojos del Salar

Renting a Bike in San Pedro de Atacama

Another great way to get around the Atacama Desert is by renting a bike. It cost about 6,000 clp for 6 hours. The bikes are a great way to visit some of the nearby attractions. My friends and I rented them to explore Laguna Cejar, Ojos del Salar, and Laguna Tebinquiche.

Riding bikes was a fun experience but a lot of work! It was about 60 Km round-trip so there is a level of fitness that is required. We decided not to visit Laguna Tebinquiche because it was a couple more kilometers out of the way and we were tired and satisfied with our adventure. The way out to the laguna was easy because the road was downhill and flat and we had the breeze to our backs. By the time we headed back to town the wind was howling and we were going head-on. A french family ended up saving me and picked me and my bike up for the last 8 km. 

If I had to do it again I would make sure the wind forecast was favorable. I would also consider just going to Laguna Cejar. That was the coolest spot, and I would try to check out Ojos del Salar in the car at some other point. 

Altiplano Laguna

Taking Tours in San Pedro de Atacama

Tours are also another good option for seeing the Atacama Desert. They are a good way to meet other travelers and you don’t have to do any planning or driving of your own. The downside is you pay more money and you don’t have the freedom to explore places at your own pace. Keep in mind that tour prices do not cover the entrance fees to most of the attractions (usually an additional 5,000 clp). 

Lagunas Escondidas

5 Day Guide to the Atacama Desert:

This section of the post will give you a detailed itinerary for your visit to Chile’s Atacama Desert. This is the outline of my visit to the Atacama Desert, and I think it ticks most of the boxes. You can easily tailor your trip however you like, but I would allow at least 3 full days in the Atacama Desert. 

Sunset in San Pedro de Atacama

Day 1: Arrive and Explore San Pedro de Atacama

• You will either arrive by bus or plane in the bigger town of Calama. From here, you will catch another 2-hour bus to San Pedro de Atacama. Alternatively, you can rent a car from Calama and arrive in San Pedro de Atacama from there. 
• Once you check in to your accommodation, you will probably be ready for lunch. Have a stroll around the town and select a spot to eat. 
• Familiarize yourself with the town and plan your next few days based on the weather
• Walk a few minutes outside the town and catch a beautiful sunset

Laguna Cejar

Day 2: Bike to Laguna Cejar and Ojos del Salar

• Get an early start on the bike ride to Laguna Cejar where you can experience the sensation of floating in a salt pool! 
  • There is an entrance fee of approx. 5,000 Chilean pesos
• This is an 18km ride one-way so bring a lot of water, sunscreen, and your bathing suit! 
• If you are feeling fit continue on to Ojos del Salar (another 12 km)
  • You can swim here too and it is free
• If you are extra fit you can continue to Laguna Tebinquiche (another 2 km)

**If you have a car it will be much easier to visit these locations. I love a bit of adventure and exercise so I enjoyed the bike ride with a couple of friends. I was also traveling on a tight backpacking budget that only allowed for a 1-day car rental.***

Laguna Cejar

Ojos del Salar

Day 3: Rent a Car and Explore! 

• You can rent a car from Europcar in San Pedro de Atacama as early as 9 am 
  • Try to reserve one if possible, otherwise it is first come first serve
• Head out to the Lagunas Miscanti and Miniques
  • Approx 2,500 clp entrance fee
  • Drive through the park and use the trails to get views of the beautiful Lagunas
  • Keep an eye out for Guanacos and Vicunas
• Next travel to Piedras Rojas
  • This attraction was closed for restoration when I visited but there are still a couple of lookouts that you can pull over to
• Now that you are almost to the Argentina border, turn around and start heading back to San Pedro de Atacama
• The last stop of the day will be Laguna Chaxa which is a beautiful lagoon in the salt flats that is home to multiple species of Flamingos.
  • Expect approx 5,000 clp entrance fee
  • There is an interactive museum and footpath to follow
• Return to town – relax and have dinner

**Option to drive out into the desert at night for some epic stargazing**

Guanacos and Vicunas

Laguna Miniques

Piedras Rojas

Laguna Chaxa

Day 4: Exploring the Valle de la Luna and Lagunas Escondidas

• Get an early start and head to Valle de la Luna a very short drive from San Pedro de Atacama
  • You can only visit Valle de la Luna in the morning if you don’t go on a tour 
  • Exploring here takes a while. There are many stops you can make with short hikes to various viewpoints and natural exhibits 
  • We didn’t pull over at every stop and it still took a couple of hours
• Next, head to Lagunas Escondidas 
  • Expect a very bumpy road once you turn off the main highway
  • This was one of my favorite stops. The pools are incredible to float in and such a mesmerizing color. Also, there were very few people
• Most likely your rental car will be almost out of time. Make sure to allow enough time to fill up the gas tank. 

Lagunas Escondidas

Astrology and Astrophotography Tour:

This is a must-do part of visiting the Atacama Desert in Chile. It is one of the best places in the world for stargazing. This is the only “tour” I did while I was in the Atacama – and it was totally worth it. I got some amazing photos with the stars, learned about constellations and the Incan star mapping, and also got to enjoy a lot of wine. You can do this tour on any of the nights – but keep in mind you will be out late. You will also want to choose the best weather and moon conditions for this experience so adjust your itinerary accordingly. 

**You can also take the car out to somewhere in the desert but you can’t drink, probably won’t know everything about the stars, and might get lost in the darkness.** 

Stargazing Atacama Desert Chile

Day 5: Departure

• On my last day, I chose to relax in town until my bus departed for Arica. 
• By this point, I felt accomplished and had spent enough money in the Atacama. 
• There were some additional stops I could’ve made like the El Tatio Geysers and the Valle de Marte
• A lot of people really enjoy the Geysers but I didn’t want to wake up that early or spend the $$

Laguna Cejar Lookout

Leaving the Atacama Desert

• A lot of people begin the Uyuni Salt Flats Tour from the Atacama and make their way into Bolivia
• You can catch buses to Iquique and Arica
• Or return to Santiago by plane 

Piedras Rojas Lookout

Complete Guide to the Atacama Desert in Chile

What a jam-packed 5 days in the desert! The Atacama totally exceeded my expectations and is still one of the coolest places I’ve been. Chile is so diverse! This is the adventurer’s dream and an easy way to get out exploring on a budget. I hope this guide to the Atacama Desert in Chile helps you plan your trip! It is a must-visit location. Comment below if you have been to the Atacama Desert in Chile. 

Check out More of Chile!

There is so much to see in Chile! Make sure you check out my other guides for must-see destinations in the South.

• Interactive map and travel route of Patagonia 
• 21 Awesome Things to do in Pucon, Chile
• Guide to Hitchhiking the Carretera Austral

*This post may contain affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I may receive a small commission. Your support helps pay for this blog and I really appreciate it.*