Moon Valley, San Pedro de Atacama

The Atacama is not your typical sea of sand-dunes like the Sahara or the Namib. The sand dunes are few, so the interest here lies in the geological formations. And as in many other desert areas, there is always a geological formation called the Valley of the Moon - and this is the Atacama's one. Part of Valle de la Luna is the Cordillera del Sal which are weird wave-like formations rising from the sand and dust like some other-wordly landscape. Other weird formations in the area are Las Tres Marias (the three Marys) - though I usually have a fertile imagination I could not see the Marys at all.

The time to come here is at sunset - though be warned that everyone will know this fact and you will find quite a congregation of people admiring the view.

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Everybody go to the Moon Valley when the sun sets. I have to admit that it is a great spectacle, but quite frankly I prefer to spend my time in a place like that by myself, enjoying the silence and the view. If you don´t want to share this experience with a few hundred turists I´d suggest you go in the morning or just after lunch. But remember that you have to climb a sand dune to reach the best view point. So eat lightly and take your time. And don´t forget your water bottle.

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We took a combined tour which included the Death Valley, Quebrada de Kari (Salt river and caves) trek and finally the Moon Valley to see the sunset.

No visit to San Pedro de Atacama is complete without a visit to the Moon Valley. You will soon see that everyday there are lots and lots of tours that end at the Moon Valley hence there being lots and lots of people there watching the sunset. Nevertheless it is still a very interesting place to visit with its huge sand dunes and moon-like rock formations.

From the carpark you need to walk up the big dune and from there you can go to one of three main vantage points to watch the sunset. There is an interesting formation visible also known as the Amphitheatre which looks like an acordian made of sequence of little rock peaks. The Amphitheatre forms part of the Cordillera de la Sal which originates from sand, clay and salt deposits that were deformed by earth movement into the landscape visible in the area today.

This tour we took through Cactus Tours and the total cost was 4000 pesos plus 2000 to enter the Moon Valley which is a national park.

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If you arrive san pedro before 3pm,and have only few days to spend there,try to do activity immediately,don't waste time.In summer it's very hot ,you can feel burnt on your skin easily but if you don'y mind about it(only tough guy),you can rent bicycle to moon and dead valley,but I really don't recommend.I saw some did, but they looked suffer a lot.So I suggest to buy some tour.Most tour start in afternoon from 4-8pm such as moon and dead valley(same tour),atacama salt flat There are many tour company along the main Caracoles road.The road is short, you better walk around check for price and service they offer .Most tour give more or less the same service ,bring you to same place ,that actually look like all buses come from same company.The only different thing is only some tour can explain you in engish,so check well.There's few first shop on the west side of Caracoles speaks spanish and english,such as Turis Tour which woman staff in blond hair is not friendly at all( morning shift),price here are a bit higher than others as well,but their tour are always full quickly.

Dont do a tour to either the death and moon valleys nor the salt lakes.

All are accessible easily enough by bike and you can spend as much time as you want there instead of being hearded back into the bus.

On the tour of the valleys you wont get the full effects of the sun sets because you cant stay up there long enough.

Also you may find yourself to be the only one in the valley when the sun has gone and see only the odd car pass by.

The lakes are amazing at night. You will be able to stand at there edge and believe you are looking down into the sky. Thus with a moon lit night, the trails of water on the edge of the lakes will seem almost like some kind of magic mineral on the ground.

Sunrise is also unbelievable here so I suggest camping out.

Wonderful landscape ! You shouldn't miss it ! Book a tour that will take you to Death Valley and then you will have the chance to enjoy an unforgettable sunset here. On the way you will stop at Tres Marias, a rock formation that looks like three women preying, with a lot of imagination, of course... Then you will have a look at the salt flat nearby. And finally you will walk up on the hill to relax on a panoramic view of the Moon Valley. In the sunset light it gives you the impression you are on the surface of the moon !
For more photos look at my TRAVELOGUE.

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El sitio ideal para ver una vista panorámica del Valle de la Luna que está formado por una pequeña depresión de 500 m de diámetro, con suelo salino y rodeada de impresionantes cerros, pequeños y de filosas crestas
Es parte de la Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos , sus formaciones demuestran una profunda transformación de la corteza terrestre, ocurrida por sucesivos plegamientos del fondo de un antiguo lago de aguas bajas que, al elevarse, generaron la cordillera de la Sal
The place is ideal to see a panoramic view of the Moon valley that is formed by an small depression of 500m of diameter , with salty floor and surrounded by impressive hills , smalls and with sharp edges
It is part of the Flamingos National Reserve , his forms demonstrate a deep transformation of the land crust , happened due to several yieldings of an antique lake bottom with low waters that when they lifted originated the Salt Range

Moon's valley is a fantastic place to visit, it is known with that name because of the similarity with the surface of the moon.
It is a small depression of 500 m of diameter of saline soil and presents schemers sculptural forms proved from the successive transformations of the terrestrial bark, happened by the foldings of the lacustrine bottom of the salar. Life exists neither in this corner, nor dampness, which turns it into the most inhospitable place of the planet.
You can also walk to the top of a little mountain to watch the amazing sunset and the colours of the Atacama desert. It's amazing!
Book a tour with an agency, it will costs 8-9 dollars, and the tour will take 2-3 hours.