Atacama çölü wow 14

San Pedro de Atacama in Chile left me speechless. The surrounding landscapes are unreal, mind blowing.

You also must book the Valle de la Luna at least 24 hours in advance; you can do it here. There are at least three international car rental companies in the city and I recommend using Rental Cars as they hook you up with the cheapest provider in the area — and all your insurance information is in English. Make sure you book at least a month in advance if visiting during high season December through February. From Europcar we received a useful but hand-drawn road map of San Pedro de Atacama and its surroundings. This allowed us to plan where we were going as it included additional information about the various attractions, as well as distances between them. However, I would also suggest you download maps.

Atacama çölü wow 14

We thought the scenery of the Atacama Desert had been pretty spectacular so far, but we discovered it was just beginning. We saw them frequently in Argentina, and then again in Chile as we travelled from Santiago north to Antofagasta, but they seemed to increase exponentially the further north we got. Dozens of them, hundreds probably, seemingly one about every half kilometer. A variety of different materials are used — wooden buildings, old tires as seen above, painted rocks to outline a pathway, tiled structures, flags, some had bushes though I have no idea how they survive in the desert , some had the name of the person who had died, one had the message Adios hasta siempre Marcello , and one was so large it contained a car mounted on a platform. San Pedro de Atacama is a small oasis desert town and a tourist mecca for arriving from, or heading to, the altiplano, and salt flats, of Bolivia, and for day tours in the area to some truly dazzling scenery. We were constantly moved by its beauty. San Pedro seems to be divided into two sections. One section is beautifully preserved in the original mud brick and whitewash style, and houses everything a tourist could wish for — hotels, hostels, tour companies, local craft stores, restaurants, cafes, bars, and convenience stores. There is another San Pedro for the local population of about , which, from the brief glimpse we saw of it, is not so pretty, however I imagine the endless tourist dollars make this a relatively prosperous place. San Pedro, at metres, was our first introduction to altitude. We planned five days there to give us some time to adjust. Our constant cry was more red blood cells, more red blood cells!

I think you could use just about every superlative there is to describe the Atacama. Atacama desert is surely not a sleepy place judging from the multitude of landscapes and activities in your photos. I first heard of the Atacama, as most people do, at school.

A cold, bloodless dawn breaks above the Andes, the yolk of a white sun spilling out across the Atacama Desert ahead. My skull feels like an empty shell. A cutting wind slashes around my face, causing my eyes to water, but as uncomfortable as this is, moving seems almost impossible. Given the circumstances, quite how Lily Marchant is able to spring over rocks towards me is baffling. The guide from Awasi Atacama hotel has a habit of bounding; enthusiasm comes to her more readily than it does to a sugar-spiked toddler. To the north, Andean volcanos are painted pink, then a chalky orange by the rising sun.

Stretching over a 1, km mi strip of land west of the Andes Mountains , it covers an area of , km 2 41, sq mi , [2] which increases to , km 2 49, sq mi if the barren lower slopes of the Andes are included. The Atacama Desert is the driest nonpolar desert in the world, and the second driest overall, behind some specific spots within the McMurdo Dry Valleys. The area has been used as an experimentation site for Mars expedition simulations due to its similarities to the Martian environment. The constant temperature inversion caused by the cool north-flowing Humboldt Ocean current and the strong Pacific anticyclone contribute to the extreme aridity of the desert. However, other sources consider that the part of the desert in Peru is a different ecosystem, and should properly be named as Pampas de la Joya desert.

Atacama çölü wow 14

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An easier way is to rent a car directly from Calama Airport through Rental Cars. Can I ask if Marcelo was a private guide, and if so how you found him? Colours are more intense at altitude. Glad to hear that you enjoyed it too! The best way to visit is by hiring a rental car to explore the region independently. This was followed by a quick visit to a freezing cold, extremely deep, fresh-water desert well to wash off the salt. Congrats on your award, and even more so for you adventures in the Atacama! Hi there nice blog thanks for the tips! Comment Reblog Subscribe Subscribed. You deserve it and should be proud. Thanks Drew! I envy you. Your first stop will be the petroglyphs, where a series of rocky outcrops house carvings that have left relief images of guanacos, foxes, men, and cross-legged shaman. Sue Thursday 18th of May

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Finally we were taken to Lago Tebinquinche, which is less a lake than a large expanse of salt, covered in parts with a thin skim of water. We loved San Pedro de Atacama, though did not do as many excursions as you did. The hot water arrives through shafts in the bottom of the pool, meaning the water is not a consistent temperature, nor is the ambient air particularly warm. By Jamie Lafferty. I actually got three votes in a couple days ago. Simply, cannot be more breathtaking and amazing then this, can it? In other parts of the desert, there are far fewer artifacts. Hiring a car sounds like a very good option as well! Do you still need to prebook things in the Atacama desert during the off season? Love your blog, love your photos, love you and Don! However, I would also suggest you download maps.