San Pedro de Atacama

Marco Whyte|2024-05-31 (7 months ago)164 views

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We made it to Chile! I arrived with all my friends from Uyuni and we got dinner together. But the next day I had a very special person coming to join me the next couple days to see what the Atacama Desert had to offer. My Grandmother, Tati! I really liked the pretty town of San Pedro de Atacama, with great restaurants and endless adventures close by. The first adventure my Grandmother and I did was the Lagunas Escondidas (hidden lagoons). These lagoons were only found in 2009, hence their name and have a beautiful turquoise water set against a dramatic desert and Andes as well.

Next to this incredible color, is another lagoon where you are allowed to swim in. It's a little sad because all the pretty color gets lost with people's sunscreen and disturbing the bottom of the lagoon, but as the guide said this is part of the tourist experience and the only place you can experience floating from salt in South America. It was a really fun experience! The water was very cold, but as soon as you get in you notice the floating effect caused by salt.

On the next day, we went to the Termas de Puritama. These hot springs were absolutely beautiful, with hot water flowing from geothermal activity in the Andes Mountains.

There were eight different pools, all uniquely pretty.

In the afternoon we went to Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley). Valle de la Luna is renowned for its moon-like landscape formed by centuries of wind and water erosion, creating dramatic rock formations and sand dunes.

It also has impressive sand dunes.

It was time to watch the sunset in Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley)! The whole Andes range turned an incredible purple color.

To end the night, we got to watch the stars. The Atacama Desert is renowned for its exceptional stargazing opportunities due to its high altitude, clear skies, and minimal light pollution, making it one of the best places in the world for astronomical observations. There was a special camera which captures this mind-blowing sky well 🌌.

The final adventure of San Pedro de Atacama I had was to see the Geysers del Tatio. Geysers del Tatio, located in the Andes Mountains at an altitude of 4,320 meters, is one of the world's highest geyser fields, featuring over 80 active geysers.

We were guided through special paths to make sure we don't step in the wrong place.

I also saw this cute fox to end my time here in San Pedro 🦊.