Rising from sea level to 13,000 feet up into the Andes towards Bolivia, parts of the Atacama Desert are the driest places on earth and offer some truly unique and breath-taking landscapes. At altitude the desert is sunny with clear blue skies during the day but bitterly cold and dry at night. The town of San Pedro de Atacama, a once fertile oasis where the Atacama Indians thrived, is an excellent base for a Atacama tour. From here you can visit the vivid red landscapes of the desert, the Atacama salt flats and the Valley of the Moon. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for flamingos, vicuñas and llamas. You may even spot a nandu, the Latin American ostrich. A tour to the Atacama Desert wouldn’t be complete without a dawn trip to the El Tatio Geysers. As the sun rises, the geysers shoot into action making for some striking photographs if you are lucky. It is a spectacular display which is well worth the early start but be sure to wrap up warm!
