Explorations in
Atacama

The Atacama Salt Flat is an endorheic basin with highly saline water outcrops, one of which is the Cejar Lagoon. We will venture into the northern part of the salt flat, surrounded by the vastness and accompanied by the Andean volcanoes. Once at Cejar, we will be able to enter its waters and float in the middle of the driest desert in the world.

We will travel into the interior of the desert where nature and history blend. We will walk inside an incredible and gigantic canyon, an arm eroded by the water of the San Pedro River that flows within it. We will arrive at a sector with a great quantity of petroglyphs, as the place was a refuge for caravans. For most of the hike, we will be walking through water. *It is recommended to bring two pairs of shoes.

We will begin our exploration in the Vilama sector, where we can see ancient grazing refuges. We will continue walking along the top of a ravine, appreciating the transition of vegetation and geology between the first and second ecological floors, as well as other refuges of the ancient caravans. Always bordering the river, we will have panoramic views until we descend to the feet of the Vilama river.

At the foot of the Salt mountains, we come to the Catarpe Valley, which receives the San Pedro river that feeds the oasis and the salt marsh. In the valley, we will begin our hike in the Quebrada Chulaco, a great canyon with high walls, with curves and serpentine shapes formed by moldable minerals and water erosion. Upon leaving the canyon we will hike up to a viewpoint with 360° views of the desert and its mountain ranges. We return along the same trail.

The hike begins in the upper part of Quebrada Jorquencal, a sector with large cacti and archaeological ruins. From there we descend to the Puritama hot springs. We will enjoy lunch there, before continuing our hike along the Puritama River, in a beautiful canyon of native vegetation home to dozens of birds. Our hike ends in the town of Guatín, where the Puritama and Purifica Rivers converge and give life to the Vilama River.

A hike to get lost in the absolute desert and amid the great walls and canyons of the Domeyko range. We depart by van to a little-explored sector of the Domeyko range, from which we will begin our hike in the middle of a solitary plain overlooking the Andes and the Salt mountains, before going into canyons with unique shapes and colors. We will descend some challenging steps product of the erosion caused by ancient seasonal rivers, and where we will have to use our hands. *Exploration not recommended for people with vertigo or fear of heights.

This hike takes place in the Domeyko range, amid great canyons and colors created by the different minerals that make up this mountain range. After getting lost among huge clay walls, we will descend some challenging steps product of the erosion caused by ancient seasonal rivers, and where we will have to use our hands. *Exploration not recommended for people with vertigo or fear of heights.

This hike explores the center of the Puritama Conservation Reserve, an area characterized by its great variety of cacti. Along the way we will have a view of the beautiful Quebrada Jorquenal from above, a canyon full of contrasts, vegetation, life and archaeological remains. We descend along a rocky terrain until reaching the Puritama hot springs.

This hike is a journey through the history of the old caravans and their interaction with the desert. We will cross from the Vilama sector toward the Catarpe Valley along old desert trails until reaching the great canyons in Quebrada Chulaco. This hike gives us broad 360° views that will allow us to understand the desert's different areas and formations.

We begin with a briefing of basic concepts under the open sky. We then learn about orientation, distances, and local culture...

We take a van to the Tatio Geysers. Along the way, an important part of the Andean Plateau fauna –including vicuñas, flamingos, foxes...

We take a van to the Salt Mountain Range and begin bike riding in the Paciencia plains. We travel to the Moon Valley through...

We leave by bicycle to Catarpe through a road that goes up to the Salt Mountain Range. We go through an ancient tunnel...

We bike ride to the San Pedro River and follow its course to Catarpe. We go through the Quitor pukará...

We ride our bicycles to the Catarpe Valley in the Salt Ridge. We pedal through switch paths between canyons...