On our arrival at Calama airport, we will be met by our local guides. Together we will drive (approx. 2 h) to the desert oasis of San Pedro de Atacama and check in to our hotel. Our first excursion will take us to the Salt mountain range, here we will experience an unforgettable sunset at the world famous Moon Valley.

Accommodation: Hotel 3-4*
Meals: Lunch

Today we will visit Chile’s largest salt flat, the Atacama Salt Flat and two high plateau lakes. After breakfast we will drive south. We pass by the villages of Toconao and Socaire on our way up into the highlands or “altiplano”. Here we find the lagoons Miscanti and Miniques. They are both located a little over 4000 meters above sea level. We will go for a short walk and enjoy the very impressive volcanic scenery that surrounds the lakes. After this unique scenic gift, we descend back down into the valley, and visit the Salt flat of Atacama before returning back to San Pedro de Atacama. We drive directly into a salt world visiting Lake Chaxa. With a bit of luck we can observe flamingos and other bird species within their natural habitat. But today not only is nature and the amazing scenery part of our objective, also from an acclimatization point of view, this excursion will help us adapt gradually to the altitude.

Accommodation: Hotel 3-4*
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today we begin a trek that last for a few days within the general vicinity of the San Pedro de Atacama oasis. After breakfast we will be driven to our starting point within the Valley of Catarpe further beyond old Inca ruins. We follow the river San Pedro and river Grande towards the north. We can appreciate the way of life of the Atacameño people that live from agriculture and animal grazing. We have to cross the river a number of times before we get to our destination after about 6 hours, San Bartolo, an old copper mining area. Here we will install our tents and spend our first night under a star studded sky.

Accommodation: Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today will be a hard and strenuous day! We will trek for approximately 7–8 hours. In the beginning we follow the river upstream, heading north and slowly we have a change in the scenery. In the first section, we walk at the bottom of the deep river canyon and will have to cross the river a number of times. Then we leave the canyon and start to climb up following a very old path that was used by the llama caravans in pre-Hispanic times. Finally we arrive at the old village of Río Grande. The strong contrasts of the scenery during the day are very impressive. Today we will take extra care with using sun block because there is very little shade during the day. Once at the village and settled in, we will be able to enjoy the hospitality and quiet village atmosphere. We are allowed to make use of the community centre. Some of the local village folks can be curious about our presence and this can be a good moment to greet them.

Accommodation: Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a good night’s rest and a hearty breakfast we start our trek. Today we pass the green agricultural terrace fields that belong to the village of Río Grande, once again following the river. Our path then makes a turn and starts to climb up until we reach a pass at an altitude of 3600 m. From here after a short way, our path joins up with the river once again passing on the way old abandoned homesteads and terrace fields. Tall cacti, some of them 12 m, act as guardians of the valleys that cut the landscape. The puma and the mountain cat are rare, but we are in their territory, away from civilization. If we are lucky enough to encounter one, this will be a wonderful and lucky experience. For a long time the wild cats have suffered from man’s presence and become wary, timid and have excellent camouflage. All this makes them very difficult to spot. After approximately 7 hours we arrive at the village of Machuca. Here we will spend the night in our tents.

Accommodation: Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After our strenuous treks from the previous days, today will be a little softer. We will do a relaxed trek of approximately 3 hours that will take us to Puritama. The name means “warm water” in the Atacameño tongue and on arrival we will quickly realize why. We will enjoy a warm thermal bath surrounded by dramatic scenery, time to enjoy, relax and recharge. After Puritama we keep driving north towards the El Tatio geothermal geyser field, the highest in the world. Protected from the wind we set up camp near a small solitary lake. This is a great bird observation spot and joined with the spectacular scenery, is a must for nature lovers. We can also see the vicuna, wild South American camelids related to the llama and alpaca. Our calm and quiet camp site helps us prepare for the first mountain of our expedition.

Accommodation: Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we will wake up and enjoy an early breakfast. This will help us make better use of the fresher morning hours for our climb of Cerro Soquete. A short drive up to the starting point aids us in our climb. The summit is very attractive and special due to its volcanic rock structure and during our ascent is always visible. After approximately 6 – 7 hours we arrive at the summit and it feels like we are on the roof of the Atacama Desert. The infinite extensive views and the partially snow covered volcanic peaks are very characteristic of this landscape. After taking our first summit photos, we start our descent of approximately 3 hours. Back at base camp we will relax, enjoy a tasty dinner and celebrate our first group summit a toast with a good Chilean red wine.

Accommodation: Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we will visit the El Tatio geothermal field and enjoy sunrise. After packing up our camp we will drive south to our next destination (approx. 6 hours). Our route takes us back to San Pedro de Atacama and further South, driving parallel to the salt flat of Atacama. Past the village of Toconao, we make a detour to the East and gain altitude by driving back up into the altiplano, enjoying great views of our next objective, the Lascar volcano, one of the most active volcanos on earth. Our destination is the Lake Lejia. We will set up our camp nearby and enjoy a splendid view of the Lascar volcano and others.

Accommodation: Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After an early breakfast we will use the 4x4 to reach the base of the volcano. We will start our ascent from about 4700 m. Here we get ready with our backpacks on and start the climb. The path is clear, is a zigzag and takes us to the edge of the crater (5490 m). The vision of the smoking crater is impressive to say the least! But we still have not reach our objective. After a short rest we start climbing the last 150 meters up to the summit. The ascent should take us between 5 – 6 hours. The panoramic view of the altiplano and surrounding volcanic bodies from the summit is simply breathtaking and hard to forget. After our descent to the vehicle, we return back to San Pedro de Atacama and spend the night in our hotel.

Accommodation: Hotel 3-4*
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, transfer to the Calama airport. END OF SERVICE.

Accommodation: -
Meals: Breakfast