Atacama Desert

Located in the northwestern Chile, South America, Atacama Desert is the driest desert in the world. Though it is one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth, people have inhabited this place for more than 10,000 years. The arid climate prevailing at the Atacama Desert has made it a storehouse of history. Well preserved remnants of inhabitants dating back to thousands of years can be found here. In spite of the extreme climate in the desert, some of the most amazing diversity of plant and animal life can be found here. Some of the species are in fact not found anywhere else.

Atacama Desert is renowned for its wonderful natural beauty and local crafts. There is also an incredible collection of plant and animal life, which can be found there. These are some of the reason why Atacama has turned into a major tourist destination in Chile. Crafts and traditions followed in this area have been passed down from generation to generation. The volcanic stone crafts in the area of Toconao are another characteristic of this place.

How to reach Atacama Desert

San Perdo the nearest city to Atacama Desert is located 1.670 km away from Chile’s capital, Santiago. To reach San Perdo, you must first go to Calama, the nearest city from there. An excellent paved road having stunning desert views connect Calama to San Pedro. There are some excellent buse services available for this route comprising of bus with semi-bed seats. This will make the 20 hour journey from Santiago a comfortable one.

The fastest way to reach Calama is via air. Lan Chile Airlines operates five flights daily from/to San Perdo on weekdays and three during weekend. It is recommended that you make reservations at least four – seven days prior to the journey.

Thrill lovers can go to Pedro by car. You will have to follow Route 5 - Panamericana Norte for this trip. For comfortable traveling, the trip can be spilt into two parts; the first stop can be at Caldera or Bahía. From there you can continue next day and directly reach Calama.

Weather of Atacama Desert

Atacama Desert is located 8,015 feet above sea level. Throughout the year, this place experiences a superb climate with mostly sunny days. The average daytime temperature in winter during the months of June, July and August is 22°C, while at night it is 4°C, sometimes even going down to -2°C. During the summer months of January, February and March, the temperature hovers between 27°C in daytime and 16°C at night. Occasional showers can be experienced between January and March.

Atacama Desert Trivia

Atacama Desert is famous for its inhospitable conditions. However, humans have inhabited this place since thousands of years. Atacameños and Incas were the indigenous inhabitants of this place. Later on it was colonized by the Spanish during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. They established coastal towns and it was used as a port for shipping silver, which was extracted from the mines. At different times, Atacama was under the possession of countries like Peru, Bolivia and Chili due to the huge nitrate reserves found here. Later on most parts of Atacama Desert was annexed by Chili.