WHAT: A visit to the outer this world sites of Valle de la Luna and Valle de la Muerte. WHERE: 3 km southwest from San Pedro de Atacama, in the northern part of Chile HOW LONG: Tours go usually from 3-8 pm. If you go by bike you need a little more time. According to the information center in town about 6 hours. HOW MUCH: The tour costed me 12000 CLP. Normally they ask 13000 CLP, but you can bargain for some more discount (after giving you 'the discount'. Entrance to both valleys is an additional 4000 CLP in total
“But you can’t leave San Pedro without seeing Valle de la Luna” my hotel owner said in agony to me, after I told her that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do one of the tours in the area at all. All of the tours felt kind of Disneyesque to me, with the many operators in town screaming for attention.
It turns out she was right though; Valle de la Luna feels and is kind of a must see in the area. If only to catch the sunset over there and because of its near location to town. Adding to that, don’t go with a tour; but hire a bike!
Eventually I did opt for a tour, basically because I couldn’t withdrawal money in San Pedro de Atacama (many people have this problem, bring dollars with you. The tax they charge you at the bank for every withdrawal is super high. Especially for the small amount you’re able get. That is, if it works at all). And therefore I couldn’t hire a bike. The tourist offices are basically the only place were you can pay in dollars and they pay you back in pesos :).
So though my hotel owner was right, it turns out I was right too; the tour does feel kind of massive. I went along with Desert Adventures. From the outside it seemed like a solid company and the lady behind the counter was nice too; but unfortunately it gave me a lesson in never judging a book by its cover. Although I could bargain the price to 12000 CLP (they asked for 13000, including a ‘discount’ on the price of 17000 which they give to basically everyone), I wished I’d asked up front how many people would eventually go along the tour. At the time of my reservation it was only 10, but as I showed up the group was almost 3 times as big. The guide told me he even once had a group of 70.
With a big bus we left and I felt like a sheep as I walked along the group. The places were awesome though; I just wished I had covered them all by myself. Or that I was in a group of no more than 10 persons, like some companies do in fact promise (Lithium Travel for example; I asked them too about the tour and they have high reviews on TripAdvisor).
But anyway; we saw some pretty things. These salt caves for example!
It’s possible to walk all the way through them. Although that wasn’t always so easy, since some of the ‘corridors’ were rather narrow and steep.
Next we went to some kind of rock that was called ‘The three Maria’s’. Nothing like a Michelangelo, but hey, quite nice that we were just cruising the pretty valley and getting out over there too from time to time. Also nice to know is that the natives believed these particular rocks to be their protectors.
The next popular stop in the valley requires a little hike; some 15 minutes. The path leads all the way up along a ridge from where you have a spectacular view point of the back side of the valley. Over here the valley really resembles a moonscape landscape with craters and hills.
Valle de Marte or Muerte?
After this moonlike landscape we cruised to another outer space experience. The red sand and red rocks of the nearby Valle de la Muerte offers its spectators some rich colours, especially at the end of the day. The double name is derived through a misunderstanding. A French astronomist that was working in the area (after the Atacama desert was ‘discovered’ by its colonial candidates), wanted to explain that he thought the valley was like ‘Mart’ Surface, Mars. The locals thought he he was saying ‘Muerte’ instead of Mart, so they named the valley with the name of ‘Valle de la Muerte’ that translates like ‘Death Valley’ in Spanish.
After this Chilean Dead Valley it was time for the apotheosis: the sunset at the Valle de la Luna! Even the promotional pictures in town do not prepare you for this spectacle. According to my travel company sunset apparently it was also the best time for snacks once there. Although it seemed like a good idea – watching the sun go down accompanied by a glass in the hand – unfortunately our guide decided to put the table so far from the ridge that I had the feeling half of our group had spent more time gazing at the cheese and crackers than at the actual sunset.
Focus on the pinky colours!
Boy did they miss out, I mean just look at those pictures below! So if you go by a tour, don’t be distracted by those goodies – focus on the pinky colours!
Yep they just keep on coming
Rather suicidal that dog, but don’t worry; it survived!
That’s all. Once more, go by bike! Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
