Explore the Atacama Desert, Chile - San Pedro de Atacama and surroundings - Self Drive tour

Hello and welcome back to my channel!
So, we arrived to Calama, early in the morning.
We had a reservation for renting a car, right at the airport.
After analyzing the offers that we've found for the daily tours in the desert, we decided that renting a car was the best option for us. At the end of the trip, after doing the maths, we had the confirmation that it was indeed, much cheaper than if we would have chosen the local daily tours offered by the local agencies.
It may appear industrial and gritty but Calama happens to be the pride and joy of northern Chile, an economic powerhouse that pumps truckloads of copper money into the Chilean economy year on year.
Considered to be the mining capital of Chile, Calama is located in the Atacama Desert, in the Antofagasta Region, and it is one of the driest cities in the world. However, its location by the banks of Loa River turns it into a small oasis in the middle of the desert landscape. Calama is a bedroom and services city whose activity is related to the copper deposits around it. The lack of quality urban facilities and public spaces in the city gave rise to constant popular demonstrations.
We actually didn't spend that much time in Calama, as our main destination was San Pedro de Atacama.
The average travel time between Calama and San Pedro de Atacama is around 1 hour.
The road takes you through the stunning Atacama Desert, which is one of the driest and most arid places on Earth. The landscape is characterized by vast desert plains, salt flats, and unique geological formations.
San Pedro de Atacama is situated at a high altitude, around 2,400 meters, so may experience symptoms of altitude sickness.
Unfortunately, we did experienced this in the first 2 days, and we had symptoms like nausea, dizziness, headaches, and breathing difficulties. Even so, our symptoms were not that bad, and we really enjoyed the trip.
Although we had no plan to stop until we arrive to San Pedro de Atacama, we had to stop to admire the beautiful desert, from the Mirador Likan - Antay.
Once we arrived in San Pedro de Atacama we found a quite small but charming city. Since we travelled in the middle of March, we found the weather pretty hot, but also bearable. March is a great month to travel to Chile as the country transitions from summer to autumn.
Keep in mind, that in the night it actually gets cold, and the temperatures drop around 8 degrees Celsius. So the mornings and the evenings are also cool with some breeze.
Before we checked in, we walked around the city, admiring it's authenticity, bohemian atmosphere and the streets lined with adobe buildings, and numerous artisan shops.
Many efforts have been made to promote sustainable tourism in San Pedro de Atacama to preserve the fragile desert ecosystem and its cultural heritage. This ensures that visitors can enjoy the area's beauty while minimizing their impact on the environment.
The residents of San Pedro are known for their warm hospitality and welcoming attitude towards visitors. You're likely to have memorable interactions with locals during your stay. Also, we've been told at the airport that San Pedro de Atacama it's a very safe city.
The Atacama Desert is known for its exceptionally clear and unpolluted skies, making it one of the best places on Earth for stargazing. San Pedro is home to several observatories and stargazing tours that allow visitors to explore the cosmos and witness the beauty of the night sky.
Since we didn't feel tired at all, we wanted to visit something in the same day. Valle de la Luna is just 10 kilometres away from San Pedro de Atacama, but unfortunately we arrived there just 10 minutes before they were closing. So we found out that each attraction has a schedule, most of them closing at 5 pm. Also, you have to buy tickets for all of them, and keep in mind that you have to buy them online (for some of them actually you can buy it just online), or to use cash (for some of them).
We finished our day trying to see if we can visit Valle de La Muerte, but it was closed to the public, so we could just see this beautiful landscape at the entrance.
Next day we went to see Tatio Geysers. Be sure you leave really early, as the road is not good at all, and you have to be there around 7 o'clock to actually see the steam. Also, if it's a windy day, the steam won't rise up that much, so be prepared not to be dissapointed.
We continued our day by finally visiting Valle de la Luna. First, We admired the very dry land. Valle de la Luna has various stone and sand formations which have been carved by wind and water. It has an impressive range of color and texture, looking somewhat similar to the surface of the Moonand.
Here you can see the amazing sand dunes. Be sure you respect the signs and you keep your steps out of the dunes, otherwise you may be scolded by the local guides.
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