Day 9: San Pedro de Atacama - Calama - Santiago de Chile
Today is the last day we spent in the Atacama Desert and we can already say that we are fully recovered from the symptoms we suffered these days ago, in which we did all the Tours in San Pedro de Atacama, of the altitude sickness caused by being every day at 2400 meters, surpassing them until reaching 4900 meters, just before yesterday, in the Tour to the Salt Flat of Tara.
Also today is a transition day in which we begin the third part of the trip to Chile and Easter Island, after the visit to Santiago de Chile and Valparaíso and in these last days the Atacama Desert and today will take us to the third stage in which we will enter Chiloé, where we will spend 4 days, what they say is one of the most magical places in Chile.
Taking into account that in recent days we have spent practically without resting, both because of the rhythm of Tours in San Pedro de Atacama, like the symptoms of altitude sickness, today we decided to take the morning with peace of mind, taking advantage to recover those energies that we had half lost and also, we will not deny it, update the work in Street Travelers, which we have had a little forgotten These last hours.
It's 8 in the morning when we sit in the lounge of the Pablito Hostel to enjoy today, for the first time these days, a full breakfast, as we are used to doing on our trips, enjoying a good coffee, some toast and a couple of pieces of fruit that make us feel great in the stomach, in addition to allowing us to make a fantastic desktop in which we take stock of the Tours in San Pedro de Atacama what we have done during these days and how much they have taught us about this incredible area of Chile.
After breakfast we return to the room, where we prepare a little luggage, to leave everything collected and go out to the terrace to enjoy a sunny day, but that allows us to sit in the open, while we dedicate ourselves to read and catch up on the blog , interspersed with the response of several emails that had been left behind these days, as well as downloading the photos we have taken in all tours from San Pedro de Atacama.
Our flight to Santiago de Chile is at 17:40 in the afternoon, so we have hired at 14h, with the same company we arrived with, TransVip, the Transfer service from San Pedro de Atacama to Calama airport, which the Desert Adventure company included in the price along with the Tours in San Pedro de Atacama.
It is 12 in the morning when we begin to ask whether to go to the center of San Pedro de Atacama, since we are about 10 minutes walk from the center, to eat or not. After thinking about it a couple of times and telling us that we had breakfast late, we prefer not to eat and do it at the airport of Calama, in order to take advantage of these two hours that we enjoy enjoying the relaxation of Hostal Pablito and finish catching up with the blog and The photographs of these last days.
Tips Tours in San Pedro de Atacama
One of the big questions we had while preparing this part of the trip to Chile it was what Tours in San Pedro de Atacama We had to do or which were the most recommended.
Taking into account that we had 3 full days plus two half days, the arrival and departure, we did not have as much time as it may seem initially, so among the offers that exist, we had to choose the ones we considered were the best and the ones we wanted to do the most.
That said, we have several recommendations that we believe can help you in the election:
- We recommend that you dedicate a minimum of 3-4 full days to this area of Chile to see and do the Tours in San Pedro de Atacama More tourist and also more incredible.
- Keep in mind that all tours are over 3000 meters, so it is worth being a day or half a day of adaptation once you arrive in San Pedro de Atacama.
- Another thing to keep in mind is to try to make the tours that are made at a lower height the first few days, leaving for example the one on the Salar de Tara, at 4900 meters and the one at the Altiplanic Lagoons at 4800 meters, for the final days .
- One of the most recommended tours is the Astronomical Tour. Keep in mind that this tour is done late in the afternoon and ends when it is almost 2 in the morning, so it is worth having it in mind so as not to put it the day before the Tour at Tatio geysers, which starts at 4 in the morning.
Best Tours in San Pedro de Atacama
Although it is difficult to choose between places as incredible as all we can meet in the Atacama Desert, after our experience, we believe that there are some that are essential as Tours in San Pedro de Atacama:
- Tour Valle de la Luna and Valle de la Muerte in the Atacama Desert: Visits to the Valle de la Luna: Gran Duna, Las Tres Marías, Mina de Sal and the Death Valley: Sunset at the Piedra del Coyote.
Duration 5 hours (16h-21h). Price 8000 CLP + 4000CLP Tickets per person
death Valley
- Tour Altiplanic Lagoons, Red Stones and Salar de Atacama: Visits to Miscanti Lagoon and Miñiques, to Piedras Rojas, to Chaxá Lagoon in the Salar de Atacama and Toconao.
Duration 9: 30-10 hours (06: 30/07: 00-16h). Price 50000CLP + Tickets 7500CLP per person
This tour reaches 4300 meters of altitude and it is convenient to pay attention at the time of hiring it since many agencies offer it cheaper, but it does not include Piedras Rojas, a place that we believe, is essential.
Red Stones Tours in San Pedro de Atacama
- Salar de Tara Tour from San Pedro de Atacama: Visits to the Laguna de Quepiaco, the Monks of La Pacana and the Salar de Tara.
Duration 9 hours (08: 00/08: 30h-17h). Price 50000CLP + There is no fee to pay
This tour reaches 4900 meters of altitude, so it is advisable to do it at the end of your stay in San Pedro de Atacama or when you take a few days, to be adapted.
Tara salt
- Astronomical Tour: Tour in San Pedro de Atacama, which takes place at night.
Duration 3 hours (10: 30-01: 30h). Price 20000CLP per person. This tour takes place in several languages, depending on the day of the week. It is recommended to book early as they are limited places and have enough reservations.
Being a night tour that has just finished early in the morning, it is convenient to take it into account to square it a day in which the next day does not coincide with the Geysers of Tatio Tour, which begins at 4 in the morning.
- Tour Geysers of Tatio: Visits to the Geothermal Field, Hot Springs and Machuca.
Duration 8 hours (04: 00/04: 30h-12h). Price 18000CLP + 10000 Tickets per person.
This tour reaches 4300 meters and counting that it starts at dawn, it is advisable to take it into account so that it does not coincide with the Astronomical Tour the day before.
Tatio Geysers Tour
All the prices that we indicate are those offered by the company Desert Adventure and we believe that they can serve as an orientation to negotiate with another agency or with it.
Almost without realizing it, we see ourselves checking out, when there are only a few minutes to 2 in the afternoon, at which time we have to pick up our luggage and say goodbye to the staff of Hostal Pablito, a more than recommended accommodation, which we undoubtedly We carry a magnificent memory.
It is up to the shared transfer of TransVip, which we do with 3 more travelers, with whom we go back to those incredible landscapes that brought us here 5 days ago and gave us a few days that we are sure, we will never forget.
We arrive at Calama airport at 15:15 in the afternoon, and after making a super fast check in, you have to take into account that the airport is very small and very few flights depart, we pass the security checks and we go to Costa Tacora restaurant, where we find about 20 tables that at this time of noon / afternoon are all full of leftovers from previous customers, although there are three people at the bar chatting non-stop, and finally we get them to attend us after 15 minutes, to tell us that they only have 5% of the card !! ??? So we have no choice but to eat a couple of sad Sandwiches, while we remember with melancholy the restaurants of San Pedro de Atacama.
We have to say that this is the first time something like this has happened to us since we arrived in Chile, so we imagine that it is a punctual situation, and we do not give it greater importance than at the moment in which we are not going to deny it, it is even uncomfortable to have no other place to eat.
More practical information to prepare your trip to Chile- 10 essential tips for traveling to Chile
- 10 amazing places to see in Chile
- Best travel insurance for Chile
On time we embark on the flight of Lan from Calama to Santiago de Chile and on time we also take off, to find truly incredible landscapes, which can only leave us with an incredible memory of the last moments in this area of Chile.
Landscapes from the flight from Calama to Santiago de Chile
Flight from Calama to Santiago de Chile
After an incredible flight with spectacular views of the mountain range, which this time we can see perfectly since the day we came it was practically impossible to do it because we had the sun in front, we arrived on time at 19:25 in the afternoon to Santiago de Chile.
Newcomers to Santiago de Chile
As soon as we pick up our bags, we approach door 3, where there is a counter from TransVip, the transfer company that has been accompanying us since we arrived in Chile, where we have to go to get the free transfer ticket from the airport to Hotel Manquehue Aeropuerto Santiago, where we will stay tonight, to catch the flight to Puerto Montt tomorrow.
Keep in mind that although the hotel includes the transfer, this is shared, so you have to wait for the company to have enough people going to that area of the city, to be able to leave, so in general , the wait can be 30 minutes, something to keep in mind if you are in a hurry, since it can even be recommended, for the distance, there is no more than 4 kilometers, take an official taxi.
We arrive at the Hotel Manquehue Aeropuerto Santiago when it is just after 20:30 at night and after making a quick check-in, where we already book the transfer for tomorrow morning back to the airport, we rest for a while in the room and we went down to dinner when it is 9 pm, to try to rest and start tomorrow full of energy and with the best of our smiles.
Day 10: Santiago de Chile - Puerto Montt - Chiloé - Ancud - What to see in Castro
