Explorations in
Atacama

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.

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.

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 start walking in an old farmhouse at the foot of the volcanoes of the Andes mountain range. We will enter the Jorquencal gorge...

We take a van to Machuca, an Andean Plateau village. We begin exploring a wetland and then walk along a creek to the Grande River...

We take a van to the Tatio Geysers, where we first walk up and then down a creek to reach an unknown warm water river, the Blanco River...

We take a van up to the Catarpe Valley, where we begin ascending the Salt Mountain Range. On the way, we’ll see petroglyphs...

We take a van to the Domeyko Mountain Range, where we walk through trails that were formerly used as transit and bartering routes...

We take a van to the Domeyko Mountain Range where we walk following a creek that used to be a route for gathering and bartering caravans...

We take a van to the Catarpe Valley, where we will walk along the edges of the Salt Mountain Range, with views to the oasis...

We take a van to the Mars Valley in the Salt Mountain Range, where we begin a walk with views to the different mountain ranges...

We take a van to Guatín where we begin an ascending walk. We walk for almost 30 minutes along giant cacti up to the Puritama River creek...