San Pedro de Atacama

The northern desert of Chile has stole my heart, everywhere we went was a scenic masterpiece and the culture and vibes of the locals only added to the beauty. This trip was the one time everyone from the GW Chile program was together for multiple days, and it was very entertaining to get to know more about each other and to hear about everyone’s different experiences thus far. We headed out to the airport early Thursday morning, and I enjoyed a few hours of napping on the flight because I was lucky enough to have the entire row to myself. Refreshed and ready for adventure, we hopped on a bus with two tour guides. Our first stop: Valle de la Luna.

I had no idea how many diverse microclimates existed within the Atacama region itself. Before visiting, I had thought that the entire area would be composed of rocks, some salt flats, and endless sand dunes, after all, it is the world’s highest and driest desert. I was not expecting to see lush green valleys, lakes in which flamingos were bathing, and steaming geysers next to hot springs. I learned all about the town of San Pedro, which used to be nothing more than a tiny town adjacent to the bigger copper mining zone of Calama, but it has since turned into a central tourist destination. I also learned so much about the local environment, such as the fact that that vastly different species live in close proximity to each other due to the steep changes in altitude. I was amazed by the amount of plants and animals we saw, including the llama-like Vicuñas and Guanacos, as well as cacti with different healing and psychedelic effects.

The energy production in the region fascinated me just as much as the breathtaking landscapes. Rows of gigantic wind turbines as well as solar panels sporadically lined the road to and from the airport, adding a great sense of purpose to the hot desert scenery. On our last day, we toured a local village close to San Pedro, where I learned that the Chilean government had installed small solar panel projects to heat water at for the local farmers (but they are unfortunately poorly maintained).

The hotel we stayed at was a sweet little resort composed of a small pool (which came in handy after our 7 hour hike) and cabanas, which two or three people shared. The food was excellent at every restaurant, and even though we were moving and hiking everyday, I probably gained a few pounds from all of the three-course meals we ate.

I could go into so much detail about everything we did, but I believe it is something everyone should try and experience for themselves, if they have the chance. The one thing we unfortunately missed out on was the star-gazing tour. While it may not rain often in the desert apparently it can still be quite cloudy. However, I do forgive the clouds, because they were incredible to photograph.