San Pedro de Atacama - Day 1

From Iquique we drive for hours through the Atacama Desert - one of the driest deserts in the world - and barren landscapes towards San Pedro de Atacama. The 2700 meters of altitude we cover really take a toll on us, so we arrive with a headache and wobbly legs just before San Pedro in Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon).

Valle de la Luna is known for its desert landscape that, as the name suggests, resembles the surface of the moon. Additionally, some parts of the surface are covered in salt and there is a salt cave. Pretty crazy considering that we are quite far away from the sea here.

The next day, after driving almost 4500 kilometers, we return the camper in San Pedro and are relieved that the handover is not too strict.

San Pedro serves as a hub for hordes of tourists who take tours to the surrounding areas from here. For us, it now means booking all upcoming tours around San Pedro, as well as organizing the crossing to Bolivia, from where we will continue our journey to Nicaragua.

We decide to visit a geyser, climb an active volcano, and take a closer look at the stars in the desert over the next two days. The biggest challenge will be the tour to the volcano with 5600 meters of altitude. Mount Blanc - the highest mountain in Europe - only reaches 4810 meters of altitude. We are curious to see if we can make it and will try to acclimatize ourselves at the geyser at 4300 meters the next day.