March 04 Santiago de Chile - Calama - San Pedro de Atacama

Earlier departure from Santiago to Calama and then the drive (about one hour) to San Pedro de Atacama. A city built of red stones. Formerly important for salt mining in the desert and now focused on desert tourists. Somehow, due to jet lag and early wake-up, we are completely exhausted. The room is also not ready yet, pure madness. The Atacama Desert stretches along the Pacific coast of South America. From west to east three longitudinal zones are distinguished: the Cordillera de la Costa, the intermediate valley (where we are now) and the Andean massif. The Atacama is located in the rain shadow of the Andes and the cold ocean current near the coast (Humboldt Current) prevents the development of rain clouds. Only near the coast, the fog brings some moisture. On the journey from Calama to San Pedro, we already get an impression of the desert. But in the Valle de la Luna, in the valley of the Cordillera de la Sal, it is really close. Sand dunes, rugged rock formations and salt that glistens like diamonds in the sun. Salt was also mined here until it was discovered that the salt contains traces of arsenic. The mining, which only took place at night, was stopped. The donkeys, which were used as pack animals, were simply released. They now wander as wild donkeys through the area. The vegetation-free area probably reminds of the surface of the moon and gave the valley its name.

We were surprised with a cocktail hour, Pisco Sours and snacks at sunset. Very nice.