Travel Secrets of the ATACAMA desert, Chile

There are a few places that simply have to be on your South American itinerary and the Atacama Desert in northern Chile is one of those! Its diverse landscape is a dream and its unique beauty cannot be underestimated.

BUT! Even though it is a popular, well-known place, getting there and getting around can cause you a bit of a headache! In this video we will share our experience of traveling (driving) through the spectacular setting of the driest place on earth! Use our tips and learn on our mistakes to make your trip stress-free.

#atacamadesert #chile #travelguide #traveltips

0:00 Intro
0:30 About us
0:50 San Perdo de Atacama
1:26 How to get around
3:12 Laguna Chaxa
4:37 Roads in the Atacama desert
5:00 Important tip on getting tickets
6:20 Lagunas Miscanti and Muniques
7:33 Piedras Rojas
8:06 Road back
8:42 Moon valley
9:23 What's next?
9:32 Alternative itinerary
10:16 7 tips on how to travel the Atacama
12:24 Subscribe and leave a like if you've enjoyed it!

Thanks! 💚

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[SomethingToRemember]

Are there any other tips you would suggest before making the trip to Atacama?

[alainmaury]

Lots of things can be said about this video. I live in San Pedro since 20 some years. I don't do touristic tours, so am talking freely from my experience here. First, there are at least 3 ATM machines in San Pedro and most agencies, hotels, etc... take credit cards. There is a thing in Chile about credit card and debit card, but normally you can pay with your plastic card (maybe not in some airbnb, but in hotels, obviously yes). Second, yes, cheaper to rent a 4x4 vehicle than to take tours with an agency. Yes, or no. Car rental 100 bucks or so per day (plus the gasoline). Then if you are 4, it's economical, if you are one or two persons, I don't think so. It's true that if you have your vehicle you can stop freely when you feel like it. But local guides know the place and (normally) can show you things you would never find alone. The other option (more expensive) is to rent a private guide to go around. There are many people around, who speak english and who can show you the place like you will not discover alone. I would recommend that if you don't take the trip to Bolivia and continue your trip from Bolivia, rent in Calama in a very well known car rental agency, more security (one starts with an A, the other with an H). Third, Laguna Miscanti and Miniques, yes, it's very stupid but indeed you have to purchase the ticket in Socaire. Otherwise you go up, then have to go down, purchase the damned ticket then go up again. Ridiculous. Fourth, many other things to see around. Laguna Baltinache, Laguna Tebinquinche, Rainbow valley, Tatio geysers, etc... 2 days is clearly not enough time. Fifth, purchasing pasta and cooking them in the airbnb is indeed the economical solution. But there are many good restaurants around, with typical food. You can also order spaghetti bolognese, but did you come to the Atacama to eat pastas and pizzas ? Lastly, predicting weather is an art, not a science. On average, if we have rain, it tends to be in January and February (the so called altiplanic winter). There have been years where the rain was so intense that the roads/tracks to the various places were closed. I tend to recommend not to come in January and February. Nice video.

[Like_A_Phantom]

Soy chileno, y vivo en atacama, ver este video me da ganas de ir al desierto aprovechando mi cercanía con este, gran video, probablemente no me entiendas pero yo creo que estarás usando un traductor.

[amandaf]

Your last tip about the tickets saved us today. Thank you!!

[benpreston]

Hey guys, thankyou for making this video, everything was spot on and it made planning are to the Atacama really easy ! Safe travels.

[joshkeir]

This video is unreal! Great to see you guys growing and living the dream 🍾😍

[irismaria]

I love your videos, they are informative, funny and I never feel the urge to fast forward out of boredom which often happens when watching other travel channels ;-)

[CynthiaYoung-rs]

This video is soooo helpful as we're planning our trip! Thanks so much!

[UmarAbbasRYK]

Spent a night in atacama desert is my dream 😵‍💫... You are really enjoying your life, stay safe and keep it up guys 👍

[Soc]

so glad this popped up as I’m planning a trip to SA … thanks for sharing the info … 😋

[belisacintra]

Just subscribe to your channel! Im planning a South America trip for next year and definitely your videos are helping me!!

[sunainakothari]

Have been following your channel since last 2 months as we are planning to do a tour to Chile and Argentina....your videos are beautiful as well as perfectly informative....❤

[TheRchy]

Loved your video. Your videos are truly informative so i have subscribed. Really appreciate the tips you give

[mellamokatieq]

This video is soooo helpful as we're planning our trip! Thanks so much!

[fdshj]

That’s awesome. I’m planning my trip. These are great ideas. Thank you.

[williamribeiro]

Going next month! Thanks for the tips 🎉

[avdscvr]

That was helpful thanks! Subbing. Excited to see the other trips you have done!

[anthonywatts]

we were there 12 months ago. Truly amazing. We avoid the car issue by working with tour groups - we did have the advantage of a local that we knew! We didn't find any of the tours expensive at all (we are Australian/Canadian, by way of background). San Pedro De Atacama is well worth exploring on its own... great bars and cafes

[michaelsalone]

Hey guys, thanks so much for making this video! We are just planning our trip and this was super helpful! We'll be looking at your other videos and have "liked" and "subscribed" of course. If you ever get to Malta let us know!

[yworld]

“Luck favors brave people”, nice tattoo.