In northern Chile, amid snow-capped volcanoes and salt flats that stretch as far as the eye can see, lies San Pedro de Atacama, gateway to the driest desert on the planet. A lunar landscape that, despite its extreme aridity, is home to an extraordinary variety of ecosystems and natural phenomena.

Salt flats, geysers and lagoons

The Salar de Atacama, the largest salt flat in Chile, is home to flamingo colonies feeding on its saline lagoons, while at dawn the Tatio geysers, among the highest in the world, offer a spectacle of steam columns rising against the backdrop of the Andes. The Moon Valley and Death Valley, with their dune and rock formations, complete a landscape that seems to belong to another planet.

Some of the clearest skies on Earth

Thanks to its extreme aridity, high altitude and near-total absence of light pollution, the Atacama sky is considered one of the best places in the world for astronomical observation, hosting some of the planet's most advanced international observatories. Amateur astronomy tours, with powerful telescopes set up in the desert, are one of the most popular activities among visitors to San Pedro.