How to Spend 4 Days in San Pedro de Atacama

A 4-Day Itinerary for San Pedro de Atacama

San Pedro de Atacama is a small tourist town in Chile in the middle of the Atacama Desert. San Pedro initially was not high on my list for my itinerary in Chile: however, now that I’ve been there I have to say I’m so glad that we decided to include this in our month-long travels throughout Chile. Since we only spent 4 days here, we couldn't do everything that San Pedro has to offer: so here's the lowdown on how to make the best of your time if you're only here for a few days. 

Day 1: Travel + See Calama + Explore the Town of San Pedro

1. Travel to San Pedro de Atacama

Ramone and I took a domestic flight from Santiago to Calama in the early morning, which lasted for about 2 hours, and then a short bus from Calama to San Pedro. The bus was perhaps an hour to an hour and a half. We had to take a quick taxi from the airport to Calama, and there are a few different bus companies all in the same general vicinity that offer trips to San Pedro.

Since we arrived on Christmas Day, most of the buses weren’t operating; there was one, however, at 1:00 p.m., so we wandered around Calama for a few hours, enjoying the dry weather and interested in seeing Christmas celebrations in the middle of a desert. 

Another option if you don't want to fly would be to take an overnight bus from Santiago (or wherever you are, although you may have to transfer) to Calama. However, the prices really aren’t any cheaper than a domestic flight (some bus options were actually more expensive), and it takes so much longer to get there.

2. Check Out Calama

Calama is a tiny little industrial town, where the majority of the residents work in the nearby copper mines. You get to see a different type of Chilean town if you spend a little time here, one that’s slightly rougher around the edges but still welcoming nonetheless.

We were able to see the beginning of the Christmas set-up in the plaza, as well as a few different charities that had prepared food for anyone interested. The plaza itself is quaint and not all that beautiful, but nonetheless we enjoyed our brief few hours here wandering around.

3. Explore San Pedro Proper

San Pedro de Atacama is a tiny little town that’s predominately flat. The houses are made out of adobe since there's very rarely any rain whatsoever. You can easily explore the town during an afternoon or evening, and there are plenty of hostels and restaurants to choose from.

The first stop we made was at the Municipalidad, right in the San Pedro Plaza, where we picked up a free map and got some information on things to do. From there, we explored the plaza and picked a restaurant with nice outdoor seating to have a grand meal and drink a few tap beers. 

Next, we waltzed around the cute little streets, bought a safari hat and sunglasses for me, and looked at other clothing items and trinkets for gifts. 

We also grabbed our tour tickets to the El Tatio geysers. Neither Ramone nor I are big on tours, but in San Pedro it's difficult to avoid taking at least one. This first day is a great day to scout out different tour options if you’re interested: there are a particularly large amount of tour group agencies down Calle Toconao, right off of the plaza, but the town is small enough that you can just wander around and see what you see. Most of the agencies offer similar prices and have signs advertising trips and how much they cost. 

Day 2: Bike to Valle de La Luna

This was perhaps my favorite day in San Pedro, although I was absolutely exhausted by the end of the day. This magical place is called Moon Valley because of its rocky appearance that supposedly looks like the moon. 

The valley is around 8 miles west of San Pedro, but is a relatively easy bike ride. I’d recommend leaving early to avoid the hot sun as well as the massive crowds that pour in to see the sunset. 

How to Get to the Valley

If your hostel doesn’t rent bikes, there are a few different shops in San Pedro that have signs saying that they rent bikes. Biking is very popular in San Pedro: even though it’s very hot, it is quite flat, so at the very least you’re not going up and down too many hills. 

Initially, Ramone and I took one wrong turn and had to circle back (we accidentally started biking toward the nearby laguna). When biking out of San Pedro to La Valle de La Luna, you have to go up a gradual hill on Highway 23, and then make a left onto the highway. Don’t worry – the cars don’t go crazy fast, and I didn’t feel in danger biking on the highway at all. The Valle de La Luna is right off the highway, and is clearly labeled. 

Once you arrive at the Valle, you have to pay the admission fee of 3.000 CLP and then you can bike on in. The Valle itself is very large, some of the trails turn to dirt, and it’s decently hilly – at one point I had to disembark and walk the bike up a very steep hill. 

Exploring La Valle de La Luna

The Valle de La Luna is stunning. It’s a raw, windswept landscape with incredible views and sunsets. If you set out early enough, you can check out everything: the salt caves, the main sand dune, the amphitheater and the tres marias. And, the best part is that it’s all down hill when you bike back! 

If you want to squeeze in more things while in San Pedro, you could take a tour instead. Most tours to the Valle de La Luna start at 4:00 p.m. They usually aren’t super pricey since it’s so close to San Pedro, but you’d have to put down an extra 10.000 to 15.000 CLP. However, be aware that usually during peak season there are so many tour buses that sometimes you have to wait to get inside because the valley is at max capacity. Also, I'd highly recommend just taking the day to explore this lovely place: it's worth it. 

Day 3: See the Geysers del Tatio + the Meteorite Museum

1. An Early Rise to See the Geysers del Tatio

The El Tatio Geysers are the third largest geyser field in the world, and are at a very high altitude - 4,300 meters. On the first day in San Pedro we booked the Geysers tour, which we spent 20.000 CLP apiece on. Not exactly the cheapest option, but something that we figured was worth it to see. We were picked up at our hostel at 4:00 a.m. by the tour bus, and were on our way. We left so early because geyser activity is usually the best when it's cold, which is in the morning.

And yes, it's cold! Bring a jacket and don't wear shorts. Another perk of getting there early is that you get to see the sunrise. Additionally, breakfast is included in the tour package. 

Our tour guide was fun and entertaining, and gave us a little bit of autonomy to choose some different options. We were able to see the main geysers and then drove up to see a few more that were at an altitude of 4,500 meters (crazy high!). On the way back, we also stopped to see a beautiful canyon and a small little Chilean town.  The town is known for its llama skewers, although our guide told us that it wasn't actually llama. Who knows.  

2. Go to El Museo del Meteorito in San Pedro

This museum is located in San Pedro proper, right where Calle Tocopilla meets with Calle Laskar. We paired this with the geysers trip, but you could squeeze this in on any day. It’s a small museum with a low entrance fee and it has a ton of intriguing meteorites that have been found in the surrounding area. The entrance fee also comes with a voice recorder that gives you more detailed information – you can choose from a variety of different languages as well. 

Day 4: See Laguna Cejar + Relax + Travel

1. Bike or Take a Tour to Laguna Cejar (optional)

Laguna Cejar is located around 18 km south of San Pedro, so biking would take you an hour and a half to two hours each way. However, the road to get to the laguna is completely flat and it’s an easy bike ride. 

I’ll be honest: Ramone and I did not go to Laguna Cejar. We know about the road because we accidentally started to take it to get to the Moon Valley, and also because the hostel workers told us details about it since we were considering going. Our booties (or at least mine was) were sore from all the biking we did in the Valley de La Luna, and we wanted a day to relax before our overnight bus. The entrance fee to the laguna is also quite steep: 10.000 CLP if you arrive before 2:00 p.m. Tours to the laguna would be an extra 15.000 to 20.000 CLP. 

However, looking back, I would’ve liked to have seen this beautiful place, and since I’m in better shape now and bike a lot more I think my butt could’ve handled it!

2. Relax

My favorite thing to do in beautiful little towns! Ramone and I found a nice restaurant that had live music, and so we stuffed ourselves and had some drinks. San Pedro isn't known for one specific type of dish, but it has all the typical Chilean options available. Ramone also tried his first terremoto drink (which he didn’t like that much). 

3. Travel

Back on the road again! Ramone and I took an overnight bus from San Pedro to Arica in order to make our way into Peru, so our bus didn’t leave until very late at night. So if you’re taking a late bus you can still squeeze in a nice daytime activity if you want to see more of the surrounding area. How much you push yourself is up to you. 

Additional Options in San Pedro

There's obviously a lot to see in do here, so pick and choose what you'd like. A few more options are laid out below. 

Pukará de Quitor

The Pukará de Quitor is a pre-Incan fortress built by the atacameños only 3 km from the town of San Pedro. You could also bike here, although it's not on the same path to get to the Valle de La Luna and is up a hill. 

Valle de La Muerte

The Valle de La Muerte is located close to the town of San Pedro, on the way to get to the Valle de La Luna. If you're in really good shape and leave early enough, you could combine it with your biking trip to the Valle de La Luna.

Los Ojos del Salar

The Ojos del Salar are near the Laguna Cejar and Tebinquinche. If you want, you could find a tour that stops at all three or at least two. The ojos lagoons are two lagoons that look like eyes, surrounded by salt flats. One lagoon is available for swimming, while the other isn't. 

Handy Advice for San Pedro de Atacama

It's always good to be prepared. Here's some advice for anyone making the trip to San Pedro, whether it's for 4 days, 2 days or 7+ days.

Bring Cash With You if Possible

San Pedro does have quite a few ATMs where you can use international cards – however, we soon realized that a lot of them were not well stocked with Chilean pesos. We had to walk around to quite a few different ATMs before finding one that had enough money to give us. If you’re okay with withdrawing small amounts, than this most likely isn’t a problem (if you have a card like Schwab, then you don’t have to worry about ATM fees). However, if your card charges a fee every time you withdraw, then just avoid this hassle by bringing some Chilean pesos with you. 

Rent a Car or Make Peace With the Fact That You Might Have to Take a Tour

San Pedro is a beautiful little town, but a lot of the attractions are outside of the town, and inaccessible by public transit. A few of the options are accessible by bike, but the rest are not. And since this place is so touristy, tour groups are everywhere selling tickets for things. My suggestion would be to wait to buy tour tickets until you arrive, and then scout out a few different places and see what they offer. Either that, or rent a car and go discover things by yourself!

Protect Yourself From the Sun

The Atacama Desert is the driest desert in the world. It’s also a high altitude desert. The sun is blazing throughout most of the day and the heat is a very dry heat. Take caution and make sure to have a big hat, loose-fitting clothes, sunscreen and sunglasses. The first day I went out without sunglasses, and my eyes were bloodshot in a few hours. 

You also need to stay hydrated and drink a lot of water: you don’t realize how much you’re sweating because the dry heat just wicks it off of you almost immediately.