Self-Drive Itinerary for the Atacama Desert

Located west of the Andes mountains, the Atacama desert in Chile is the driest in the world! It is also home to many amazing unique geological formations, making one feel as though they have they have visited another planet.We decided to drive instead of taking tours to help save on costs and to give ourselves some flexibility with what we wanted to see and do. Driving is very straightforward, as there was signage on the road and we used GPS on our smartphones. We paid a little more to rent an automatic SUV, so if you choose a manual transmission or smaller vehicle you could save even more with our DIY-approach! Our visit to the Atacama desert was in early October 2018 and this is our self-driving itinerary for this beautiful area of South America.

How we Traveled to Atacama

We flew from Santiago to Calama on Sky Airlines (return) for approximately $57 CAD per person. All the airlines, including LATAM, offer competitive prices thanks to the introduction of low cost airlines in Chile (Sky and Jetsmart). There are also busses that travel directly to Atacama from Bolivia, Argentina and areas of Chile.

Car Rental

Although we would be staying majority of our time in San Pedro de Atacama, we discovered it was was cheaper to rent a car in Calama. We booked Europcar through Expedia and rented an automatic Nissan Kix SUV. It cost $153 CAD for 48 hours and we ended up spending approximately $60 CAD in gas. We highly recommend renting a larger car such an SUV or pickup truck. It may be challenging tackling some of the off-road locations in a smaller car such as a sedan.Note: Europcar insisted we needed their insurance in order to rent our car, despite the fact that we have excellent car rental insurance through our American Express Platinum credit card. After arguing about it for nearly 10 minutes, the agent finally caved and allowed us to rent the car, but made us pay a “guarantee” (credit card hold) and sign a few documents.

We took pictures of the vehicle when we picked it up, as there were dents and scratches on the bumper. Good thing we did, as when we returned the vehicle, the Europcar attendant did a 20-minute examination of the car, and I needed to use my pictures to prove to the agent that we did not cause any damage to the vehicle!

Our Itinerary

Day 1

Evening Arrival to Calama and Check in to Modular Express Hotel

Our flight arrived to Calama at approximately 7pm. Many visitors opt to take a direct bus to San Pedro upon arrival. We decided to stay the night in Calama and drive ourselves to San Pedro in the morning. We took a taxi ($7,000 pesos) to our hotel Modular Express. The hotel was constructed using recycled shipping containers and each room is heated using an electric painting on the wall! The lobby is a modern artsy co-working space that offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our complimentary buffet breakfast was plentiful and delicious! In fact, we enjoyed our breakfast alongside a couple dozen local miners, who dine there routinely for breakfast.

Dinner at Club Z Sandwich & Burguer Bar

After check in, we took a walk to the main pedestrian street in town. It was quite busy for a Wednesday night! We dined at Club Z, a restaurant whose specialty is homemade burgers. The incredibly delicious and substantial burgers were a welcome change from the local cuisine. The eatery also offered a wide variety of local and imported beers to accompany the burgers.

Day 2

Car Rental Pick Up

After enjoying breakfast at the hotel, we went to the grocery store and picked up a few snacks (crackers, fruit, cookies) and 6L of water. We then took an Uber to the airport to pick up our rental vehicle. There is more information about our car rental above.

Explored Valle de Luna (Moon Valley)

After about an hour drive from Calama, we arrived at Valle de Luna (Moon Valley) in the early afternoon. This area is called Moon Valley because the rock formations resemble those found on the moon. The landscape of salt and clay was modeled over millions of years by the water and wind.

Upon arrival, there is an information center where payment is made ($3,000 pesos per person; $2,500 pesos per person if you go in the morning). A map and instructions are also provided.There are multiple stops along the easy driving route, each with well marked parking lots and washrooms. We stopped at every available site of interest and by the time we were done, we had climbed rocks, ducked and crawled through caves, hiked to beautiful vantage points overlooking sand dunes and observed an abundance of incredible rock formations. The whole experience at Valle de la Luna took us approximately 3 hours to complete.

Checked In To Hostal Desert

We checked in to the well rated Hostal Desert in San Pedro de Atacama. This quiet hostel is located a short 10-15 minute walk to the town’s main street. We booked a private room with ensuite, and found it to be very clean, our twin beds were comfortable and the shower water was always hot.

The included breakfast was delicious and hearty, with cereal, oatmeal, fresh fruit and bread available, as well as eggs that you can cook to your liking. The pod espresso machine was a nice touch, especially since most of the coffee in Chile is Nescafe instant coffee! The kitchen was extremely clean and well stocked with anything you would need if you were cooking a meal and there was complimentary tea and instant coffee available at any hour.

Located in the common area were two hammocks, which we used in the evenings to watch the stars! The hostel also provided bagged breakfast for anybody leaving earlier than 7:30 a.m., as many of the group tours left early. Overall, we had a great experience at this hostel.

Enjoyed Happy Hour Drinks at Chela Cabur (Sala de Cerveza)

Located in the center of town on the pedestrian street, this the only place in San Pedro that allows a customer to drink alcohol without purchasing food. We stopped in to this busy locale and shared a litre of beer. The dimly lit establishment had a rather “dive bar” atmosphere, with tourists and locals sharing stories over loud rock music, sticky tables and futbol on the television. It was a great place to relax and enjoy a cold drink after a day in the Atacama sun.

Dinner at Emporio Andino

After doing some research online, we were led to Emporio Andino because of its nearly perfect reviews. We were not disappointed. We shared a pino empanada and a sandwich. The prices were some of the best in such an expensive town and the food was delicious!

Relaxed on Hammocks at Hostel

After dinner, we walked back to the hostel and spent some R&R time on hammocks, while the sun gave way to a sky full of stars.

Day 3

Filled Up Gas

There is only one gas station in San Pedro (COPEC), so there can be a lineup of cars to fill up. Fortunately, we only needed to wait about 5 minutes. The gas station is not easy to find, as it is tucked away behind a hotel. There are signs around town directing drivers to the service station, but it is helpful to have it starred on your smartphone to assist though. It is imperative to fill up before going on long drives, as San Pedro’s gas station is the only one in the area. We noticed gas prices were the same in San Pedro and Calama (909 pesos per litre – approximately $1.76/L CAD). You can check the prices online here.

Drove to Laguna Chaxa

After breakfast in the hostel, we drove about 45 minutes to Laguna Chaxa. The first part of the drive was on highway 23, which is paved with asphalt and smooth to drive. After following the signs for Laguna Chaxa, the unpaved road to get there is an easy drive but there are some large potholes to look out for. The Chaxa Lagoon is part of the Los Flamencos National Reserve in the middle of the salt flats of Atacama. In this saltwater lagoon are dozens of flamingos feasting on tiny shrimp! The views were breathtaking, as we stood on the ground made of jagged, rocky salt while staring in awe at the reflection in the water of numerous flamingos and the surrounding volcanoes. It was definitely worth the $2,500 pesos each for admission.

Drove to Lakes Miscanti and Miñiques

We continued south to another beautiful area of Atacama. At an elevation of over 4000m, Lakes Miscanti and Miñiques are a deep blue colour in front of a backdrop of snow-capped mountains and volcanoes. The road to these lakes was a pretty bumpy off-road and uphill drive. We were required to pay $3,000 pesos each for admission upon arrival. Upon parking the car, we walked along designated paths to get different vantage points of the gorgeous bodies of water.
We were happy to have our sweaters, as it was significantly cooler than we expected. There are restrooms and picnic areas at this attraction, and it’s a nice place to relax and take in the beautiful scenery.

Stopped for Photos at the Tropic of Capricorn

On the route back to San Pedro de Atacama along route 23, there is a marker for the Tropic of Capricorn. We were excited because Shaleen is a Capricorn, and we had taken pictures at the Tropic of Capricorn in Namibia in 2017! Also near this marker is a white cross which marks the beginning of an old Incan trail.

Visited the Town of Toconao

We made a small pitstop in the quaint town of Toconao. In the main square, there is a bell tower in front of the church that dates back to 1750. We enjoyed looking at the interesting architecture in this cute town. Many tour buses stop here and there are some restaurants and little souvenir shops near the bell tower.

Dinner at Picada del Indio

After arriving back in San Pedro de Atacama and parking the car at our hostel, we walked into town for dinner. Repeating our experience from the previous day, we started with a happy hour beer at Chela Cabur. We then went to the popular Picada del Indio for dinner. We arrived shortly after it opened and within 30 minutes, the entire restaurant was full, with people waiting in line outside. Although the food is nothing to write home about, it was a good value ($5,000 pesos for a set meal including an appetizer, meal, and small dessert).We also enjoyed the cocktail, “terremoto” (“earthquake”). It is a Chilean cocktail made with white pipeño wine, pineapple ice cream and grenadine. It was particularly sweet so it felt like having dessert after a long day in the desert!

Watched the Stars

Back at the hostel, we seized another opportunity to stare into the sky full of stars from the comfortable hammocks with a cup of hot tea!

Day 4

Visited Valle del Arcoiris (Rainbow Valley)

Before returning our rental car, we stopped at Valle del Arcoiris (Rainbow Valley). To get there, we took the exit towards Rio Grande on road B-207. Most of the road is paved until you reach Yerbas Buenas. This site has an entrance fee and includes perfectly preserved ancient petroglyphs from over 10,000 years ago. Because of time constraints, we continued to Rainbow Valley and planned to visit Yerbas Buenas on the way back.

Using our maps app, we found the road to turn, which was just past Yerbas Buenas. This dirt road has a sign warning it was a dangerous road, but it was actually really fun to drive! We slowly maneuvered our Nissan Kix through four or five small streams along the way. This rocky dirt road eventually connected to a more manicured dirt road, on which we followed a tour bus. After a small roundabout, we turned left at an intersection with a green shack nearby, carefully avoiding a curious donkey that was sniffing our car!Shortly up the road, we were rewarded with some of the most gorgeous landscapes in all of Atacama. We were surrounded by hills that were red, beige, green, and yellow combined with white salt and a pure blue sky! We spent about an hour walking around exploring the area and could have stayed longer! There is no fee to visit Valle del Arcoiris and there are also no restroom facilities in the area.

Returned Rental Car to Calama Airport

Upon leaving Valle del Arcoiris, we decided to take another road, as we had seen a tour bus on it earlier. This narrow road took us uphill beside a cliff. We were provided with great views of the wildlife meandering about in the area including a group of llamas that charged at our car! Fortunately, this road eventually connected with B-207, but unfortunately, it did not connect with Yerbas Buenas. This was ok, as we needed to get back to Calama, fill up the car and then drive back to the airport to return it.

Conclusion

Although the Atacama region of Chile can be costly, we think it is totally worth it! There were many sites we did not visit, but we felt our experience gave us an excellent overview of what the area offers. Self driving was great, as it provided us with flexibility to experience the area on our own schedule. It also allowed us to have a little bit of fun driving off-road!

More Attractions

If staying longer in Atacama, we recommend checking out some more sites such as:

• Piedras Rojas (Red Rocks) – An absolutely gorgeous area near the Argentine border! From what we’ve read, you may a require a 4×4 vehicle to safely get there
• Laguna Baltinache – A less busy, less expensive alternative to Laguna Cejar where you can float in the highly concentrated salt water lagoons
• El Tatio Geyers – A few hours north of San Pedro, this site is amongst the most popular in the region. Most people visit the geysers at sunrise (leaving San Pedrode Atacama by 4:30am), as it is is the best time to see the water shooting up. We’ve been told that the area surrounding the geysers is spectacular. The road is challenging to drive on, but taking it slow and following the endless convoy of tour buses will get you there safely.
• Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley) – With huge sand dunes, this is a great place to hike and get excellent views of the area or to sandboard on the dunes!