Get Atacama Desert from Salta, Argentina

We will cross The Andes Mountain Chain by Paso de Sico (in Salta Province), and travelling on both journeys on the most arid desert in the world: The Atacama Desert in Chile. The former gives you the chance to take ride on the famous Tren de las Nubes (Train to the Clouds) and getting off in San Antonio de Los Cobres -this option is not included in the price-.

The landscape is beautiful. We see salty desert and lakes full of pink flamingos at 4.000 m above sea level, all dominated by snow capped volcanos such as the famous Lincancabur of 6.000 m and the still active Lascar of 5.200 m.

In San Pedrode Atacama (Chile) a few interesting excursions are available during our two days stay in town: The Tatio Gaisers, El Valle de la Luna ( The Moon Valley), el Salar de Atacama (Salty Desert of Atacama).

Departure from Salta, to Jujuy province, visiting on the way Purmamarca village, salinas grandes an Susques where we will lunch in a restaurant of the road, then we continue to the border Jama Pass where is the custom and migrations of Argentina.

After check out of the burocracy, we keep climbing untill 4.700 mts. above sea level on the road, this place is call La Pacana on Chilean side, then we descent from the altiplano to Atacama desert and continue to San Pedro de Atacama, located at 2.400 mts. above sea level in Chile. Night in San Pedro de Atacama.

Time estimate to travel 10/12 hours... Some lakes on the way with pink flamingos and a beautiful landscape of the andes mountains. All the way is asfalt road.

In this day, we can relax half day visiting for your own the small village of San Pedro: the church and museum.After lunch, we can go to visit a nice lake named Laguna Cejas (a few kilometrs from San Pedro) where you can swiming on the slat lake!,....and if you are interest on Indian ruins, we can go to visit some of them around and finaly to see the sunset, we can visit Moon Valley. Nigth in San Pedro de Atacama.

Géisers del Tatio: It´s an excursion to the thermal fields of the Tatio Volcano at 4.000 mts. a.s.l. and 190 kms. from San Pedro where we will see at the sunrise time the boild water blow out from the earth in a fantastic natural show. We must start this trip not later than 5:00 AM to get there right on time.Then we will back to San Pedro but , on the way we will stop, first in one of the nice native village Machuca to have a cofee, and then, if you want we can stop on Termas de Puritama (thermal water) to relax (optional payment).Nigth in San Pedro de Atacama. If you are not tired, we can go to see another spectacular sunset at the Mars Valley.

Departure from San Pedro de Atacama - visit Chaxa laggon on Atacama Salt Flat - Toconao - Socaire - Sico Pass -rgentina Border (custom and migartion chek) - San Antonio de Los Cobres - Salta. Night in Salta city.

Group of	2 pax	3 pax	4 pax
Price per person	USD 1170	USD 940	USD 940

Private transport depending the group: 4x4, Minivan 7 pax or MB Sprinter 15seats.

Accomodation in hotel 2 star double room with private bath room(double room in a group of 2 and 4 and triple room in a group of 3 persons)

Depending the group, the local excursions in Chile will be with a chilean guide in our truck or a chilean vehicle with a chilean guide/driver.

If some of the mountain pass are bloked by the snow storms, we will use the available one in both ways.

If both pass are bloked, we lost the chilean services and the guide will offer you the option to replace the left of the days in a original program with a touring on Argentina side not including the new accomodations and meals.

Is not usual to have both mountain pass bloked, always one of then are open but anyway the season of risk is between june and september.

Specially on Géysers excursion, the temperatures are very low, sometimes -15Cº (celcius), we recomend wool hat, gloves, polar fleece and warm underware. Trekking boots.

The solar insulation is very strong, we recommend skin cream protection, sun glases and short to use on thermal springs.

On june-july-august, we have a high risk to get the border pass closed by snow storms. It's mean all the touristic services in one of the countryes will be lost if we can't cross the border. Some years, even in May and September.

I recomend ths trip between october to may.... some years nothing happens but you must know if you decide to take the risk.