Welcome to Calama
It may appear drab 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. And while it holds little attraction for visitors – most people will only stop here for the night (if they have to) on their way to the la-la land of San Pedro de Atacama – there is a visceral appeal to this mining town that definitely goes that extra mile in 'keeping it real.'
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Calama activities
Atacama Desert 4-Day Tour: Moon Valley and Chilean Salt Flats
From Death Valley to Moon Valley and the salt flats, see the beautiful landscapes of Chile’s Atacama Desert on this four-day excursion. Airport transfers are provided, and you have a choice of a three-star or four-star hotel, with breakfast included.Itinerary:Day 1: Calama -- San Pedro de AtacamaAfter being met at Calama airport, you’ll be transferred to the village of San Pedro de Atacama. Spend the afternoon with your guide on a scenic drive to Salt Mountain and Valle de Marte (Chile’s Death Valley), and watch a spectacular sunset in the extraordinary landscape of Moon Valley. You’ll then be transferred to your selected hotel, where the rest of the afternoon and evening are yours to explore San Pedro on your own.Accommodation: Casa Don Tomas Hotel (three-star, choice of twin or triple room) or Hotel Kimal (four-star, choice of twin or triple room) in San Pedro de AtacamaDay 2: San Pedro de Atacama -- Atacama Salt Flat -- Toconao -- San Pedro de Atacama (B, L)Following breakfast, you'll be driven out to the Atacama Salt Flat to see three species of flamingos nesting on Lake Chaxa. After visiting the picturesque town of Toconao, renowned for its classic bell tower, continue on to the village of Socaire and the altiplanic lagoons of Meñique and Miscanti. Ringed by volcanoes of the Andes Mountains chain, the vivid blue lakes lie 14,850 feet (4,500 meters) above sea level and are protected by Flamingos National Reserve (Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos). Returning to your selected hotel, you’ll have the rest of the day and evening to spend at your leisure.Accommodation: your same hotelDay 3: San Pedro de Atacama -- Geysers del Tatio -- San Pedro de Atacama (B)It’s a pre-dawn start today, departing your hotel at 4am to reach the Geysers del Tatio by sunrise. Once at the geysers, enjoy a breakfast box before taking a guided walk around the geothermal field, seeing the breathtaking sight of columns of steam rising from the ground as the sun rises over the Andes Mountains. The return drive to San Pedro de Atacama provides fabulous views of the Torcopuri and Sairecabur volcanoes. After being dropped off at your hotel in San Pedro, you’ll have the rest of the day and evening to visit the town’s lively market and spend your time as you please.Accommodation: your same hotelDay 4: San Pedro de Atacama – Calama (B)After breakfast, a transfer takes you to Calama airport to catch your onward flight.
El Loa Airport Shared Transfer to San Pedro de Atacama Hotels
After you arrive at El Loa Airport in Calama (Aeropuerto El Loa), meet your professional bilingual driver, who will take you on the 60-mile (95-km) drive to San Pedro de Atacama. Sit back and relax on the journey, or perhaps practice your Spanish with your driver! You’ll be dropped off at your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama.When making a booking, you will need to advise your flight details and your hotel details. Your transfer will be confirmed instantly, and you will be provided with a travel voucher to present to the driver.
Atacama Express: 2-Day tour visiting Tatio Geysers & the Moon Valley
Discover this small town located in the Atacama dessert and be amazed by its singular landscapes, quite unlike anywhere else on earth. Vast salt flats and active geysers are the main attraction of this 2-day tour. You can choose between 3 types of accommodation: Inn, Comfort or Superior, depending on your preferences and you will have breakfast included each morning. Lunches and Dinners are at your own expenses, and your guides will be happy to recommend places for you to taste local cuisine.IMPORTANT: Arrival flights to Calama Airport MUST be during the morning (up to 11.00am) and departure flights MUST be during the afternoon (after 4pm) in order to be able to take both tours For details on each day of the tour, please see the Itinerary below: Day 1 - San Pedro De Atacama - Moon Valley At the appropriate time, you will be picked up from Calama airport and will be driven to your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama (about two hour away- shared service). 3.00pm In the afternoon, you will visit a National Reserve located in one of the world’s driest and most hostile zones of the world: the Atacama Desert. Please remember that National Park Fees are not included since they should be paid locally. Once inside the Reserve, you will visit a geological phenomenon known as Salt Mountain Range and will admire the landscape from different spots, to then immerse into the deepness of the Earth, while visiting the salt caves. You will as well understand the delicacy of the clay while visiting the Tres Marias, sculptures craved by nature. For the perfect closure, you will admire the dusk on the Great Dune, from where you will be able to see the Andes, Domeyko mountain range and the Salt mountain range. This tour starts and ends at our operator’s office in San Pedro de Atacama. Overnight: accommodation included Day 2 - San Pedro De Atacama - Half Day Tatio Geysers & Machuca (B) 4.30am After an early morning pickup at your hotel, experience one of the most astonishing phenomena produced by nature! Visit the beautiful geothermic field, manifestation of the inner heat of the Earth. Take the most amazing photographs walking across the tracks over the field. Have the unique opportunity to swim in the The Tatio spring waters, rich in minerals. Go along the imposing Andes mountain range, and participate in the adventure of observing native plants and animals in their natural habitat. Your breakfast will be provided when the sun rises. On your way back, you will also have a short visit to Machuca village. Please remember that National Park Fees are not included. You will get to your hotel around 12.30pm. At the appropriate time, you will be driven to Calama airport (about two hour away- shared service). Meals included: Breakfast
4-Days Trip to Discover San Pedro de Atacama
DAY 1: Calama Airport - San Pedro de Atacama - Moon Valley Reception at Calama Airport and transfer to your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama. In the afternoon, departure from the hotel to the Moon Valley (04:00pm Subject to confirmation). 19 km from San Pedro, in the Salt Mountain Range, is the Moon Valley located, declared a Nature Sanctuary and Monument and protected by the uniqueness of its beauty. It consists of a depression surrounded by small hills with impressively sharp peaks. The tour is an imaginary trip to landscapes that does not belong to our world, but to other planets. We will see the Dinosaur Valley and Death Valley, where there is a spectacular panoramic view of the area. We continue to the Moon Valley, where we will find geological formations that are the result of successive foldings of the earth's crust. In the valley is possible to appreciate the salt sculptures known as Las Tres Marias, formed by wind erosion. Continuing with the tour we will walk through the interior of the caves that remain from the old deposits, to get closer to valley where is the Big Dune. After a break, we will climb this dune, which impresses with its size and is used for extreme sports as snowboarding At sunset, a bold palette of golds and reds appear, touching the soul and sensibilities of the visitor. Overnight @ 4* Hotel in San Pedro DAY 2: San Pedro de Atacama - Altiplanic Lagoons - Atacama Salt Flat- San Pedro de Atacama Breakfast. Departure at 08:30am. In this excursion, we will visit Piedras Rojas (Red Stones) located in the Tara Salt Flat with its fascinating and beautiful red-colored landscape, remarked by its owe-inspiring geological formations born from the rusting of the iron. After that, we will go through the path to the Altiplano in order to visit the Miscanti and Miñiques Lagoons, located more than 4,200 meter above the sea level and surrounded by great and imposing volcanoes from the Andes Mountain Range and flora and fauna in their natural environment. Overnight @ 4* Hotel in San Pedro DAY 3: San Pedro de Atacama – Tatio Geysers – San Pedro de Atacama Departure at 5:00am from the hotel. Subject to confirmation. We leave at dawn from San Pedro de Atacama Hotel to go to the Tatio Geysers, a geothermal center with geysers that can only be seen very early in the morning. After seeing this spectacular sight in a magnificent natural setting, we eat breakfast. Overnight @ 4* Hotel in San Pedro DAY 4: San Pedro de Atacama – Calama Airport Breakfast. In due time, transfer to Calama Airport.
3-Days Trip to Discover San Pedro de Atacama
DAY 1: Calama Airport - San Pedro de Atacama - Moon Valley Reception at Calama Airport and transfer to your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama. In the afternoon, departure from the hotel to the Moon Valley (04:00pm Subject to confirmation). 19 km from San Pedro, in the Salt Mountain Range, is the Moon Valley located, declared a Nature Sanctuary and Monument and protected by the uniqueness of its beauty. It consists of a depression surrounded by small hills with impressively sharp peaks. Continuing with the tour we will walk through the interior of the caves that remain from the old deposits, to get closer to valley where is the Big Dune. After a break, we will climb this dune, which impresses with its size and is used for extreme sports as snowboarding At sunset, a bold palette of golds and reds appear, touching the soul and sensibilities of the visitor.Overnight @ 4* Hotel in San Pedro de Atacama DAY 2: San Pedro de Atacama - Puritama Hot Springs – Atacama Salt Flat Breakfast. At 09:30am departure to the Puritama Hot Springs. Located at 30 Km. aprox. from San Pedro de Atacama we will find the Puritama River, its waters come from the Mountain Range, they warm up because of the proximity of the volcanic material and this place, they surface. This area features the basic services needed and terraces in each swimming pool. Here, we will enjoy an incredible landscape, a 33°C thermal bath with healing properties. Return to the hotel. In the afternoon, we will visit Chaxa Lagoon, a scenery and beautiful landscape, divided into several water mirrors where a great number of flamingoes and other birds such as Andean Flamingoes. Finally, before we return, while the landscape features marvelous views of the Licancabur and Lascar Volcanoes, we will visit Toconao with a typical colonial architecture, San Lucas Church, the first National Monument. Return to the hotel.Overnight @ 4* Hotel in San Pedro de Atacama DAY 3: San Pedro de Atacama - Tatio Geysers - Calama Airport Departure at 5:00am from the hotel. Subject to confirmation. We leave at dawn from San Pedro de Atacama Hotel to go to the Tatio Geysers, a geothermal center with geysers that can only be seen very early in the morning. After seeing this spectacular sight in a magnificent natural setting, we eat breakfast. On the way back, we see the majestic Andes Mountain Range, whose peaks seem close enough to touch. We then arrive at Machuca, a small llama herder settlement. Transfer to Calama Airport.
Ground Transfer from Calama City to San Pedro de Atacama
Transfer from Calama City to San Pedro de Atacama City will start from your centrally located hotel or meeting points in Calama city.The transfer is conducted in Spanish and it's duration is approximately 1.5-hour depending on traffic.Departures every day with previous reservation.