Chile's Atacama Desert Day 3

Day 03 - Friday, March 13, 2015 – LAN Chile Flight to Calama; Rainbow Valley Petroglyphs; Dinner Enroute, Overland to San Pedro

The bags had to be out at 7:15 am; the bag that we packed to stay went into storage and one bag with all of our desert supplies went into the van to take us to the airport. Christian had advised us to take a small sandwich, as the "lunch" on the flight to Calama was minimal.

After breakfast, Vic fired up the GPS so we could track our journey to the northern border of Chile and Peru. At 8:15 am we, “The Desert Nine”, got into a small van for our 30-minute drive to the airport.

Christian had planned for plenty of time to get our bags checked and to go through the minimal security on this domestic flight. On the way to the airport, he gave us our agenda for the day.

We found our assigned gate, only to have to make a change to the lower level of the airport. A shuttle took us out to the tarmac where we boarded our LAN Chile Airbus 320. Although the flight appeared to be full, we did have an extra seat in our row so Gennie moved to the window to give us an opportunity to take a few photos.

Our destination was the copper-mining town of Calama. The town itself is not much more than a bedroom community for the miners but it is the gateway to the Atacama Desert.

The two hour flight took us about 750 miles north following the desolate deserts of Northern Chile. We are just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, and relatively close (as the crow flies) to our last adventure in the Uyuni Salt Flats of Bolivia.

At 12:30 we landed in Calama, got our bags, and met our local guide, Krasna and our driver Ricardo. The terrain was primarily flat, (7,700 feet above sea level) high plateau. Wind turbines dotted the landscape to provide power for the valley.

We drove east on one of the only paved roads for about 80 minutes to Rainbow Valley. We made brief photo stop to see a herd of llamas. A few miles further on, we stopped at Hierbas Buenas to see the petroglyphs cut into the sandstone rocks over 3,000 years ago.

Although the site is semi-protected, we were able to climb up through the crevasses to see the ancient stories saved for posterity. It was hard to believe people actually lived in this hostile environment.

We got off of the main road and crossed the Rio Salado riverbed with just a trickle of late summer moisture. Further into the Rainbow Valley, we made another stop to learn more about the volcanic eruptions and the colors of the different rock formations.

The vegetation was almost nonexistent. The animals were scarce as well; we did see a domesticated herd of llamas, a hawk, a lizard, two black beetles, and three wild donkeys.

On the way out of the valley, we made another stop at the Hierbas Buenas to use the restrooms before the hour drive to San Pedro de Atacama.

At 5:00 we stopped at the home of Daniela Vega, an oasis like village called Coyo Aldea de Tulor, once part of the Inca Trail. The area is also known as the Ayllu, referencing the different regions before the arrival of the Spanish.

A new concept to welcome tourists, Daniela has a small restaurant, called Senderos de Coyo where they grow their own vegetables, have chickens, ducks, llama, and many dogs and cats.

When we finished dinner and visited the gardens and the animals, we continued on to San Pedro and checked into our hotel at 7:15. Our room was very spacious, but the Internet did not work so the desk clerk, Christian, and Vic worked to reset the server and the router.

We are excited to be here in the Atacama Desert, the driest desert on earth. The Andes on both sides of this valley prohibit any clouds from gathering and dropping moisture in this area. There are a few springs and the original people of Atacama lived in this unforgiving ecosystem in oasis villages over 10,000 years ago.

The first Spanish explorers lead by Diego de Almagro, arrived in 1537, but no significant settlements were established. The land was forgotten by the world until the 1800’s when vast deposits of copper, gold, silver, sodium nitrate, and now lithium brought economic life to the Atacama Desert.

Accommodations: Hotel La Casa de Don Tomas- - - Meal: B & D

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Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.

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