We have been on the move...time to catch up! We made our way from the coast to the desert. After transitioning down the coast of northern Chile we made our way to San Pedro de Atacama, approximately 2400m above sea level with a population of 3800 people. It’s main industry is tourism with hostels, and tour operators at every turn. We spent three days in the area with three goals...stargazing, Valle de la Luna, and the geothermal field. All three didn’t disappoint!
Stargazing was a unique experience due to being in the Southern Hemisphere, along with heading out two days after a full moon. The field had 11 telescopes and after some explanation of the various stars visible and an astronomy lesson we took some time to look through each lens at different stars, galaxies, and the moon. The next day we headed out to Valle de la Luna on bikes to explore what the travel books describe as the moon on earth. The rock formations and landscape are breathtaking. Our final day we were up early, 4:30am, to head to see the El Tatio Geysers...arriving at the field just as the sun was coming up to explore and learn about the geysers. The field is the third largest, and the highest, in the world at 4600m above sea level. Dressed ready for our first negative temps in a while (sorry to those experiencing snow) we were treated to a beautiful display of science and nature! The pictures demonstrate our experience far better than my words and even then they don’t do the beauty of the landscape and our experience justice.