Chile : Tours : Discovering Atacama Desert

The wondrous forces of nature come alive at sunrise when violent streams of vapor erupt from wells of boiling water. These are the Tatio Geysers, a spectacle of nature that leaves you speechless. According to the legend, this geothermal field formed when a large mountain, called “Abuelo Grande” (Big Grandfather) in the native tongue, was shaken by the Earth’s fury. When the Earth’s wrath finally calmed down, men began to see strange jets of vapor and water shooting up. “The ‘Abuelo Grande’ is crying”, they said, “streams of tears hurl from its eyes, opened up towards the sky”. That’s how the “Abuelo Grande” got its new name. It would be called Tata-Iu or Tatiu, the grandfather that cries. Atacama Park Adventure invites you to experience this legend through a program that includes tours to this and other geologic formations, visiting Pukaras, or ancient fortresses, constructed around the 12th century by the Atacaman people, a brilliant culture of hunters that came from the high plateau. On our excursion, we will visit Pukara de Turi, the largest fortress in the region and base for the Inca Empire in the Atacama Desert.

Day 1. Calama
Arrival to Calama. Transfer to Calama Park Hotel. Free day. Accommodations in the Hotel.

Day 2. San Pedro de Atacama and Petroglyphs
Breakfast in the hotel. Departure at 8:30 AM to visit the Petroglyphs in the Hierba Buena and Río Grande areas. Continue on to San Pedro de Atacama, where we will visit the church, the Padre Le Paige Museum, and the house of Pedro de Valdivia, among other attractions. Lunch in San Pedro de Atacama. In the afternoon, visit the Mirador (lookout point) of Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) and Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley). A 30-minute trek in Valle de la Luna. Dinner in the heart of the valley. Return to Calama. Arrive in Calama at approximately 9:00 PM. Accommodations in Calama Park Hotel.

Day 3. Caspana - Pukará de Turi
Breakfast in the hotel. Very early in the morning at 5:00 AM, depart from the Hotel towards the Tatio Geysers. Breakfast in the area. Tour the geothermal fields while admiring the animals of the region. Bathe in the nearby thermal pools. Visit the Mirador Los Volcanes. Transportation to the town of Caspana, where we will see the farming terraces and agriculture. Afterwards, discover Pukara de Turi and stop for lunch. Return to Calama through the Turi Salt Flat. Arrival to the hotel around 4:30 PM. Accommodations in Calama Park Hotel.

Day 4. Chuquicamata Mine
Breakfast. In the morning, head towards Chuquicamata to observe this open pit copper mine. Later, transfer to begin the Saltpeter Excursion. First María Elena, where you will tour the Museum and a typical house, maintained since the year 1800. Discover the saltpeter refinery offices of Pedro de Valdivia. Then you will be taken to Chacabuco Saltpeter Refinery where we will eat lunch. Lastly, we will visit the Pampa Union cemetery and return to Calama. Arrival at approximately 5:00 PM. Accommodations.

Day 5. Calama
Transportation to airport to board return flight.

Included Excursions

San Pedro de Atacama
Considered the Archaeological Capital of Chile and declared a Zona Típica (Typical Zone). It was the heart of the Atacama or Likanantai culture, with a fortress in Quitor and a population, divided into "ayllos" (tiny villages), that distributed the farmland among them and channeled water from the Río Grande. Later on, the area was taken over by the Incas and an Administrative Center and government were established. Diego de Almagro visited the area during the time of its discovery as well as Pedro de Valdivia in the years of the Spanish Conquest. It is a humble town with narrow streets and adobe constructions. The main attractions are the Church and the Padre Le Paige Archaeological Museum, jesuit missionary that lived in the region from 1955 until he passed away in 1980. Some of the highlights within the town are the ceramic objects from different evolutionary stages, gold figures, and mummies.

Valle de la Luna
Spectacular lunar landscape that is part of the Salt Mountain Chain and belongs to Los Flamencos National Reserve. It is a small depression of saline soil, 500 m (1,640 ft) in diameter, and displays intriguing sculptured shapes that are a result of the successive transformations of the earth's crust, occurrences from folds in the salt bed's marshy interior. There is no sign of life in this corner of the world, nor is their humidity. These characteristics combined make this the most barren place on the planet.

Tatio Geysers
In the middle of a breathtaking and arid landscape, the Tatio Geysers is a geothermal field of volcanic origin, where water and vapor erupt violently from the depths of the Earth. They are located more than 4,000 m (13,120 ft) above sea level, which contributes to the low temperatures during the morning hours, time of day when the fountains of boiling water shoot up. The geysers are at their peak between 5:30 and 7:00 in the morning, when spouts can easily reach 10 meters (33 ft). There are natural thermal pools nearby where one can enjoy a hot bath.

Pukará de Turi
Largest citadel of the Atacama culture. Constructed in the 12th century, over a flat platform, this fortress consists of plazas, straight roads and mostly rectangular houses with affixed silos. The design is larger than that of Lasana and was built using hard, volcanic rock. Pukara's population dissipated in the second half of the 15th century, after Spanish occupation.

Chuquicamata Mines
Chuquicamata means "spearhead" in the aborigine language. According to studies, the mine was already operating during the time of the Incas. At the end of the 19th century, the mines were run by North American companies, until 1971, when an amendment pronounced the nationality of the mined copper. During the visit you are able to see the Global Electromechanical Shovel, the largest in the world, as well as the "cakes", enormous hills of gathered rocks without any metal content that are extracted from the mines.

Visit to the Saltpeter Refineries
Saltpeter or natural niter has held first place among the country's non-metallic minerals throughout the history of Chile. It was used by Atacamans and Quechuas as an agricultural fertilizer for potato and corn crops. The Chacabuco Saltpeter Refinery Office was built between 1922 and 1924 and permanently halted all activities in 1940. In 1971, it was declared a National Monument, as a way of conserving the testimony to the industrial development of saltpeter in Chile and the way of life during that time.
The community of María Elena is in and of itself a living part of the history of the refineries. Maintained in this community is a traditional architectural lineage of the saltpeter towns that have been deserted. The community's name was given by Elias Anton Cappelen, first administrator of this refinery, in honor of his wife "Mary Helen or María Elena". It was inaugurated in 1924 and declared a National Monument in 1996.
The history of the Pedro de Valdivia Saltpeter Refinery begins earlier. In the year, 1911, Guggenheim Brothers bought Chuquicamata and developed the gigantic copper mine, under the leadership of engineer Elías Anton Cappelens Smith. During more than a decade, Cappelens studied the technology of the saltpeter industry and designed a new method for extracting and purifying the sodium nitrate. It was patented as the Guggenheim System. The office opened in the year 1931. In 1965, the company handed the management over to Soquimich, Chemical and Mining Society of Chile. At the beginning of 1996 this office was deserted.

The Program Includes

• 4 nights of accommodations in the Calama Park Hotel.
• Full Board: Including lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks, and wine.
• Daily small group tours with a bilingual guide.
• Private transportation, prepared especially for the comfort and security of each passenger.

The Program does NOT Include

• Any other service not included in the Program.

Important

• Due to high altitude (4321 meters/14170 feet), the Tatio Geyser field excursion is not recommended for children under 8 years old, pregnant women and people suffering from heart conditions.
• This Program operates all year round.
• Museums are closed on Mondays.
• Chuquicamata mine visits are from Mondays to Fridays only and operate only in the morning.

Suggestions

We suggest you to consider following articles during your stay:

• Trekking Shoes.
• Comfortable clothes for cold and hot time.
• Sun Block.
• Sun Glasses.

Rates

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Cancellation Policy

Once the reservation has been confirmed by Gotolatin, the following charges will apply for cancellations made by the passenger, according to the program departure date:

• Between 45 and 30 working days before the beginning of the program:
  30% of total program value per passenger
• Between 30 and 15 working days before the beginning of the program:
  60% of total program value per passenger
• Between 15 and 0 working days before the beginning of the program:
  No refund.
• There are no refunds for portions of the program not used, hotel accommodations, etc.
• We recommend considering Travel Insurance for any reason.