The Atacama Desert is known as the driest desert of the world. Because of this many people are surprised when they get stacked there with their cars because of rain or snow during summer. It’s because the term “Atacama” is used for the whole north of Chile but the real desert is only a small stripe between the coast cordillares and the mountains of Domeyko. The streets are gravel streets until some expections. You can find only a few gas stations and therefore it’s necessary to take a spare can with you. Don’t drink water out of rivers because it’s often polluted by heavy metals. When you are calculating your fuel consumption then don’t forget to include the additional consumption because of great heights. At night there are temperatures under 0°C so that water freezes. Therefore you need to empty the water pipes of your car as the pipes can burst open.
Travellers are depending on their own skills when they do their trip with a rental car as the Atacama Desert is nearly unsettled. It’s possible to visit the desert the whole year. During the winter (June to September) it’s cold at night but sunny over the day. During the summer it’s often impossible to drive through the desert because of bad weather coming from Bolivia.
Routes course
Day 1 |
Arica - Putre
Directly to the Peruvian border Arica is the starting point for different tours to the Andes. The town offers nice beaches with warm water during the summer. The archaeological museum and the viewpoint “El Morro” are really interesting sights. In the pedestrian precinct you can find ice as well as pubs. Along the Panamericana there are many geoglyphs which are illustrations that were scratched into the earth many centuries ago.
Day 2 |
Putre - Lago Chungara - Putre
These are places with beautiful surrounding areas. Here you can find vulcanos, glaciers, salt lakes and hot springs. The area which is situated over more than 4000 m is worth visiting for further days. The way from Iquique to Chuzmiza – Isluga - Guallitire to Lago Chungara is a real adventure with 4x4 vehicles. You should leave some information about your trip at every police station you pass on your way because otherwise it’s a really bad situation when you have a breakdown with your car. You can reach the Chungara Lake easily from Arica on an asphalted street. There is a camping ground next to the National Park hut and the river bank, but with a height of 4500 m.
Day 3 |
Putre – National Park Surire & Isluga – Iquique
You can reach the salt pan Surire and the area around the vulcano Isluga with its Indian villages on good streets through Arica, Putre and Lago Chungara. Another possibility is to take the way along Iquique and Chuzmiza, but the street is less good than the other one. IMPORTANT! The additional consumption partly comes 40 % in these heights. Eastern of Surire you can find a beautiful hot spring but sometimes the water boils in this small lake. The whole area is famous for its abundance of species like Vicunas, Viscachas or Flamingos.
Especially at night the seaside town is really beautiful when you are arriving from the coast cordillares. People who like fish should visit one of the small harbour restaurants. Like in “1000 and one night” the Club Español offers his meals. Outside the town the geoglyphe “El Gigante” and the cementery of Huara shouldn’t be passed.
Day 4 |
Calama
The city doesn’t invite for staying. Interesting sights are the big whole of the copper mine in Chuquicamata and small Indian villages like Chiu Chiu or Caspana at the way from the hinterland to San Pedro de Atacama.
Day 5 |
San Pedro
San Pedro is a small touristic village situated in the east of Antofagasta. The place with its white-tunched houses and colonial flair is very beautiful. But after some days the tourism is very annoying. San Pedro offers amazing excursions for 4x4 vehicles. The geyser of El Tatio or the lagoons Miscanti and Meninques belong to the classics. Two passes lead to Argentina and are both scenically very worth seeing. The documents for customs duty are finished outside of San Pedro although the border is more than 160 km away. In any case it’s important to get information about the streets.
Day 6 |
Antofagasta
The town is as beautiful as other towns in Chile, but unfortunately this doesn’t mean much. Worth seeing is the old rail station in Baquedano and the gate made out of stone. It’s called La Portada. The asphalted street between Antofagasta and Iquique offers a good alternative to the Panamericana.
Pick Up 4x4 Plus
Caravan 4x4 