Discovering the Valley of the Moon in San Pedro de Atacama

Account of our visit to Valle de la Luna, including Valle de la Muerte and Mirador Piedra del Coyote, in San Pedro de Atacama. Setting out from the town From San Pedro de Atacama, we took the Valle de la Luna Tour from Nomades.com and started the tour from the center of town. We waited a few minutes for the group that would join us on the excursion to gather, and we set off in search of the natural wonders that San Pedro had to show us.

First stop: Mirador Piedra del Coyote

After we set out, no more than five minutes passed before the landscape began to surprise us: ochre, reddish, yellowish tones and the white of the minerals abundant in the area (largely sodium chloride or, if you prefer, "salt") tinted the vastness of the mountains beneath the blue sky and a few clouds that completed the scene. Meanwhile, our guide helped us better understand what we were observing: we could appreciate the Atacama Desert, where we found ourselves immersed, which dates back some 3 million years and which, as many can imagine, was once a sea bed. Toward the horizon we observed the Coastal Mountain Range, lower and older than the Andes; we could also see the Cerro Domeyko and some of the numerous volcanoes found in the area, such as the Licancabur Volcano, which in the Atacameño or kunza language means "mountain of the people" and was of great importance to the ancient natives of the area. This volcano, at almost 6,000 meters above sea level and with a conical shape, will accompany you on nearly all the tours you take in San Pedro de Atacama and its surroundings, beautifying and highlighting the imposing landscape. More details about climbing Licancabur here. Everything I'm telling you about could be appreciated from our first stop: the Mirador Piedra del Coyote, allow me to illustrate this account with a couple of photos:

Striking, isn't it? Views like those can be obtained from the viewpoint, clarifying - though it hardly needs saying - that the camera will never match what our eyes see live and in person, but it will continue to help us reflect it as faithfully as possible, highlighting those aspects important to the photographer. In our case, we chose winter to visit San Pedro de Atacama and that brings the advantage that during the hottest hours of the day, temperatures are not overwhelming. That said, even visiting the area in winter, we recommend using sunscreen, since the sun there is very strong and, with the temperature being so dry, it's likely that - as happened to us - your skin will dry out, particularly your lips, which can become chapped. Keep that in mind...

Second stop: Valle de la Muerte

In the Valle de la Muerte, unlike the Valle de la Luna - which we'll talk about shortly - you can practice different activities such as sandboarding, mountain biking, or horseback riding. Its name comes from the fact that numerous people have died trying to cross it and there looking down is even more striking than before:

And look how small these visitors look in this photo:

The cherry on top: Valle de la Luna

The third important stop is at the Valle de la Luna, the place proposed for contemplating one of the magical Atacama sunsets. Here is one of the first images of the place:

The tour through Valle de la Luna continues until reaching where the Tres Marías are found, some whimsical rock formations eroded over time that you can see here:

In the surroundings, evaporites were abundant, sedimentary rocks formed by crystallization of salts dissolved in lakes and coastal seas. The trails permitted for tourists were marked throughout the reserve with stones and signage and, in particular, here we see the indication not to enter the "evaporites sector", with the intention of preserving them from human influence:

Throughout the afternoon, the landscapes continued to be changing even though we didn't cover great distances; just look at the panoramic view from where the Tres Marías were:

After enjoying the place, we set out on a brief walk to a nearby viewpoint, from where we would anxiously wait with camera in hand for the sunset. Along the way we encountered landscapes like this one:

Or this other one, where you can see the dunes of the place:

It didn't take long before the path led us to a point where the sun's incidence on the landscape changed drastically, as we were gaining altitude to reach the viewpoint:

Once up there, you can reach views like this one:

In that direction, the sunset didn't impact us as much, although the colors changed noticeably just behind us:

Experience summary

Being able to visit so many spectacular places in a single afternoon makes it a bit harder to process everything you've lived and experienced afterward. For me personally, my notes and photos help me now be able to tell you everything the tour left me with. I'm grateful for the invitation from Nomades.com I hope you enjoyed this journey I proposed to you through this post. Soon you'll have new experiences here where we'll tell you what other tours you can do in San Pedro de Atacama.

Find schedules and more information about the Valle de la Luna tour here.

To say goodbye, I invite you to watch a video made by nomades.com about the Valle de la Luna tour:

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On Nomades.com, you can find all the attractions and tourist activities in San Pedro de Atacama, always at the best price and booking comfortably from your home.