I. General Descrition of the Area
Chile's far North, or Norte Grande (Great North) is an area of amazing beauty. This area contains lots of active volcanoes, salt flats, lakes with abundant wildlife and remains of ancient civilizations.
The Atacama dessert is located at same altitude as other desserts in America. However, the reason for its extreme dryness is the existence of a high-pressure system that prevents storms from moving in.
Though there is a rainy season in the middle of summer, it only lasts for a few days and of course, the erosion affects roads and sometimes the adobe constructions. Water then evaporates quickly and the only remains of water are the small rivers flowing west and some lagoons and lakes with percentages of salt.
This region has big urban centers, mostly located by the Pacific such as Antofagasta and the city of Iquique, this later famous for the intense Mining activity for Nitrate (salt peter) during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Iquique is also known today for its Duty Free Zone that attracts many people not only from Chile but from neighboring countries: Peru, Bolivia and northern Argentina.
II. Gradosur offers different alternatives to explore and enjoy the wonders of these latitudes:
a) Exploring The Atacama Dessert by bus (4 days)
From Santiago we fly directly to the airport in the city of Calama. Then by bus we travel to the town of San Pedro over the Domeiko Mountain Range. The town and valley of San Pedro are famous for the remains of Atacameño Culture, the Museum of Archeology "Father Le Paige", and the many interesting sites around the small town.
b) Exploring The Atacama Dessert on Horses, bikes and bus (4 days)
From the same lodging in San Pedro we explore the same places but we access them either on bikes or horses. By car we travel to the "high plateau" to admire the Tatio Gaysers.
4-Day Extention of a Trip - Iquique:
We can add 3 more days and explore Iquique and Chile's Region I. From Calama we fly to Iquique. A city we start exploring upon arrival. The following days we visit the old nitrate mines, its ghost towns and old communities that still survive in remote areas of the dessert adjusting to changes of weather and economical activities.
On our last day, we fly directly back to Santiago with stop-over in Calama. |
