
What to see in San Pedro de Atacama
There are a lot of things to see and do in San Pedro, so I rather talk about what I did.
It is a bit difficult to find a tour agency that does good tours for a good price. San Pedro is a bit chaotic, when it comes to this, as it grew very fast in some few years. Some agencies just book you to another, when they have full tours already, without letting you know. Information like special requests (vegan breakfast) can get lost on this transfer. Therefore it is better to bring your own food for such a case.
I did two tours, as my budget did not allow more and there are similar things to see in Bolivia as well. The Valle de la Luna tour is not really recommendable, as it is nearby San Pedro and can be easily be done by bike. As all the agencies start their tour at the same time there is a column of vehicles going there and therefore you can’t really enjoy the solitude of the dessert. Furthermore my tour missed the sunset, as they miscalculated the time.
The tour to the Geysers el Tatio is not recommendable if you continue to Uyuni, as the three day tour to the salt lake also includes some Geysers. Otherwise it’s a nice trip, that shouldn’t cost more than 30$.
Instead I would recommend the tour to the rainbow valley as well as the Salar de Tara.
The Quebrada del Diablo can also be done by bike. For the whole park in the northwest of San Pedro you need at least half a day.
All parks demand an entrance fee.
I stayed at the green House Atacama, a small hostel with a familiar atmosphere.